Mastery is Not About Perfection

Following my blog post yesterday about success, someone sent me this quote: “We fail to realize that mastery is not about perfection. It’s about a process, a journey. The master is the one who stays on the path day after day, year after year. The master is the one who is willing to try, and fail, and try again, for as long as he or she lives.”
~ George Leonard from Mastery

Have you realised that this is what mastery is? Have you realised yet that to get top marks in this life, all you need to do is show up and do your best (and you are always doing your best, even when you believe otherwise)? Imagine how much easier life would be if you allowed yourself the liberty of trying, failing, and staying on the path… I wonder when we got so mixed up that we believed we had to be perfect to master something?

Give yourself a break from being ‘perfect’ today and allow yourself to try, fail, and stay on the path.

Love

Donna.x

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To Succeed, Be Willing To Lose

I received an e-mail from The Simple Dollar this morning containing this “The best thing you can do if you want to succeed at anything is to not care about losing. And you probably will lose – a lot.” I want you to read that again. And again. And again.

Because what stops most people from trying to succeed is the fear that they will fail. We often only see the successes people achieve…we don’t see all the failures and the losses that came first. And even when we hear them, we kind of don’t believe them or take them in. Instead, we see only that we suck! We’re terrible, we’re a failure, we’re wrong, we’re bad, we can’t do it.

And that is just bullshit. There are some ‘overnight successes’ who didn’t try that hard…but most successes in any area are preceded by effort. And if you can get over the idea that failure is a bad thing, you can enjoy that journey. It’s just part of it – when you f*** up, you learn a LOT! I know this – I’ve done it a million times in the last 6 years in business. And sometimes I really want to give up…but I’m willing to lose so that I CAN succeed.

Are you?

Love

Donna.x

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In Praise of Laze

I was talking to someone I coached about 5 years ago the other day, and she reminded me of something I’d asked her to do – get comfortable with, and allow herself to be, lazy. Like so many other things, laziness gets such a bad rap that many of us will work ourselves into an early grave just to avoid being branded ‘lazy’. But laziness has its place…and if you are more type ‘A’ than type ‘zzzzzzzzzz’, maybe this is something you could try out over Easter.

I love a bit of lazing about. I love to relax. I love to be on holiday with nothing to do but walk by the sea, read, eat and enjoy myself. I like to enjoy my life…and if that makes me ‘lazy’, so be it. Am I really ‘lazy’? Well, given half a chance, yes. But the rest of the time, I work hard so I think a bit of laziness can be forgiven. Because there is a lovely balance between laziness and busyness, and a person needs both in their life to be happy.

Think about it – you’ve ticked a thousand things off your to do list – are you satisfied? Oh no, there’s another thousand things to do. Bah. Time for laziness. Get comfortable with, and allow yourself to be, lazy. Laze around, relax, chill out, don’t do something off your to do list (I can hear your collective gasps of horror!), just enjoy a moment of ease. This easter, give laziness a go. And let me know how you do!

Love

Donna.x
PS Happy Easter! May the Easter bunny satisfy your every chocolatey dream! xxx

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The Wisdom of Will Smith

Not only is he a good looking fella, he is really quite wise. Watch this – you’ll be glad you did.

Happy Friday!

Love

Donna.x

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Mr Impossible

What have you decided is impossible for you? For example, could you earn a million? Could you run a marathon? Could you start your own business? Could you have a loving relationship? Let me ask it in a different way: what can’t you do? What is impossible in your life? What limitations and restrictions have you put on yourself?

The only limitations you have are the limitations you put on yourself! Lots of people have done impossible things. A black south african president? Impossible. Nelson Mandela did it. Flight? Impossible. Most of us have done it! Me start a business/write an ebook/lose 3 stone/walk a marathon? Impossible. I’ve done all those things.

Most of us think in terms of why we can’t do something. My clients often tell me the obstacles in the way of them doing something. Some of them are real, many of them are imaginary. Some of them are so ridiculous that even they wonder why that is stopping them! Think of something that you would like to do, but ‘can’t’. Something impossible.

Now ask yourself ‘what if I could?’ ‘What if it was possible?’ What if your dream to write/be self employed/run a marathon/marry in vegas (!) WAS possible? People who successfully do all the things that are impossible do ONE thing differently. They question that thought that it is impossible. They ask what if instead of dismissing it as impossible.

My favourite Mr Men character when I was little (and now) is Mr Impossible – who does impossible things. All the time. Maybe you could be Mr (or Miss) Impossible, and do some impossilbe things of your own?

Love

Donna.x

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If At First You Don’t Succeed (Squirrel Video!)

If at first you don’t succeed, try and try again. And who knows, you might get some help from an unexpected source!

Happy Friday!

Love

Donna.x

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A Step by Step Approach

One of the biggest mistakes clients (and me!) often make is in trying to go too far too fast. They want to be at the top of the mountain instantly. However, there is some distance to climb first. Until we master teleportation, we have to travel the distance between here and there. This applies to our goals too – whether it is business success we are seeking, money, weight loss, a new job, a new/better relationship.

You have to take step 1 then step 2 then step 3. Certainly you will find short cuts, but short cuts in my experience come when you are taking step 1, 2, 3…then you find a shortcut to step 10, 11, 12. And so on. If you are focusing on what the next step is, you won’t have time to be impatient and concerned that the end goal is ‘so far away’. And all of a sudden, you will be there.

These days we’re a bit obsessed with things being instant – instant weight loss, instant success. But most of the joy of achieving a goal is in the steps you took to get there, and who you become in that journey. Despite the rise of the ‘instant’ celebrity, most successful people have taken step after step after step to get where they are. And these successful people are no more special, no more unique than you are.

If they can do it, you can do it. Start with step 1, then take step 2, then step 3. And so on. Be aware of where exactly you are going, then ask yourself what is the next step? Again and again until you’re there. And you will get there – with a step by step approach.

Love

Donna.x
PS It’s the last week of the 20% off coaching offer. Give your steps some rocket fuel with telephone or e-mail coaching – get in touch right now to take advantage of this offer.

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Feeling Good as the Mark of Life

If feeling good is the only mark of life, what would you do now? Right now. Your only measurement of success is how you feel, so what would you do right now to feel good? Enjoy!

Love

Donna.x
With many thanks to Dr Alexandra Gayek of Science of Being Well for this GREAT question

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The Secrets of Success in 3 Minutes (video)

I found this video on TED – and it is possibly the best definition of success I’ve seen to date.

What do you think? Leave me a comment below.

Love

Donna.x

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