If you’re like most people, your insides fill with remorse, anxiety, negative self-judgment, shame. Then, for free, negative emotions cycle through the mind on repeat, much like a scratched favorite song on a favorite album from years ago.

It is said that we are what we focus on and I am a believer. If you doubt this, here’s a quick experiment. Consider the nature of thoughts that fill your mind or the spoken thoughts of someone you know.

How do dominant thoughts and language track with observable behavior?

Make no mistake. There is a difference between those who act on what they want to do and those who don’t.

Motivation plays a large part. It’s so important that it is one of a few pointed questions I ask each person who meets with me for a coaching strategy session.

I ask, “How motivated are you, on a scale from 1-5, to achieve the change you want?”

If the answer is not a 4 or 5, they will not become my coaching client.

I’ve been doing this long enough to know: a person doesn’t need to know yet the What or the How to succeed at getting where they want to go.

Clarity and completion naturally follow when the motivation level is high.

So, what about when motivation, stimulation and imagination are sagging? It’s not just you. It’s a common reaction as we live in uncertain times, under volatile circumstances and in a pandemic that can seem never-ending.

Here are a few of the biggest mistakes I see when motivation goes M.I.A. (missing-in-action):

• Waiting-for-someday for it to return
• Expecting it to return without effort or intentionality
• Focusing on too many things at once
• Allowing things that matter-less to be prioritized over engagement that matters more

Which of the mistakes I list sound most familiar?

There are those who want PROOF that bringing motivation back will be…WORTH IT.

A very important thing to know is…Motivation doesn’t hit its stride until you are already engaging in what matters to you (need help? Start here.)

Once we get started, motivation is what revs the engine, keeps us showing up and no longer has us denying/hiding/running from what we truly want.

A strong first step is to carve out time to engage in a high-priority activity. The most creative people don’t wait to feel ready, don’t merely set schedules, they build rituals.

Twyla Tharp is one of the greatest dancers and choreographers of our time. She writes about the relationship between ritual, creativity and success. I highly recommend her best-selling book, The Creative Habit.

Clearly, there is much more to say on motivation and its connection with a lightness of being (to borrow a title phrase from the esteemed author Milan Kundara). We’ve only just begun to poke around the edges of an essential quality that brings about the change we want to see.

To understand more about motivation and for tips on how to boost yours, here’s an excellent guide from James Clear (his is one of a handful of newsletters that I subscribe to) https://jamesclear.com/motivation

Like reading this newsletter? Know someone else who might enjoy it too? Tell a friend, family member or colleague about these resources by forwarding this email. They can also sign up for the newsletter here.

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GG’S FALL FAVES

Quote: “One of the greatest predictors of creative achievement is actually openness to experience.” —Lisa Congdon, Author and Artist

Activities: Hiking in the woods. Coaching and writing outside on the deck.

Recipe: Red Lentil Soup with Lemon by Melissa Clark.  It was my first time making red lentils. It’s got a kick and it’s a keeper. (I’m gaga over the NY Times Cooking app)

Books:

Funny in Farsi: A Memoir of Growing Up Iranian in America by Firooseh Dumas. A heartfelt and humorous look at the author in the context of her Iranian family and a refreshing take at what it’s like to be an immigrant.

How to Change: The Science of Getting from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be by Katy Milkman. This book is packed, in the best way, with breakthroughs on how to improve habits to change behavior.

TV Show: Ted Lasso. Characters that feel and fail. Storylines and acting worth watching for the laughs and recognition that we are connected and all human. I’m filled with envy that Jake Tapper received a Lasso swag bag (as shown on Twitter) and I didn’t.

Podcast: Brene’ Brown with Amy Cuddy on Dare to Lead Podcast: On Pandemic Flux Syndrome.

Anytime YUM snack: Soom Dark Chocolate Tahini with Sea Salt. Spread on banana, whole wheat bread, a spoon. Fun fact – the three founders are sisters and one of them went through school with our son. They are growing an international brand and I’m always happy to support women-owned businesses (especially when they’re this sweet).

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LATEST BOOK NEWS: My Memoir, Carrying My Father’s Torch

Sharing is caring! I welcome your reactions to my book and encourage you to share or gift it to others who enjoy memoirs and stories of triumph over tragedy. If you like our story, please leave a review on Amazon or Goodreads (it helps others find it) and link to it on social media. My memoir touches on topics of family secrets, resilience and hope for a brighter future. I am happy to speak with book groups and organizations. I am honored that my book is shelved at Y’ad Vashem in Israel, the USHMM in Washington, D.C., The Simon Wiesenthal Center Library in Los Angeles, at university and public libraries, and bookstores. If your local library or bookstore does not yet carry it, they usually order it upon request.

