Welcome to the third and final part of the reJUNEviate your plans series! How fast has this month gone! (Need to get your hands on the workbook and first parts – click here: workbook, mind and body.) By now, I hope you’ve been able to review and refine your stretch goals and plan then reJUNEviate  yourself using the little visual reminders.

Or in other words, you know where you’re heading and you’re ready to go. Good luck, have fun and see you on the other side. Oh, what’s that? You’re finding it hard to take the next step? You’re stuck on starting. That’s what this 3rd b-mail will help you resolve.

1.) Being ready is never going to happen.

Let’s be honest here. No-one is ever completely ready. Whether it’s a big exam, a big day or a big client. You can always do a bit more, invest more time, read more, learning more, practice more. Get to a point where you’ve mitigated the risks, build enough of a skill or knowledge set to succeed and start. You can fine tune as you go.

2. Set midpoint milestones.

Your end goal is probably pretty big and a touch daunting. Walk back from there and set some realistic goals. I’m working hard at increasing awareness of b-more right now at events I’m attending. My end goal is to have every seat full and a waitlist of people, who are desperate to attend. I’ve found going to events with that in mind, I get tongue-tied and overly focussed on explaining b-more and coworking. Attending with a goal of meeting some lovely people and inviting those, who I’ve gelled with and I think would be a great community member, really helps me. I’m more positive about achieving this AND the b-more community gets great new additions.

3. Understand your excuses.

What is behind you saying “tomorrow, I’ll……” or “when X happens, I’ll do Y” or “If only I had more cash for this”. Hmmmm as a coach, I’m pondering what’s actually behind this, why are you saying this? Must you act tomorrow or could you make a tiny move today? Can you control X or is this a waiting game? How much cash is enough or is there an alternative cash-free way? Don’t accept your excuses – look behind them and address that to move yourself on.

4. Ask for help.

There is no shame in saying, “I can’t do this alone. This is my talent. Can you help me please?” Whether this is a favour from a mate or an expert you need to pay. Removing a blocker in this way can help you focus on where your sweet spot is and reignite your progress. Think creative! Arrange a skill swap – my cake baking for your kid’s birthday for your whizzy web coding. Or join a group or class – build a study group or find an accountability partner. Can move on? Drop me a line and we can arrange a rapid consultation or longer coaching plan.

5. Try something different.

Super important for life style or behavioural changes. Trying to trim your waist, eat healthier or be more active in your day, yet bored of the same recipes or routines. Ditch ‘em. Do something different. Switch Pilates for Zumba. Google your favourite ingredient for a new meal. Go to a different venue to practice your skills. Meet new people, doing whatever you’re looking to accomplish.

6. Acknowledge how far you’ve come!

It’s not just the final shift, but all those along the way. Getting to here and now is already an achievement. You’re reading a blog about taking action, on a website all about creating stretch and change in your life. Now take action, print or pin this visual reminder alongside the last two – keep them in sight to embed them into your plan and go out there and rock your world!

Keep us in the loop in the comments. Happy to play accountability partner to your action. What’s your next step and when will you have completed it?

For the rest of June, we’ll be taking a look at how you can reJUNEviate your 2014 plans. 3 more Thursdays in June means 3 b-mails, looking at rejuvenating your mindset and attitude, your physical wellbeing and finally, your actions. But first things first:

Newish b-mailers: Did you complete the workbook? How’d it help? (Missed it? Here you go: “Create your 12 month stretch plan”)

Earlier b-mailers: Did you review December’s worksheets on how you wanted 2014 to be?

So to this week’s topic: your mindset and attitude. Keeping yourself mentally on track and engaged with the changes you desire in your life, work or play can be tricky. You might be hitting a rough spot, or not progressing as quickly as you’d like and of course, there’s all the other stuff that gets in the way. Your midyear review might have also thrown out a few curveballs, meaning you need to tweak your plans by starting or stopping something.

(You might find these b-mails handy if you’re not sure where to start or how to get round the other stuff: Little things and 7 ways to get more done)

Your brain functions on a way higher oxygen and water requirement than the rest of your body and you start to get cranky if these get out of whack. Complex thinking, managing your emotions and energy levels hit the roller-coaster and your attitude hops on board for the ride.  Why no carry some water around with you and improve your breathing by standing or sitting tall, place your hands on your rib cage and breathe as deeply as you can into your palms. 4 or 5 deep breaths and a glass of water can be a great way to perk up your brain and improve your mindset.

Smiling uses the zygomatic major muscle in your cheeks to move your lips into a grin. This natural expression elicits smiles back and increases your endorphins, those wonderful happy hormones. If you feel happier, your mindset and attitude to change, challenge and risk all improve.

Another way to up those happy hormones is to add some movement to your day. Schedule time for exercise on a regular basis. Short on time? Walk round the block, jog up and down the stairs, whizz the hoover round your front room or dance to a favourite track.

Strike an ongoing uplift or shift can be done with a “back to your roots” type approach by tuning into your original motivation and desire. What is it that achieving your goals will give you? How will things be different? Making these visual can help keep you focused and deliver a quick top-up – try creating a notebook insert for the back cover with a quote or image, changing your screen saver/image or creating a vision board (I love Pinterest for these – so easy and LOADS of inspiration!). Keeping your motivation and desire front of mind, keeps your mindset in place.

Along the way, you may hit a few fails – you’ll miss something or screw-up, it’s human to do so, but let’s be honest, it can make you feel rubbish, zapping your motivation and creating a no-go mindset. Don’t waste your mental energy on this. Reframe your fails, large and small, as learning opportunities; ways to improve, build knowledge and more insights into yourself and your change.

And don’t forget to enjoy and whoop about those small wins along the way!

Here’s a little image to help you reJUNEviate your mind! (Like it? Why not pin it to your vision board?)

And do share in the comments, how do you shift your mindset and attitude to support your change?