Day 7: Review and Plan

Take a few minutes to review your eighth week. Write about your accomplishments and what you need to work on. Did you:

• Brainstorm some goals, dreams, and exciting ideas that might help you to transform your world?

• Write about what you want your life to stand for - how you wish your world could change, what would make it better for everyone, and big and little problems in your life and in the world that you would like to see solved?

• Write a list of the choices and options you have for transformation now and in the future?

• Examine your Truth with a vision walk, to help expand your understanding of life, and give you greater clarity?

• Write a haiku mission statement for one project or goal that is rising to the top of your priorities?

• Prepare to seek clarity with a few others, either in a formal clearness process or an informal discussion, by writing a short essay introducing your mission, and a list of questions?

• Open the door to transformational love and accept that you will find the strength to carry out your mission?

• Map out your mission, set an intention, make a backwards calendar, and a full effort plan?

• Try a creative awareness process, using observation of your encounters with uncertainty, leaning in to encounters with uncertainty, your love journal to review encounters with uncertainty, and touching the river of Transforming Power to step out of the safety zone and make a shift to peace, strength, and joy?

Schedule your next week, Step 1: 

• Thursday - Adjust your Priority Grid for the month: Check off what you have completed, add new items you have thought of, and move anything down lower that no longer fits.
• Friday - Block in your schedule for the next week: Add events and blocks of time for your priority categories (such as an hour for committee work on Tuesday and Thursday).
• Saturday - Fill in the details: Schedule a daily time for all of your daily priorities, like exercising; choose days and times for the one-day tasks like sending that birthday card; and schedule in the chunks of those big task-driven projects. 

 

Evaluate your Ducks in a Row: If situations are constantly moving you away from your priorities and you feel dissatisfied and out of balance, make a note about why that is. Also, make a note of which of your priorities are getting left out of your life. 

Brainstorm new goals, dreams, and exciting ideas for your future.

Summary

You transform your world when you get clear on your missions, test your leadings, and open the door to creative risk-taking. No matter our limitations, we can produce the energy of love and extend it to the world so that it grows out in ripples.

 

Going forward, you will:

• Examine your Truth - often, in whatever way works for you (your journal, vision walks, a clearness process, ...?)

• Open the door to transformational love  - daily, for as long as live. 

Day 5: Open the Door

At the start of this second section I asked you to center your living in love. Our main purpose on earth is to grow in love; our world needs more love. With more love, we could do away with war- we would have no prejudice, oppression, or violence of any kind. Everyone would have enough food because we would feed each other. We would care for the environment because we love our planet, and the animals, and our children too much to harm it.

How, then, do we create more love in the world? We simply need to open our hearts wide as often as we can, wider and wider, calmly throw open the door to love. 

If you have a leading to act in love, and you have gone through all the stages of discernment, you might be clear on your next steps. That's where we are often stuck, though - we might hear the Truth, but still have doubts about its absoluteness; we might hear the Truth and see our path forward but struggle against apathy, or mind-numbing fear.

Ed Bacon says, “But however Truth comes, it bears with it just enough of its own sense of rightness to overcome the fear of risk taking. While genuine risk plays a crucial role in all of the Habits of Love, it is perhaps most keen in the Habit of Truth. At too many forks in the road, anxiety stops us from following Truth's suggested direction. What will happen if I say yes to Truth as I recognize it? That question can arrest us in our tracks."

Whatever your biggest mission is now - personal growth, healing, service, relationship revival, activism, or something else - you need to find the strength to open the door. This is your growing edge: To accept that you will be carried beyond yourself; to accept that you will find the strength and creativity to take the risk, walk your path, and speak your message out loud. 

Today you will draw on your organizational skills from the first part of this book to open the door to transformational love. 

• Map out your mission: On a plain piece of paper, start a Mini-Map with this priority mission in the center. Looking at your Base Map, follow the connecting lines to all the values (and other priorities) that relate to this one priority, and add them to the Mini-Map. Have a little chat with yourself in your journal, or just make a list of the values (and other priorities) that lead you to action for your mission.

• Set an intention for your mission using the action + deepest reason model.

• Make a backwards calendar: Brainstorm a list of all the supplies, information, people, skills, and steps you need to take to complete your mission. Group all the tasks into chunks. Organize chunks into the order they need to happen. Plug your chunks of action into the weeks of this month on your priorities grid.

• Make a full effort plan for how you will lean in and spark full and energetic effort day-by-day, for your mission: Brainstorm a list of the things that have worked to motivate you in the past and form your Full Effort Practices into simple steps.

