Lessons From ‘The Motivator’

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I’ve got a stack of articles on my desk that I want to blog about when I get the time, so today I’ll choose one that sticks out from the pack. It’s from “Real Simple” magazine’s “The Motivator” column.

Life Coach Gail Blanke writes that life can pass you by while you wait for just the right time. So true. Especially for women. I don’t know why, but I think that women tend to wait for things to happen. Wait for the right moment, the perfect situation, while men just jump in — not afraid to fail. I’m sure this applies to me at times, but I’m trying to change that.

When I started this blog I wanted it to be perfect so that I could generate huge amounts of traffic from the start. I don’t like to do things half-way. Then I got stuck on what to name it. Every URL I choose was already taken. I waited, and waited. Kept trying names, focusing just on the name. Then, I decided that I have to move forward. Have to take action even if I can’t come up with an appropriate name.

I started by writing down my goals for the blog. Almost immediately, a name emerged. From that moment, I purchased the URL and began blogging. It’s still a work in progress, but my traffic is increasing and I’m getting there. Had I waited for the perfect moment, I probably still wouldn’t be blogging.

Blanke gives great advice in her “What are you waiting for?” column (September issue, “Real Simple”) and summarizes it into these four easy steps:

4 Steps To Embracing Your Power

1. Don’t disqualify yourself from the race before it even begins. Doubting yourself is no way to get things done.
2. Make a list of your “wins”” the times you made the catch, made the call, or made the day. Revel in your wins every time you face a new challenge.
3. Abandon the list of your “losses.” No great trapeze artist ever walks into the big top thinking about the time she fell. Don’t you do it, either.
4. When the opportunity presents itself, take it. When the opening occurs, step forward. When the envelope arrives, open it.

I’m going to take Blanke’s advice today and try to move my blog to a new server — something I’ve wanted to do for about a month now, but am nervous about doing it because I’m afraid something will go wrong. Although I understand “tech-speak,” I’m not a techie and don’t do code anymore (it’s too advanced for me now). But this shouldn’t be that hard so I’ll give it a try. If you find something broken, give me a shout.