by Dr. JL Knight | Dec 24, 2018 | Decision Making, Personal Transformation, Transformation
Do you ever wonder why you’re here? After all, you were created with a unique set of passions and talents that no one else in the world can duplicate! Discovering your purpose in life lets you use your unique assortment of feelings and abilities to bring you greater self-fulfillment.
When you’re doing what you feel like you must have been born to do, you can create a life you enjoy through and through. Your goals will have more meaning to you and challenges will be naturally easier to overcome as you joyfully move toward achieving those goals.
This process for finding your life purpose enables you to tune in to your inner self and figure out what makes you tick. Take the time to find your purpose – your life will certainly change for the better!
Prepare Yourself
For this process, an open mind is optional but helpful. It doesn’t matter if you don’t think this will work – it just means it might take a little longer. All you really must have are a piece of paper, something to write with, and approximately an hour of peace and quiet.
As you’re doing this exercise, try to empty your mind as much as possible. The clearer your mind is, the quicker and easier the process will be. Also, do this while you’re relaxed, alone, and unlikely to be disturbed.
The Process
- Focus on your intention. Write at the top of your paper: “This is my life purpose.” This simple act sets your intention in your mind for the next hour.
- Begin listing your thoughts – even doubts about this process. As you clear your mind and focus on this process, write whatever comes to mind, no matter what it is. If you think to yourself, “This isn’t going to work,” then you would write, “This isn’t going to work.”
- Answering these questions will get you started. Then keep writing your thoughts until you find your life purpose.
- What are your talents and abilities?
- Which talents would you like to develop further? Why?
- What are your passions?
- Do you get joy from helping others? Who?
- Have you always wanted to be a philanthropist?
- What activities do you enjoy?
- What have you always wanted to do, but you haven’t done it yet?
- Who do you most enjoy being around? Adults? Children? Why?
- Do you love animals?
- Do you like to travel?
- Do you want more excitement in your life?
- What are your favorite books or movies? Why?
- How do you feel about your relationships?
- Do you take an interest in politics or world matters?
- What is your most important priority in your life? Family? Work? Something else?
- How will you know? You’ll just know. It will be the answer that fills you with the most emotion. You may even cry. The idea will resonate with you completely, and there won’t be any doubt. Just continue writing whatever comes into your mind until you reach that point.
- Commonly, answers will repeat themselves. A lot of unrelated nonsense is also likely to come out. Our brains can be a little cluttered, and this exercise will expose that fact. Don’t let anything you write distract you from your intentions; odd things quite frequently end up on the paper.
- There will be several answers along the path that feel pretty good to you, but remember, you’re looking for the big one. When you see the ones that are good, but not “it,” this means you’re close, but not quite on target yet.
- You’re looking for that one idea that feels overwhelming to you. In this exercise, it’s common for your life purpose to reveal itself in less than 100 ideas, but it can take as many as 400. Keep writing.
How Can I Apply My Life Purpose to Benefit Me?
Now that you’ve discovered your purpose, always try to honor it. To do so, keep it in mind consistently. Ask yourself, “Is this in alignment with my ultimate purpose?” A life lived like this, with direction and intentionality, is a life you can truly enjoy.
So don’t wait any longer; schedule a time to do this when you know you’ll have some peace and quiet. Knowing the core reason you’re here is one of the greatest gifts you could ever give yourself.
By Dr. Jacqueline L. Knight
Copyright © 2018 The Business Transformation Coach, LLC
by Dr. JL Knight | Dec 17, 2018 | Personal Transformation, Transformation
Sometimes you feel like you’ve got all the time in the world to accomplish your dreams. Yet there are reminders every day that our time on Earth is short. Unfortunately, there’s no way to predict how much time you’ve got left, which is exactly why there’s no time like the present to make your dreams come true!
Concentrate on The Positive
It’s vital to start with positive thoughts. Whenyou think positively about yourself and your dreams, you’ll begin to believe thatyou can achieve anything. These initial positive emotions can lead to a dedicated drive and enthusiasm that’ll help build lasting momentum.
