Category: Personal growth

Four Ways To Help You Stay Focused

iStock woman with list - focused

Does this sound familiar?  One minute you’re whizzing through your to do list, the next minute you’re watching cute puppy videos on Facebook or scrolling through your favorite retail store’s website. If it does, you are not alone.   A recent study by Microsoft revealed that the average attention span is eight seconds.  NO wonder it takes effort to stay focused.

Too many distractions can cause you to get behind on necessary tasks and deadlines.  Even the smallest of distractions can begin to add up and affect our lives in every area.  When you find yourself  playing catch up to finish the things that MUST be completed, it can begin to take away from your own personal time.  Based on my twenty seven years of experience as a personal trainer, I can confirm that exercise and preparing meals are usually some of the first things that get pushed onto the back burner when there is a time-crunch.  The good news is there are things you can do to limit distractions in your day and maintain your concentration.

How To Stay Focused

Here are a few tips on how to stay focused throughout your day and guard your precious time.

Take breaks.  Yes, breaks actually help you stay focused.  Give yourself a short break every thirty minutes.  Your body will thank you for it and taking a moment to stop and reactivate your goal can help you maintain your concentration.

Keep your cell phone ringer off while working on deadlines.  Technology is a wonderful thing and we all need to stay connected.  However, research is showing that receiving texts or phone calls can result in more mistakes during a computer task.  If you’re working on a deadline it’s a good idea to turn your phone to silent and then set a time when you will check your phone and return messages.  Keeping it on silent allows you to have it close by in the event of a true emergency.

Limit multitasking.  A recent study suggests that your brain can’t handle more than two big tasks at one time.  It can divide two tasks successfully but any more than that is too much for your mind to juggle.  Personally, I think it’s a good idea to experiment with multitasking.  Figure out what works for you.  You may be someone that performs best when you focus on one big task while passively performing another.  For example, driving while listening to an audio book is a great way to learn while commuting from one place to another.

Practice awareness.  If you notice your mind wandering off, take a pause from whatever it is you are doing at that very moment.  Whenever I’m supposed to be writing a blog post and find myself surfing Facebook, I look at the clock and check to see if it’s time to get up and move.  It usually is so I’ll get up and get some water, a snack, or even throw in a load of laundry.  During that time I’ll get my thoughts together and even give myself a little “focus pep talk” This helps me become more present in the moment and take back control of how I’m spending my time.  We all drift off from time to time; it’s being aware of it that helps us redirect our attention back to the task at hand.

When it comes to successfully completing tasks, focus and discipline are necessary ingredients.  No two lives are the same so I recommend you experiment with these tips and then figure out what works for you personally.

Here’s to being super productive and successful!

With Love,
Jennifer

Eleven Ways To Live Well And Age Gracefully

Happy Birthday - Jennifer Ledford - Age Gracefully

It’s my birthday!  I turn forty six years old today.  I have to say it’s almost surreal to me.  I often forget that I’m in my mid-forties because I still feel thirty on the inside.  While I may not feel like I’m in my forties, my age has allowed me to obtain a healthy amount of experience and knowledge.  And for that I am extremely grateful!

I actually like birthdays and embrace mine with open arms.  I’m not someone that has ever had the desire to resist growing up.  I’ve always wanted to be mature in my mind and young at heart.  To me, that’s the best of both worlds.

How To Live  Well and Age Gracefully

Over the past forty six years I’ve had the opportunity to learn quite a few things about life, fitness, health, and aging and since it’s my birthday I wanted to share some of them with you.

  • Don’t sweat the small stuff.  I’m sure you’ve read this more than once.  The part I purposely left out of the famous phrase is “and it’s all small stuff.”  I left it out because sometimes the problem is not small at all.  It’s important not to get worked up over small things that can either be ignored or solved easily.  Limiting stress in your life is one of the top things you can do for your health.  When you limit getting stressed over the minor issues, you’ll have way more strength to deal with the larger ones.
  • Love yourself.  Some people confuse this with pride and are uncomfortable with the thought of loving themselves.  Loving yourself means you respect yourself and believe you deserve the best possible outcomes in life.  One of the first steps to loving yourself is to avoid negative self talk and to reject anything negative spoken over your life by another person.
  • Discover who you are and be authentically you.  This is huge!  There is only one you.  Learn what’s important to you and pursue goals that you desire to fulfill.  Sometimes that’s not always the “safe path” that a parent or counselor is suggesting you follow.  It may include some calculated risks.  Avoid the temptation to copy someone else’s life and go out and create your own legacy.
  • Share your gifts.  We are all designed with unique talents and gifts.  I once heard a wise woman say that she believed that one of the reasons our world has so many problems is because not everyone discovers and shares their gifts.  When we hide our talents the world misses out and so does the individual that possesses the gift.
  • It’s okay to say no.  Maintaining boundaries is one of the most important things we can do for our physical, emotional, and mental health.  It also helps us reserve our strength and energy for the people in our lives that are counting on us.
  • Forgive freely.  Forgiving yourself and others helps contribute to a healthy mind and body.  Research has linked unforgiveness to serious illness which makes forgiveness a really important part of your life.  I realize it can be tough to forgive at times, especially when the other person doesn’t seem to deserve it.  If you are having a tough time forgiving someone else, remind yourself that it’s for your own personal well-being to forgive the offense. Eventually your emotions will catch up to your decision to forgive.  I’m a spiritual person so whenever I am struggling with forgiving someone or even myself, I ask God to heal my heart and help me forgive.
  • Eat well.  We all need to eat so we might as well eat food that will help keep us healthy and vibrant-looking.  Focus on eating whole foods and limit processed foods.  Avoid things like high fructose corn syrup and partially hydrogenated oils.  Make sure that you recognize everything on a food label’s ingredient list.  Learn to make healthy meals that you enjoy.  Take time out to feast with your family and friends.  Eat out at interesting restaurants that serve fresh ingredients.  Focus on eating for health rather than dieting.  Life is too short to spend it restricting yourself, counting calories, or feeling guilty about food.
  • Exercise.  It’s recommended that we all get an average of thirty minutes of exercise per day for health purposes.  Exercise at your own personal fitness level and choose things that are fun.  Exercise outdoors when possible for added stress reduction.
  • Drink plenty of water.  This one is easy!  Staying hydrated not only helps your metabolism function well it can help your skin maintain a more youthful appearance.
  • Have fun.  It’s been said that laughter is the best medicine so do it often.  Schedule fun into your week.  Be present wherever your feet are planted and look for the hidden blessings that are around you each and every day.  If you are struggling to find joy in your day it may be time for a change.  Maybe it’s time to find a new job, get some new friends, or try a new exercise routine, etc.
  • Keep growing.  I have the opportunity to work with people that are retired and the people that are thriving the most have not stopped growing.  Some of them went back to work part time while others are doing things like volunteering in their community, studying a language, traveling, exercising, taking cooking lessons. They are involved in politics, helping make documentary films, writing memoirs, and more.  In order to keep your mind sharp, you MUST use it.  It’s also important that you socialize and stay engaged.  It may sound appealing to retire and sit back right now when your schedule is not jam packed but too much “retirement” can have a negative effect on your mind and body.  It’s okay to take a year off from the rat race.  However, it’s a good idea to use some of that time to plan what you’d like to do next in your life.

