Chart Your Course

Vital Keys to Happiness: Meaningful Relationships and EnRICHing Life Experiences

Leisa Watkins — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 16:23:03 +0000

Several years ago, my husband and I took our daughter to celebrate her birthday at an Alan Jackson concert. She wanted to bring her friend to make it a mini birthday party.

On the way out of the concert her little friend said, “Wasn’t that the greatest night ever?” It was my daughters first concert and she seemed to agree that it was a fantastic time. I’m not a huge country fan myself but I thoroughly enjoyed the concert as well. Alan Jackson is a great entertainer and I know he gained several new fans in our party.

As he was singing the song Drive I thought about my own dad teaching me to drive. He let me drive (steer is more like it) the car on the dirt roads in and around our mountain property. My thoughts traveled to other childhood memories.

I had a happy childhood and what I remember most about my childhood is the experiences; the traditions, the trips we took, and the time we spent together as a family. Yet I remember very few of the Christmas presents I received.

Some of my favorite childhood memories are:

Building a fort at Timberlakes (our mountain property in the Rocky Mountains)
Camping at Timberlakes (we would spend much of our summer camping)
The family trip to Yellowstone and being charged by a moose.
Traveling and having a baby bear stop traffic because he sat down in the middle of the road and wouldn’t budge.
Trips to the pizza parlor and watching the pizzas being made.
Eating shrimp at The Hawaiian, a restaurant that had indoor thunderstorms.
Christmas Traditions
Playing cowboys and Indians. I know it isn’t’ politically correct, but hey we were just kids and Western’s were very popular back then.
The Utah Ghost towns we visited. And the nightmares I had after-wards of falling in mine shafts.
Wading in the creek at Timberlakes.
Several trips to the Moab, Utah
Shopping for the annual Christmas Tree
Watching the Disney Movie of the Week, together as a family.
Going to the drive-in movies in our PJ’s.
Watching Mini-series on TV – the Cowboys, War and Peace, a series about Johann Strauss, and more.
Dancing. Dancing. Dancing.
Visiting Arches National Park, Zions National Park, Bryce National Park, and more…

The gifts I remember getting for Christmas are:

A So Big Doll – 1967
A Chrissy Doll – 1968
Little House on the Prairie Box Set (Year unknown)
Play Hair Salon

As you can see, I remember much more about the experiences I had with my family than I do about what I received for Christmas. Happiness is not built out of possessions. Happiness is a state of mind – but vital keys to happiness and living successfully are meaningful relationships and enRICHing life experiences.

How about you?

Are you spending time creating enRICHing life experiences that build meaningful relationships?
What are your favorite childhood memories?
What gifts do you remember receiving?
What means more to you now? The family memories or the gifts?

Ten Steps To Getting Out of Overwhelm

Leisa Watkins — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 18:15:43 +0000

Image Courtesy of Infinity Rain

“Wow! I’ve Bitten Off More Than I Can Chew.” That’s what I said when I wrote down all the projects that I have on my plate some time ago. No wonder I had been feeling a little overwhelmed and felt it a little difficult to keep my head above water. And I’m not the only one. In fact, in March 2010 there were tens of thousands of people who searched on Google for some variation of the keyword overwhelm. That’s a lot of people feeling overwhelmed.

As I gazed at the list I realized that… “Not only are the projects numerous but they are huge.” Many of them I have been working on for months and I simply, optimistically, thought I would have them done before these new projects came into being. That left me feeling more than a tad bit overwhelmed. Reality collided with time. I needed a plan and I needed one quick.

Jane Herman says in her article Avoiding Overwhelm that “Many times we are reluctant to acknowledge to ourselves or admit to others that we are feeling overwhelmed because we view it as a sign of weakness.” I certainly know that is the case for me. I told myself more than once, ‘Why would anyone want to work with me if they know that I too have weaknesses?” So this is a big step here – I’m being “human” and posting it right here for the world to see. “I can’t do everything. I’m not super-human!” hhh. What a relief!

