Focus, focus.

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It's time for an end of 2012 clean-out to make room for 2013! 

So much has happened, so much was fit into a single year, wasn't it? What did you accomplish this year? Write all these triumphs down, be proud of them and acknowledge yourself for your successes. Write a list of everything amazing that happened, goals you achieved and things you crossed off your 'life to-do list'.

Now get a blank sheet of paper and begin writing your future successes for the coming year. 
A great way to help you think about what you want to achieve is to close your eyes and think forward to this time next year and visualise what you will be crossing off your to-do/success list. You may even find your goals may be a little different than you predicted because this year was so successful, you may need to find some much bigger goals to go after. Good!

Get ready for a new year with new possibilities. 

Focus and write down as many goals as you would like to achieve in one year. Keep writing until everything is down on paper, no matter how big or seemingly unrealistic at the moment. Your unconscious mind will absorb your wishes and get to work. Just like when you hear a new song you love and then find out all about it, who wrote it, who sings it etc. and suddenly you hear it everywhere, in shops, at the airport, on TV, in the gym. Because you were so focused on it, your unconscious mind sought it out for you when otherwise you wouldn't have noticed the song playing at all. That's how your unconscious mind works. This is why when you focus on negative things, or use self-depreciating talk, often times it comes true. 

The unconscious mind's rules: Your mind seeks out what it is told to and hasn't got a filter for sarcasm. Everything is true as far as the unconscious mind is concerned, so watch out! It also finds it impossible to recognise 'don't' - for example, if you say "don't drop the tray, don't drop the tray!" your mind hears, 'drop the tray' and suddenly you get very wobbly and drop it. It isn't your minds fault, it is simply responding to your orders. Another example - "Don't think of a blue car." 

When you are aware of these two rules, when using your unconscious mind, then your mind will be your best tool in seeking out what you want. Think of all the goals you want to achieve. Think of them daily. Successful people visualise their goals all the time. They even know what it will sound like when they get to their goal, what getting that goal will feel like, what they will be seeing when they get it. 

When you are crystal clear on the outcome then your goals just keep getting realised because the unconscious mind knows what it is seeking out for you.

So get a good picture of what it is you want, keep writing your list until everything is down on paper. Then type it out neatly. Print it out and put it somewhere you will see it everyday. Soon you will start noticing things you never noticed before, that are suddenly very relevant to your goals. 


www.phoebehackett.com

The Joy of Looking Forward

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For me, it's that time of year when I start to breathe out after a busy year and begin to make out the blurry edges of my impending holiday. I love the space between now and the following weeks, it takes on a feeling of expectation & dreaminess, wondering what will happen on this long-awaited holiday, what will change, where we will wander, how much I'll love it and tell everyone afterwards that I am definately buying a house there. 
(Every single country I have been to on holiday, I end up wanting to live there within about 2 weeks.)

Something to look forward to is one of my favourite things. Images of meandering holiday adventures creep into my work-day thoughts and a faint smile appears on my face. 

Then....I love the night before, when sleep isn't an option. Except maybe finally after midnight, 1am. 

And then the day arrives! Ah, joy!  I relax my weary self and re-awaken in a new place, to become a new person, if only for a little while. 

Here's to the joy of looking forward, while also enjoying your present. It's an intriguing balancing act. 

Here's to you and having your something special to look forward to...

12 Tips for Getting Things Done

I thought i'd share with you my tips for getting things done. This year I have achieved far more than I ever thought possible, thanks to my perseverance, self-belief, amazing supporters and family. I have checked things off my 'goal' list ahead of time and it feels amazing, knowing that 2013 is fresh and clean! 

I am thinking up new and bigger goals for next year. Now the studies are done I am really excited about my upcoming holidays to New Zealand and Singapore and eventually creating lovely lifestyle products for everyone to enjoy. I will be cosy in my little studio at home, with my music on, sipping my sencha, having lovely full and purpose-filled days.

So, right now, hopefully these tips inspire you to get everything on your to do list done for 2012.   
Below is how I achieved more than I ever thought possible this year.