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YOUR TURN. I want to hear from you — what’s your favorite tip or resource from this issue?

What tips for motivation would you add to the list?

The post Smart Strategies to Boost Motivation and Get Awesome Results appeared first on Gail Gaspar Coaching.

I’m smitten with Netflix’s “Never Have I Ever.”

It may not surprise you that, as an experienced Coach, I can appreciate a sweet career pivot from a mile away. And want to learn more about what makes it possible.

Intrigued by the role the bad boy of tennis, John McEnroe, plays in it, I decided to do some research. At 62-years old, he has taken an unusual career turn.

We never see him in the series. We hear his distinctive voice as a narrator of teen life. He voices a full range of emotions swirling inside an angsty, Indian high school girl. Although the script and acting is enjoyable, what McEnroe brings is HIS unique stamp of wit, sarcasm, fatalism and competition. By using his voice in a new role.

How did it happen that he is willing to depart from his famous roles as world-class tennis star and sports commentator?

Why does he take the role?

His first reaction, when approached by Mindy Kaling, the show’s creator, was his signature phrase, You cannot be serious. Then, upon consideration, he talks about

Getting out of his comfort zone a bit.

Believing in the theory [that] it’s better to try and fail than not try at all.

Acknowledging that he wasn’t getting the type of enjoyment he would have liked. That it’s nice to sort of do something later on [in life] where you can.

So, what does this mean for those who would also like to pivot (but aren’t sure how?)

We do not have to be a tennis bad boy, famous and famously wealthy to move out of second gear to explore inner considerations ourselves.

What will take you out of your comfort zone, even elicit a gasp (what if I actually did THAT?)

What would you do if you could not fail and were not occupied by the reactions of others?

When we dig deep and reflect, are we making the difference/contribution/impact we want to make now?

These are some of the powerful questions we get to in coaching and they help clarify powerful decision making. See what comes up when you ask them of yourself. Ask yourself what you want to do about it and what/who will keep you accountable.

If you would like to explore the accountability, mindset shifts and rewards of coaching with me, I will have 2 spaces open end of September. They go fast so if you think one of the spots could be yours, let’s talk.

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What’s the Latest Scoop with My Memoir?

Many of you have been book Ambassadors for my memoir, Carrying My Father’s Torch, and I am grateful.

Although the book has been out for 10 months, I still pinch myself that I have published this book that is inspiring others to change the way they live their own legacy. I just received notice that my book is being sold in Great Britain and in Germany!

As an independently published author, readers are the ones who make a difference in ratings.

• Here are some ways YOU can be a book Ambassador:
• Invite Gail to speak with your book club or organization
• Leave a review on Amazon and Goodreads
• Ask your local bookstore and library to order Carrying My Father’s Torch
• Gift the book, e-book or audio to your favorite student, friend, colleague or family member.
• Donate the book to your local Little Free Library
• Have other ideas? Let me know!

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What I’m reading: Men We Reaped by Jesmyn Ward. A raw, seering memoir about what it’s like to grow up in the rural, impoverished south and how that affects the author and society.

Quote I’m pondering: Things are only impossible until they’re not. ~Jean-Luc Picard

Interesting Stat: 45% of remote employees work from a couch regularly, according to a study from home improvement marketing firm CraftJack. It gets even crazier: 38% of remote workers work from their bed regularly, 20% work outdoors, and 19%…in a closet. (from MorningBrew.com)

August Action Tip: Try putting your top priority action item on your scheduler. If you question if you will show up for it, find an accountability partner. Notice how it feels to have done it. Keep a log. Pause to acknowledge, check it off once completed. Repeat.

In closing, it is tempting to default to second gear and wait for something new to happen. I take issue with the saying “Good things come to those who wait.” Instead, I believe great things come to those who “Get Willing.”

The post Powerful Questions to Build a Leadership Mindset in Uncertain Times appeared first on Gail Gaspar Coaching.

If you are excited, dreading, stir-crazy, yearning to return to society– you are NOT alone.

It feels like a dense fog had settled on life. And now that the fog is slowly lifting, we feel exhausted.

The struggle has been real. For me, social isolation (I’m an extroverted introvert), over-baking for relaxation, the unusually cold and inhospitable winter, have been some of the challenges. The fear of getting sick from COVID and the grief of witnessing so many lives cut short.

