Lisa McDonald

Empowering Clients To Get Unstuck, Walk Their Own Path, And Have A Great Life

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12/09/2019 by Lisa McDonald

Are You Operating In Protection or Creation Mode?

Operating in protection mode is vastly different from operating in creation mode. One mode delivers very different results to the other.

Did you know that that the same part of your brain that you use to create your life, is the same part you use to protect yourself? That’s right.

But your brain can’t perform both functions at the same time. So you are either operating in creation mode OR you are operating in protection mode.

Why the brain moves into protection mode

The brain moves into protection mode when it perceives stress. This happens when there is a perceived threat to your existence. That includes any physical threat eg a wild tiger, or someone with a gun. It also includes any threat to your sense of identity or self-image (who you think you are, and are not). Because the mind perceives a threat, the body immediately creates a stress response in the body. It’s preparing for fight or flight.

These stress responses are also elicited when you are faced with making or implementing a big decision, goal or other outcome. For example contemplating how to rebuild your life after divorce. Or deciding on whether having a baby or not is the right path for you. Or setting a goal to earn a million dollars when you’ve only earned $10,000. Each of these situations stirs up our fears, beliefs and sense of self. They strike at the heart of our past, present and future identity.

How humans experience stress differently to animals

Protection - Why humans experience stress differently to animals

In animals, once they are removed from the threat, their body systems return to normal in about 20 minutes. However, humans often accumulate stress. They have the ability to replay the stressful event over and over in the mind. Each time they replay the event, the same stress response is experienced in the body, mind and emotions.

If not addressed or released, that same story will sit within them. It becomes part of where the edge is to their protection and comfort zone. When someone or something causes the old memory to pop up, that same stress response will be triggered. The same pattern can be triggered over and over again – unless addressed and released. Stress affects decision-making and action-taking, and if prolonged, can affect health.

The cost of continuing to avoid stress

Protection - The cost of continuing to avoid stress

If you keep resisting and dodging important decision-making or action-taking, you will create a void within you. Continuing to resist what you know you need to do or want to do will drain your energy, focus, enjoyment and well-being. You’ll also beat yourself up for not living or achieving the things that are most important to you. All of this resistance and self-criticism will prolong the stress cycle, perpetuate operating in protection mode and reduce your ability to actually create the life you want.

If you’re tired of wasting all that time and energy, make a commitment to address your stress and to resolve the issues. Otherwise your brain will keep you stuck in protection mode, which will prevent you from making important decisions, taking action and creating the life that you desire.

If you’d like some help to shift out of protection and into creation mode, so you can make an important decision, achieve a goal or create some other outcome, click here to contact me.

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Filed Under: Goals, Health & Wellbeing, The Whole Baby Thing, Transformation Tagged With: achieving goals, business goals, health and wellbeing, important decisions, life goals, protection, strategic living, strategic planning, stress, The Whole Baby Thing

08/01/2019 by Lisa McDonald

Creating A Successful New Year

Creating A Successful New Year

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Welcome to a fresh new year, another 365 days of opportunity to achieve the life of your dreams!  I am excited to be back and hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and New Year holiday period.

How was last year for you?  What were the struggles and triumphs?  Did you achieve your key goals?

If it was a difficult year in some shape or form, or you didn’t achieve one or more of your key goals, then I hope that this year is better for you.  Either way, it’s time to be grateful.  Grateful for all the things you DO have in your life, and all those things that you are grateful that are NOT in your life.  It’s time to review, reflect and learn from the past your.  Then to transition into the new year.

A Fresh Year

It’s a fresh NEW year, with a fresh book of experiences for you to fill over the next 12 months.  This transition into the new year has created a culture over the years of setting resolutions.  If made with careful consideration, resolutions can help reinforce permanent changes.  However, most New Years resolutions are made in a heightened or inebriated state, which often lacks a degree of commitment.  And, as a result they often never gets started or fall away within a short space of time.

So NOW is the time to set the stage for THIS year.  To connect and energise yourself for the year.

A Fresh Vision

Take some time to create a fresh vision for the year.   Clarify your intentions, then formulate them into specific goals. 

Goals are more outcome focused than resolutions, giving you attainable milestones and time frames.  When they are set in a more conscious and committed way, your goals can keep you motivated.  Especially if they’re aligned with your highest values and aspirations.  Years ago I created my SMARTIES Formula for goal setting.  It provides a checklist of 8 essential aspects of goals setting, which you must include to set really successful goals.  Click here now to get my SMARTIES Formula for goal setting, 

Which areas of life do you most want to create results in this year:  health, relationship, family, finances, business/career, leisure,  community or other?

2019 Strategic Goal Setting Workshop

2019 Strategic Goal SettingJanuary is a great time to reflect on the outcomes you want for 2019, to write your goals and to start taking action.  That’s why  over several years I’ve run a Strategic Goal Setting Workshop:  Life Review & Planning Workshop.  Originally it was a full day where you had to travel to participate.   Last year was my first live online workshop to assist you in reviewing, goal setting and taking action on your goals in 2019.  And I’m excited to say that I’m running my live online workshop again this year.Having the live online format means I can:

  • Offer it to you at a fraction of the price of my previous offline workshop held in Melbourne,
  • And  … still have the personal connection that made those workshops so special.  Click here to find out more ...

Achieving Different Results This Year

To support you in achieving your goals this year, I’ll be continuing to share tips, tools, and insights into how you can make this a more successful year.

If you’re serious about creating different or better results this year, then it’s up to you to take action!  What next step will you take to succeed this year?

Wishing you every with creating more of the life and success you desire this year.