•  Get a 90 day goal sheet out and USE it. (email me if you want your own free copy based on the one I use) I had often looked at this but not filled it out. Once I really used it, all the things on my list kept getting done. This tool is simple and easy to use. 
• Tell people around you when you will have things completed by and make them hold you accountable. Even if you miss a 'due-date' the odds are that you will get more done than not using your support people keeping you on track.
• When completing assessments/studies/reading/writing tasks have a break every 90 minutes - stretch and do something different, walk around the block, make a cup of tea. 
• Make sure you drink lots of water/herbal tea.This keeps your mind fresh and alert.My favourites are: Green Tea, White Tea (which has lots more antioxidants than black or green tea) Sencha, ginger with lemon and Cayenne pepper - (great for lessening migraine & joint pain and is a great anti-inflammatory), peppermint, chamomile.
• Celebrate little milestones with big awareness, make sure you keep reminding yourself why you are doing this in the first place. Picture the reward at the end. Imagine how your life looks once you have achieved your goal. 
• Hang around people who have already succeeded at what you are trying to achieve and see how it has made things possible in their life. Ask them anything and everything.
• Keep your vision board up to date and keep adding to it as you go. Add images and quotes, photos, ideas and dreams to it regularly. I use Pinterest for my vision board.
• Ask people for help and advice as often as you need to or access positive people to inspire you as you go. 
• Set tiny challenges and keep going, soon the tiny steps will become a huge milestone.
  
• Watch comedy movies, listen to uplifting music to keep your spirits up while working away at your goals!   
• Give your best effort while working towards your goals, because the only person who can get it done is YOU! Give yourself the best chance at success and get plenty of rest & eat well.
• Back yourself 110% and know you have what it takes to get it done!

Come visit me at www.phoebehackett.com for lots more resources and articles, tips and motivation!

Complete a contact form if you would like a FREE 30 minute coaching session with me!

check out the new products available here

Believe in yourself! You’re awesome!

Source: crazysexylife.com via Ashley on Pinterest

Right now, you have a wonderful chance to accept yourself and love yourself for who you are. Everything about you is perfect and was meant to exist, as another version of awesome, another version of love. 

If you don’t believe in yourself, who will? It is up to you first and foremost to love yourself wholly and entirely. You cannot love another fully until you love yourself. This is true. If you don’t back yourself, who will? Back yourself and inspire others to do the same. 

Back yourself every single day, every single milestone, every step.

Trust that you know all the answers already. (Because you do, all you need is within you now.)

If you don’t live your dreams, whose dreams will you live? Your dreams, the ones that are personal to you and mean so much to you are the dreams you want - so go for them! Be ready to make mistakes, because this is how we learn. Love your mistakes, thank them for showing you the way, making you wise and strong. Be ready to feel a whole new kind of adrenalin, the kind that comes from setting free and flying into a new reality, the life you’ve always wanted. 

Are you making excuses? 

Do your excuses get in the way of your true potential and greatness? 

Then stop making them. Make other things in their place, like inspiring conversations with your friends, thought-provoking questions to yourself, powerful affirmations, blessings, gratitude.

Time is ticking, what are you waiting for?

Be true to yourself, always.

Would love to hear your thoughts!

Passion, Consistency & Momentum = Success

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People who are successful spend over 15 hours a week outside of their 'day-job' mastering their skills. It takes aproximately 5 years to become an 'overnight success'.

• People who master their skills are those who focus on what they want every day and do
• something directly related to their goal each day.
•  Simply put, we are who we CHOOSE to be. 
• Decide what you want and the universe conspires to get it for you.

If you aren't getting results, think about how you spend your time. 
Think about other people you admire or have skills that you wish you had, how do they spend their time?  Remember everyone has the same amount of time, it's in the spending of that time that makes the difference.

Set yourself up for success, research your favourite athlete/actor/scientist/writer/opera singer/dancer/business person etc. See what it took to get them where they are. 

Below are 4 very successful people I admire and what they did to create their success. 

"Failure meant a stripping away of the inessential. I stopped pretending to myself that I was anything other than what I was, and began to direct all my energy to finishing the only work that mattered to me. Had I really succeeded at anything else, I might never have found the determination to succeed in the one area where I truly belonged. I was set free, because my greatest fear had been realized, and I was still alive, and I still had a daughter whom I adored, and I had an old typewriter, and a big idea. And so rock bottom became a solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life.
 – J. K. Rowling, Harvard commencement address, 2008

"Vettel began driving in his garden lapping the garden many times, not even stopping to eat or shower, before he could legally take to the roads, and said his passion for cars was nurtured by watching Schumacher compete. He did not know that he would actually get to race his hero."
- On Sebastian Vettel Formula 1 Champion. 

"My interest in life comes from setting myself huge, apparently unachievable challenges and trying to rise above them...from the perspective of wanting to live life to the full, I felt that I had to attempt it."
- Richard Branson on his decision to build an airline.  