Jane outlines specific reasons that people feel overwhelmed. Among those reasons, “Everything that you need to do seems to be at an equal level of priority so it is not obvious which needs to be tackled first.” For me, that is a primary reason why I felt overwhelmed the past few months. The problem – most of my projects involve other people and they are all projects that are a number one priority for the other people.

According to Jane I’ve got to find my focus by reestablishing my priorities. And thankfully, Jane outlines some of those tools you can use to find to do that. No doubt, that works for most situations. However, in this case I only took on projects that were already keeping with my mission and purpose. They all, are I still believe, fairly equal in priority.

So I needed a different strategy and here’s the steps I look to reduce the overwhelming feelings I was experiencing…

Set Limits. I stopped taking on new clients until I’ve finished up some of these larger projects.
Scheduled Down Time - I set limits on how many hours a day I’ll work so that I do take a little time off to recuperate.
Asked for Help – a big HUGE step for me. I’m a perfectionist who bought into the belief that “if you want something done right do it yourself.” Although, similar to the outsourcing step below it is a little different. One is proactive, and one is simply opening the door for resources to flow to you. For example, I asked for help when I set-up a page for guest blogger guidelines and announced I am accepting guest bloggers.
Set and Outlined Clearer Expectations – I am working on outlining clearer exceptions with business partners etc. so we are clearer on who does what and establish time lines we can both agree with.
Created Better Systems – Created additional systems to better handle some of the recurring tasks and built more systems into our home educational system.
Delegated - Delegated out more of the household chores to the rest of the family. For example, now each person in the house in in charge of one dinner a week.
Better Client Education. For example, I found that one of my clients thought that what I considered to be one of the last steps on the project was one of the ones they thought should be done first. That set me up for automatic failure unless I educated them properly on why it was best as one of the last steps.
Better Communication – For example, I communicated with a client and found out that they were feeling just a rushed and overwhelmed by the joint project and that they were really wanting to extend the project deadline. We set more realistic deadlines and extended the project out several months.
Created an Outsourcing Plan – Figured out what needs to be done, who’s the best person to do it and when each piece of the projects need to be done by in order for me to meet my goals, and I’m working on finding the right people to assist.

So perhaps some of those steps will work for you when you are feeling overwhelmed.

So here is those steps…

Ten Steps to Getting Out of Overwhelm

Prioritize - Determine your priorities, but then work to recognize what it is you can do within those priorities. Focus on those things that are the highest priority.
Schedule Down Time - Get consistent rest, exercise, and time away from those projects that feel so overwhelming.
Set Limits – Determine what is the most important things you can do within our various roles and then place a limit on the rest. For example, if you are a mother or a father with young kids you can choose to spend time with them watching TV or reading a book. Choose the things that will have the longest lasting impact on your relationship – chances are that the time spent reading one-on-one to a child will far outweigh the TV time. Set a limit on those things that do not have as much of an impact
Get Help - Let people know you are feeling overwhelmed and ask for help.
Set Clearer Expectations - Make sure everyone you deal with knows what you expect and what they can expect from you. Renegotiate those deadlines if necessary.
Develop Better Systems - Systems can help put your life on autopilot. Develop systems for every aspect of your life and business.
Delegate – Delegation is very similar to asking for help. However, asking for help is just that a request that you hope someone else will answer? Delegation, on the other hand, is a deliberate plan of action to get the help you need. Examine every area of your life and ask yourself if someone else could be doing that task and then examine who could. Just brainstorm at first. For example, when it comes to laundry you could have everyone do their own laundry, you could assign batches of laundry to others in the family, you could hire someone to come in and do it, you could reduce your work load by having someone fold the laundry and put away what you wash, you could take it to the cleaners. Just write down all the ideas as some may work well and some may work later – or you could use a combination of several.
Educate Those You Are Involved With In Your Various Roles – Make sure you are all on the same page as far as expectations are concerned. Educate others on what you are willing do to and when you are willing to do it.
Refine Your Communication – Communicate with others. Often you will find out that the other people involved in a project are feeling just as overwhelmed. Perhaps because of a unrealistic deadline. Perhaps the people you are working with have resources to help.
Create a Delegation or Outsourcing Plan and Follow Through – Once you have determined what can be delegated and outsourced figure out a way to make it happen. Planning without action isn’t going to dig you out of the sea of overwhelming feelings.

