When creating your ideal professional life – or making any change – retaining your energy is crucial to keep going. One of the best ways to boost your energy is through acknowledging what you’ve already accomplished. I’ve written about  this before but worth repeating. When you acknowledge what you’ve already accomplished you will build your confidence. When you build your confidence you will take action and accomplish even more. See the brilliant loop here? 🙂 

 

List 50 results you are proud of having accomplished so far this year (to make this really powerful I suggest you write it down).

 

First 10, or even 20, results are easy. But then it gets harder. Perfectly natural, hang in there! Don’t forget about the super small – but still so important – things: Have you started to take different ways home to boost your creativity? Have you bought a nice copybook to journal your ideas? Don’t forget about the inside: Have you changed your view on something? Have you discovered a new talent? Or decided on an existing talent that you want to expand? Have you got a new insight on what’s important in your professional life? A new idea you will explore?

 

Still hard to come up with results? Go out and create some new!

 

Here’s my list, hope it will serve as inspiration. So far this year I’m very proud of that I have:

  1. Worked with awesome clients!
  2. Had the absolute privilege to help my clients create their ideal professional lives.
  3. Met new interesting people.
  4. Grown my network.
  5. Had the honor to be a part when new supercool business ideas were born.
  6. Set the theme for this year: Focus.
  7. Stuck to that theme even though it have meant saying no to funny projects.
  8. Given seminars to inspire people to start creating their ideal professional lives.
  9. Given webinars for the very same reason.
  10. Gone all in to shift my business into what I really want to do.
  11. Done my morning meditation (almost) all days.
  12. Cleaned my computer and put everything in folders.
  13. Got even more clear about my ideal professional life.
  14. Got rid of things consuming my energy for nothing.
  15. Practiced asking for help (that´s a good one, right? 🙂 ).
  16. Improved my programs.
  17. Changed my mindset around finances (previously boring, now kind of fun 🙂 )
  18. Written my eBook (you can get your free copy by signing up on your right hand side)
  19. Written blog posts every second day.
  20. Sent out my monthly inspirational emails every month, inspired or not.
  21. Worked consistently with my Advisory Board to keep me on track.
  22. Practiced saying no to non-ideal projects.
  23. Worked consistently with my to-don’t list.
  24. Celebrated my successes.
  25. Completed the script for my second book “If You Dig It, Gig It” (stay tuned, launching in September)
  26. Launched an Accelerator for “gigers”.
  27. Stayed focused (not so easy for an entrepreneurial mind 😉 )
  28. Shared my story.
  29. Explored the new technical platforms enabling freelancers to connect globally.
  30. Closed down social media accounts I no longer use.
  31. Prioritized business development time.
  32. Invested in myself and my personal development.
  33. Managed my energy.
  34. Launched a new beta version of myself every day 🙂
  35. Allowed myself to dream big even though I don’t have a clue how to get there…
  36. Used check-boxes on all my to-do lists to double the amount of action.
  37. Practiced stretching my deadlines and found out I seldom need as much time as I think to complete the task.
  38. Challenged myself to step up and take myself and my business to the next level (suuuuuuuper scary but LOTS of fun!)
  39. Started to delegate things that are not in my unique brilliance (phew, now that’s something for a control enthusiast 😉 )
  40. Become more aware of how I want my work/life integration.
  41. Begun “digital detox nights” meaning no phone in bedroom and no emails or social media before breakfast.
  42. Facilitated workshops to help my clients come up with new ideas and perspectives and expand their entrepreneurial minds.
  43. Taught workshop design and facilitation.
  44. Improved my speaking skills.
  45. Said yes to projects in line with my big why even though I don’t have the formal competence.
  46. Practiced saying “thank you” and nothing more when receiving a compliment.
  47. Strengthen my belief in my own ability.
  48. Found a way to merge my different programs into one system (stay tuned here too, more info coming soon)
  49. Found out what I’m actually offering my clients: Professional Freedom! Which is what you will hear about from me from now on.
  50. Written down 50 results I’m proud of so far this year 🙂

 

When I read my list I feel both proud of myself and SO grateful for all amazing people giving me the opportunity to do what I love. I really recommend you give it a try!

 

What are you proud of that you’ve accomplished so far this year? Can you list 50 results? I know you can.

 

 

How do you make sure your professional life keeps inspiring you? Read an interview with Marc Jacobs the other day and think he pretty much sums it up when he says: “Reinvent yourself, become who you want to be and allow your dreams to come true.” (my translation)

 

Reinvent yourself, become who you want to be and allow your dreams to come true.

 

Key words here: Reinvent, Become, Allow. Creating your ideal professional life is an ongoing adventure and you decide where it will take you from here.

 

Agree?

 

It’s said magic happens outside your comfort zone. I say magic happens when you look beyond your own limitations. I think we far too often let our own, and others’, limiting beliefs stop us from doing what we want in our professional lives.

 

But I also know that it is possible to look beyond those limitations. By exploring your unique combination of talents, your non-negotiable values and how your ideal professional life will look you learn to own your uniqueness. And as Goethe said “Magic is believing in yourself. If you can do that, you can make anything happen.”

 

“Magic is believing in yourself. If you can do that, you can make anything happen.”