"A model student. Fanatical, uncompromising, dedicated to her studies heart and soul. Her progress was phenomenal. She studied five or six hours a day. ...Within six months, she was singing the most difficult arias in the international opera repertoire with the utmost musicality"
-Maria Callas' singing teacher, Maria Trivella. (Pictured above)



The above examples are of people who simply decided what they wanted, decided who they had to become to get it.  

Now it's your turn to do the same. Who will you become? What will success look like to you?

Are You The Director?

How often do you look at your life as if you were watching a movie? 

What if your life at this moment was a scene in a movie and you are sitting on the couch at home watching it...


Scene: You walk into frame...Are you the main character? The hero? The Villain? What do you bring to the film? 
What are your goals and what would you like to see happen for yourself during this film? 
What is the plot? 
Who is your cast and crew? 
Who supports you and helps you shine? 
What does the set look like? 
What is important enough that it's kept for this scene? 
What needs to be taken out of this scene? 
What would a fantastic ending look like? 
What needs to happen to make this the best film of the year?

Then imagine this: You are also now the director of this film...as the director you can edit this scene to fit your vision. 

As the director you can hire those you know will help your film or let go those who aren't serving your film, your vision. Take stock of your life right now, of this very scene and make important changes if needed. As often as you like. You can script your goals to fruition, making them happen as soon as you allow them to. 

It's exactly the same with your life. The film is a lovely metaphor for your life. You are the Director and also the protagonist and everyone around you is your cast and crew. 

Subconsciously or not, they are there because you want them to be. Some may not be pulling their weight, while others may be inspiring you to the highest point every single day...

Sit down and take a look at how the movie that is your life is playing out. 

(And don't forget the popcorn!)

From Amateur to Artist...Who Are You Becoming?

When you think of who you want to become, who comes into your mind? 
Have you ever sat down and written out a list of all the people who inspire you like crazy? 
Have you ever seen something someone does and then had a moment of "That's It!" 
Many talented people started on their journey to success and mastery just by being a kid and looking up and being amazed. They knew that what they were seeing is something they wanted to do. Kids do it all the time. Adults who discover a random passion for something saw it somewhere first from someone already living it. Then they go about modelling how to get it for themselves.

Here's a thought: 
Write down the dinner list first. 
That list, who would you invite for dinner if you could invite anyone, alive or not? Invite your top 12 people.

Then ask yourself:
What conversation would you want to have with them?
What would you notice about their mannerisms, tone, words, style, presence, character? 
What do you love about this person? What would you want them to show you? What would you want to learn?

Then write a list of people today that are inspiring you, could be within social media, in the news, around sports, etc. What do you notice?

Who we emulate eventually makes up a lot of our own character. 

People have to start somewhere. When we start something new we are not meant to know everything. It takes time and lots of practice to become good at something. The same is true for making up who we are. 

When I learned how to write, I began by tracing letters. In the same way, when you are becoming yourself you are (for the most part) subconsciously copying those around you that inspire you, have what you want, get the results you want. Then it morphs into your version of those things, as no two people can be exactly the same. 

Your biggest influences can make you who you are today. Think about anything you have ever wanted to become...what made you want that? Or should I say who?

Interesting.

Feeling Creative? Top 8 Creative Ideas for September!

Creativity is everywhere though sometimes we switch off from our creative sides every so often, when things seem overwhelming...sometimes for too long!

Remember, it's just our perception that makes things seem overwhelming, break the state you are in with doing something out of the norm... create a new pattern that you enjoy!

• Indulge in your fun side 
• Get a hobby 
• Paint something amazing 
• Try something new 
• Be open to saying yes to new things 
• Follow your heart 
• Listen only to yourself when learning what makes you happy
• Hire a life coach and get all other the 'stuff' out of the way!! :)

Below are some fun ways to get creative that I have been using lately -including some great self publishing ideas, which are really taking off (and anyone can do it.) 

I self-published a book this year, take a look.

You could write your novel, publish your wedding photos into a coffee table book, make a travel book from all your holidays, anything at all! It's up to you. 

1. If you love Instagram, which I do, and millions of others do...drumroll.....

You can make your very own Instagram photo book! 

It's really easy, just click here and start creating, possible gift idea! 

2. Create an awesome personalised photo book using all your best Facebook photos...

Start making your own Facebook photo book here

3. Getting married? Get everything you need here, unique designs and ships everywhere! 

Create your own stand-out wedding stationary here

4. For the more adventurous of you...create your entire wedding website here

5. Select from hundreds of amazing customised cards, for something different, click here

6. Get inspired by visiting as many creative websites as possible. I will list some here for you in one of my future posts. 