As I consider the tempest of emotions and the tempo of life that has been, I’m going to go out on a limb and say that re-entry to life as we knew it is, for most of us, ready to be reimagined. We’ve been through a lot. We know more in some ways–and less in others.

Let’s talk about societal re-entry we’re facing in this issue, shall we?

Some things that got me through the pandemic will not be keepers Some patterns and preferences will stay. We will need to reimagine new avenues for thriving in the coming months and years.

What are some of the things noticed during the past year that warrant keeping? In some ways I became more scheduled and that, paradoxically, resulted in feeling more free. Let me explain. Dedicating time and energy to get on the bike more consistently, write and market my memoir, get outside to hike and take photos in the woods…when it worked, I felt more balanced during a time of upheaval. Which meant I was expending time and energy in alignment with what was important to me. It’s where I’ll look for clues about what to carry forward.

How about you? What do you want to carry forward?

We will not all be ready to re-enter society at the same pace. This article does a great job explaining how and why it will be different for each of us.

Some suggestions for navigating include practices grounding exercises and gratitude, and gradually exposing yourself to anxiety provoking situations. Forgive yourself for anything you wanted to do during quarantine that you did not get around to. Show yourself compassion.

You deserve it.

One mindset reframe I’m working on with coaching clients now is that of readiness.

In normal times, we often think we need to FEEL READY to make our move.

This was not then and is not true now. Ready, even in so-called normal times, never comes. There will never be an invitation or permission-granted from others. We must give ourselves the permission to move toward what is important to us. And what better time than when we are emerging from global medical crisis like no other?

My coaching clients are moving on to work that suits them better now. What are you called to explore and see it through? Who are you called to be?

Whatever your situation, we are all in this together. If there is anything I can do to help, let me know.

Gail’s Life Hacks

What Question I’m Pondering:

How can this (project/conversation/decision) be easy?

What I’ve Added to the Morning Mix:

MorningBrew.com. Aptly named, it’s a summary of financial, national, international and random, yet relevant, news bits go well with a cuppa coffee. Just enough zing but not too much at that hour to be annoying.

What Podcast I’m Enjoying: Design Matters with Debbie Millman.  Most recently, a fav is an episode with Roxane Gay.

What’s Delighting Me on Social Media: I’ve been following a fox mamma and her baby foxlettes who have taken up residence in Suzannah Conway’s yard in West London. Photographs of foxy frolics daily on IG @susannahconway

Speaking of Social Media: I’ve kicked one habit pretty much to the curb, that of checking my first thing in the morning. It’s still not easy, but I like starting my day better without it. Next up, I’m going for longer period of times this summer when I will purposely leave portable tech behind for hours at a time. I anticipate this will be challenging (as in, it doesn’t count if I put it in the beach bag, right?), but I’m going for the way I feel when I let myself be without it.

Go Behind the Scenes: Life of a Memoir

BIG NEWS: Do you listen to audiobooks? The audiobook for Carrying My Father’s Torch is ready for distribution. It takes a few weeks to be available to the public. I finished narrating my book from my clothes closet with a witty sound engineer who works in LA. I’m so glad I did my own narration. It infused the stories with nuance and expression it would not have otherwise. I hope you’ll have a listen! If you’d like to be among the first to be notified about the launch, simply reply YES to gail@gailgaspar.com and I’ll add you to the community.

Did you know I’ve given 21 virtual book talks around the country? Less than one year ago, I had no idea this was possible.

If you missed the talks and want to listen in, several book talk recordings are posted here. Thank you to everyone who has connected me with book groups, organizations, universities, bookstores, press, podcasts, and book reviewers. I could not have done this without you! And, if you know someone who might be interested in a book interview/discussion about themes in Carrying My Father’s Torch­–family relationships, moving beyond trauma and perceived limitations, finding one’s voice, reimagining a legacy–please let me know.

I was delighted to discover that my book is still a best seller in several categories and that Amazon makes a recommendation for other books based on it. One of those is the best-seller, Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer. The coupling was highlighted in other ways too. Students I spoke with at Tulane University were assigned to read his book after mine. And I shared a zoom author platform with Foer’s mother, who also recently penned a memoir and is former CEO of Sixth and I, a center for arts, ideas, and religion, in Washington, D.C.

Torch Adventures

Tag me (@gailgaspar on FB and gail.gaspar on IG) and the book #CarryingMyFathersTorch on social media with photos of you with my book or a picture of the book. You’ll be entered in a random drawing to win a free audiobook + $25 Amazon gift card. Offer ends June 6, 2021.