Day 4: Seek Clearness with Others

Seeking clearness is the last step in the discernment process. Clarity - that feeling that you know what you stand for, you are sure of your objectives, you have set the best intentions, and you understand your next move - is liberating and empowering. 

Most of the time we don't wait for clarity; we act on autopilot, or on other's expectations and assurances, or because the situation is urgent. Waiting for clarity seems selfish or exhausting or just impossible.

But being clear in your heart that you are on the right path is a wonderful thing to wait for; it's transformative in itself! When you have gathered all the information, weighed all the possibilities, invited a leading of the spirit or Inner Guide, and you think you know what you are being led to do, it's time to test your leading with other people.

Many times, when I have an idea I'm mulling over, I will talk casually about it with my friends, and listen to what they say. I get to process my idea out loud, and I feel clearer. Most of the time that is enough to go on with, but - especially when I'm making big decisions- it has a major flaw: My friends don't know that I'm using them for clarity, so they might just tell me what they think I want to hear, or they might thoughtlessly tell me what their own fears and inhibitions tell them.

The Quakers have a wonderful format called a Clearness Committee, for when an individual (or a family or other group) is facing a particularly difficult situation or has a leading to test. A clearness committee of two or three other people meets with you for one or more sessions, and is tasked with asking questions that will lead you to consider the idea from new angles, and see it in new light.

Day 3: Write a Mission Haiku

Stephen Covey says, “The first principle of ethical power is Purpose. By purpose, I don't mean your objective or intention- something toward which you are always striving. Purpose is something bigger. It is the picture you have of yourself-the kind of person you want to be or the kind of life you want to lead.”

Purpose and mission statements are popular with organizations, but they are also useful for individuals. I'm using Purpose to mean your overarching idea of who you are and what you want to contribute, and Missions as your various big projects or directions in life.

After all the work you've done in the last weeks, you probably have an inkling of your purpose in life, and some ideas of missions. Today I ask you to choose one mission or leading to examine closer, and write it as a haiku that gets to the core of your mission, and gives you a framework for your actions. You might be surprised by what surfaces in this process, so give it a try!

• Start by ranking your missions in life: If you discovered today that you had just six months to live, what would you focus on? How would you rank your goals by priority so that they would be accomplished before you die?

Week 8: Transform Your World + Day 1: Journal & Set Intentions

For the first four weeks of this challenge, you deep-dived into your reasons for living, made a map of your path forward, and a plan for how to give full effort to your priorities. And for the last three weeks you centered your living in love by giving open-hearted attention to your daily interactions with the people in your life, to your personality style, and to generosity, equanimity, and other virtues and social skills.

The only thing remaining to do is to go out and transform your world. That's the gift we have - to see what needs to change and do the work to change it. No matter our limitations, we CAN make the world better, one smile, kind word, or conversation at a time. 

When I say "transform your world" I am suggesting a shift towards a better life: It could be mostly an inner renovation, or lifestyle alteration; it could be an adjustment in your relationships; it could be a new project or area of growth; or it could be a move into activism or service. You might already have an inkling of where you are being nudged. 

The work of transforming your world has several steps. This week you will take time to hear your truth, and get clearer on your various missions in life; learn how to test your leadings; and how to open the door to the uncertainty of life, take creative risks, and find the courage to act on your leadings. 

We will go through the steps of discernment - the process of making deeply important decisions in your life - that I set out at the beginning of this book. You will:

-Use your practical wisdom, collect information, reflect on your values, and weigh all the possibilities for action. 

-Seek a leading of the spirit (God or Inner Guide) with an open mind and heart. 

-Seek clearness by inviting thoughtful questioning (not advise) from some people you trust.

A note about your Inner Guide

I've mentioned your Inner Guide throughout this book, but what is it, really? Some people call it intuition, or a gut feeling; others feel it in their heart; and some might call it a leading of the spirit. It's that flash of insight, or creative impulse, or sudden clarity you get when you've been working out a problem; or it might be a leading or itch to act on something you never thought of before. It's sometimes quiet and subtle, and sometimes loud and clear.

Day 3: Start a Self-Cultivation Project

Now that you have a baseline understanding of your personality, you can begin to analyze your strengths and limitations, and set some goals for cultivating yourself. Think of this as a gentle, loving, gardening project: You are trimming a little here, and feeding this and that, so that you will grow a better relationship with the world.