Remember that nearly everyone feels overwhelmed when you’re about to embark on a long journey. That’s exactly why it’s so easy to fall intonegative patterns of thinking, but you must fight these thoughts. It can be hard to imagine that so much can be achievedsimply by having positive thoughts, but it’s true!
The truth is, when you think about something as scary as “I could die tomorrow,” it’s
hard not to be drawn into a panic.
But instead of worrying about how much time you and your loved ones have left, concentrate
on making the present moment as productive as it can be towards your true
calling.
Careful Planning
Once you’ve decided to take action, and you’ve battled your
negative thoughts, it’s time to make some feasible plans to get you where you
want to be.
Keep these tips in mind as you go through your planning phase:
- Set realistic goals. If your goal is going to take years, give yourself years. You can’t expect everything to happen overnight.
- Be specific. Include all the details in your plans. If you stumble along the way, you’ll be comforted in knowing that you have your detailed plans to help you stay the course.
- Reward yourself. When you’ve made progress towards your goal, give yourself areward. Even if your ultimate goal is far off, it’s fun and motivating to enjoyrewards as you complete steps toward your goal.
Action in Small Steps
One of the biggest tips when it comes to following your dream
is to break down your actions into small, manageable steps.
For example, your goal could be to become an airline pilot
or you might want to start your own business. Both of these goals are hefty and
have the potential to take years of work and training.
When you first think about these goals, it’s easy to be
scared of how daunting they seem. Instead of resorting to fear, try breaking
down these goals into dozens or even hundreds of small steps. Chances are that
each small step is not nearly as overwhelming as the big picture.
At the same time, always keep the big picture in mind.
When you visualize yourself reaching your end goal, it can be an image that
gives you the drive to keep going during tough times.
Inspiring Others
Once you’ve achieved your goal, consider inspiringothers to reach their goals, too. Perhaps you have some friends orfamily members who say things like, “I’ve always wanted to do that,” but they remain working at their dead endjob.
Help them take action!
You’ll know from experience that, while it may be a risk,the reward is more than worth it. Yes, following your dreams is even a reward in itself! Itbrings you joy in the present and hope for the future. So carpe diem – seize the day!
By Dr. Jacqueline L.Knight
Copyright
© 2018 The Business Transformation Coach, LLC
by Dr. JL Knight | Dec 10, 2018 | Components of Transformation, Mindset, Personal Transformation, Transformation
Success starts with mindset. Different mindsets give different outcomes. A poor mindset leads to poor results. A positive mindset leads to success. While your experience, education, and skills can matter a lot, your mindset can make all the difference.
Luckily, anyone can develop a mindset primed for success. It’s certainly easier and less time consuming than mastering a complex skill!
Create a mindset that creates success! Include these components in your mindset:
1. Gratitude. Be grateful of what you have and have already accomplished. Be happy for the success of others. If you can’t feel happy for others when they are successful, your own success will be limited.
2. Evaluation of risk and reward. Successful people are masters at evaluating risk and reward. Unsuccessful people either refuse to take any risks or take on far too much risk for the potential reward. Neither is a successful way to approach life.
3. Focus on emotional and physical health. Sacrificing your health for success isn’t true success. What do you really gain if you achieve your goals but sacrifice your physical or emotional health in the process? Know your priorities before chasing success.
4. Abundance. Believe that there is enough to go around. Then, you won’t be in competition with others. You’ll only need to compete with yourself. You’ll maintain a more positive attitude if you believe your dreams are possible. What do you believe is possible for you to achieve?
5. Keeping mistakes and failure in the proper context. Failure is guaranteed to happen more often than not. Learn from your mistakes and failures and try again.
6. Growth. Placing a priority on growth is a necessary part of success. You can’t achieve anything new without growing in some way. It might be your skills, attitude, discipline, or courage that need to grow. Rest assured, something needs to grow if you’re currently stuck.