The post Returning To Society appeared first on Gail Gaspar Coaching.

What I’m watching, movies:
Mank, on Netflix. Evokes power struggles of 1930’s Hollywood. Herman J. Mankiewicz is a brilliant, alcoholic artist who gets little mention for writing one of the best movies of all time, Citizen Kane. The photography and acting are rewarding. The story is unsettling and worth watching.

My Man Godfrey, on Netflix. 1937 version with Carole Lombard and William Powell. We were in the mood for an oldie but goodie. A witty comedy with biting social commentary.

What I’m watching, tv: The Musketeers is a BBC period action drama based on the characters from Alexandre Dumas’s 1844 novel The Three Musketeers. Action-packed, with a highly watchable cast of characters, their do-good mission is foiled again and again yet they persist.

What I’m munching, newish discovery: Black Jewell Popcorn. I crave to crunch on something mid-afternoon and this hits the spot.

What I just finished reading, fiction: Circe, by Madeline Miller. As with the companion book, The Song of Achilles, I could not put it down. It’s a tale about a minor mythological deity. I enjoyed how it elevated her story and struggle to exert her individuality in a patriarchal system.

What I’m reading, non-fiction: Think Again, by Adam Grant. I admit to being a fan-girl of Adam Grant. Have read every book he’s written and heard him speak several times, including recently through Politics and Prose DC. To my mind, this book is exactly what we need right now. An opportunity to question anew, “think again,” and reset. My inner nerd is delighted with the conversational writing, the social psychology experiments and application to contemporary decision making.

What I’m reading, memoir: The Yellow House: A Memoir, by Sarah M. Broom. Winner of the 2019 National Book Award in Nonfiction and a New York Times bestseller. This is a haunting story that stretches my understanding as it explores the pull of home and family, and takes place in a shotgun house in New Orleans East.

Quote I’m noodling: “Never allow anyone to be humiliated in your presence.” – Elie Wiesel

What I’m meditating to: Insight Timer app. Especially enjoy instructor Sara Blondin. Many of my clients enjoy the Insight sleep meditations.

What app I’m adoring: The New York Times Cooking App. The best recipes I’ve found, all in one place.

What I’m listening to, podcasts: On Being with Krista Tippett and The Unmistakable Creative with Srinivas Rao

What I’m doing to disconnect, indoors: Puzzles. Crossword and jigsaw. Turns out that putting puzzle pieces together on a table with my husband is just as fun in front of a fireplace as it on summer nights at the beach.

What I’m doing to disconnect, outdoors: winter hiking. Making fresh tracks in the snow with a joyful doodle dog is, well, refreshing. And magnificently grounding, serene.

How about you? What are you accessing, making, renewing during the pandemic?

If you like this post, please share it with someone.

How can I help you in 2021? What would you like more of or less of in my newsletter? As always, I welcome your input and love to hear from you.

The post 12 Things Getting Me through the Pandemic Right Now appeared first on Gail Gaspar Coaching.

The post Creating a Vision Board appeared first on Gail Gaspar Coaching.

I keep an oversize paper chart to highlight my PRIORITIES, like exercise, writing, and meditation. When I demonstrate DEVOTION to my priorities, I promptly check it off, alongside what was specifically accomplished (ie, distance, word count, time spent).

Now, I realize this may seem old school and time-consuming. However, it’s a practice I’ve cultivated that many of my coaching clients adopt with success as well.

You see, writing it down and keeping track of how we actually prioritize our time sends a message to our brain: we choose to do what we say we will. We choose to complete something we know is important – when we could easily get away without doing it.

Can you imagine what it would be to gaze at one priority, checked off as complete, that you’ve been putting off for months or even years? Can you imagine a month and more of checked off priorities?

Consider the contrast: wishing, wanting and waiting are longings. Let us distinguish longing for something from engaging with something. Only the latter fuels action, courage and confidence.

Left to its own devices, the brain is known to retain a primitive tendency to focus on what’s not working. It torments us with valleys of regret and mountains of what’s still to be done.

The good news is there are tools to manage the brain when it runs amok on autopilot, tries to keep us in the land of familiar. Managing our mindset allows us to go for what truly serves us and others in a bigger sense.

The second strategy comes as a surprise to even the most seasoned professionals. Until, that is, they weave it in to daily practice and create the change they want to see.