You can't really change your personality, but you can moderate your degrees of reaction, and build on your strengths. And remember that your strengths and limitations, are subjective. Some might seem quite clear from the journaling you did yesterday; for example, I listed that I am persistent and conscientious, and also that I am distractible and reserved - it's easy to say which are strengths and which are weaknesses, right?

But some strengths can become problems if we don't manage the intensity. My conscientiousness can make me inflexible, judgmental, and didactic. I've had to learn to appreciate and love those with a more spontaneous style, and manage the intensity of my expectations of myself and others. (I work to cultivate spontaneity in my personality, and enjoy the paradox of scheduling times to be spontaneous!)

Some of your personality characteristics might seem like weaknesses to you, but in fact be strengths. For example, I used to think that my introversion was a limitation because it's not valued in our culture, but I now celebrate it as a strength. Another of my apparent weaknesses is that I am not a great team player, but that has given me the strength to be self-employed and self-sufficient (and I still work at growing my teamwork skills.)

Take out your journal and make two lists:

• Make a list of your top-ten strengths, such as loyalty, honesty, compassion, respect for others, conscientiousness, thriftiness, love of learning, friendliness, and fairness.

Week 7: Act in Love + Day 1: Journal & Set Intentions

We've been occupied with love the last two weeks, coming at it from different angles. We've looked at the habits of kindness, generosity, and equanimity, and we've looked at nurturing yourself. You've been working towards Maitri, an honest and direct friendship with yourself: You pay attention to yourself the way you would a good friend - with curiosity, compassion, and gentleness. The next step, then, is to try to understand yourself even better, to be honest and clear-sighted about your strengths and limitations. What is it about you that drives and informs your values and your goals? What makes you behave the way you routinely behave?

We each have distinctive styles of how we interact with other people and our environment, and different motives, habits, and needs. This week we will look closer at your temperament and your personality. 

Your temperament is your unique style of responding to external events. The traits of temperament are those you are born with, probably inherited from your parents, and these become the foundation for your personality, which begins to develop in your early years. Personality includes your temperament, and also behaviors and preferences that you learn by experience.

It's helpful to analyze yourself a bit, and get the ducks of your personality in a row! Then you can accept your personal style, and look closer at the specific habits you need to cultivate in order to improve your relationships, and act in love.

Day 5: Choose Awareness Practices

Today you will make a plan to renew and nurture your spirit or soul - that inner voice of your true nature. Your spirit is not your brain and it's not your emotions; it's your Better Self, or moral compass, and your Essential Self - the part of you that longs for purpose.

Your Better Self allows you to be responsible and honorable, and to reach beyond selfishness in order to serve others. Aristotle said that virtue is a habit like any other, and that we gain integrity by doing virtuous things. Every time you practice the virtue habit, you settle your soul in a nobler direction.

But your soul is also your Essential Self, which thrives on understanding your purpose and intentions. It’s like a rheostat of consciousness: As your level of awareness grows you are lit up ever more brightly, and can see and understand aspects of yourself and the universe more clearly.

Spiritual growth is the basis for a better and more harmonious life, a life of calmness, clarity, courage, and inner strength. It has (at least) four parts: 

-Awareness practices, such as meditation or journaling, or any practice that keeps you in the present moment or brings greater clarity to your daily life.

-Virtue habits, those little and big behaviors and characteristics of your personality that can improve with practice.

-Soul searching, which is the ongoing quest to understand your purpose and intentions. (We've been working on this already, since Chapter 1, and hopefully you are getting a clearer picture of your purpose in life now, and that is already filling the well of your spirit.)

-and opening to God or a higher power. If this is a wall for you, try to just open to the possibility that there is something outside yourself that might love you.

A note about religion: Religion is one way to practice spiritual nurturance, and, at its best, will include all of the above listed parts, plus a community of support. You don't have to have religion, though, to nurture your spirit.

Week 6: Love Thyself + Day 1: Journal & Set Intentions

When Buddhists practice loving-kindness they begin with a self-love practice called maitri, because when you learn to act loving towards yourself it’s easier to act loving towards others. 

Maitri is an honest and direct friendship with yourself: You pay attention to yourself the way you would a good friend, with curiosity, compassion, and gentleness. You get to know and understand yourself, and accept yourself as you are. I'm not talking about narcissism or self-indulgence - maitri requires some amount of tough love. You need to be honest about your faults and attachments, be present with all your emotions and fears, and be committed to "growing up". You just keep making progress, with dedication, patience, humor, and no judgement.

