Creating your New Year Goals, Trials and Focuses.

Goals

It’s very difficult to truly commit to an action, habit or goal for the 365 days of the year. That’s why your “Goals” list should be as exclusive as possible.

October: The Networking Habit

This October we will make a new friend every single day.

This month we are going to make a new connection every day. We are going to be people-focused. We are going to be focused on sharing our energy with other people and attracting meaningful connections.

This could be Starbucks Barista who makes your coffee every day but that you never talk to.

It could be the grocery store cashier, a person in your class/workplace,  a professor, your child’s teacher, someone you always see on your route to work etc. The list goes on and on.

There are so many interesting people around us every day, with their own expertise and experiences. Everybody has something to offer the world, and it’s our job to be open to it. Networking is important for your business, your heart, and your soul. It makes you start thinking about what you can do for other people, rather than what other people can do for you.

Sometimes we tend to walk through life with our head down, busy, and bustling through life. We are even hesitant to maintain eye contact.

This month’s about breaking down barriers; personal barriers that we put around us and other people.  We’re breaking down the part of ourselves that is afraid of people. The part of us that puts up walls around our heart. The part of us that only makes connections for the purpose of benefiting something we need. The part of us that is afraid of rejection. You can’t reject a genuine smile.

Next month we will focus on nurturing some of these connections – and thinking more about what we can do for other people. But this month all we need to think about is becoming more open.

Here are the rules of this challenge:

The Networking Habit

1. You must talk to a new person every day.

2. You must ask them their name (and remember it!)

3. You must address them by their name every time you see them.

4. You must give genuine compliments.

5. You must find out what they are about – what are they into? What is meaningful to them?

Tip: You could find out 3 facts about each person.

6. You must make your initial conversations focused on them.

This month’s challenge isn’t about reciting your life story to 30 different people

7. You must be curious about their life and their story!

8. If you can think of something you can do to make their life just a little bit easier, you must do it.

 *More about # 8 next month*

The first time you decide to implement this habit with somebody, you could ask them their name and about who they are. The next time you see them, you could ask them how they are, how their day has been. It’s all pretty intuitively obvious, but we’re just kind of scared of doing it.

I’m not saying you have to be best friends with everybody. 30 new best friend relationships to maintain in a month? I don’t think that is physically possible! All you have to do this month is be open and make connections.

That’s it.

It’s pretty simple.

Have fun!

The September Clean Habit updates

Hi everyone! How is everyone getting along with their September Clean Habit?

I’m really enjoying myself! I like taking care of my stuff and keeping my shit together. Here are some cleaning tips for you to keep you motivated for our September habit.

♥ Share household duties and chores

If you live in a big household (as I do) it’s a good idea to share your cleaning duties and rotate it over a set period of time.

For example, one person could be in charge of garbage (gathering it and disposing of it), another in charge of cleaning and wiping the countertops and surfaces.  Examples of specific duties could be:

• Bathrooms.
• The floors: Mopping, sweeping and vacuuming the floors,
• Dishes:  Washing, drying, loading and unloading dishwasher
• Garbage: Collecting and gathering from around the house and then disposing of it.
• Cleaning and wiping the countertops and surfaces and dusting.

If each person claims one duty as their own – that will be their responsibility. You must make sure that your department is taken care of (along with your own bedroom).This will cover most aspects of cleaning of your house, and also make sure it is done much faster!

The less people you are living with, the more duties you will have to claim as your own. You can rotate these duties at a time interval that is suitable for you. Just to mix things up and keep things interesting, yo.

This is also a great strategy for cleaning after a party at your house.

♥ Organize your daily and weekly cleaning.

Maintaining a clean home becomes much easier when you can develop some kind of schedule for the tasks that must be done daily, and the tasks that must be done on a weekly basis (and seasonally, and annually too.)

When you start incorporating cleaning into your daily and weekly routines, everything seems much more easier!

This is what mine looks like:

Daily chores

1. Doing the dishes – loading and unloading the dishwasher. Keeping my kitchen sink sparkling and clean before bedtime! (10-15 minutes)

2. Sweeping my bedroom floor. I have laminate flooring and it gets pretty disgusting pretty disgustingly fast. I need to buy some rugs. (10 minutes)

3. Keep your shower, toilet and bathroom sink clean. Easy. Just be more aware and present after you use the bathroom. (5 minutes)

4. Making my bed every morning. (1 minute)

5. Do routine quick tidy-ups. Simply periodically make sure that everything is in its place. (2 minutes)

6. Go through all the stuff you accumulate throughout the day and ditch them or put them where they belong. For example – magazines, fliers, receipts, mail, papers. (10 minutes)

Every-couple-of-days-chores

1. Laundry

2. Garbage control

Weekly chores

1. Change bed sheets (10 minutes)

2. Vacuum (20 minutes – depending on much space you have)

3. Dusting (10 minutes)

4. Mopping (20 minutes – depending on how much space you have)

♥ Stop hanging out in bed

I know it is so appealing and that I spent pretty much all of last year doing most things in my bed. Use my laptop. Talk to my friends. Eat snacks. Watch movies.

