Is your cortisol healthy?  Take this quick quiz to find out:

Do you often feel:

• feeling tired but wired (tired all day but wide awake at night)
• waking between 2-4 am
• stubborn belly fat that won’t budge
• sudden facial rounding & puffiness
• metabolic resistance
• digestive issues & constant bloating
• low thyroid function
• feeling overwhelmed or on-edge
• trouble concentrating

If you said yes to 2 or more of these, then your cortisol cycles could be unhealthy.  For me, the main cause of my cortisol imbalance was my nervous system dysregulation.  I had no idea that my relentless ambition over the years was causing such issues in my body and mind.  Because believe me, I was “doing all the things” – eating good, exercising, meditating, etc – and I was still having these issues!

If you want to learn more about how to combat this, let’s chat! Click HERE to book a time and we’ll create a roadmap for you to get started.

Spring is a time of abundance, possibility, new life, and growth… You know that feeling of everything falling into place? 

That’s what I am encouraging you to begin to create this week.  It’s not about perfection, but progress.  I deeply believe that the chaos and clutter in our minds are directly related to the chaos and clutter in our physical environments. If your space is cluttered, chaotic, or just chronically disordered, your energy will be too.

Why do we save things? Often, it’s because of two things… the first is a scarcity or lack mentality and the second is comfort.  The comfort that things bring to us is a reminder of a past version of ourselves. 

If these “spring cleaning” messages resonate with you today and you want to learn more simple steps you can use to audit other areas of your life, click HERE to join our life audit mini-course – it’s free!

Check out this article and TV segment I contributed to around this very topic for more tips and inspiration:

Do you ever feel stretched too thin?  Overwhelmed?  Resentment creeping in?

This is often not because we have too much to do, it’s because we are not clear on what we want and where we are going so we say yes to everything and everyone and it’s exhausting!

We say yes when we truly want to say no.

Think of it this way…

Each “yes” steals a precious piece of your time and energy that you cannot replace.  While on the other hand, every “no” is a “yes” to you, the impact you can make, and your legacy.

Generally, people are the byproduct of their circumstances and environments.  And the reason for that is that people are not decided.

Today I want to introduce you to this principle: 100% is easier than 98%.

This principle is simple.  Decide, then go all in.

Step #1: Gain Clarity + Decide.  

If you’re still taking time to set up Plan “B” you haven’t made a choice yet.  If you want to take over the island, you must burn the boats.  Micheal Jordan famously said, “Once I made a decision, I never thought about it again.” Let that sink in for a minute.  How much time and energy do you spend wavering, overthinking, and saying “yes” when you mean “no?”

Step #2:  Follow the Clear Path

When you decide you have a clear outcome and path to get what you desire.  You don’t require willpower or motivation as much as you do when you’re only 98% committed.  

For example, if you are 100% committed to not drinking alcohol, when you get together with friends for dinner you don’t have to decide whether you are going to have a glass of wine with dinner or not, you’re committed. 

You cut off any other option.

The meaning of the word “decide” comes from the Latin word, decidere, which is a combination of two words: de = ‘OFF’ + caedere = ‘CUT.’

Step #3: Build Your Self-Belief

Self-belief is different from self-confidence.  Self-confidence is an outward projection, primarily based upon the perception of others.  Self-belief, however, is internal.  It is your internal knowing that you are enough, you are capable, you are worthy, you are loved, and you are valuable.  Each time you follow through on your 100% commitment you build your internal self-belief, thus further increasing your motivation and resolve to continue no matter your external circumstances.

Today, I encourage you to decide, to let go of the back-and-forth thinking and go all in.  The result will not only be more time, energy, and freedom but also a deep sense of self-belief and fulfillment in your life.

Let’s end with this quote from one of the most successful men in our current day’s history… 

“The difference between successful people and really successful people is that really successful people say no to almost everything. “ – Warren Buffet 

The Law of Divine Compensation by Marianne Williams

I Will Teach You To Be Rich by Ramit Sethis

Profit First by Mike Michalowicz

Money and the Law of Attraction by Esther and Jerry Hicks

Smart Women Finish Rich by David Bach

Rich Bitch by Nicole Lapin

Master the Money Game By Tony Robbins

Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill

You are A Badass At Making Money by Jen Sincero

Principles by Ray Dalio

Buy Back Your Time by Dan Martell

Worthy By Jamie Kern Lima

Mindset by Carol S. Dweck

Be Seen by Jen Gottlieb

Meditations to Heal Your Life By Louise L. Hay

10x is Easier Than 2x by Dan Sullivan

The Magic of Thinking Big by David J. Schwartz

A Return to Love By Marianne Williamson

Forever Strong by Dr. Gabrielle Lyon

Permission to Offend by Rachel Luna

Mantled For Greatness By Joshua Giles

The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson

A Tribe Called Bliss by Lori Harder

The Good Life By Robert Waldinger M.D.

Alcohol Experiment by Annie Grace

What is your SQ?  

Maybe you’ve never heard of SQ, and if that’s the case – keep reading because this could be a competitive advantage that you didn’t know you had and can develop!

SQ = Strategic Quotient 

When I think about my SQ, I reflect on my visionary leadership, my natural gifts, my practiced skill set, and my network.  Without these elements, my SQ would be low.  For example, if I attempted to do it all on my own without the help of mentors, teachers, or my business network I wouldn’t get very far.  Alternatively, if I focused only on my learned skill set and not my natural gifts, I would be working so much harder, longer, and without as much enthusiasm if I worked within my gifts and delegated and asked for help for the rest.