Envison a Visit to the Art Institute of Chicago

Leisa Watkins — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 17:34:51 +0000

I visited The Art Institute of Chicago 14 years ago and I’ve always wanted to go back. I loved seeing some of the paintings I recognized from the board game Masterpiece that I played with as a child. For me it was an experience I’ll never forget and because I love art it has been one of the highlights in my life.

Perhaps you’ll marvel at the centuries of pure art as I did. Even if you don’t have a passion for art, like I do, there is something inspiring about visiting The Art Institute of Chicago and standing in front of a that painting worth millions. You”ll find yourself transported to era after era as you gaze at the art that captures moments in history.

Famous Paintings at The Art Institute of Chicago

The Child's Bath by Mary Cassatt

American Gothic by Grant Wood

Self Portrait by Vincent Van Gogh

On the Terrace by Pierre Auguste Renoire

Paris Street Rainy Day by Gustave Caillebotte

Information

Because it is the 2nd largest art museum in the United States you’ll want to dedicate the at least three hours to viewing the world-class artwork housed at The Art Institute of Chicago.

Location
111 S Michigan Ave
Chicago, IL 60603

(312) 443-3600

Hours
Mon-Wed, Fri 10:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Thu 10:30 a.m. – 8 p.m. (Thursday evenings are free but some sections of the museum are closed)
Sat-Sun 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Price
Adults: $18.00
Students and Seniors: $12.00
Children under 14: Free

Additional Information

The following items are not allowed in the galleries:

Art materials other than pencil (including ink pens)
Backpacks and backpack baby carriers
Bags, camera bags or purses larger than 13”x17”
Shopping bags
Flowers or balloons
Food or drink
Toys
Tripods, flash attachments and video cameras
Umbrellas (small umbrellas can be stowed in bags)
Wrapped packages (gifts)

So is The Art Institute of Chicago going on your bucket list?
What other cultural experiences would you like to do in your life?

This post is part of our Envision This Series – the series designed to help you dream
bigger and find experiences that will enRICH your life. In this series you will find
vision board ideas, mind movie ideas, and bucket list ideas.

Patrick Henry Hughes Lives Life Without Limits

Leisa Watkins — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 04:04:56 +0000

I’d like to introduce you to another inspirational person I had the pleasure of meeting a few years ago. His name is Patrick Henry Hughes. Patrick Henry was born without eyes and his limbs don’t extend their full length so he is therefore unable to walk. Despite his handicaps Patrick has learned to play several instruments (imagine playing the piano without the ability to fully extend your arms). I heard him play the piano and he plays beautifully.

While a student at the University of Louisville Patrick Henry joined the marching band. He played the trumpet while his father pushed him through the marching routines in his wheelchair.

I hope you enjoy this sneak peek into the life of someone who chose not to place limits on what he can do and a look at an incredible father who helped his son reach for the best he can be.

Ask yourself this…

How often do you place preconceived limitations on yourself?

Click here to find an archive of the Life Without Limits stories

“Don’t believe what your eyes are telling you. All they show is limitation. Look with your understanding, find out what you already know, and you’ll see the way to fly.” ~ Richard Bach

Are Your Dreams Guiding You To The Wrong Shore Line?

Leisa Watkins — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 23:40:36 +0000

Image Compliments of Paul Dex

Dream building is vitally important to your personal development. Without a dream you can’t imagine an existence any greater than the one you are living right now!

Dreams are a tool to help us navigate through life. They are that lighthouse upon the distant shore that we seek in the sometimes dark times of life.

As that famous Bible saying goes, “Without a dream people perish.” As they crash their ship upon the rocky storms in life their dreams of a better future perish.

They float through life letting one wave push them here and another wave push them there.

Common phrases said by people without a dream or vision to guide them through life’s rough seas are, “such is my lot in life.” “That’s just the way I am.” or “Why try? Things will never change.”

I dare say that most of the people who visit us here at Wealth, Wisdom and Success don’t fall into that category. After all, people who decide to live the life of personal development have already bought into the dream that their life can and will be better.

However…

I dare say that many of you

are dreaming much to small and casting your dreams upon the ponds of life, rather than the vast ocean of opportunity. Upon those ponds one needs just a simple latern to light the way.

Many of you

are striving to navigate towards those things in life that don’t really contribute to your happiness. You’re setting your sails to the wrong winds.

And many of you

focus on one area life – resulting in a navigation map to the future that is missing some key key elements. And we all know what can easily happen to an unbalanced ship – is likely to capsize.

Just as a lighthouse leads one safely to shore your vision for the future leads you to the future you dream of.

The question you have to ask yourself is this…

Am I navigating to the place I truly want to be?

Possible indicators that your dreams may be out of alignment for your higher good are.

The only dreams featured on your vision board are physical things such as cars, trips, jewelry, houses, helicopters etc. and there is nothing to represent the simple joys in life.
Most of your time is dedicated to the pursuit of a singular goal.
Your goals don’t touch upon the spiritual, upon friendship, or expanding your knowledge.

Sound familiar? Then your dreams will likely not lead you to the place you want to be.

What are the possible results of such dreams?

One lands their ship on the wrong shore!

perhaps…

One lands on the right but does so alone and lonely.

or…

One lands on the right shore but they don’t have the necessary tools to maintain the lifestyle they worked so hard to get.

No doubt you’ve heard the stories…

The executive who reaches the ultimate goal only to find he has lost his children and wife in the process.
The person who finally get’s the ultimate home on the beach and then thinks, “Now what do I do with my life?”
The lone traveler who sees the world but fails to develop relationships with the people they come in contact with and dies a lonely man.

With balanced dreams one can navigate safely to the right shore. One can bring loved ones along and can gain the skills necessary to live well once they arrive.

To achieve balance dream of health.
Envision your financial future.
Set spiritual goals.
Decide who you want in your future — what friends will you have and how will your family life be?
What type of community will you help create?
What will you have learned?
How will you spend your recreation time?
How will your career make an impact in the world?
What will you be remembered for?

Balance your dreams. Balance your goals. Focus on…

Financial goals, health, spirituality, family, fun and recreation, career, friendship, community, the knowledge and education you will have gained, and how you will impact the world for good.

Bring your dreams and goals back into alignment and navigate your life to your ultimate paradise.

We’ve Made a Few Changes

Leisa Watkins — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 18:55:09 +0000

I’ve been making some recent changes to our website. Perhaps you noticed the somewhat new look. This blog was originally posted on another domain name and when I moved it here I kept the same name, but have only posted a fraction of the posts that were on that blog. I’ve decided that switching the blog name and the Tagline around would be more appropriate for my goals for this website. So now it’s known as Chart Your Course: Dream, Act, Plan Believe. Rather than Dream, Act, Plan, Believe: Chart Your Course.

This is essentially develops a more congruent theme for the website, my mission in life, my seminars, and it now fits better with the other blogs here on this website:

Successful Reads – Books to Help You Navigate Life and Business (also a new tag line).
Road Map To Success – Charting a Successful Business Course. This new is blog that my husband and I will both maintain. We’ve been coaching people to success in the home-based business, direct sales and network marketing industry for years. During that time we have primarily posted most of our content to private membership sites. We’ve now decided to publish some of that content and make it available to the public. That is where we will post it.

The new name also fits well with my eBook: Right On Track as it includes strategies and tips for keeping your goals on track, and getting rid of roadblocks that sabotage your success. Plus it goes well with another website of mine that has to do with education as you journey through life – I’ll share that with you later.

Design wise I’ve made a couple of changes as well. The blog header is practically the same – I’ve just added the name of the website to the top and added a map to the background. I’ve also made a few changes to the headers in the sidebar that are more in keeping with the theme.

I’ve also added more feed options. Our readers can subscribe to an RSS feed or email subscription delivery system of the content posted to all of the blogs and get business tips, sales, tips, book reviews, and articles on success delivered to them or they can still subscribe to the individual blogs.

So what do you think about the changes? I’d love to know.

Life Without Limits; Johnny Made A Made a Difference

Leisa Watkins — Sun, 30 May 2010 23:44:58 +0000

This post is a little different that our usual Life Without Limits feature as we don’t actually meet Johnny, but we learn about him through a lady who inspired him to not place limits on himself and how he could serve his fellow man.

How often do we think that the job we do is to mundane to really make a difference?

It isn’t so! The little things we can do that can such a difference in the lives of others.

Take a look at this video to see what I mean…

This video reminds me of a story from my own life…

In college I worked in the college’s cafeteria. It’s not a glamorous job and a job that most people would never want. But my new friend and co-worker Leann was determined to make the best of it. We decided to try to make a difference in the people that came through our line. Our hope was that we could brighten their day and help relieve some of the pressure that naturally comes with college life.

Leann and I were assigned the line that was out of the way. Because it was in the back corner our line was always less crowded. As a result we always closed our line first and it was Leann’s and I’s job to clean up the cafeteria. Usually that meant putting away dozens and dozens of trays that student’s had just left on the tables and wiping down the tables.

Now for some reason, the girls in the other line didn’t seem to like us much. I think they resented the fact that we were having fun. The would practically throw the food on the plates and hand it to people as they walked by. It was rare to see them smile or even say anything to the other students. But because their cafeteria line was right by the door they were always very busy.

At first LeAnne and I simply started out greeting each person warmly and smiling as they came through our line. We wanted them to know that we enjoyed serving them. We truly did -- as interacting with the people was by far the best part of our job.

We then made it a game to try to remember as many peoples names as we could so that we could call each person by name. To help us in our quest we kept a few sheets of paper on the shelves under the warming trays. Once we learned each persons name one of us would pretend we needed something from the shelves when in reality we were jotting down a description of the person and their name so we could remember it the next time they came through. If we say them coming and we couldn’t remember their name we would hurry and glance through the list.

One day upon returning from the ladies room I heard someone call a guy by name. I made an effort to remember his name -- just in case he ended up coming through our line. “How do you know my name?” was his response when we greeted him.

We did other things as well. For example, on Valentines Day we got valentines for everyone and added them to their tray. We would sing Happy Birthday or other silly songs. We had fun and we loved what we did.

Although we did it to have fun and help brighten peoples days we ended up benefiting as well.

Remember how it was our job to clean up all the tables. At the beginning of the year there were so many trays left on tables that much of our clean-up time was spent putting them away. By the end of the year there were many days when there were no trays left on the tables at all. In fact, one day someone got up to leave and left their tray on the table. Noticing is many of the guys on the college football team stood up and yelled, “Take your own tray!” I guess you could say a little intimidation did the trick. No one who witnessed that was going to leave their tray from now on.

The students also began packing lunches for LeAnne and I from the food they weren’t going to eat. They’d pack out the extra food that would keep and they’d give it to us. (Technically I believe it was against the rules -- but none of us could stand the thought of the food simply going into the trash).

Oh, and at the year our line ended up being the longest. Even if that meant that people had to wait longer.

So what little things can you do right now with the circumstances you have to make someone day a little brighter?

Click here to find an archive of the Life Without Limits stories.

“Don’t believe what your eyes are telling you. All they show is limitation. Look with your understanding, find out what you already know, and you’ll see the way to fly.” ~ Richard Bach

Unhappy by Default or Happy On Purpose: You Decide!

Leisa Watkins — Fri, 28 May 2010 09:43:20 +0000

Unhappy By Default

Have you ever bought into the “I’ll be happy when…” attitude? Sadly, I have far to often in my life. You see, I was unhappy by default.

Image Courtesy of James Jordan

I had failed to act more on the things in life that made me happy and defaulted to the every day and mundane.
I neglected to notice the blessings in my life, but rather, I paid more attention to the negatives and the things my life lacked.
I failed to act in ways that generated happiness. Sure I was very active in life, and I was doing a lot of things I love. But I failed to play an “active role” in creating happiness. I failed to deliberately look for happiness.

