CORP 4.27.21 No Such Thing as WL Balance_LG_8PM + NO IU UPSELL

I grimace when people mention dreaming of “work-life balance,” as if it's a thing. What they're really saying is…wait for it...they wish they were putting time towards something they're currently ignoring.At least, I was. Want to know some of my favorite excuses for avoiding what was really important to me, like envisioning a new career, rekindling my marriage, or exercising regularly? Yes, those little things:

• “I’ll get to it when I have time.”

• “I’m not ready yet.”

• “I’m too busy.”

• “I’m overwhelmed.”

• “I must not really care about it.”

Sound familiar? I really believed these were good enough reasons to avoid my most heartfelt dreams...until things got so painful in my life that I had to do something!The plague of humans: we focus on what brings us instant gratification vs. the things that would make us deeply happy and proud, from the inside out. And when I say instant gratification I don’t just mean the “scroll hole,” TV, or idle chat, I also mean doing endless work or household chores because we think we should or have to.Most of us fill our days without questioning the opportunity cost or if how we are spending our precious 24 hours a day is really aligned with our highest ideals.However, it IS possible to design your days, weeks, months, and years in keeping with what's most important to you. I am living proof (though, admittedly, it took me awhile and a lot of help)! Here’s my life in a nutshell: I work about 55 hrs a week, focused on what I consider to be the most fun/productive things I can provide for my company. I have three kids ages 6 to 18 with whom I enjoy hanging. I have a husband whom I still get intimate with, physically and emotionally, on a regular basis. I have a home to care for and a body I work out 5x a week. I do spiritual practice daily, usually 2x a day, and I leave at least 7 hrs for sleep each night.Sound like a lot? It is. EXCEPT, it all fits in my 168-hour week, as long as I stay connected to my heart and follow my plan. Everything in my calendar reflects a dream I have for every area of my life. And, here’s the clincher, for the most part (come on, I’m human!): I follow my calendar!If you want to start living truer to your dreams, you can start with one very simple step: Schedule, in real time, the thing you most wish you would spend time doing! The one you’re avoiding, wishing(ish) you weren’t. Here are the most common things people report forsaking:

• Healthy eating/meal planning

• Exercise

• Spiritual practice

• Dating for real

• Clutter clearing

• Creative projects

• Refreshing your resume

• Starting your side hustle

• Writing your business plan

• Activism

• Reconnecting with family or partners

• Connecting with friends/community

Whether it's New Year’s or some other poor, random “Monday” (they take all the heat), you’ve probably made some sincere attempts before, hoping the desire to do more of something would win the day. Truth be told, if this was easy, everyone would be doing it. Unfortunately, many of our heartfelt dreams are losing the battle because of...a lack of accountability.In my life before HG, I used to exercise only if I felt like it. I’d do spiritual practice if I “had time.” And I would wait to connect with other people until they reached out to me. In other words, none of my highest ideals were a regular part of my life. I had no accountability. Here’s the simple formula that changed everything:

1. Make a promise

2. Add a self-imposed, annoying, immediate consequence if you don’t keep the promise

3. Go public with your promise and consequence

4. Get an accountability buddy

There are 3 kinds of promises you can make:

1. HOW you do something: I will eat 50% vegetables at every meal.

2. WHEN you do something: I will have date night every Friday 8-10pm. 

3. BY WHEN you’ll do something: I will have my business plan sent to a friend for feedback by May 15.

Once you make your promise, pick a specific person to hold you accountable daily, and send them a text or email letting them know if you kept your promise. Did I mention DAILY? This chosen person is also the one who will “hold you to your consequence,” so make sure you pick someone worthy of this special duty. They have to be fun enough to enjoy playing with, but also serious (and loving enough) to hold you to your promises and consequences, and remind you of your dreams, even when you want to brat or chicken out!Don’t make the consequence a punishment, make it silly but annoying enough to have the power to deter you from breaking your promise. They make promises a drama- and excuse-free zone! No need to feel bad if you blow it. Who needs more of that?! Just pay your consequence and make a better plan next time!Some examples: Keep to my food plan day OR lose dessert the next day. Spend 30 mins a day on dating sites OR ask 3 friends to set me up the next day. No screen time until I finish X project. You get the idea! What’s yours going to be? Who are you going to buddy up with for accountability?Want even more accountability? Schedule a complementary consultation to learn if private coaching is right for you! Let us give you the coaching, tools, exercises, and personal coach to make this all stick!This is what we’ve been teaching humans – from CEOs to stay-at-home dads to artists to, to, to – for years. The principles are universal and they work as soon as you start using them. If you don’t believe me, take a look at this TIMELY post of one of my client’s:“After 3 years of debilitating anxiety 24:7, I started with the end in mind. With what I’d want in my obituary and how I’d want to be remembered. And then I got cracking on all the layers of bullshit I’d need to expunge. So here I am: heart on my calendar. Every hour accounted for. Every single day filled with things that give me pure joy and energy. Designing my thoughts. Practicing what I preach, as much as I can (still human). Doing the things I care about. What are you doing with your time?” – Liz Bass Seeeee. Time can be more than balance-able, it can be on your dream’s team.

TRUEly Yours,Laurie Gerber

View this email in your browser