How to Get More Done Journaling for 90 Days Than You Did All Last Year

January 29, 2018 // by Diane Forster

Writing in a journal daily may seem like a challenge for you if you’re not used to it, but it’s just a habit… like any other habit. Once you start, in no time you’ll look forward to doing it. Here’s how to how to get more done journaling for 90 days than you did all last year and why it’s so important to start.

It Helps You Remember

Most of us haven’t had to force ourselves to take notes and study for exams in a very long time. Therefore, a great majority of what happens to us during the day is forgotten. That includes good ideas, insights, the chance to reflect on something you may have heard or seen to look for a deeper meaning. And, because of my belief that everything is always happening FOR you and there are no coincidences, if you can’t remember what happened or give yourself a way to reflect on it, you will surely miss the signs!

When you journal, you give yourself the opportunity to “take in” what might have otherwise been overlooked. The result is you remember more and recall better, so you save yourself time and energy by not having to look up resources or go back and revisit something again and again.

It Keeps You Focused

Instead of going through each day like a ship without rudders, journaling connects you with your dreams, goals, and desires. That is important because you then get to set your intentions for the day. By creating daily intentions, you stay laser focused on what you want and what you need to do to get it. This boosts your productivity level dramatically! The daily intention creates triggers in your mind. So, if you get side tracked with social media distraction, your trigger will kick into gear and remind you to stay focused! An intentional day is a productive day. One day that’s fully productive is more valuable than a week or more of days filled with distractions! By writing in your journal you accomplish more in less time!

It Gives You an Opportunity to “Write” Your Future

When you write, don’t just regurgitate your past and what happened. That’s already history. Instead, use it as an opportunity to look for the positive, good things that occurred. Then spend your time focused on writing about the life you WANT. If you keep writing about what’s already occurred and don’t put any thought into writing about what you want, you’ll stay stuck with what you have. Wouldn’t you rather spend that time “creating” your future? We are all creators and creative beings. Our thoughts determine what shows up in our lives. So, be intentional as you write in your journal.

I once read a book that asked me not to eat meat for 30 days. I thought to myself, “I can do anything for 30 days.” Fifteen years later, I still don’t eat meat. To make it easier for you, here is a link to the ““Love It! Thank It! Bring It! 90 Day Journal.” Click on the link and start writing away! This 90 Day Journal is perfect because you will love the sense of accomplishment once it is filled. It’s a great way to begin. Write well!

LOVE IT!: I LOVE HOW MUCH FUN I’M HAVING JOURNALING EACH DAY!

THANK IT!: I AM GRATEFUL FOR THE CREATIVE EXPRESSION I RECEIVE FROM WRITING IN MY JOURNAL!

BRING IT!: NOW THAT I JOURNAL, MAGICAL MANIFESTATIONS SHOW UP SO QUICKLY INTO MY LIFE!

Quote: “In the journal I do not just express myself more openly than I could to any person; I create myself. The journal is a vehicle for my sense of selfhood. It represents me as emotionally and spiritually independent. Therefore (alas) it does not simply record my actual, daily life but rather — in many cases — offers an alternative to it.” —Susan Sontag

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Stop Multi-Tasking: 3 Ways to be More “Present” in Your Tasks

September 16, 2017 // by Diane Forster

Are you a multi-tasker? Do you have trouble staying focused on one thing? Do you lose things, break things, forget things? I have good news for you! I can help you stop multi-tasking. In fact, there really is no such thing as multi-tasking. When you think about it, you can truly only be doing one thing at a time. When we multi-task, we are splitting our time between multiple things, but we are only focused on one thing at any given moment. For example, if you eat in front of the television, your attention and focus is going back and forth from the screen to your plate and back again. You’re not fully engaged in either activity. The same holds true for eating at your desk at work.

Another way this shows up in your life is by over estimating how much you can get done, so you try and do several things at once. I reference a story about this in my book I Have Today: Find Your Passion, Purpose and Smile…Finally! Have you ever experienced trying to do too much at once, then you start dropping things, or forgetting things, or losing things? That’s because you’re not supposed to be doing too many things at once. Our brain can’t handle it.