Whatever takes your fancy, go for it. 
Never put off being creative...

From Overwhelm To Product Creation in 5 Easy Steps!

In today's world, we have access to almost everything, anyone can be a writer, anyone can be a film maker etc with all our modern technological advances. Geography doesn't even restrict us anymore thanks to the invention of the internet. These are all great things, however, sometimes knowing all this stops us being creative. Sometimes having it all is too much. Too much pressure to do something huge and perfect. If you had a billion dollars right now, how much would it change the way you expressed yourself? Would your creativity suffer under the weight of expectation?

What if, instead of trying to be a master of anything and everything, you simply chose what to leave out - what if having constraints could make your work better? The idea that we can do almost anything is a scary notion for some people, enough to make them feel overwhelmed not from lack of choice, but from too much choice. 

Example: Say you want to create a product and you know you could do a CD, a book, a webinar, a book, an e-book, a website, a magazine, a movie, a tele-seminar, a mail out, an online program, a workshop, a presentation, a guide, a how-to product etc. All are possible in this day and age. 

So where do you start? If it's possible you can do all of this right now? WOW. Technology.

Or do you instead step back, choose one thing as a start - leaving out all the other possibilties for one moment and just simply begin one thing until it's finished? 

One thing. One chunk. One piece of a bigger picture. That way you can start and finish something. Satisfaction guaranteed! In most cases of overwhelm this practice works. (exams, promotions, new job, etc, all these things have a step by step process which cannot be skipped, sorry!)

1. Start at the beginning: Say you write an article. It doesn't have to be a major production, just use what you have right now. Don't open your Twitter, your Facebook, your Tumblr to write it, this is not an instant process. Don't wait for the bigger office, the better computer, the best software etc, don't wait until you know how to use the latest version of an editing program... just grab a pen and paper and write, free associate. Pick any topic you like. Write for at least 10 minutes without stopping. 

2. Once you have finished writing your article, do a quick edit, nothing elaborate, make sure it's written in your voice, so people can relate to your unique identity. 

3. Type it up.

4. SAVE it. (important!)

5. Have a look now at how many other ways the already written article can be used. You may transcribe it, make an e-book out of it, make it a flyer etc.  It could be made into anything.

Take one thing and then see how many other ways you can apply it.

Recap: Avoid being deterred by the sheer amount of possibility there is in front of you at any one time, that is a sure way of becoming overwhelmed before you even begin. 

Your article could end up being 32 different products! In time, you can tweak your article to have even more impact and carry even more value, this will be a result of feedback and noticing its impact in your target market. Nothing is static, you can change anything at anytime. It doesn't have to be perfect now or ever, it just has to be what's real for you right now. People relate to real over perfection.

Knowing this, go ahead and begin creating products. Just take it one step at a time and know that the learning is in the process. 

Take your time and enjoy your NOW.

Until next time :) 

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13 Reasons Why I Love Spring!

Spring is on the way! Tiny green buds are appearing on our mulberry tree in our backyard, the herbs are sprouting, the days are warming up! Spring is the most beautiful time of year in my opinion. When better to take stock and make fresh starts and new decisions around old beliefs? What better time to draw a line in the sand and say "This starts now!" 

A time when everything new comes to remind us that things always pass. Bad things, good things, all things pass. 

Spring is a place where you can begin anew once more, putting all your learnings into play. 


I love spring, here are 13 more reasons why: (and these will last through October 2013!)

1. It is renewal in action…if you want to start anew, this is the perfect time, perfect for clearing away clutter, putting wintery stuff away and getting all your spring clothes out, opening the windows and creating a fresh space for yourself
2. Spring is colourful and full of flowers 
3.  Spring makes baby animals appear!
4. Spring fever happens! It’s a thing. Your body may experience physiological changes because of changes to your diet and temperature change.  
5. Ella Fitzgerald sang about Spring Fever in 1936, play it here: I got the Spring Fever Blues
6. It’s my birthday in Spring!
7.  Mint is THE colour this Spring, have a look here
8.  Perfect for creating your Christmas wish list, getting your goals in place for the end of year. Use the momentum of Spring to refresh you and inspire you.
9. It's wedding season!
10. You can dance in the rain! (and wear cool gumboots)
11. The mornings are warm - when you walk you don't freeze!
12. Grapefruit, lemon and orange are in season! Citrus city! Thanks to Taste.com, you could make this delicious recipe for lemon gelato
13. Jonquils and forget-me-nots are also in season in Spring- pretty.