Time is precious.  Spend it on the things that are most important to you and with the people that matter most to you.  Give yourself grace and avoid comparing yourself to others.  Life is about being your own personal best and that’s different for everyone!

Here’s to birthdays and a super blessed week!

With Love,
Jennifer

Never Give Up: How To Stick To Your Goals And Dreams Long-Term

Obstacle - Man Jumping Over Word on Arrow - Never Give Up - Overcome Obstacles

My husband and I recently had some big breakthroughs at our house.  Major milestones have been reached and we’ve made it over some pretty big hurdles that we were climbing.  At times, I thought it might be easier to just go and climb Mt. Everest but I really don’t like being cold.

All humor aside, our success had nothing to do with being more special than anyone else.  A lot of it was due to our attitude.  We both agreed that quitting was not an option.  We knew that quitting would be way harder to deal with than the hard work and faith required to make it to the finish line.

Never Give Up

When it comes to long-term goals, staying consistent and avoiding the temptation to give up takes strength and determination.  I think that’s one of the reasons long-term goals can be tough to stick to, especially when things seem to be moving at a snail’s pace.  Patience can be a challenge which is why I’m so grateful for my faith in God’s promises and prayer.  It’s what keeps me going each and every day.

I don’t think anyone ever sets a goal or takes on a challenge with the intention of giving up.  However, I do think that setting goals that are unrealistic or not your own can be a recipe for failure.  When chasing your dreams and goals, here are some very important things to consider:

  • What’s motivating you?  Is it a strong desire in your heart or are you wanting acceptance from another person?  It’s okay to prove the world they were wrong about you as long as it’s something YOU want.
  • Go at your own pace.  Some people can aggressively lose weight and others need to take it at a steady pace of something like a half pound per week.  You need to find what works best for you and the season in your life.  This applies to any goal you set.
  • Do you have all of the information you need?  In other words, do you know what you need to do to succeed or do you need to hire a coach, read some books, take some lessons, etc.?
  • You don’t have to go it alone.  Do-it-yourself is great but there comes a time when you may need to delegate some of your responsibilities to others in order to reach your goals.  For example, having a housekeeper allows me time to meal plan and grocery shop which in turn helps our family stick to the goal of maintaining our weight.
  • Tell fear to take a hike!  Fear can rear its ugly head when you begin something new.  For some, it can be a fear of success and for others a fear of failure.  A combination of the two can show up as well.  It’s not uncommon to feel overwhelmed when starting something new which can cause a fear of success because the workload may seem too intense.  Much like parenting or getting a new puppy, once you figure out your groove it gets easier and what  was once overwhelming will become natural to you overtime.  When fear or overwhelm pop up I remind myself of something that I’ve mastered and tell myself – that, over time, I’ll master the new goal as well.  This works well no matter what the root of the fear is.  Pep talks are a great thing!
  • You’re going to have to work for it.  It’s no secret that worthy goals require work and commitment.  That doesn’t mean you should overwork yourself or let it consume you. Balance is key to sustaining anything long-term.  Working hard means you’ll want to dedicate a consistent amount of time that you know you can realistically commit to your goal.
  • Don’t quit.  Resistance is normal when you are working toward a worthy goal or overcoming a trial in your life.  When you feel like quitting it usually means success is right around the corner.

Over the years I’ve learned that when you’ve been working on a goal or overcoming a challenge for an extended period of time it can almost seem surreal when it comes to pass and you make it to the finish line.  Some people like to celebrate.  I prefer to take a pause and sit on the beach with a glass of wine and watch the waves. When something has taken months and even years to accomplish, I just need a moment to breathe.  How you choose to celebrate your accomplishments is personal and you should take a moment to do so.  You earned it!

It’s also a good idea to avoid spending too much time celebrating the past.  I recommend that you set new goals shortly after any milestone you reach and focus your attention on the future.  For example, if you’ve lost weight then your new goal should be maintaining it.  This helps you to maintain your success and continue moving forward.  Life doesn’t always go as planned.  It is, however,  a lot easier to handle the bumps in the road when you have a destination in mind.

Here’s to a purpose-driven week and NEVER giving up on your goals and dreams!

With Love,
Jennifer