What I learned is when you live in the present moment, and stay present on the task in front of you, you remain calmer, your mind stays clearer, and you can get things done faster and more efficiently. I also learned that it does not matter what the task is…whether it is cooking, doing laundry, paying bills, working out, driving, working…when you focus on what you’re doing and feel gratitude and appreciation for it, the experiences become more pleasurable. When you multi-task, you are spending time in your future and not your NOW!

Here are three ways to become more present in all you do:

Write Down the Areas Where You Struggle the Most

By doing this exercise, you’ll be able to identify your patterns. What will surface for you is that you’ll find the areas of struggle are around the things you least like to do. This is valuable information. It leads into Step 2…

Learn to Appreciate the Tasks You Don’t Like to Do

We all have things that we must do, and some of them are things we really don’t enjoy doing. But, what if you turned that into an opportunity to find some joy in the task? For example, I don’t enjoy doing laundry. To make it more pleasurable, while I’m doing it I think about how lucky I am that I have a washer and dryer, clean running water, how convenient it is to do, and how many people around the world don’t have that. Those thoughts make the experience much more enjoyable.

“Time Block” in Your Calendar and Schedule Everything You Can

This is a great technique! This allows you to be in control of your time. Schedule days and times and make appointments with yourself to do as much as you can think of. That way, when it’s time to do a task, you only need to focus on that task! Time blocking also gives you a deadline to get it done, so there’s no procrastinating. In fact, it becomes a game to get it done faster! For instance, I gave myself a two-hour window to write this blog. I will get it done with time to spare! The sense of accomplishment feels so good!

We can only live each day a moment at a time. And, we don’t get them back. So, you may as well enjoy AS MANY as possible…with both the tasks you enjoy and even the ones you don’t. By staying present, you’ll enjoy every experience more and more. Trust me, your lunch tastes so much better when you sit and relax to eat it. Enjoy the food. Enjoy the experience. Your emails and texts can wait until later.

Watch the Webinar!

LOVE IT! I LOVE BEING PRESENT IN ALL I DO!

THANK IT!: I AM GRATEFUL FOR EACH MOMENT!

BRING IT!: I SAVOR EACH AND EVERY MOMENT OF MY LIFE!

Quote: “Mindfulness isn’t difficult, we just need to remember to do it.” – Buddha

If you like this blog, you may also like:

Learn How To “Smocus”…The Art of Focusing on Small Goals

Three Steps to Setting Intentions and Outcomes

Stop Multi-Tasking: 3 Ways to be More “Present” in Your TasksRead More

Learn How To “Smocus”…The Art of Focusing on Small Goals

July 20, 2017 // by Diane Forster

We all have goals. The dreams, desires, and wishes we want to achieve. We do accomplish many of them. We also let many of them fall by the wayside because we feel like they’re too big to conquer and achieve. Many of us also feel like we can confidently navigate one or two areas of our lives really well, but we fall short on all the other areas.

There’s a reason that happens. The goals that we achieve relatively easily are the things that are either:

Most important to us in that moment.
The easiest to accomplish because there’s little effort required to do the work.

What if you were able to break down ALL the goals you wanted to achieve in your life in a way that made it possible for you to achieve many, many more of them? In order to do that, you need to learn the Art of “Smocus,” meaning you need to learn the art of breaking down your big goals into manageable bite size chunks.

The question then becomes, “What is it that I REALLY want?” That’s where “Smocus” steps in.

Let me explain three ways to put this into practice so you can see how well it works.

Get Clear About What You Want

Before we can “smocus” we first need to know our desired outcomes. These are the “Big Picture” goals.

What do you want to accomplish in your life over the next year, five years, ten years, in your lifetime, etc.?

Do you want to retire?
Do you want to start a new career?
Do you want to write a book?
Do you want your body to look a certain way?
Do you want to fall in love and get married?
Do you want to have children?
Do you want to move somewhere warm?
Do you want to take a trip around the world?
Do you want to become financially free?

Spend some quality time thinking about what you really want. When you do this, ask yourself this question: WHAT WOULD I BE THE MOST UPSET ABOUT NOT ACCOMPLISHING IF MY LIFE WERE TO SUDDENLY END?