The self-love habit has two parts: The first part is building love skills, such as equanimity and generosity, with and for yourself. If you, for example, learn to resist unkind mental talk towards yourself or practice patience with your own mistakes, it's easier to remember to do the same for others. And self-love leads to self-respect and a deep inner peace: You learn to trust your instincts and rest comfortably within the sanctuary of your being. 

The second part is what Stephen Covey calls “filling the well”- that steady nurturance of your body, mind, and spirit that makes you wiser, healthier, and more resilient. In order to live a life in balance, you must take the necessary time to renew yourself with relaxation, exercise, a little study, contemplation, laughter, or any number of other activities you choose to refresh yourself with. 

This week you will begin the work of being a true friend to yourself so that you may become a better friend to others. 

A note about keeping a sabbath

In the best world, everyone would have one whole day each week to spend as we want; to stay in bed, read a good book, take a slow walk or do a crossword; one whole day to do no work, run no errands, send no emails, and clean no toilets! And why don't we? Mostly because we don't make it a priority.

Day 7: Review and Plan

Take a few minutes to review your fifth week. Write about your accomplishments and what you need to work on. Did you:

• Brainstorm some goals, dreams, and exciting ideas for your future in the areas of your relationships, your family, your friends, and your community, and ways you want to be of service?

• List a just a few (2-4) specific Love Goals for this next month?

• Set intentions to follow through with each of your priorities for the week?

• Open the door to bodhichitta (your completely open heart and mind) with a 5-minute Love Meditation?

• Start a new Love Journal and make notes in it, each day, of conversations and interactions you had the previous day, your general frame of mind with the world, and about the people you will see and conversations you may have in the day to come?

• Write about your growing edge - where you most need to focus your attention when it comes to love?

• Brainstorm some goals for extending kindness to the world; for creating and nurturing your community; small generous acts you might do this week; and a list of bigger actions you could take someday to help your community and your world in the days or months ahead; and some goals for equanimity - and add them to your Month Map or your Inspiration Page?

• Try out the 'Zen Pause" practice to internalize equanimity?

Day 6: Brainstorm Equanimity

Equanimity is another essential love habit - the ability to maintain an even-temper, patience, and grounded-ness in the midst of the chaos of life and the perplexing behavior of others.

Equanimity is an expression of love: It’s the serenity we exhibit when we have to wait, and also the kindness we show to those “difficult people” who don’t listen to reason, who interrupt, who are overly sensitive, or who are so annoying. Equanimity allows us to let go of frustration and irritation, and treat those people with skill and gentleness. It allows us to counter disrespect and contempt with compassion, and to remember that human needs are not always logical, but are always more important than our schedule.

Equanimity is a habit that requires love and self-control; it requires that you cut people slack and allow them to be imperfect; that you relax and let go of time anxiety; and that you acknowledge your impatience and irritation but don't act on them. It's powerful; it opens hearts. People feel liberated when you let them know that you are unruffled and in no hurry. Your patience is a gift to them, and will allow them to heal and grow.

And it's not only useful with in-the-moment situations, but also for grounded-ness in the face of world upheaval and fears about the future. Life is a rainbow of chaos, and equanimity is a super-power that will get you through.

One practice I have used to internalize equanimity, is what I call my "Zen Pause". I practice it when I am calm so that I will be able (perhaps) to use it in times of stress. Stand up right now and try this:

Day 5: Brainstorm Generosity

The work this week is to define and set intentions for cultivating the habits of love, at your own growing edge.  Today we will give attention to generosity, the habit of being open-hearted and open-handed with any undertaking that involves a commitment of time, effort, and/or money.

When we are generous, we share what we have freely - money, food, help, or time- without expectation of reward or return. We put full effort into looking after people. We are open-minded, give people the benefit of the doubt, and grant them our attention and life force. We are of service to the world.

Generosity begins in your heart. It requires extravagant love and alertness to other’s needs. It also requires courage, in order to step outside of your comfort zone and be generous to all kinds of people. Consider your growing edge with respect to generosity: How can you increase the flow of blessings in the world? You might need to push past feelings of reluctance and fear to a place where generosity is spontaneous and fun. Or you might need to get creative with generous acts that fit into your schedule.

(Please note that generosity is not a habit that has come easy for me! I am not by nature an openhanded or open-minded person; I like to hold onto my marbles, and I don't "suffer fools", as they say. But I've worked at this habit for a long, long time, and can attest to it being learnable.)