7. A willingness to be uncomfortable. Growth isn’t pleasant. There will be discomfort as you develop yourself, fail, and make mistakes. Even success can be uncomfortable. How uncomfortable are you willing to be to become successful?
● The willingness to be uncomfortable is the limiting success factor for most people.
8. A positive attitude. How much are you willing to do if you’re certain you’ll be successful? A lot. How much are you willing to do if you don’t have high expectations? A lot less. Give yourself and your abilities the benefit of the doubt.
● Notice how you think and how you talk to yourself. Is it positive or negative? What impact do you think that has on you?
9. Planning. Success for each person is a precise goal. You’re not going to hit it on accident. Without a destination in mind and a plan for getting there, you’re relying too much on luck to reasonably expect success.
10. A great mentor. A mentor that has achieved the success you desire knows where your head needs to be. He knows what’s important and what’s just noise. Your mindset will be more accurate and effective if guided by a qualified mentor.
Think about your current mindset and compare that to the results you’re currently experiencing in your life. Can you see the connection?
If you feel that you have the skills you need to be successful, but still come up short, it might be time to take a look at your mindset. Anyone can choose their mindset. There are no prerequisites for having a great mindset. You can just choose. Put your mind into a positive state that aids in your success.
Dr. Jacqueline L. Knight
The Business Transformation Coach
by Dr. JL Knight | Nov 19, 2018 | Personal Transformation
Don’t feel 100% great about yourself? Join the club. Most of us could use a little boost regarding our opinions of ourselves. Affirmations can be an effective way to boost your self-esteem.
The key to using affirmations is to state them in the positive and to use them religiously. It can take thousands of repetitions to make a dent in your current level of self-esteem.
Use this process to harness the power of affirmations to enhance your self-esteem:
1. Determine the weak areas of your self-esteem. In what aspects of your life do you feel negatively about yourself? It might be related to work or your relationships. Hone in on the areas of your self-esteem that need the most work.
2. Create affirmations that address your areas of weakness. Suppose your self-esteem regarding your work is less than you’d like. Be kind to yourself and create powerful affirmations even if they seem over the top. For example:
● I am the most capable person on my team at work.
● I contribute regularly and in a meaningful way toward solving the biggest problems at work.
● I am the person most likely to receive a promotion and a raise.
● I am calm, cool, and collected in even the most stressful work situations.
● Try to come up with a minimum of 10-15 affirmations. Make them positive and in the present tense.
3. Create an audio recording of all your affirmations. This will be used later. Ensure that the quality of the recording is decent. You don’t want the sound of a phone ringing or a dog barking in the background. Your recording doesn’t have to
be professional quality but give it your best effort.
● Read each affirmation at a normal speaking pace and speak clearly. Leave a short pause between each affirmation.
4. Write or type each affirmation clearly on a piece of paper. It’s important to be able to carry your affirmations with you everywhere. That could mean putting them on a small piece of paper or having an electronic version on your phone or tablet. Whatever format works for you is fine.
5. Spend some time each day listening to your affirmations. Ideally, at a minimum, you’ll listen to them while you’re lying in bed in the morning and in bed at night. Put on your headphones and listen to your affirmations repeat over and over. If you can fall asleep with your affirmations in your ear, great!
● You could even take a walk at lunchtime and listen.
6. Spend some time writing your affirmations each day. Pull out a pen and some paper and write them by hand. Typing doesn’t count. This a highly effective way of implanting your affirmations into your subconscious. It’s not enjoyable, so you’ll have to be tough and ensure you get it done.
7. Read your affirmations. You’ve be listening and writing. Now, it’s time to read them. Pull out your list of affirmations and read over them a few times each day. Let your subconscious know that you’re serious. Keep at it.
8. Consider a little electronic help. There are free programs you can get for your computer that will flash your affirmations on your computer screen for short periods of time. You can program them to flash for periods of time so short that you can’t possibly see them consciously, but your subconscious mind will see them.
● Imagine seeing your affirmations all day long at work!