Make your own Spring time list, think about specific things that happen, or that you can do to celebrate this beautiful season and bring a little of this season into your world, wherever you may be. 

36 Best Things of the 80's! (This is just for fun!)

Where were you about 30 years ago? What were you doing? I can't remember as I was but a baby then...

As a child of the magnificent 80's, I would like to, for this post, pay a tribute with a list to one of the best decades around. Enjoy whatever memories come up! Feel free to mention anything I may have forgotten.

1. Scrunchies
2. Madonna
3. Fluro
4. Tetris
5. Cabbage Patch Kids
6. Mullets
7. Jumpsuits
8. Rubik's Cube
9. My Little Pony
10. Pac Man
11. Nissan Maxima
12. He-Man
13. Rollerskates
14. Hulk Hogan
15. Scratch n Sniff Stickers
16. Deborah Harry
17. The Bangles
18. Molly Ringwald
19. Sixteen Candles
20. ONJ-Let's Get Physical
21. Polly Pocket
22. Pound Puppies
23. Hammer Pants
24. Bike Shorts under Skirts
25. Fraggle Rock
26. Babysitters Club
27. Strawberry Shortcake
28. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
29. Side Ponytails
30. The Goonies
31. Slap Bracelets
32. Jelly Shoes
33. Gremlins
34. Doogie Howser MD
35. She-ra
36. Ferrari 288

18 Mid Week Questions You Could be Asking Yourself!

1. How many of your goals for the week are completed so far? 
2. What has completing/not completing your goals allowed you to do now?
3. What do you want the rest of your week to look like?
4. Is there a particular question you aren't asking yourself?
5. Could you be holding back from your true potential this week?
6. What would be the benefit of putting something off? 
7. Are you being the best version of yourself?
8. How long do you want to take to get to where you want to be?
9. What could be the pay-off for not trying as hard as possible?
10. Have you set up habits that lead to your success?
11. What would it mean for you to have everything on your to do list done by Friday night and have a carefree weekend?
12. When will you decide it's time to commit to your goals if you haven't already?
13. Who is on your support team?
14. Do you need more like minded people to encourage your successes? 
15. What would make achieving your goals easier? 
16. Have you really asked yourself why you want to complete the current goals in your life?
17. Are you hanging on to expired, irrelevant goals? 
18. Could you choose to re-focus and start fresh with exciting goals?

Have a great week everyone, focus on your goals and the reasons they are important. 

Really picture them and get clear on your motivation, your desired outcomes, for what purpose are these goals in your life? 

Do whatever it takes to get yourself from where you are now to where you want to be! 

www.phoebehackett.com

Are you playing it small?

What is holding you back? Or should I say, what are you CHOOSING to be held back by?

In life there are those who play it big, take risks, make the rules, get things done, challenge themselves no matter what the odds...Then there are those who are playing it small. So small they are able to justify to themselves that they 'can't, don't know how, ' etc. and them miss out on all of life's amazing gifts.

We have to constantly ask ourselves: Are we choosing to play it small? What is the benefit of that? Could it be so we perhaps don't get to mess it up? Where's the learning in that? (Tell me, I want to know!)

Playing it small can mean choosing to re-run the same old patterns (we all know what they are!) just to avoid something new...to avoid fear perhaps? If you are afraid of making mistakes don't be! Mistakes are what real life is made up of and they should be made often...how else would we learn or even get any feedback? At least when we give it a go, we are doing something and not avoiding something. 

There is pure joy in action. There is such a relief in doing something that has previously had a hold over us. Once we find out the logic behind our decision to play it small, the rest is easy.

We could be playing it small by choosing to hide instead of to be seen (to avoid being 'judged' by others?) Sound familiar? 

When we fear being judged by others, we are simply putting our own 'what-if''s' into the scenario, that may not even be there at all. How do we know what other people think at any one time? 

What if thinking that you may be judged is the one thing stopping you from giving it a go? (therefore justifying not having to do anything and avoiding more and more.) 

When we are doing our best, when we are in the moment, when we are being real and sincere, when we are testing our ability, when we are helping someone else, when we are honest, when we support someone, when we sacrifice for something, when we do something because we know we must, when we simply take action...where is the judgement in that?

Get what I mean? Is the pain of staying the same getting worse than the (supposed) pain of changing? 

What would it mean in your life if you just did what it was you have been putting off or fearing? More importantly....What could it mean for your future? What would it mean you could do?