Write out a complete list of everything. Don’t skip anything. Nothing is too small or too big. Think about some of the things you thought you would have done already by this time in your life. Add those to the list as well. Make the list as comprehensive as you can. This is an ongoing list and items will be crossed off and added to it constantly.

Take the List of Big Picture Goals and Put Them in Order of Priority

This is the first part of the “smocus” process. Once you have a detailed list, the next step is to break it down into chunks. When you break it down into smaller chunks, it will make the process of putting action steps into place much easier.

I often say that we can have it ALL, and we can! But, that doesn’t mean that we want to have everything we’ve ever wanted all at once! That’s why it is important to take the complete list of what you want in your life and break it down in order of importance and priority to you. For instance, chronologically, it’s more pressing to put having children in front of retiring. It’s more important to put down things that require your freedom and independence in front of things that may be effected by having other responsibilities in your life. For example, if you want to backpack throughout Europe for a year, that needs to appear on the list prior to having children (or after they are grown and out of the house…that works, too!) You get the idea. Figure out to the best of your ability WHEN the best timing might be to get what you want. What I want you to know is: you are limited by nothing, you can have everything you want, and you deserve to have the most extraordinary life! Don’t let your age or your past come into play with this exercise. Enjoy the process of laying out your life! It’s so much fun!

Calendar Everything and Work Backwards

You’re not going to be able to do everything you want to do all at the same time. But, that doesn’t mean you can’t put it on the calendar. For example, let’s say you’d like to retire in 10 years, put that on your calendar ten years from now! One afternoon, for kicks, I browsed my Google Calendar to see how far out into the future the calendar would go. I stopped browsing after I reached 200 years from now! Wow! It was in that moment that I started adding my goals, events and milestones to it. I put my 100^th Birthday on the calendar, and I spent time visualizing my fantastic party and celebration. I could see myself sitting there, smiling, surrounded by so many loving, wonderful people. I also have many other special milestones on the calendar as early as this year and all the way in between that 100 birthday mark.

Here are the reasons and benefits for doing this:

THIS TAKES THE VISION BOARD TO A WHOLE NEW LEVEL!!!!!!!! You can visualize what you want and put it on a vision board, write it in a journal, etc. BUT, when you put it on your calendar, it makes it more REAL!

What would your calendar look like? Put everything on the calendar! Manifest all of it! If it’s on the calendar in writing, it makes it more real. FILL your calendar with everything you want to accomplish. Don’t put any limits on yourself! Imagine you’ll be living a LONG, HEALTHY, HAPPY, PROSPEROUS LIFE and you have TIME to do, be, and get everything you want to! Doesn’t that sound like so much FUN?

The last part is to break it down even further. Pick a handful of items you’d like to accomplish every year. Once they are on your calendar, put daily reminders on the calendar and in your life so they are top of mind for you all the time. Once one is accomplished, take down the reminder and focus on a new one. This is “smocus” in action. This is the art of manifestation. This is keeping YOU, your wants, desires and goals top of mind every day. This is another example of Intentional Living!

It allows you to feel more at peace because once you realize how much TIME you have, time that you are in CONTROL of, you can breathe easier knowing that you’ll accomplish whatever it is you desire to accomplish at the precise moment you should accomplish it in your life. For all of us who are over achievers, that is peace of mind!

Sometimes, the goal should be nothing more than putting it on the calendar! Then, let the universe go to work on bringing together all the components to make it happen for you with ease. Trust that it WILL happen WHEN it’s supposed to happen.

Let me end here with a few key points I want you to take away:

The way you do one thing is the way you do everything. Implementing this practice will change the way you look at your life FOREVER!

The key to getting anything you want in life is PROGRESS. This is such a powerful technique in making progress in your life.

This isn’t an exact science. Life events, free will, and a thousand other occurrences will come into play. That’s the beauty in the uncertainty of life! However, you are FAR more likely to do, to be, and to get everything you want to experience while you’re here on planet Earth if you do these processes. It’s so worth it!

Smocus Focus!!!

Watch the Webinar!

LOVE IT: I LOVE MY ABILITY TO FOCUS ON EXACTLY WHAT I WANT.

THANK IT: I’M GRATEFUL FOR KNOWING THAT ALL THINGS COME TO ME IN DIVINE TIMING.