My excuse is that with the lack of other furniture in my room, and no other real space in my apartment for chillaxing (I lived in the student residences) the only comfortable “sitting and relaxing” place was my bed.

It was gross. My bed never felt fresh and clean when I crawled into it (again) at the end of the day and I hated that.

But my bed is not made for socializing.

Try to create another space in your home where you spend most of your time. It could be your living room or dining room. It could be a giant cushy beanbag on the floor, or a big comfortable chair, or a loveseat (I want it) it could even be at your desk.

I acknowledge that other students like myself may find this a challenge, as we share with other students, the only space we have for “ourselves” is probably our own rooms. And the possibilities for furniture in own rooms is pretty limited. Believe me, I know.

The less time you spend hanging out in your bed, the fresher and cleaner it will be when you get into it at the end of your hard day!

♥ Laundry of death

If you have a problem of allowing laundry to mount up, invest in a small laundry basket. When you have a huge laundry basket, it’s easy to allow laundry to mount up because you have the space to do so. If you have a small laundry basket, you will be forced to start thinking about doing your laundry more frequently because your overflowing small basket will be a constant reminder

This also works for your garbage cans.

Here is an example of the laundry system I use. I know all of this is awfully redundant to most of the world population but like whatever :

After I have worn something that can be worn again, I hang it up to air out. This is my “I can wear this again” part of my system.

Once an item of clothing is ready for laundry I put it into my basket – keeping my whites, colors and delicates somewhat separately.

Once my basket is full (and it’s a small basket so it doesn’t take long) I put it into the washing machine.

As you know, the whites usually tend to take time to pile up, so you can just ask the people you live with if they have any more whites to add to your load.

It’s simple. It works!

♥ Take that little bit extra time to do things right

Maintaining cleanliness is possible if you put in a little bit extra time and energy each time you need to put things away.

That means when you come home from work, taking the extra time to hang up your coat, put taking things out of your bag that you need (keys, phone, lunch) , and putting your bag and shoes where it is supposed to go. It’s so easy to come home and dump everything on the floor, the chair, or God forbid – your bed.

We all have this extra couple of minutes to do things “right”. Slowly and carefully.

Sure there are times when you literally don’t have time to put your coat on a hanger and put it into your wardrobe which is organized by colour. Like when your wife is in labour. Or when your room is on fire. Or if your grandma just fell down the stairs.

*Needing to get onto facebook as fast as physically possible is not a good enough reason.*

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It’s my first day at school today and I’m excited! Thanks to Hurricane Katia I am pretty sure I will get blown away on my walk into campus this evening.

I have not forgotten about you my blogbabies, and in fact I have a big list of upcoming post ideas, but finding the time to sit and write is proving to be more difficult than anticipated.

 How clean are your homes this month?! Do you have any cleaning tips or systems that work for you? holla at me.

malavika

September Challenge: The clean habit & the 10 commandments.

This month we will be creating a habit. This month’s habit is the clean habit. Every well-set-up area of a lifestyle stems from a habit. Keeping a clean home? A habit. Working hard at school? A habit. Physical fitness? A habit.

It doesn’t take very long before you realize that in order to maintain any kind of “goodness” in your life, we must turn it into a habit.

We must do them continually and consistently, editing them constantly to find the most time, energy and cost efficient way of maintaining them.

Habits take time to form. They don’t happen over night. The best kind of Super Habit is built over time in small increments. Baby steps.

The game goes like this; this month we are going to make maintaining a clean household our priority. Every day, we will make sure this priority is fulfilled.

We will we do this every single day from the first of September until the first of October.

After the allotted time, we can decide if this is a habit that you would like to keep in your life – in which case you continue, or if this is a habit you rather do without.

Regardless, we will put in the time.

Pick a challenge buddy (someone who can share in this process with you). I will be your challenge buddy by default anyway! Write out your 10 commandments real pretty. Stick them up somewhere you’re going to look. Make a checklist. Be excited.

Here are the guidelines for this months challenge!

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Intention: To create and maintain a clean and organized living space.

Duration: September 1st – October 1st

The 10 commandments of the clean habit

1. Thou shalt not go to bed with a dirty kitchen sink.

2. Thou shalt organize my laundry as I put it away (whites, colours, delicates) and put them away appropriately (folded, ironed, hung up etc).

3. Thou shalt maintain a clean shower and sink after every use.

4. Thou shalt do a quick clean before I sleep each night, and before I leave the house at anytime for any purpose.

5.Thou shalt do a room-detox and get rid of all the things I do not use, love or need.

6. Thou shalt find every item in my room a home, and implement new, clean and efficient means of organizing them.

7. Thou shalt make my bed every morning

8. Thou shalt implement a vacuuming and dusting schedule and follow it religiously.

9. Thou shalt spend just 15 minutes every day in the messiest area of my house de-cluttering and cleaning.

10. Thou shalt always take the garbage out.

Remember, if you are doing all this right, these commandments will not take a lot of time or energy – just a little bit more effort at certain times in your day/week. Why is this? Because we are learning to the habit to maintain cleanliness. We are not cleaning a big messy home every day, we are cleaning it once, and then maintaining it.

You may already be doing some of these things commandments already, that’s great! Just keep doing them every day, and add the new ones into your daily routine as well.

Number 9 may not be applicable to those who do not have their own homes, such as myself, but I can use that time to make sure things in our living room and kitchen are up to standard.

It is very easy to forget these commandments so print it out and stick it on your wall. Remind yourself of them every day. You can even have a checklist to check off as you complete each daily task. Some tasks may not be necessary to do every single day, depending on the structure, size and nature of your household.

I will be starting this from September 1st which is when I move into my new house. I hope you will too. Let me know! Ya’ll have 6 more days of being messy and careless. Use them wisely.

i kid, i kid.

10 ways to improve your life today

1. Overcome a fear. Nothing sets a standard of success quite like doing something you never thought you could do.

2. Create an exercise schedule. Get that beautiful body of yours moving. Join a dance class, yoga class, pole dancing class, a circuit training group, or the gym. Start going on morning runs. Create a tailor made exercise schedule that gets you excited and paves the path to the body of your dreams.

 3. Cultivate new, richer and deeper relationships: Make new friends. Make it your intention to try to meet as many new people as possible. It might feel a little “ugh!” at first, but after you get in the rhythm of it, it will become a part of your day, lifestyle, character – that you really enjoy look forward to! I try to sit next to people I don’t know in my lectures so that I can get to know who they are and make new friends. And I’m not talking about making a bunch of meaningless acquaintances (your life is busy enough already), but I mean really getting to know a person – who they are, what they do, what they want, what makes their heart beat faster. When you start connecting with all individuals on this level, you seem to generate a bottomless supply of love and compassion to share with all those you come into contact with.

4. Set goals for yourself. Don’t tell me you’ve already set goals for yourself at the start of the year. Goals MUST be reviewed or else they become non-existent. Did you know that a goal that has not been thought about/reviewed in over 3 days, is equivalent to have never having set that goal? That’s crazy! Have a very short compact list of your short term goals with you to review every single night (Should take about 20 seconds out of your night), and spend a little bit more time for a bigger long term and short term goal review every week (Should take about 2 minutes).

5. Spend less time on the internet. Spend less time doing the things that take away a lot of your time and energy without you realizing it.

 6. Wake up earlier than you usually do. I recommend 5:00am. Make more time for yourself.

7. Implement a new habit. Meditation, yoga, clean-as-you-go, prioritization etc. What would you pick? (See: http://malavikasuresh.wordpress.com/2010/08/01/10-habits-you-need-to-cultivate-in-your-life/ for more ideas!)

8. Write a letter to your future self. This activity is one that has been a totally awakening experience for me. I write a letter to myself every new year/birthday. I also really take the time to meditate on and with my future self to find out who that awesome lady is and what changes I have to make to become her with the most ease and grace.

9. Redecorate/recreate your spiritual space. Feng-shui up your crib. Change things around. Switch things up. Keep it exciting. The shift in physical energy will result in a tremendous breath of breath air through your life.

10. Go to bed 15 minutes earlier each night until you find a time that suits you. This is not so that you can get more sleep, but so that you have the opportunity to do so if you wish. The main reason behind going to bed 15 minutes earlier is that you can begin to create more time to wind down, and get some more “me-time” going on in your day. Take this time to relax, meditate, journal, paint your nails, eat a snack, be in silence, practice some yoga, do a quick clean, or simply just “Quieten” down your busy household. If you have a family, you could make this into a fun game or challenge, where everyone has to try their very hardest to make the deadline of 9:45pm (or whatever time you guys decide), and from 9:45 time it is strictly RELAX time. Avoid being on the phone/on the internet/watching TV after this time, to really give your mind a chance to quieten down. (I really struggle with this one…!)

10 habits you need to cultivate in your life

Happy August!

As I prepare for my next big step of moving out of home(with both excitement and terror), it got me thinking about habits that I want to make sure that I implement into my life on a day to day basis. I believe that behind any great leader is a solid set of values, and a concrete set of habits that are created from these values that they uphold. As a child we are taught consistently about good habits, but as we grow up, we forget to think of habits as something that we can or should have. “Real life” happens, are we’re busy keeping up, that we forget to create a strong and sturdy foundation of peace and discipline to fall back on. Welcome to the world of good habits. As you read through these lists many things will make us go “I know, I know, I’ve heard that a million times already!” but do we actually and consistently make it a point to incorporate that into our day? Probably not. So let’s change. These are my top 10 list of easy habits we should be implementing into our lives NOW. Now, I say “easy” because none of them require extra money or resources. Just you and your beautiful smiling face.

Remember it takes 21 days of consistent action to make or break a habit. You cannot efficiently create a new good habit without trying it consistently for 21 days.

1. The rising early habit.

Not only is there something very magical about the world at 5:00am, it is also the most fertile time to plant your seeds for your day. The world is quiet and waiting for you to fill it with wonderful things. Rising early at 5:00am gives you ample time to greet the day. It gives you time to practice your gratitude, eat a lovely breakfast, meditate…etc. In fact, most of the habits listed in today’s post could be achieved within this habit. Rising early means you are in charge of setting the tone for day. If your current morning ritual is non-existent, or involves chasing your kids around the house, frantically making lunches, or slurping down your coffee as you run from room to room looking for your shoes, then you are setting the same kind of intention for the rest of the day. You are saying to the universe “this is what I do. Give me more of this. Pleaseeee!” So allow this new found treasure chest of sacred time be used to create a peaceful and connected morning ritual. Watch the sunrise, drink orange juice (with pulp. Yum), read a book, review your intentions for the day, meditate, start on your work for the day, paint, practice your sodoku skills, travel to work leisurely, eat a fulfilling breakfast, kiss your children on the cheek and be present.

The wonderful thing about waking up at 5:00am is that no matter what happens in your day, you still got that small window of time for yourself. And that is enough.

2. The meditation habit.

Though all of these habits are powerful, this one in particular has manifested miraculous changes in my life. The art of meditation is one that must be mastered for your happiness, spiritual growth, and peace. Get in the habit of meditating twice a day every day. When I first started my journey, I would meditate for an hour each session, but this is not always possible in “the real world”. Do what you can when you can, but as long as you are consistent, you will notice the benefits. 10-20 minutes is enough.  You may want to follow along with a guided meditation if you are new to meditation (I recommend chakra clearing by Doreen Virtue), or simply use the time to sit in silence and allow your thoughts to pass without expectations or judgement. Easier said than done, I know.

Once you start working consistently with this habit you will notice profound changes in your life. You will start waking up in the morning, your head and heart clear and light and free, and with the deep knowing that everything is as it should be. And so it is.

3. The learning/reading habit.

Our minds are active things. It wants to soak up all the experiences of the world, pick it apart, understand it, conceptualize it, and eventually feel okay with it. Cultivate the habit of learning something new every day. Reading is a big part of this, as this is where most learning takes place. Read from many different genres – really stretch yourself. Many people feel bored and frazzled in their lives when they feel as though they are not given the freedom to simply learn, to expand their horizons, to see what else is out there. So make this habit in your top 10, and never be left with that feeling. Take at least 10-15 minutes every day to learn about something new, or to spend some time just sinking your teeth into a good book.

4. The gratitude habit.

Remember what I said in the last post about how the universe shows that that it has received your gratitude? By giving you more things in your life to be thankful for! In order to truly live this truth, it only makes sense to make it into a habit. Practice the gratitude habit. I make a list every day of three things I am most grateful for that day. It keeps me in line. It makes me realize that no matter how yuck my day is, I am still very blessed and very loved.

5. The intention habit.

Every single morning take a moment to breathe deeply and set your intention for the day. We often acknowledge that behind every great deed is an equally great intention, but also tend to forget to apply that on a day-to-day basis. Do you want your day to be great? Well, what is your intention for it? Without setting intentions for your day, you may have good days, great days, bad days, and down right sucky days. Your days may be aimless, surprisingly good or bad, or just autonomous. Your intention might be BIG ( I intend to connect with my father and begin healing the relationship with him) or smaller (My client told me that her intention for the day was to simply take more time to pet her dog more.) What ever it is, it means your day has a focus, it has a goal, it has an aim, a direction, and you will the be the soul proprietor of the joy that follows its accomplishment.

See www.intent.com for some great ideas for intentions.

6. The clean-as-you-go habit.

Wow. This one is tricky (for me). What’s the one way to avoid a horrible mess and the end of a week? …To clean as you go! Don’t let a mess build up, don’t let the dishes pile up in the sink, don’t let the laundry overflow the basket. Clean. As. You. Go! Every night before you sleep, and every morning before you start you day, take a moment to go on a cleaning spree. The better you get at this habit, the faster and more efficient these sprees become. As with every area of our lives, we tend to become overwhelmed when things build up, so this habit is a wonderful way to nip that tendency in the bud. Make it a point to do a fast routine clean:

Every morning

Every evening

Every time you leave the house.

As Oprah once said (I think she may have quoted someone else, but who cares, it’s Oprah!) “your home should rise up to greet you.”

7. The exercise and healthy eating habit.

There isn’t much to be said about this habit other than- the better you are feeling about your body, the healthier your feel, the better your life. There is no mistake about it. Don’t make it a “diet”. Make it a lifestyle choice. A diet, to me, symbolizes temporariness and short term satisfaction. But a lifestyle choice means long term results! Make healthy eating part of your life. It’s not a diet. Because a diet means it’s a choice. It’s not a choice. It is who you are. And you are one healthy superfox!

The exercise habit is equally important. Find an exercise routine that works for you. It might be bedroom-yoga, it might be a poledancing class (saucy!), or it could be an hour at the gym. What ever it is, make it consistent, and you will not only notice results, but find that you are happier and more balanced.

8. The prioritization habit.

What are the most important things that you NEED to do today but really DON’T WANT to do today? The items on your list that are urgent, and necessary, but that you are so willing to forget about? What are those things on your to-do list that show up every single day, every single week? Write them down. Make it a habit to do your most important tasks FIRST thing every day. Every morning (or the evening prior) make a list of the three most important tasks for the day, then make it your soul intention, your absolute reason for living, to complete these tasks – preferably by 12:00pm that day. Not only does it set an amazing standard for your day (it really can’t go down hill from there) but it also makes sure you are having the impact you need to have in your life because you are getting things done.

9. The goal-review habit.

Here’s the secret to achieving your goals, people. Keeping track of your goals! If you set a goal on new years and don’t really think about it till December, quietly saying to yourself “Oh yeah, remember I said I wanted to do that. Oh well. Maybe next year!”

That isn’t a goal. That’s a wish. That’s a wish made for the sake of new years. That’s worse! A goal is an active and open project you consistently work on, and review until you achieve it. This means that technically ALL goals can be achieved, unless of course you no longer want it. So make it a habit to make a list of your top ten goals for the year, month, 6 months, 5 years, and review it once a week. If I ask you “What are you goals for this year” and you can’t list them off the top of your head, they are still in “dream” form and it is unlikely you will achieve them. A goal is a measurable thing. So, do you know what your goals are?

10. The lookin’ and feelin’ hot habit.

As I said in the previous post, get in the habit of feeling HOT. Get in the habit of making a real effort every day to look hot/sexy/fiiiineee/pretty/beautiful. Dress the part. If this was a  movie about your life, would you be wearing an unflattering brown shirt and “mom jeans”? Would you be wearing what you are wearing right now? (If yes – then good job!!) Be comfortable, by all means, but make a consistent effort to look, feel, smell, dress real good. Wear your best underwear, use that expensive perfume, try a different (And perhaps shocking) shade of lipstick, get on a three step facial routine (cleanser, toner, moisturizer). Practice positive affirmations, love your body, feel GREAT about who you are and everything about who you are.

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Though I work hard at living a well-rounded and fulfilling life, there are still a few of those habits that I probably don’t maintain as well I should. My main one being “the clean as you go habit” and “the prioritization habit”. Man, those ones are hard! But, that won’t stop me from trying! I wish you all the best of luck in implementing these habits into your day to day life!

love,

m

You can click on these pictures to see them bigger!

May your days be gold