Take out your Love Journal:

Day 4: Plan to Create New Community

Your community includes every single person you know or meet: Your family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, acquaintances, shopkeepers, and the people you pass on the streets. Your community might also include people you talk with online. 

Community is inclusive and often accidental, and you need this kind of diversity in your community to fuel the most growth in your life. You will be gifted by many chance encounters with people who will propel you towards excellence. 

However, you can also intentionally and strategically create new community that meets your currant needs, gathering in the friendships that help you to grow into a better person. 

For example, two years ago, when I had a clear but undefined impulse to become more active for social justice, I went to a variety of events and committee meetings until I found the two action groups I wanted to join. I based my choice on the people I liked best, and consequently, made friends who are now essential to my life and priorities.

Maybe you want to find someone to talk to or walk with, or a neighbor who can help you with yard work, or an online study group... the options for community are endless (even in a pandemic).

Take out your Love Journal:

Day 3: Start a Love Journal

The habits of love include generosity, honesty, patience and equanimity, forgiveness, gratitude, communication, respect, kindness and care - among others. We will focus in on some of these in the next days, and today we will start with kindness, our outward expression of day-to-day love.

You practice kindness with polite language, and other small acts and habits like gracefully waiting your turn, using a friendly tone of voice, offering help, giving a compliment, or a simple smile. I'm not going to bore you with a list of random acts of kindness - you know the drill. 

When we are at our best, we extend kindness to friends and family, co-workers, neighbors, strangers and service workers, and we also extend kindness to animals, plants, and to the Earth. We begin to learn to be kind when we are small, so we should be experts, but we still manage to be rude and hurtful  sometimes, maybe unintentionally, and if not out loud, at least in our thoughts. 

What is your growing edge?

Day 2: Shine Your Love Light

Your first giant step on the path to keeping love central in your life and in your everyday interactions, is simply to set an intention to open your heart - to invite bodhichitta. 

The Buddhist term bodhicitta means "completely open heart and mind". Developing bodhicitta is a journey: You move toward a flexible way of thinking and feeling, releasing fear and a need for security, and embracing the possibility of love.

Pema Chodron, in "The Places That Scare You", says that bodhichitta comes from the soft spot we each have, that allows us to feel the pain of others. "Without realizing it we continually shield ourselves from this pain because it scares us. We put up protective walls made of opinions, prejudices and strategies, barriers that are built on a deep fear of being hurt. ... But fortunately for us, the soft spot—our innate ability to love and to care about things—is like a crack in these walls we erect. It’s a natural opening in the barriers we create when we’re afraid. With practice we can learn to find this opening. We can learn to seize that vulnerable moment—love, gratitude, loneliness, embarrassment, inadequacy—to awaken bodhichitta."

Today I ask you again to access your intuitive mind - your connection to God, or the Inner Guide - and open a door to bodhichitta.

• Set the mood: Light a pink candle and dim the lights. If you want, you can turn on some favorite instrumental music very softly.
  

Recap of 4 Weeks and Sample Calendar

You have been getting your ducks in a row for one month now, and it's time for a recap and re-group before we launch into Part Two.

In week one, you created a Base Map of your possible life path that you can carry in your back pocket. You figured out your core values, the compass that shows you the direction to proceed down your path, and your priorities, that give your days focus and help you to decide how to best spend your time.

In week two, you learned how to discern and plan for one month at a time - how to take the Big Picture Base Map you developed and plot it out into manageable chunks, by choosing your top action goals, organizing your goals into a priorities grid, and scheduling your weekly priorities.

In week three, you learned how to make a pledge for action by setting intentions for your core values and for your top priorities. When you are intentional with your actions, you choose your path on purpose.

In week four, you planned ways to give full effort for your priorities, a mental discipline that requires attention, a spark of energy, and balance.

The ideas and techniques you've covered this month are only half of the picture. A calendar for this might look like:

Day 7: Review, and Plan

Take a few minutes to review your fourth week. Write about your accomplishments and what you need to work on. Did you:

• Set intentions for the week: List the strongest, most compelling reasons you want to do your next week's priorities, and list challenges?

• Create an intention ritual or habit that will remind you, every day, of what your intentions are?

• Practice remembering your intentions throughout the day, every day?

• Make a plan for how you will lean in and spark full and energetic effort day-by-day, for your priorities, and practice this plan?

• Set yourself some targets for acting on your priorities "regularly"?

• Practice being flexible but discerning during the day and touching in with your Inner Guide?