BRING IT: I AM IN CONTROL OF MY LIFE AND I GET EVERYTHING I WANT BECAUSE OF MY FOCUS.

Quote: “I don’t focus on what I’m up against. I focus on my goals and I try and ignore the rest.” – Venus Williams

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Maintain Higher Vibrational Energy by Rising Above the Noise

June 29, 2017 // by Diane Forster

Have you ever noticed that some people love to thrive on gossip? They are just not happy unless they are talking smack about somebody else. You know the kind of people I’m talking about. The ones that LOVE drama! They love having company in their misery. They don’t feel good unless they are saying something bad about someone else. How many times have you been in a situation that didn’t feel good? You didn’t like the way the conversation was going, and you didn’t want to participate in it. But, you felt like it would have been rude to step away in the middle of it. Here’s my two cents: Walk away!

Be the “cream” and rise to the top! This is a metaphor for getting to that sweet spot where you exist above all the chatter, the noise, the gossip and the innuendo that goes on all around us. That “noise” is what tends to keep us down. In order to “operate” at your highest vibrational level, you’ve got to get away from this type of noise…at least for a little while. Once you learn the techniques I’m offering here, you’ll be MUCH better equipped to drown out that chatter and live in the “sweet spot” a whole lot more in your life.

The best advice I can give you is that it is WORTH this investment of time and energy because the results that you’ll start to experience in your life will blow you away!

Richer, deeply connected, more loving relationships.
A higher caliber of people surrounding you.
A greater sense of self and massive amounts of confidence.

You’ll start to become very selective of whom you spend time with and where you spend it. You’ll no longer want to subject yourself to surroundings that drain your energy and literally waste your time. Plus, you’ll be living with much more self-awareness, more love of self, and a greater level of compassion and kindness. Doesn’t that sound wonderful? By the way, this is where most successful people reside. They don’t have the time or the energy to deal with petty, insecure, hurtful behavior. They spend their time working and looking for ways to make this world a better place.

To get there, you have to change some things that are currently happening in your life. Be open minded, and just go with it! I’m going to show you how to rise above it so that you can be more tuned in to you.

Turn off your TV for 30 Days

Yes, that seems extreme, I know. But, give it a try. At the very least, do it for one week while you are integrating these steps. The quickest way to stop talking about people is to stop listening to other people talk about people! What a concept, right? I used to work in the TV industry, so I know that major television stations air over 50 hours of news per week. The first ten minutes are designed to shock you and to keep you hooked and viewing. All the bad news of the day comes first. The expression is “if it bleeds, it leads.” Taking in those images keeps your vibration down. How can you feel good inside watching all that bad news?

The drama series and reality shows are filled with back stabbing, gossiping, bad mouthing, fighting, murder, etc. Drama, drama, drama! Watching programming like this makes it very difficult to stay in positive vibrational energy. Our subconscious minds cannot tell the difference between the truth and a lie, so everything we take in is considered “real” to our subconscious.

Do I even need to talk about politics? Hello…THIS is the most damaging of all! There is NO WAY in H-E double hockey sticks we have a snow ball’s chance of EVER getting anywhere near world peace with our current state of politics. We can’t even Love Thy Neighbor! The ONLY way for it to improve is to NOT give it any attention and only focus on LOVE. Hate breeds hate, period. Your way vs. my way breeds divisiveness, period. Your best bet is to TURN IT OFF!

I know that, for me, I stopped watching TV on a regular basis several years ago. Now, if I catch myself binging on a Netflix series, I am “off.” I start thinking negative thoughts, the fears and doubts resurface, and I get into a state that keeps my vibration lower than I want it to be or it should be in order to attract into my life the things I want. It’s not good.

What’s the effect it’s having on you? It’s worth it to try and abstain from TV for 30 days. That’s all! Just 30 days! Imagine what you can do with all that time? Read more, play more, spend more time doing productive and fun activities, sleep more…did I say “play” more?

Remove Yourself from As Many Commitments as You Can for the Next 30 Days

This may seem unreasonable, but PLEASE try it! Try not to attend any meetings, social gatherings, family obligations, or events that may potentially have a negative effect on you. Stay away from “clicky” women, gossip, insincere people, negative co-workers, your annoying sister, etc.