I’ll illustrate the need for the strategy here. I am likely to ask a powerful question at the start of each coaching session. A question such as, “What is something you’re proud of since the last time we met?”

At first, it’s wiggly for most people to come up with something. That is natural. As I said, our brains are wired to detect the negative. Soon, however, they come prepared.

I ask the question. They share a proud moment.

It lasts a split second.

Then POOF! It’s gone. They are off and running with the next issue, challenge, task that lies ahead.

An unconscious sprint from a sense of abundance to one of deficit. In a nanosecond.

So, I invite them to pause. Take some deep breaths. Revisit what they feel in the moment.

I invite them to more fully prioritize, recognize and celebrate–on a cellular level.

What’s it like in their body? Who are they now, having been the person who’s done this?

Many will tear up. Tell me they are not used to patting themselves on the back. Some will say they were raised to think it smug, self-serving, frowned upon. Each will thank me for slowing them down and giving them moments to see themselves for who they truly are at their best.

To be clear, sometimes it is about big things. Deciding to leave a toxic work environment. Or completing a website landing page for their new consultancy.

More often, it’s to recognize a mini-step taken. A gamer launches an online community as a side hustle. A busy exec schedules ten minutes of reading for pleasure. A harried mom brews a cup of tea to enjoy alongside a healthy breakfast.

It is so tempting to rush past the gems in our human nature. Which include what we are capable of–if only we set ourselves up with tools to succeed.

Maybe it’s not about how much we get done, but how we prioritize, recognize and celebrate what gets done?

Integrating these mindset strategies will change the way you talk to yourself. The way you see and project yourself.

Challenge yourself to adapt one or both of these tools to remind your brain to prioritize, recognize and savor success.

Would love to hear what you think!

Recommended Resources

Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, by Carol S. Dweck

Five Science-Backed Strategies to Build Resilience

The post A Surprising Mindset Strategy That Will Change Your Life appeared first on Gail Gaspar Coaching.

Let’s be honest.

It’s a huge challenge to keep the fire of desire going when we have a meaningful dream. To give ourselves the permission we need to recognize, validate and answer a calling. It means challenging behavior and familiarity we’ve grown accustomed to. Though a way forward and the outcome may be uncertain, learning how to be true to your calling will light up your life.

We know full well how to get in our way. Fear and doubt wrestle and create resistance when we get the first inkling to make change where it matters.

As if that’s not enough to keep us from moving in the direction of our dream, there is an abundance of distractions, de-railers, feedback from others. Bidden and unbidden. When we bring it on, unquestioned, even well-meaning feedback has the power to dunk our deepest desire in the dustbin.

So, what can we do about that?

This is what I’m going to address here – how to stay devoted to your dream in the face of feedback from others. It applies whether feedback takes the form of praise or criticism.

When it comes to your Very Important Dream, you can learn to recognize what’s happening. You can choose what parts to take on and which to discard on the basis of what feels true to you.

Here are scenarios from two coaching clients who are struggling to get beyond external feedback on their dream:

Suzanna makes a long distance move. Before she goes, does the work to clarify her desire. It is to transfer well-honed, highly specialized skills and long tenure in one field to a related one that has a greater sense of urgency and purpose. A friend she trusts tells her, “You will need to take any job to get your foot in the door. First get yourself established, put in a year or two, then go after what you really want.”

Ryan has headed a company for 30 years. He is exhausted by what it takes to keep it going. Wants to pursue something else though what it is eludes him. A trusted colleague tells him, “This is who you are. What you know. What you’re good at. Just keep doing it. You can always go work for someone else.”

Perhaps one of these remarks rings familiar.

Perhaps, too, have you confided in someone a dream to grow, only to have them throw a bucket of icy water on it.

It’s tempting to shut down a dream on the basis on what someone else says.

But it doesn’t have to be that way.

In coaching, we get curious. examine the scenario together from various perspectives, get into action from there. Feedback can be well-intentioned AND not necessarily hold true for us. We get to choose whether it holds true, in this moment forward, for us.

How to do that?

Anchor yourself.

Start by recognizing that the other person speaks from their experience and understanding of their experience. In other words, feedback tells us more about the other person than it does about us.

In the first scenario of the expat, she notes that her friend tends to avoid taking risks that initiate change. Not so with my client. She has demonstrated quite the appetite and capacity for adventure. Despite that she has not flexed these muscles in recent years, she is wired in this way, with an inner drive to tolerate risk and make a meaningful contribution in the world of work.

In the second scenario of the business owner, he notes his friend did the same job throughout his career until retirement. But my client is curious and creative.