Developing my leadership, gifts, skills, and network is crucial to developing my SQ! 

“More powerful network = more personal power.” – Jeff Bezos

“To me, the single most important skill needed for any CEO today is strategic acuity.” – Indra Nooyi, former CEO, of Pepsi

What keeps most leaders from developing their SQ?

{READ MORE ON THE BLOG}

The top three roadblocks leaders face in developing their SQ are:

• A fixed mindset – blocks creativity and inspiration
• Working in their 80% – focusing on to-do lists and being “busy” but not strategically focused
• Alignment with a vision – embracing the broader ecosystem that shapes innovation

Often this comes down to one simple thing: Creating the space and time to THINK. 

Personally, for myself, and in our Beyond Management Training, we cherish and prioritize creating the space and time to think.  Creating this space systematically builds your SQ acumen, and leads to effective, inspired team planning sessions and extraordinary business results.

Let’s break this down a little more based on the research:

The Strategic Quotient is a measure of your strategic capabilities as exhibited through your mindset and behaviors. Your strategic capabilities consist of how you think, plan, and act strategically.

SQ is based on more than 20 years of research using a framework of three disciplines for being strategic: Acumen, Allocation, and Action. To break this down even further:

Acumen (Thinking) – The generation of insights to create new value.

Allocation (Planning) – Focusing resources through strategic trade-offs.

Action (Acting) – Prioritizing and executing initiatives.

Start here on assessing and developing your SQ:

Ask yourself-

• Do I routinely assess my performance and results against our strategy and goals – and then act based on this assessment to get closer to reaching these goals?

• Do I routinely schedule time in my calendar to think – and then communicate and update our strategy and team based on these insights? 

• Do I routinely meet with colleagues and mentors who expand my thinking  – and then discern this information for my current business/career as needed?

Additional SQ Resources:

Rich Horwath, the New York Times bestselling author of the book ‘Strategic,’ breaks it down into two crucial elements:

Insight- When you combine two or more pieces of information or data in a unique way to come up with a new approach, new offering, or new solution that moves the business forward. Simply put, an insight is a learning that leads to new value.

Advantage- Inherently an element of strategy. It commonly refers to a desired end in the form of gain, profit, benefit, or position of superiority.

Want to check your SQ?  

Rich Horwath is offering a Strategic Quotient (SQ) Assessment at no cost for a limited time when you click HERE and use this code: Allocation

I’d love to hear from you!  How are you implementing “thinking time” as a priority in your business?  Email us at hello@carmenohling.com to connect!

Beyond Management Training: Bridging the Leadership Gap – The Amplified Life Company 

Follow: @carmenohling 

Let’s first tackle what is keeping us from accessing a flow state more often.  A few years ago Jim Kwik, who is a best-selling author and leading brain coach shared the top four flow killers that he uncovered in his years of research and coaching:

1. 1. Multi-tasking: We all think we can multitask, and perhaps in some areas of our lives we can. But the simple truth is this: we cannot multitask our way to flow.  It’s demanding and that constant alertness comes at a price.
   2. Stress: Stress is a killer to many areas of productivity, but it’s particularly deadly to achieving a state of flow.  The problem with stress is that it creeps into your thoughts, disrupting your focus and concentration when you least expect it.
   3. Fear of Failure: The fear of not succeeding will keep us out of flow. And that fear can take many shapes. I know for me it looks like doing “busy work” to check something off the list, but it’s not the work that will move the needle in my life or business.
   4. Indecisiveness: Nothing will prevent us from finding our flow faster than doubt.  And nothing breeds more doubt and anxiety than indecisiveness.  

Finding our flow state is not always easy, and no matter how much we practice things like fear, stress, doubt, and distractions will always be there, trying to hold us back.  Four signs to know if you are in a flow state, which often happens after you’ve completed your task:

• You’re focused and not thinking about anything else except the present moment and task at hand.
• You are not self-critical or worried about how others perceive you.
• You feel a sense of enjoyment, challenge, or excitement with the task at hand.
• You are committed and persistent to completing the task; nothing else matters.

Lastly, I want to share my 5 favorite tips and tools I like to use to get myself into a flow state. 

Eisenhower Matrix:

This tool works very well for key leaders who are dealing with decision-making daily.

• Divide your work into four quadrants.  
• Decide what is important and what is not important.
• Decide what is urgent and what is not urgent. 
• Then break it down visually:

Seinfeld Strategy:

• Set a goal and then create a visual calendar of this goal you review daily.  
• Mark off each day you do it and keep the streak going as long as you can.  
• Never miss two days in a row.

Pomodoro Technique:

• List your top 1-2 needle-moving tasks for the day.
• Set a 25-minute timer and focus on work for that entire time.
• Take a 5-minute break.
• Repeat 4 times, then take an hour break, and if needed repeat once more.

3/3/3 Method:

• Spend 3 hours working on an important project.
• Complete 3 shorter urgent tasks or meetings.
• Do 3 maintenance tasks to keep life and business running smoothly.

The 2 Minute Rule:

If a task takes less than 2 minutes, do it right away and do it until completion.

Click HERE to download a PDF tip sheet of these tools.

With commitment, reflection, and practice you’ll be able to find your flow and once you do, you can use it as a fundamental tool in unlocking your limitless potential.  

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The Amplified Life Company loves FLOW so much that
we even made a corporate culture acronym about it:

FLOW = Faith, Leadership, Opportunity, Wealth

Find out more on our website HERE.