Sometimes, the best thing we can do for ourselves is to just be alone as much as possible. When we spend time alone, we can’t be influenced by the opinions or energy of others. We also allow ourselves the opportunity to “tune in” to ourselves…our inner voice and guidance. When we’re alone, we can “HEAR” ourselves so much better and clearer! It’s when we get quiet and still that who we are, what we want, and what our purpose is has the opportunity to reveal itself to us.

I realize that you probably have people living with you…your spouse, your kids, your parents, etc. However, do whatever you can to spend as much time alone as possible. Spend that time reading, writing, daydreaming, imagining, listening to uplifting music, anything that helps facilitate you lifting yourself to a higher vibration and get you to that “sweet” spot.

Do Your Best Not to Judge Anyone

There’s an expression that says, “Perception is Projection” and when we point out behaviors we don’t like in other people, it is a mirror reflection of what we don’t like in ourselves. Therefore, when we judge others, we are judging ourselves.

Everyone is always doing the best they can from where they are. If someone is rude to you, there’s usually a reason. People are never rude. What’s happening is they are exhibiting rude behavior. The person is separate from their action. When you think about it like that, it makes is harder to judge people. When it’s harder to judge people, it’s easier not to talk about them in a negative way. By accepting people just as they are, it makes it so much easier to stay in a higher vibrational state. Trust me, you’ll be living a much happier life this way!

In Wayne Dyer’s book “10 Secrets for Success and Inner Peace,” the 10^th Secret is “Wisdom Is Avoiding All Thoughts That Weaken You.” Thoughts of judgement weaken us. He writes “Every single thought you have can be assessed in terms of whether it strengthens or weakens you.” He goes on to give an example of muscle testing and that if you speak a lie, your arm will move but when you speak the truth, you can hold your arm strong. He then quotes something from David R. Hawkins’ book “Power vs. Force” on the difference between Force, which takes energy and weakens us versus Power, which energizes since it makes no demands on us.

Be the “cream.” Do your best to implement these practices, and journal your results. They will be incredible. You can’t imagine how different your life can be in 30 short days from today. When you look back at this day reading this, then fast forward to the end of the 30 days, you’ll be so GRATEFUL you invested the time and energy. As I always say, have FUN with it…because guess what…life is supposed to be FUN! Rise to YOUR HIGHEST LEVEL!

LOVE IT!: I LOVE BEING A VIBRATOR!

THANK IT!: I APPRECIATE MY ABILITY TO VIBRATE ON A HIGHER LEVEL!

BRING IT!: I POWERFULLY DISCERN THE CHATTER OUT OF MY LIFE!

Quote: “Let’s not be afraid to speak the common sense truth: you can’t have high standards without good discipline.” – William Hague

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3 Ways to Pay Closer Attention to the Signs

May 25, 2017 // by Diane Forster

Do you ever notice the signs that are all around you? Take numbers, for instance. Do you ever see the same patterns of numbers? For me, I see 8’s and 4’s everywhere. If you follow astrology or angel numbers, then you know what the numbers represent. If not, 8 is the sign of infinity and represents unlimited abundance. It’s also associated with business, success and wealth. The number 4 means that angels are around you (I always feel Archangel Michael around me), and it also represents stability, calmness and being grounded. The number 4 is also the earth’s number…4 seasons, 4 directions, 4 elements.

Whenever I see them together, 84, 48, 484, 848, 488 etc., I feel my angels letting me know that they “have my back” and are watching over me and guiding me. I smile and feel the love, and I pay attention to what I’m thinking and what I’m doing at the time.

What numbers do you see, and what do they represent to you? If you don’t know, start paying attention to them. I promise you, you have certain numbers that show up in your life. Do you ever see number patterns, like 11:11 on the clock or 123? If you notice patterns like this, you’re being guided! If you don’t know what the numbers mean, google them to find out what the message is you’re supposed to be receiving.

What about music? Have you ever noticed that you may be thinking about someone, then, all of a sudden, a song comes on that reminds you of them? Or conversely, you will hear a song and think about someone and then shortly thereafter, you’ll hear from them. Music is one of the ways the universe guides us. We hear the music, and we become transformed into another time…sometimes it’s a memory from the past, and sometimes it’s a vision or daydream in the future. That is guidance. We need to pay attention to our thoughts and emotions in those moments and think about what the deeper meaning could be.