 

Start believing in your ability. Start owning your uniqueness. Why let your own or anyone else’s limitations stop you from creating magic?

 

Sometimes when I speak to people about creating their ideal professional lives they look at me and say ”Well, that’s possible for you. But for me…” and then a whole bunch of reasons why it’s impossible for them. Some of these reasons are really creative and I mean, if you can come up with that creative ideas why it’s impossible I’m totally sure you can also come up with ideas how to make it possible. I’m convinced you can create the professional life you want. Yes, you have to make an effort. Yes, you have to challenge your comfort zone and look beyond your limitations. But you’ve got exactly what it takes. It’s time to make all the hours we spend at work count!

 

We all know that everything that can be digitalized will be digitalized. And what’s digital can easily be copied. Therefore, to succeed in today’s and tomorrow’s professional life you need to grow your uniqueness. It’s not about the facts you know, anyone with some Googling skills can find out anything nowadays. It’s about the qualities and strengths that makes you unique. What’s your unique combination of talents? How will you use them to create you ideal professional life? The more YOU you become, the harder it will be for anyone to copy your work. 

 

When we’re about to make a change in our professional lives and free our inner entrepreneur it’s easy to start looking for both belt and braces. We would very much like a plan B just in case. But sometimes that plan B might actually be a curse. Because you spend a whole lot of time crafting your plan B instead of investing your time and effort into making plan A work.

 

Commit to plan A, invest your time and energy in making plan A come true. Plan B might just as well wait in your drawer.

 

This week I thought I’ll share my 7 mindset flips to enter a mindset of possibilities and access your full potential. If you want to dig deeper into the content, check out my free ebook!

 

Ready for the last and final flip? 🙂

 

Flip 7: Follow >> Lead

To create your professional future you’ll have to put yourself in the front seat, grab the steering-wheel and decide where you want to go. Enough following. Time to take the lead.

 

As a leader creating your ideal professional life you have to communicate what you want. Because you know what? If you don’t tell anyone, no one will know. Sounds obvious but this is actually where many of us fail. It’s not enough to think or even write down what you want to do. Until we invent mind-reading, you must tell the world. Scary the first time but gets easier and easier.

 

There’s power in the words ”I WANT…”. When you say them out loud you will automatically start moving in that direction. When you tell the world ”I want…”, opportunities you could never ever dream of will show up.

 

Repeat after me: I want…

 

This week I thought I’ll share my 7 mindset flips to enter a mindset of possibilities and access your full potential. If you want to dig deeper into the content, check out my free ebook!

 

Time for some more flippin’!

 

Flip 6: Experience >> Potential

The future is the future, not the past. So why are we so obsessed with our past when marketing ourselves or our businesses? Think about it, what do you promote when applying for a new job or approaching a prospective client? For most, the answer is the past. We send in our resumes, we talk about successful cases from the past. And all this despite the fact that research shows that potential outshines experience when deciding whom to hire.

 

I’m not suggesting your experience is unimportant. I’m just saying it’s not THE thing. And most of all I like to stress this:

Don’t let your past experiences dictate your future.

 

Because the future is about the future, not the past.

 

This week I thought I’ll share my 7 mindset flips to enter a mindset of possibilities and access your full potential. If you want to dig deeper into the content, check out my free ebook!

 

Time for some more flippin’!

 

Flip 5: Excuses >> Results

This flip might be a little uncomfortable at first. But to create your ideal professional life it’s a necessity. The truth is that either you have excuses or you have results. And you want results, right? That means you’ll have to pick up the baton and run. It’s your professional life and you are the one that will make it happen.

 

No time, no money, not the right competence, not the right network… We’re very creative when it comes to finding out excuses for not taking action. To create your ideal professional life, you need to be aware of your most common excuses. Once you know it’s an excuse, you can make a choice whether you want that excuse or if you rather want the result.

 

As a former engineer, I have to say something about Newton here 🙂 Newton’s laws of motion states that an object in motion stays in motion. Means the tricky part is to get started. Once you’re moving it gets much easier. To get past you excuses: start with a step almost ridiculously small – and take action.

 

To quote a famous sports brand: Just Do It.

 

This week I thought I’ll share my 7 mindset flips to enter a mindset of possibilities and access your full potential. If you want to dig deeper into the content, check out my free ebook!

 

Ready for some more flippin’?

 

Flip 4: Perfection >> Progress

Ever faced perfection paralysis? You know when you’re so overwhelmed by the idea of perfection you end up doing nothing. I certainly have. Today, everything changes so fast there’s no time for extensive planning and strategizing. If you wait until you know everything you’ll want forever. We all act in information-poor, resource-constrained and time-compressed surroundings. No one “knows it all”. In all honesty, could it even be you sometimes use planning and strategizing as an excuse for not taking action? (more about that in this LinkedIn post I wrote some time ago)

 

betaIf you’ve been with me for a while you know I like seeing myself as a beta version. Not perfect but making progress all the time. Every day I launch a slightly improved version of myself and my business as I continue my exciting professional journey. Why not give it a try?

 

There is no such thing as a right time, right place or right conditions. Stop being paralyzed by perfection. Commit to constant progress.