Though these strengths were underutilized, he still has ideas, varied interests, a large network and focus for things he enjoys. What his friend says tells us more about the friend than it does about what is possible for my client.

In both scenarios, another person’s viewpoint triggers the fear of not being able to achieve, what, for them, has deep meaning.

The inner critic dances with delight. To cease effort means to be spared looking foolish. If it won’t work out anyway, why bother?

In the past, both clients have left it there, on the doorstep of desire. Footsteps come and go, they watched other people achieving. They cover up their own traces of desire until no longer vibrant or accessible. Fortunately, those days are over.

Your dream demands an intentional, activated response now.

How to remember the seed that got you energized in the first place? I’ve chosen a couple of tips to help you stay on track and keep going in the direction of your dream.

Regardless of what others say.

Ask yourself a key question to keep you on track. One question I ask myself is, what impact do I want to make here? I encourage my coaching clients to keep visible a burning question that has meaning for them. When we remain curious about what drives us, others voices are less likely to drown out our own. We get to choose what to amplify or where to turn down the volume.

Create a sense of urgency. Sometimes a sense of urgency is baked into a situation. Other times we must create it. By when will you contribute or do you want to feel a certain way?

By when will you start to create a legacy to be remembered? By when will you see yourself in a healthier environment than you’re in?

The shocking truth about tending to your dreams is that you have what it takes right now.

You don’t need to be someone else in order to rise above the feedback from others. You get to listen, pause, then decide what is true for you. It will allow you to stay focused on your dream.

The first client is in interviews with potential to work in a stimulating field of interest. It is scary and it is energizing.

The second client left his 30-year occupation for good. He’s embarked on taking what he knows and leading in a new way. His work includes a side hustle that increases his brand visibility and impact. The feeling and accomplishment he’s dreamed about for so long.

Does your acting on your dream matter deeply to you too?

Of course, it does.

Will you tend to your needs first and run others’ feedback (praise and criticism) through the filter we just discussed?

Set the intention to stay devoted to your dream.

Promise to never ditch your dream out of fear or the say-so of others again.

That’s what makes for work and life that feels aligned and true.

Do you have a dream that tugs at you? Tell us what works, and what doesn’t, as you take steps to allow it to come true.

The post Being Devoted To Your Dream In The Face Of Criticism appeared first on Gail Gaspar Coaching.

It’s hard to be good at our job if we’re bad at prioritizing our responses.

Maybe you’ve made attempts to ignore tireless phone ring tones while you work but something inside feels a searing need to peek at caller ID and that leads to…answering. At some point it becomes customary to plunge into interruptions whenever a call, text or message arrive. After all, what if it’s your child’s teacher? Your boss? A friend wanting to meet for lunch?

Being on-call without boundaries around your work will cost you.

Not staying on task taunts us, our inner critic jumps for joy. The inner voice berates our feeble will. You missed deadline, again. You can’t ever do anything right. You know better than to be fooled by yet another bright shiny object.

Not staying on task costs us revenue. When we are open for interruptions, we fumble. Fall behind. What suffers? Important things like reaching out for new business, following up with customers and friends, paying bills, completing a work or creative project, making good on a promise.

Now I’m not telling you something you don’t know. And that’s the thing. You know you could do better safeguarding high priorities from distraction. It’s what you choose to do that counts.

Where it all falls apart is the gap between getting from what you know into intentional action.

Soft focus on work begins with a space free of distraction

It’s not your fault. Distractions are the norm, not the exception. There are more glittery objects and rabbit holes to fall through than ever. Outsmarting distraction is not unsolvable. In fact, it is figure-out-able.

Trite clichés and generalized advice do not help most of us who are already frazzled and not eager to change habits in ways that require more from us.

My job is helping clients move, with ease, beyond the myriad of distractions, obstacles and hard-wired resistance, to experience purposeful work and become better leaders.

So, I present to you 7 highly effective productivity tips that don’t ask much of you or add on a thing. In fact, they ask less.

You bet these tips are an integral part of how we set up a solid foundation to become better leaders.  Choose the ones that appear easiest to implement and I promise you will get more essential things done faster and with much less stress.

1. Clear your workspace.

Without going all Marie Kondo, the best work gets done in uncluttered space. It promotes calm focus. Survey your workspace. If you are performing work on top or in between piles of dishes, newspapers, books, papers…move them.