“It requires some effort to achieve a happy outlook on life, and most people don’t make it.”
— Gregg Easterbrook

Happy on Purpose

Thankfully I decided to be Happy On Purpose! I realized that happiness wasn’t something that could only be attained only after I achieved “this” or I achieved “that.” Rather…

happiness is something that has always existed and I just needed to choose to tap into happiness.

I purposely looked for the blessings in life. I paid more attention to life’s little blessings and learned that as a whole they really add up to one great blessing.

I paid more attention to the laughter of children verses the tears.
I paid more attention to the songs of the bird vs. the sound of the sirens.
I paid more attention to the beauty of the skies vs. the trash among the viaducts.

At the same time…

I choose…

to see the joy in the sirens – help was available!
to marvel at the wonderful healing power of tears.
and choose to notice the abundance represented in the trash caught it the viaducts.

I realized that being happy doesn’t mean that you don’t have unhappy moments, and even unhappy days. It is a choice to know that despite life’s twists and turns life is fundamentally great.

Are You Unhappy By Default or Happy On Purpose? You Decide!

Are You Willing to Be Happy on Purpose?
What Can You Do to Tap Into the Abundance of Happiness that Already Exists?
Are You Paying Attention to the Abundance of Blessings?
Are you unhappy by default?
What are you doing to create more happiness in your life?

How To Live Before You Die by Steve Jobs

Leisa Watkins — Wed, 26 May 2010 23:10:15 +0000

In this Stanford University commencement speech, Steve Jobs, CEO and co-founder of Apple and Pixar, shares how setbacks turned to out to be the golden linings in his journey through life. Steve urges YOU to pursue your dreams as he views the set-backs in his life and view the setbacks in life as opportunities in life’s and to have faith that all the dots in YOUR life will connect in meaningful ways.

Additional Messages I Really Like…

Find what you love and do it.

“Do what you believe is great work!”

“The only way to do great work is to do what you love.”

“If today were the last day of my life would I want to do what I will be doing today?”

and…

Follow Your Heart and Intuition

How About You?

How Often Do You Follow Your Heart and Intuition?
In what way have the set-backs in your life been a positive influence on your life?
What do you love to do? And how can you do more of it starting right now?

These Things Enrich My Soul And Delight My Heart – Part I

Leisa Watkins — Tue, 25 May 2010 22:06:53 +0000

Image Courtesy of F-L-E-X

My son came home from school with the song My Favorite Things running through his head. He wanted to clarify some of the wording so we sang it. That’s all it took for that tune to stick in my mind for the rest of the day. My heart was full of gratitude and I just had to share with you some of things that make me feel truly blessed.

Here is Part I in my list of favorite things; things that enrich my soul and delight my heart:

Whiskers on kittens – I love how they can be three different colors all on one whisker. (As I said before, I have the song running through my head.)
My kid’s eyes. Blue, deep and beautiful.
The feel of fresh clean sheets.
Reading a book on a snowy day.
Sitting by a stream in the Rocky Mountains.
Looking for animal shapes in the clouds with the kids.
The smell of newborn babies.
The giggle of a six month old baby.
Baby feet.
The sound of crunching leaves in autumn.
The flame of a candle.
Finding rusty objects to use in art.
Homemade chicken noodle soup with homemade noodles.
Christmas lights.
The beauty of freshly fallen snow in a field full of trees.
The sound of snow when you walk on it.
The smell of oranges and grapefruits.
Camping and waking up refreshed after breathing fresh mountain air.
Old ceiling tiles.
Textures.
The blue patina of oxidized copper.
Good photography.
Granny smith apples.
Carmel.
Carmel covered granny smith apples.
Crusty bread dipped in balsamic vinegar and good olive oil.
Hot cocoa with a squirt of carmel flavoring, a dollop of whipped cream, and a dusting of cinnamon and nutmeg.
Finding a movie theater right next to my hotel room, and time on my hands for a show.
Snickerdoodle cookies – but only those like my families recipe. Can’t stand the store bought.
Little kids in blue denim overalls.
Christmas decorations.
Shabby chic.
An afternoon nap without interruptions.