There are other signs, too. Just like with numbers and music, you may have noticed patterns when the same word or phrase, name, or person keeps coming up. That’s a sign you need to do something about that and take some action! It might be to reach out to that person. It might be to commit to something or release something. When you see and/or hear something two or three times, or more, that is definitely worth noting to pay attention!

Do you ever hear “that little voice” leading you to go one way instead of another, or do something different while you’re doing something else? I hear voices all the time, and no, I’m not crazy. I hear the inner voice that is literally guiding me and pointing me in the right direction. I am not special, though. We all have that power to tune in and hear.

All of these things are signs. These signs are little clues from the universe that is trying to light up and guide your path. There are two ways to do things…the easy way, or the more difficult way. When you pay attention to these little clues and follow the signs, your life moves in a much more effortless fashion.

The problem is most people don’t realize this is happening, and therefore, they miss the signs right in front of them.

Let me tell you how you can create greater awareness of the signs all around you so that you can move through your life with much greater ease. Last week, the subject was about inner guidance and intuition. This week, it’s about the outside guidance. When we pay attention to the outside signs AND tune in to our inner guidance…WHOA, magic happens!

Break Patterns

First, in order to become more aware of these signs, one of the best ways to create awareness is to break patterns and do things differently. For instance, sleep on the opposite side of the bed than you normally do, brush your teeth with your other hand, mix up your morning routine, take a different route to work. By changing up your routine, you’re breaking your patterns of unconscious behavior, which stems from the basal ganglia part of the brain. What happens is we get stuck in a rut, and when we do, we go into cruise control mode. We do things out of habit and our brains fall asleep. We get stuck in our own little bubble of a world, so we can’t see so many of the signs right in front of us. By shaking up your routine, we activate the frontal cortex of the brain, responsible for making decisions, and we can see things more clearly, like the signs!

Know and Believe That Something Much Greater Exists

Second, I hope that if you’re reading this, you know and believe that something much greater is going on in this world than what we can plainly see with our eyes and hear with our ears. With that said, the universal forces and energy are positive and filled with love. The signs we receive are for our own good, for our well-being, and for our protection. The reason I say all of this is because I work with many clients who feel like the whole world is against them. They feel so stuck and depressed, and they believe that nothing will ever go right for them. This could not be further from the truth. I do my best to guide them to instead believe that things are actually always working out for them, but it’s their limiting beliefs, and lack of faith and trust that they are so divinely loved and supported by the universe that keeps all the abundance that they desire away from them. All I can say is that my words will not teach, but I hope these words influence and create an opportunity within you to be open to the possibilities. None of us want to live this life alone, and when we realize that we are never, ever, ever truly alone, there’s comfort and faith in that. Trust the signs and the guidance that comes to you. It’s real.

Ask Questions Aloud

Third, ask for more guidance by asking more questions aloud. If something isn’t going right in your life or you want to know the answers to the questions you have, ask them aloud! Ask loudly and proudly! Ask anything you want! Ask all day, every day, day and night. You WILL receive your answers! You WILL get the guidance you seek! But, you need to be actively looking and listening in for the clues and the answers. They are all around you. So, first ask, then pay attention! (If you don’t know the questions to ask, fear not. I’ll be doing a blog on asking the right questions very soon.)

The signs are all around us and available to us anytime we want to see them. We just need to ask, trust, and PAY ATTENTION! Have fun with this because, I can promise you this, if you master these skills, your life will run a whole lot more smoothly!

Watch the Webinar!

LOVE IT!: I LOVE BEING GUIDED IN MY LIFE BY ALL OF THE SIGNS!

THANK IT: I AM GRATEFUL FOR MY ABILITY TO SEE THE SIGNS IN MY LIFE!

BRING IT: THE SIGNS ARE EVERYWHERE, AND I FEEL LOVED AND SUPPORTED!

Quote: “Life is one big road with lots of signs. So when you’re riding through the ruts, don’t complicate your mind. Flee from hate, mischief and jealousy. Don’t bury your thoughts, put your vision to reality. Wake Up and Live!” – Bob Marley

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