2. Put your phone in another room during designated work times.

I know this feels scary. It did to me. It does get easier with practice, I promise. You will feel freedom when you let go of the perceived need to respond at all times. The world will not end. Others will wait for you. Your productivity will exponentially improve.

3. Turn all phone notifications off. Check and answer email, social media and calls at set times.

I hear you. I know you want to bail here. Please, hear me out. You may not think so, but every time your cell bings, pings or sings its notification, research shows you are losing precious bandwidths of attention. Consider time it takes to break away, tend to the outside stimulation. Even if you don’t respond right away, your mind lingers on it. It steals precious engagement with what you were doing before. It’s empowering to put boundaries in place, to be the one who initiates and decides when to respond.

4. Set a timer when you work.

Not a phone alarm (see #2 above, move phone to another room). I use an inexpensive kitchen timer. Its job is to keep time, so you won’t have to. It will never tempt you off-task.

5. Take breaks.

Yes, breaks. For those who can sit at a computer for hours on end – and buy into a belief that it is required – this is not medal worthy behavior. It is a recipe for back pain and burnout. You have a to-do list. Daniel Pink, New York Times best-selling author of When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing, suggests creating a “break list.” He recommends starting with three breaks per day and to schedule them. Do not treat breaks as a luxury or trick yourself into thinking they are undeserved. The opposite is true: Making time for breaks is an integral part of doing good work.

6. Stick to it.

The temptation is to try something once or twice and stop. Not enough. Research shows it takes 21 days to form a new habit. Find a method of accountability to help you stay with the new behavior–until it feels natural, even desirable. Maybe you record and check off each time you engage in a behavior that helps you move forward. Or get an accountability partner. Do what works for you–and it’s different for each of us– to stick with it until the outcome you want moves from wishful to go-to behavior.

7. Recognize your wins and celebrate.

Our fast-paced society encourages moving on to the next thing without pausing to acknowledge a job well done. It’s not arrogant to recognize and reward yourself upon completion of set priorities and the manner in which you’ve achieved that. It’s quite the opposite. It signals to your brain: Do This Again.

Distractions are a fact of life. The pain is real.

Now you have 7 solutions for improved productivity, and sanity, within reach. These tips are game changers.

So, choose to experiment with a few and start doing them.

Imagine 21 days from now, the time it takes to forge a new habit, how consistent practice of a few new behaviors will set you up to enjoy more focused time on priorities and more free time.

How successful do you feel about staying with meaningful work? What interruptions are most challenging for you to say no to? Tell me what tips and practices are working for you.

And if you’re feeling generous, click one of the share buttons.

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The post 7 Powerful Tips to Work More Effectively Without the Struggle appeared first on Gail Gaspar Coaching.

You’re at a movie. In the car. At a concert.

And it comes full on at you. Seemingly out of nowhere.

A word, phrase or musical note that mysteriously connects the dots…to a blog post you’re trying to write, a project you’re in the midst of, a message that seems important to you and/or for others.

So, if you’re anything like me and you’re in a pitch-dark movie theater, you scramble around in your purse (why is it always the big cavernous purse without compartments?) for something to write with (sometimes it’s eyeliner pencil), and something to write on (frequently a crumpled receipt). You manage to scribble it down and then…

Movie’s over. You exit and key takeaways become throwaways (relevancy and timeliness were so clear inside the movie).

This time, I emptied my purse, retrieved the scrappy handwritten notes to self from a delightful remake of A Star is Born, along with powerful questions to apply when you find attention’s lagging or lost on something that matters to you.

The fourth (yes, fourth!) version of A Star is Born, is a romantic musical drama that follows seasoned musician Jackson Maine (Bradley Cooper), who discovers and falls in love with struggling artist Ally (Lady Gaga). She has just about given up on her dream to make it big as a singer until Jack coaxes her into the spotlight.

Here are two movie musings from the film to help get you to get started when getting started feels like a moving target.

Why Remembering What’s Important and Your “Why” is Not a Given

If you’ve ever had trouble getting started on a project or pivoting in a new direction (and who hasn’t?), losing sight of what’s important and why is often the root of procrastination, indecision, plain-old stuck.

In the words of Bradley Cooper, who plays Jackson Maine, “Maybe it’s time to let the old ways die.”

The truth is, we cannot move into a new role or identity without a letting go, a shedding of something we believed or used to do. That thing that we stumble over, that thing we hold tight to because we know it, it is familiar, it may have even worked for us in the past. But comes a time, if we want to grow, we’ve got to identify what’s holding us back. And let it go to grow.

