Guest Posts, How To, Inspiration

Keep It Simple! Guest Post by Author Alissa Finerman.

November 14, 2011

This is such a special treat, my Dear Manifesters! Alissa Finerman, the renowned author and life/business coach has written a special post just for us. You can catch her this Saturday November 19th at 5 pm in Santa Monica at the Yoga Collective as we lead our workshop “Manifesting Your Top 1%”. There are still a couple spots available. You can register here.

Enjoy this article. I know I did!

Keep it Simple by Alissa Finerman

“Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.”

~ ALBERT EINSTEIN

 

Sometimes life can be overwhelming with all the choices we have to make. So I like to keep things simple. And I find that keeping it simple is a great recipe for success.

 

I believe that deep down everyone wants to improve and lead his or her best life. Seems easy enough, but often challenging to implement because you need clarity and the courage to take action.

 

Here’s my recipe for success by keeping it SIMPLE…feel free to add on to make these rituals your OWN.

 

S:         Define SUCCESS

We all want success but are you clear on what success means to you? To do so, it’s much more effective to focus on YOUR top 1% rather than on THE top 1%. Living your best life is dependent on doing what brings you energy, makes you feel alive and connected, and leaves you feeling fulfilled. It’s not dependent on your status, role, $$’s, or education as society likes to have us believe.

A client recently shared the following…

“I recommend if you have a dream follow it as soon as you can! I stepped into the French Culinary Institute this morning for my class after having 4 hours of sleep due to work and it didn’t matter, my heart was racing and I felt alive!!!”

Success is doing what makes you feel alive! Take the time to continually redefine what success means to you.

I:         IMAGINE your ideal outcome.

I like to encourage people to think in terms of the ideal outcome. This starts with your imagination. If you want to start a business, become a yoga teacher, or buy a house, train your mind to see all the possibilities by creating an inspiring vision for what you want. Then you can work backwards to see how your vision translates into reality. However, if you start dreaming and immediately let obstacles throw you off course, you create a less than ideal outcome.

The work is to have the courage to think without obstacles rather than let your mind be clouded by everything that can go wrong or the challenges that could show up. People who create think about what can be rather than why something can’t be done. You can train yourself to do the same.

M:         Create a winning MINDSET

We all have a story. Many of us believe our story defines us, but what really defines us is how we interpret the story or facts and choose to move forward.

 

According to the National Science Foundation, our brains produce as many as 50,000 thoughts per day. Ninety-five percent of these thoughts are repeated daily.

 

Your thoughts become your beliefs, which, in turn, become your mindset.  Your mindset governs your actions, which lead to your results. In short, if you have a mindset that limits your potential, then you will likely accept limited results in your life.

 

Start becoming aware of the words you use on a consistent basis and how often you tell yourself: can vs. can’t or impossible vs. possible.

 

Is your mindset costing you success or helping you excel?

P:         PRIORITIZE What’s Important To You

Making something a priority is different than simply saying something is important.

I have lots of clients who think it’s important to make time for the gym or make themselves a priority but that doesn’t mean they do it. I start every coaching workshop by having people tell me their “wins.” Wins are anything that make you feel proud and give you the feeling of “I did it.” The consistent theme that emerges as to why the wins are accomplished is simple –people make them a priority. So if you want time to read to your kids, have a better relationship with your parents, go to sleep earlier, take a vacation, or take a photography class, make it a priority and you will see different results.

L:         LAUGH often

I learned this one from my favorite yoga teacher, Jen Pastiloff. One of the things that I love about her class is her ability to make us laugh so we don’t take ourselves too seriously. We all know that tree pose or crow is serious stuff, but who really cares if you fall out of a pose? The truth — I do! But seriously, laughing opens up your heart and brings good energy into your life. Would you prefer to surround yourself with people who are laughing and fun to be around or Debbie downers? It’s your choice!

E:      Bring EXCITEMENT into your life

Everyone can use a little excitement in his or her life and the easiest way to do this is to pursue a goal that is truly exciting rather than something you should do. How do you want to invest your time and energy? All the brilliant innovators get 24 hours in a day – the only difference is how you decide to use them.

You will naturally be more motivated and resilient when you fill your day with projects/a purpose/goals that are exciting to you.

TOP 1% BOTTOM LINE: Although life can be complicated, we always have the choice to keep it SIMPLE. To achieve this you need to know what’s most important to you and then focus on your top priorities.  The process starts by gaining clarity on how you define success and then practicing your rituals consistently.

 

Alissa is a Professional Life Coach, motivational speaker, and author of “Living in Your Top 1%: Nine Essential Rituals to Achieve Your Ultimate Life Goals” available on Amazon.com. She works with individuals and organizations to help them think bigger, redefine what’s possible, and get results.  Alissa has an MBA from the Wharton School and a BA from the University of California, Berkeley. To learn more about coaching with Alissa and to take the Living in Your Top 1% quiz, please visit www.AlissaFinerman.com or www.facebook.com/alissafinermantop1.

 

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No Comments

  • Reply Alicia Easter (@SASS_APPEAL) November 15, 2011 at 6:14 am

    This is exactly what I needed to read. I have been feeling like I need to fill my day just to say that I am “busy.” I think that’s what substitute teachers use to give us, “busy” work, right. Anyway, I digress, I want to live a simpler life and this breakdown is the kick start for me. Alissa, you are amazing and I love learning from you here, there and everywhere. Loving your book by the way. Jen, my soul sister you are my rock! Love you babe and thank you for this honor of having Alissa guest post.

  • Reply Sabrina November 15, 2011 at 7:56 am

    Oh how awesome is this acronym!

    I relate to the P – yoga and meditation get more lip service than actual service in my life and this is a great reminder that I need to put that extra oomph into it to really MAKE them priorities!

  • Reply annie November 15, 2011 at 3:17 pm

    Great piece! I can really relate to MY 1%, not THE 1%. Looking forward to Saturday!

  • Reply barbarapotter November 15, 2011 at 7:11 pm

    Thank you Alissa. Great post and something I need to remind myself of. I look forward to meeting you this saturday at the workshop with Jennifer at The Yoga Collective. – Barbara

  • Reply alissafinerman November 17, 2011 at 3:54 am

    Love all the comments, glad we can all connect, share and be inspired. Yes, v excited for Sat! xo

  • Reply Alissa Finerman: Living In Your Top 1%. The Manifestation Q&A Series. « Manifestation Station February 10, 2012 at 10:01 am

    […] She has done a guest post already on the Manifestation Station but I wanted you all to get to know my dear friend and mentor, so I asked her to join us in the Q&A Series. She fits right in, alongside such great minds as Dr. Wayne Dyer, Anita Moorjani and the lovely Christy Turlington. […]

  • Leave a Reply to Alicia Easter (@SASS_APPEAL) Cancel Reply

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