Warm regards
Lisa McDonald

PS If you haven’t had a look yet at my program Click here and find out more

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Filed Under: Goals, Transformation Tagged With: achieving goals, Empowerment, goals, life planning, resolutions, self empowerment, strategic planning

07/02/2018 by Lisa McDonald Leave a Comment

Are You One of The 36% or 64% of People?

Are you one of the 36% OR one of the 64% of people?  That’ the question I want you to ask yourself today.

It’s February already! And to state the obvious – that’s one month gone of 2018.

That means there’s less than 11 months remaining to achieve any new years resolutions or goals you resolved to achieve in 2018.  Have you converted them into written goals that you’ve started implementing?

Are You One of 36% or 64% of People

Are You One Of The 36% OR One Of The 64%?If you’re still focused and taking action on your new year’s resolutions, then well done, because that means [Read more…]

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24/01/2018 by Lisa McDonald Leave a Comment

Pablo Picasso Wisdom: There Is No Other Route To Success

No Other Route to Success

Today’s wisdom is about the route to success, and comes from  well Spanish painter Pablo Picasso (1881-1973).  He was considered one of the greatest artists of the 20th century.  Picasso was best known as the co-founder of cubism – (a work of art is considered cubist when the artist opts to break up objects and re-assemble them in abstract and geometric form).  And, he was a co-inventor of collage.

A talented man, Picasso was also a sculptor, print-maker, ceramicist, stage designer, poet and playwright who spent most of his adult life in France.

Here’s today’s quote on the route to success by Picasso ;

“Our goals can only be reached through a vehicle of a plan, in which we must fervently believe, and upon which we must vigorously act. There is no other route to success.”
~ Pablo Picasso
“

The 3 Essential Elements To Success

Do you have important goals you want to achieve this year?

If so, then apply the 3 essential elements which Picasso’s reveals in this quote:

  1. The vehicle of A Plan – create the steps you’ll need to take and the timelines required to achieve your goals
  2. Fervent Belief – you must believe that it is possible otherwise you’re unlikely to take action
  3. Vigorous Action – you must take act to implement your plan and do what’s required to succeed.

As Picasso says … there is no other route to success other than these three elements.

Four Other Interesting Fact About Pablo Picasso

Here are four interesting facts you may not know about Pablo Picasso.

  • He was baptized Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso …  The Ruiz y Picasso are after his mother and father as per Spanish law.  The remainder of the names honouried various saints and relatives.
  • Picasso had to burn his paintings to keep himself warm as a young artist
  • He was the first living artist to have an exhibition at the Louvre – at age 90!
  • Picasso maintained several mistresses throughout his life in addition to his wife or primary partner.  Picasso married twice and had four children to three different women.

4 Strategic Questions on Creating Your Route To Success

You can create your route to success – by applying the above three elements to your goals.  Consider these four strategic questions for you to consider:

  • Are your goals written down for this year?  For the longer term future?
  • Do you have a plan written down for the key actions you’re going to take to achieve your goals?
  • Do you believe you can achieve your goal?
  • Have you started taking action to  achieve your goals?

Answered YES to ALL these questions??  If so, GREAT!

Answered NO to ANY of these question??  Then you must get serious about your goals – NOW is the time to get  commit and get it done!

Traditional goal setting doesn’t work.  To create your route to success start by writing your goals using my FREE SMARTIES Checklist .  You can get it by clicking over here.

Get Some Assistance To Create Your Route To Success

Working with a coach can assist you to create your route to success.  This  includes assisting you to write you goals, create your roadmap, develop supportive beliefs and take the actions required to succeed.  Book a time to chat with me about how I can best assist you. You can contact me by clicking here.

Take at least one action step today towards progressing your goals.

With warm regards

Lisa

PS  I’d love to hear from you on today’s blog post – please share your thoughts below …

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10/01/2018 by Lisa McDonald Leave a Comment

How To Be One of Three People To Recieve A BONUS 1 hour Coaching Session With Me

If you want to get different results this year, then it’s smart to get yourself organised and set up NOW.  That way you can quickly start taking focused action towards achieving success … And I’ve got a great one-day program to help you do just that.

Keep reading to find how you can be one of only 3 people to get a BONUS 1 hour Personal Coaching call with me valued at $275.  This is a pretty special offer as I don’t often do one-off sessions.

2018 Strategic Goal Setting WorkshopIn just one day you will gain the uninterrupted time required for you to seriously think about YOUR LIFE and plan the year ahead. You will strategically, holistically and actively:

  • Review and clarify your life goals
  • Write your 2018 goals
  • Take Action to implement

Register now for my 2018 Strategic Goals Setting:  Life Review and Planning Workshop and you’re going to $ave money …  because of the new format means I’m giving it to you at a fraction of previous workshops price.   Plus the workshop price includes a 45 minute coaching session to get you moving on after the workshop.  Click here to register or to find out more

As Pablo Picasso said, “Action is the foundational key to all success.” 

That’s why I’m going to reward the action takers with a SPECIAL ACTION TAKERS BONUS. …

Special Action Takers Bonus

Special Action Takers BonusThe first 3 action takers to register will receive a BONUS 60 minute coaching session with me, to be used within 4 weeks of the Strategic Goals Setting Workshop

So … ​​​​​​​If YOU haven’t clarified your 2018 goals, written them down and created your action road map to implement your life goals … Then it’s time to take action!!

To be one of the three to get this special bonus – REGISTER NOW for my 2018 goals and planning Workshop? Click here to get the SPECIAL ACTION TAKERS BONUS

Otherwise, YOU may miss out !!

BE AN ACTION TAKER!   Register now to set yourself up for the year, attend the Workshop AND be one of the three people to receive the SPECIAL ACTION TAKERS BONUS 1 hour coaching session.  Click here to register now for my one day Workshop.

Warm regards

Lisa

PS Remember the bonus offer is only available to the first three people. Here’s the link to register again.

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