As we evolve, what’s important and why it’s important will change. For change to occur, it’s essential to”turn the movie house lights on”: who were are now, what we want now, so that we continue to expand from experience.

Leading True Powerful Question: What old belief or identity do you hold tight that is getting in your way, not serving you anymore?

There’s No Substitute for Showing Up

Whatever you’re after–more self-confidence, resilience, sharpening/updating skills, challenging new achievement–there’s no amount of thinking or talking about it that’s ever going to take the place of showing up. We often anticipate a challenging undertaking as daunting, as all, or none, the two extremes.

The words of Jackson Maine (Bradley Cooper), “Unless you get out there and try to do it, you’ll never know. That’s just the truth. If there’s one reason we’re supposed to be here is to say somethin’ so people wanna hear it. So you gotta grab it and you don’t apologize you don’t worry about why they’re listenin’ or how long they’re gonna be listening for. You just tell ‘em what you wanna say.”

The truth is, to have a chance at achieving what we’re after, the guiding principles are somewhere in between: small steps and getting started.

Leading True Powerful Question: How do you hide from showing up and what impact is it having on you? Are you saying what you wanna say?

We head to the movies to escape, yes. And also to aspire.

Do these takeaways have meaning for you? What are others you came away with? How will you take the next step and Be the Star of Your Own Life?

The post Two Quick Steps for Getting into Clear Action from A Star is Born appeared first on Gail Gaspar Coaching.

You can think thoughts, make more lists. You can aim for the moon or retrace the same steps in circles. You can amp up networking, workshopping, classes, reading, gardening, walking, getting productive. You can stand on a street corner and hold up a sign that says, “I need to make a change, tell me HOW.”

Not exactly a lack of options, right?

It’s very easy to fall for the allure of new, shiny, oodles of options.

And herein lies the rub.

Much like trying to nab all the cookies at once from a cookie jar. The mission falls short as our hand will not make it out the neck of the jar with all the cookies, most will fall, crumble through our fingers.

Good news is, though we can’t take it all with us, we don’t have to leave it all behind. In 5 Things Vacation Teaches Us, you can discover how to savor summer delight and relish a more rigorous fall schedule.

The start of a new season is an ideal time to reflect on what objectives, habits, and routines are, and aren’t, serving you in your career and in your life.

What are 3 common yet derailing obstacles to get wise to?

I’m going to tell you three biggies that stop wise high achievers in their tracks, keep them from getting the results they crave, until they learn to recognize, release and take intentional action.

1. Too many options.

Lists that are runaway trains. Promises made and stowed in the mind or between journal covers. Action steps and goals, whole visions buried on a computer page, hidden from view. Trying too many new things at once, going deep on none. This trap results in overwhelm, procrastination, paralysis.

Sound like you?

Try to simplify, mercilessly simplify. Focus on 2-3 KEY achievements or changes you would like to make this quarter.

2. Too little structure.

Find yourself resisting structure? Picture driving to the Grand Canyon without a map. You may end up there but chances are you’ll end up in a place like Pittsburgh or Milwaukee instead. Same goes for goals. Not prioritizing, scheduling or measuring results? How’s that working out?

Sound like you?

Structure is a foundation for success. And there’s no one way to “do” structure. Just because something works for someone else doesn’t mean it will work for you. Not fitting priorities into your day? Try putting non-negotiable activities on a schedule the night before. Not a fan of planning your day on a calendar? Try drawing a mind map instead. It is possible to warm up to the structure once you discover ways that melt resistance and work for you.

3. Zero accountability.

You have project deadlines, customer expectations at work. Family members whose needs get met. Whose needs are first to go when schedules get demanding? Ours. Truth is, we tell ourselves things like, who will know if I don’t meet this timeline, get focused, take this action? My answer? YOU will know. And it will gnaw at you, it will not go away until you act like it matters. Truth is, most of us are poor shepherds of our own needs.

Sound like you? 

If you are not getting results you want, learn how to get out of your own way and stop believing you should be able to go it alone. Find a friend, colleague or coach and get accountability to do what you say you will.

So, there you have it.

Make happy moments visible in your workspace.

You can remember family barbeques and summer sunsets. And, you can pivot to a new season with a sense of renewed purpose and vigor.

Just don’t forget to pack your sense of curiosity, engagement, and adventure!

What challenges do you face switching into new season mode? Do you fall into these traps or something else? Do tell…I love to hear from you.

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The post Get Wise to Career Advancement Obstacles and Take Action Like a Pro appeared first on Gail Gaspar Coaching.