Affirmations can be a useful tool for increasing your level of self-esteem. With more self-esteem, life will be more enjoyable, and you’ll be more capable. Create a few affirmations and use them several times each day. Write them, listen to them, and read them. Your self-esteem will grow.
The Business Transformation Coach, LLC.
by Dr. JL Knight | Nov 14, 2018 | Personal Transformation, Transformation
I accept that change is a consistent part of life. There is always change happening in my life and in the lives of others. While many people resist change, I welcome it. I am happy when my life is expanding.
Growing as a person is important to me. Change provides the opportunity for me to grow. My life can become bigger when I make the most of the change happening in my life.
I am an adaptable person. I am flexible in my perspective and approach to life. When something unexpected happens, I just go with the flow and make the most of the situation.
I am excited by change.
The biggest advances in my life are the result of change. Some changes are forced upon me by the world, while other changes are chosen by me. It matters little.
Each change in my life becomes an advantage. I can clearly see how to get the most out of each change I experience. The path is clear.
If I feel overwhelmed by changes in my life, I remind myself how successful I have been at dealing with changes in my past. I feel rejuvenated and excited to see how the latest change unfolds.
Today, I embrace change. I am glad for the opportunity to make positive changes in my life. I welcome change and adapt to it easily.
Self-Reflection Questions:
1. What changes am I facing in my life right now? How do I feel about them?
2. What good could come from the changes currently happening in my life?
3. Would it benefit my life if I were more accepting of change? Why or why not?
The Business Transformation Coach, LLC.
by Dr. JL Knight | Oct 24, 2018 | Components of Transformation, Personal Transformation, Transformation
Maybe you’re sick of your life, your waistline, or the person you’ve become. You’re more flexible than you think! You can become just about anything or anyone you like. Whether you want to get fit, build wealth, or revamp your social life, you can do it!
It’s far from easy, but where there’s a will, there’s a way.
These strategies can help you become the person you’ve always wanted to be:
- Identify your core values. You won’t be happy if you create a big change that puts you in conflict with your values. Most people have never really taken the time to identify their values. Take a day to consider the values that are most important to you. Write them down.
- Create a vision of the future. Think about the end result of the transformation you want to make. If you want to lose weight and become fit, think about how you would look and feel. Maybe you’re more interested in becoming wealthy. What would that look like? What kind of house would you own? How would you spend your day?
- Is your transformation reasonable for you? For example, you might not be able to make a trillion dollars, but you could still build great wealth.
- Determine why. Why do you want to make this change? Create a long list of reasons why you want to transform. Get excited.
- Identify the qualities and skills you’ll need to develop. If you want to transform your body, you might need to learn more about exercise physiology, nutrition, and develop some discipline. Consider what it will take to accomplish your transformation.
- Identify the resources you’ll require. Do you need a personal trainer, gym membership, and a blender? Maybe you need money and a mentor for your transformation. Figure out the resources you’ll need.
- Make a plan. Start at the end and keep working backward until you reach a step that you can do today. Avoid worrying about the details of step 11. You can worry about that when you’re finishing up step 10. You don’t need to see 10 miles down the road to back out of your driveway.
- Audit your plan. Imagine following your plan and note how you feel at each step. You’re bound to feel some emotional resistance at one or more points. If you didn’t, you would have made the transformation long ago.
- It’s important to address each of the issues that creates emotional discomfort. You’re likely to quit if you don’t.
- Either come up with a plan to work around those issues or just relax and let the negative feelings go.
- You’ll know you’re in a good place when you find yourself chomping at the bit to get started. Procrastination is a sign that something is awry.
- Don’t quit! This is the most challenging part for most people. You fail if you quit. You can’t fail if you don’t. Keep on going no matter how bleak things seem. You can always do better tomorrow than you did today. A little bit of progress each day or week is all you need.
You can transform yourself starting today. Build a vision and create a plan. Stay the course until you’re satisfied with the changes you’ve made.
The Business Transformation Coach, LLC.
