Neat Trick

How is it that I managed to do everything except my comic project today? On the bright side, I used something I learned at a seminar to cut my time by two thirds on some of my tasks today! Wanna hear the trick? Okay I'll tell you, but just so you're forewarned this may sound like it makes no sense. Here goes.

My intention is to do my daily target praxis every day. I'm still working on that "every day" part which is silly because when I do it I get really focused and productive in my day, and when I don't do it it's because I tell myself I don't have time... and then I lose time all day long from my lack of focus. The praxis is a little morning ritual of reviewing my goals and my reasons for wanting them and doing a quick analysis of what's draining me and what's boosting me in my life, and a little analysis of something I could improve in my business, and then an intention setting thing. This is all part of what I learned from the "simple science..." course I'm taking to learn to focus my scattered imagination. Anyway, it's only supposed to take 15 minutes to do it but in my distractable and perfectionistic way it takes me at least 45 minutes to an hour to do. No wonder I avoid it sometimes! BUT for the last 2 days I've been doing this trick and yesterday I did it in exactly 15 minutes for the first time ever. Today was a different story... I finished it in 11 minutes!

Here's the trick. for about 10 to 15 seconds before I start actually doing the practice, I close my eyes and I visualize that I'm celebrating like crazy because I've just finished my praxis in less than 15 minutes. I'll even say it out loud just to stay on track. Then I say "GO!" and dive in.

That's it. Oh, not quite, then I actually celebrate like mad for a half a minute or so, dancing with the dogs and cheering and congratulating myself in order to reward my brain for pulling it off. You might want to create a subtler celebration if you work in a crowded office... unless your coworkers also like to dance. Like I said, it seems kinda weird and nonsensical, but somehow it works. The seminar where I learned this trick was called Enlightened Warrior Training Camp, one of T. Harv Eker's seminars. I think you can still get free tickets to his 3 day introductory course, by tuning-in to one of these; Harv's book (about $30), an evening seminar (free), or a teleclass (also free). It's amazing what happens when you create a clear intention.

Yes, I'm a bit of a seminar geek. What can I say? A decade of being the struggling artist has inspired it in me. One of these days I'll figure out this success thing.