• Begin to recognize your successes at the end of each day and acknowledge that you had a day that was meaningful and satisfying?

• Evaluate and record how well-satisfied you are with your "ducks in a row"?

• Identify "low-status" priorities and values, and create a beautiful reminder of why you want each of these in your life that will help you to give them the equal status that they deserve?

Day 6: Evaluate, and Make a Poster

Yesterday I said that when situations shift your plans, it's often best to be flexible. On the other hand, if situations are constantly moving you away from your priorities it's time to examine both your priorities and your situations! If, at the end of the week, you feel dissatisfied and out of balance, make a note about why that is. Also, make a note of which of your priorities are getting left out of your life. 

Unfortunately, not all of our priorities share equal status. For some reason, some of the actions that we hold very high in priority just don't get the attention they need. I call these my "low-status (oxymoronic) priorities"; exercise usually fits into that category for me, and sometimes (unfortunately) artwork - for some reason, when flexibility is required, it's my health and creative priorities that suffer.

The same goes for your values and principles, because if you aren't letting them guide your path you cannot feel satisfied. (We will look at this more closely next month).

Choose one day each week to evaluate and record how well-satisfied you are with your "ducks in a row". If things continue to be out of balance over a few weeks, you need to regroup: 

-Maybe you need to lower your expectations for a while because you are running on low energy. 

-Or maybe you need to sideline a committee that is draining too much of your time. 

-Or maybe you can initiate a Home Focus Day to catch up on housework, or a Family Focus Day to give attention to your family.

Today, look again at your list of priorities, and ask yourself which do you spend the least time on, and typically don't really treat like priorities in your life? Also, look at your values and principles and do the same evaluation. 

Create an eye-catching poster that captures why you value each of your low-status priorities and values, and will help you to remember to give them the equal status that they deserve:

Day 5: Keep in Balance

The third step towards giving full effort for your priorities is balance. I'm not talking about "Work-Life balance" (as if work is not a part of life!); this is about feeling fulfilled and satisfied with your life, having a good mix of work and play, effort and rest, and steadily accomplishing the things that give your life a sense of purpose. 

Balance has two parts- 

-You want to give regular attention to each of your priorities each week, and not create any "low-status" priorities.

-And you want to hold your intentions lightly in the complexity of life. If you are driven to complete everything on your list at all costs, you may miss an opportunity to open your heart, or to grow, or find peace within.

Remember that your vision, mission, values, beliefs, and principles are your compass, and how you want to proceed down your path. I'm talking now about finding the kind of balance where what you are doing leads where the compass is pointing, and you feel relaxed and unstressed as you travel that path. You create this kind of balance with good planning, by remembering your intentions, and also by being flexible but discerning when life offers you choices. 

For example, even though I might start the day with reasonable expectations to do x-y-z, when my daughter calls to ask if she can drop the baby off for a couple of hours I (of course) say "YES!" My family is a priority, and some other priorities can wait for another day.

Or perhaps I just don't have any energy. I decide to take a bath and a nap, and don't wake up until 4 p.m.! I obviously needed to take care of myself - my health is a priority. Such is life. I'm not going to waste energy feeling disappointed with myself.

Balance and Full Effort can seem to be counter-intuitive... How can you sustain personal motivation and determination, and also be flexible and hold your intentions lightly? How can you maintain full effort while also leaving yourself such a large loophole?

Day 4: Lean In with Eagerness

Urgency of Now banner

The second step towards giving full effort for your priorities is leaning in with eagerness. You must create a spark of energy, connect to your excitement for life, and sustain it long enough to accomplish the important things.

If you are remembering your priorities throughout the day, you are probably already building energy. When the time comes to act on one of your priorities - to write your book, or exercise, or paint a banner - you will want to block out distractions, focus your full attention on this one undertaking, and lean in to it with excitement and curiosity. You need to tap in to your personal motivation and determination.

If you feel resistance ("I'm just not in the mood"), or hit a snag ("I can't find the exercise mat"), try to breathe through it, stay with it, and remind yourself of your deepest reasons. Lean in to the discomfort or complexity of the moment- put your shoulder to it. You need persistence and tenacity.

Personal motivation is complex; it's shaped by our internal will but also influenced by our history, and by the expectations and prejudices of those around us. In order to successfully break free of a pattern of weak or incomplete effort, use the notion of "leaning in" as a body-mind-heart training. 

Try it right now - Stand up, picture an intention you have for today, and: