Here’s how it works.  Every Sunday when you are planning out your week, you decide on what your four no’s will be.  These are things that you just won’t do.  It works so well because it’s not making this big list of things you have to do - like go to the gym for an hour a day, set aside time and a quiet space to meditate- while I love all things like that too- what we are talking about today is so much easier because it doesn’t require more time or energy. It just requires discipline and self control to not to the thing.  Here are examples…  Maybe you had the worst hangover last week - and it’s happened a lot lately and you’re over it - so one of your Nos would be… NO more than 2 drinks in a night.  Other examples…  No scrolling social media in bed  No eating past 7pm  No hitting the snooze button  All things that make you better- make you feel better, more productive, healthier.  I’m sharing my current four No’s and lots of examples to get you thinking about how you can set-up these rules in your life to help you get to exactly where you want to be.  Without doing anything at all, you just have to set limits and say no to things.  Why 4? 5 is too many and 3 is too few  My current ones: No distracted communication  No phone or social media or scrolling before bed or when I wake up  No food past 7 No eating at the fridge  Examples  No raising my voice  No fast food  No negative self talk  No negative talk about others  No refined sugars or starches  No checking emails constantly  No skipping breakfast  No clutter  No processed foods  No sitting for more than 2 hours at at a time  No eating in the car  No more than 2 cups of caffeine  No multitasking  No overcommitting  Here is a link to my 2.0 Habits System that I talk about:  https://lindsay-dickhout-7734.mykajabi.com/ultimatecourse Here’s how you figure out what yours are…  Just ask yourself, what would make your days better?  What would get you going to your goals faster?  It works in all buckets of life.  If you are distracted and not getting enough done, set limits there.   Many of my current issues are around food and eating right now.  But then those will regulate and they will be about other things.  The key is - making a promise to yourself that you will stick to it. And every time you do, its like a vote for the person you want to be.  It’s deep self confidence that nobody knows about, but you do.  You become a person that does what you tell yourself you are going to do.  It gives you strength in all areas of life.  When we let our emotions dictate our actions -  We have to be consistent to see change and this sets us up for that.  Emotions are changing and inconsistent.  So by setting up these nos - you creating consistency even when you’re emotions aren’t. Most people are going through life on auto pilot. If they are annoyed by something or feel a negative emotion or don’t feel 100%, they use it as an excuse to not stick to their standards.  They make bad choices and don’t do things that align with their goals and priorities.  Because it feels good now- but feel even worse later.   Now I over drank AND I broke a promise to myself.  Your emotions can’t determine your actions if you want to be extra ordinary.  We know that for sure.  Doing things this way, you choose what you know is right for you, regardless of how the day is going.  It helps you do what you need to do, even when you don’t feel like it. I tell myself, this isn’t hard… I don’t have to actually DO anything.  I can certainly just not do this thing. I’m all about FREEDOM and the crazy part is - freedom comes from discipline and structure.  And it helps us raise our standards for ourselves. These NOs become our standards.  And we keep these standards even when we’re tired or in a bad mood or whatever it is.  Set standards that make you proud of yourself using this system and accept nothing less.  As you move through the weeks, you’ll find that some of your 4 NOs become automatic and you replace them with 4 new Nos.  Things you decide you will not do, because you have this high standard of yourself. You just won’t break the promise to yourself.  And now you have this whole new set of standards that you have for yourself.  CHEERS!!  To designing your NOs to level up your standards and your life!

Here we go right into the biggest and most fun holidays of the year.  But with that often comes stress, arguments, expectations not met, exhaustion… this podcast episode is to help with all of that! We are talking about some key things to think about ahead of time to have the most happiest holiday. Like… **Don’t have set rigid expectations - and for things that are important to you, make sure the people that you love know it **Don’t exhaust yourself to where you won’t be able to enjoy it **Go into it with a state of mind that you are going to laugh through things that go wrong and not loose your cool **Know that someone might say something triggering and you aren’t going to engage **Set yourself up to win - set expectations & be organized This is YOUR holiday too - not just the kids in the family or anyone else.  It’s YOURS and today we’re going to lean into how we can make sure it’s positive and full-filling for YOU too. Thank you for listening! HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!

1. Have them repeat it 
2. Ask them if this is their intention with this 

Today, we’re just going to jam on gratitude and perspective and how the way we frame things is the way we see them.  I’m sharing what I think are the most valuable insights and thoughts I have in this season of life.  Things I’ve learned from my reading a book a week every week and just being a student of life.  Having conversations with all different types of people and perspectives and with different experiences.  This is a fun one with lots of different ideas for you think about and maybe insert your life and routine.  I loveeee reading a book a week  I’ve replaced social media with reading/audio books  Only on social during mellow movement - breaking the cycle of social media early morning and in evenings and in any free minutes.  I have a plan and stick to it instead.  I’m prioritizing stretching with weights for longevity  I 100% believe that aging is mostly neglect not an avoidable part of life  I’m going PRO at sleeping and bedtime routine - setting a plan and being strict with it  And when something seems hard- becoming a PRO at it - starting something or solving something.  Monotasking - do one thing until it’s totally done  Using social media strategically and not passively  Purge.  Have less and know where it all is.  Plus life is so much more calm. Spending money very intentionally.  For me it’s mostly longevity and nutrition. I also like being put together and have nice things to wear but that’s way more Zara these days than designer.  Have a set plan for the day before it gets going.  If you don’t have a plan, your day will run you.  Start in control and stick to the plan.  Don’t let emotion stray you.  Sending love to you and yours this holiday season and beyond!

Every year around my birthday I’m like, ok, what’s the secret unlock at this age?  Like what have I learned and what I am doing that makes the biggest difference in my life? This year, that skill that I’ve unlocked in myself this ability to turn what feels like the worst thing, into the best thing. In a very practical and realistic way. So aside from anything really really sad in life, this strategy allows you to get out of thinking and saying how much this sucks or is unfair or is the worst thing that could happen.  And flipping it to- how could this become the best thing? I’m going to fully explain it because once you set yourself up like this - it’s crazy how you can see the same situations completely differently. It’s saying to yourself, this sucks, and it’s not at all what I wanted.  But, how could it actually be the best thing? You have to listen to this full episode - it’s 20 minutes or so that will change the way you react when things go sideways. Things that are awful - like getting fired or someone breaking up with you or you don’t get the promotion or don’t get into the college or high school that you wanted.  You sprain your ankle and can’t workout for 3 months and it’s your favorite thing.. This is what we know for sure… Bad things happen. People dont know how to cope. And they allow one bad thing to snowball into more. THIS IS THE UNLOCK! Bad things suck. The only thing worse is letting one bad thing ruin many good things. One bad thing happens and the way you operate afterwards is what more bad things happen. Because really… things aren’t good or bad- they just are. It's becoming anti fragile as we go. People often dont know how to cope with bad stuff. Thats how you end up with this weird spiral with more bad things happening. People dont know how to manage their emotions so they just react. The more I try to create space between how I feel and what I do, the more I've been able to control my outcomes in situations. It’s a superpower, I’m telling you.  The next time something in your life sucks, ask yourself, how can this actually be the best thing ever?

• Improved Quality of Work: When you dedicate your full attention to a single project, you can dive deeper into the details and nuances. This focused effort often leads to higher-quality results. For instance, a writer working on a novel without distractions is more likely to produce a well-crafted manuscript compared to if they were juggling multiple writing projects.

• Faster Completion Time: By concentrating on one task, you minimize the time lost to context-switching. For example, a software developer who focuses solely on debugging a specific piece of code can resolve issues faster than if they were constantly shifting between debugging and feature development.

• Enhanced Problem-Solving: Monotasking allows you to immerse yourself fully in a problem, which often leads to more creative and effective solutions. Consider an architect working on a building design; uninterrupted focus enables them to explore innovative solutions and address potential issues more thoroughly.

• Reduced Stress and Burnout: Handling multiple tasks simultaneously can be overwhelming and lead to stress. Monotasking reduces this strain by simplifying your workload. For instance, a project manager who tackles one project at a time can manage deadlines and expectations more effectively, reducing the risk of burnout.

• Increased Mastery and Expertise: Focusing on a single project allows you to gain deeper expertise and mastery in that area. For example, a researcher concentrating on one scientific study can develop a more nuanced understanding and contribute more significant findings than if they were dividing their attention among several studies.

• “The only way to achieve extraordinary results is to focus on one thing at a time and become obsessed with it.”

• “Your ability to focus on one thing for an extended period of time is directly correlated with your success.”

  “Success comes from the ability to concentrate your energy and efforts on a single goal until it’s achieved.”