Plan Simple with Mia Moran

If you’re not feeling good in some way with the life that you designed, it’s time to step back to look and redesigning it.

– Jackie Woodside

On this episode of the Plan Simple Meals Podcast, I’m really excited to talk with Jackie Woodside, an author, speaker, professional development trainer and coach with years of experience as a therapist.

We start out talking about to-do lists. Jackie teaches to-do lists are a setup for failure. If you’re addicted to your to do list like a lot of people I know, that may sound crazy. But here’s the problem: the to-dos are never tied to a time when they will get done and so often we underestimate how long things will take.

Jackie suggests taking 10–15 minutes to debrief and write down all the things you have to do that day. Then put it on your planner—when will you do it? This is where you realize you can’t actually do all of these things. The overwhelm and stress we feel comes from not being able to do all of the things we think we can/need to do.

We talk about:

• Getting real about what you can actually do and saying no to things you can’t do
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• Not making automatic default choices because it’s what everybody else is doing
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• Getting super clear on your core values and scheduling your life based on all your core values (Jackie even color codes her schedule)
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• Full life integration vs. work-life balance
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• Doing a “daily debrief” where you go back through your schedule and move anything that you didn’t complete to another time slot in the week
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• How our belief that we don’t have enough time or money keep us stuck in not having time money—and how starting with possibility or yes opens things up
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• Creating a transformational, strategic life design.
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BIO

Jackie Woodside, CPC, LICSW is a best-selling author, TEDx speaker, radio and television personality and seminar leader who is passionate about the expanding the edge of human potential. Jackie provides custom training programs, workshops and keynote speeches for businesses, government and non-profit organizations, spiritual centers and national organizations around the country.

LINKS

• Jackiewoodside.com
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• On Facebook: Jackie Woodside Speaker
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• Also on Facebook: The Vibe Tribe with Jackie Woodside
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• Calming The Chaos
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• Money Vibe
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• Time for Change
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• Life Design
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I could have the health that I was desiring. It was up to me. If I believed it, I could have it. And I didn’t have to do it alone.

On this episode of the Plan Simple Podcast, I’m doing something a little different. I celebrated my birthday recently, which is a time of reflection for me, and I decided I wanted to share my story in a different way. Nine years ago, I was an exhausted, uninspired, fat, workaholic mom of three kids under five. I hit a wall and knew something had to change.

I had no idea how profound the changes in my health, happiness, family, spirituality, and work would be.

Today I’m focusing on three key lessons I’ve learned in the past nine years, and talking with two of the people that I’ve learned from and with too!

These are the core lessons I’ve learned:

1. Change starts with me, but I can’t do it alone.
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5. I have a lot to learn – and there are so many people who can help me.
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9. Accountability by friends can make a huge difference.
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I’m going to talk about all of these today because I think we all need these lessons, and even if we’ve learned them, we need reminders. (Myself very much included!)

Believe in the Change You Want

When you’re ready, you know it. And all you have to do is take the first step. I had no idea how I was going to change, all I knew was that I was ready to do whatever it was going to take to not be tired, not feel yucky, not feel like a bad mom, not have so much extra weight on my body …

I met one of my mentors, Taylor Wells, the next day, and she gave me my “last diet.” She had me eat real food. Lots of fruits and veggies, nuts and seeds. But besides the food, Taylor taught me a bigger lesson: That I could believe that I could have the health that I was desiring. That was up to me. If I believed it, I could have it.

Taylor shares these bits of wisdom:

• I believe that when you feel something in your heart and it resonates ... go with that.
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• What you focus on, grows. Choose to focus on things that make you feel good.
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• Stop arguing with your limitations. Tell me what you can do, what you love, what you want.
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• Whether it’s creating a vision for yourself or starting a morning routine, start where you are, any way that you can. Just start.
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Mentors Matter

After Taylor got me on my path, I got really excited about learning. I found so many teachers and mentors (you’ll find a lot of them in the links). Nina Manoloson taught me to cook. And she taught me the 10.10.10 Method. The idea that scheduling 10 minutes for something for you makes a huge difference.

From there it was like a web of meeting people. One person led to another, and I found that what I needed kept showing up in my life when I needed it. I learned so much about food and family (and bringing the two together). As I explored the idea of bringing kids along for the ride, I found Kim John Payne and integrated a lot of his simplicity parenting ideas.

I learned about blogging and organization and abundance. And just when I realized I was creating an expensive hobby, I found Marie Forleo and B-school and learned how to love marketing. She also taught me that everything is figureoutable. Through B-school, my circle continued to widen.

Get an Accountability Buddy

I eventually ended up doing a year-long program...

To really lead the lives that we desire and be the role models our kids deserve, we need to move past the myths that keep us stuck. I made the Flow Planner and developed the FLOW Planning Method, to help free ourselves of these myths.

MYTH #1 – I have to get work done first to create space and time for family.

OR I have to be mom now and put my career on hold.

What if work is never feeling done because you feel incomplete? What if that incompleteness has nothing to do with work, but with your energy, your connection to one of your kids, your relationship with your spouse, your desire to go clothes shopping, or longing go to a yoga class.

If you are pulled towards mom, what if your incomplete feeling means you have something more you need to do on this planet?

We think we have to choose between work and family, but if we know that we can fit in both helps us be in FLOW.

MYTH #2 – If being busy at work leads to success, then busy at home will lead to success.

I fell into this myth. When Felix was little, we did things at every moment. By the time Perla came a long we couldn’t, but I got the advice that maybe that was a good thing. Being at home — cooking, digging, resting, and playing without entertaining is amazing for you and your kids.

When did busy become a status symbol? Not being busy at home is a really good thing.

Suggested resource: Simplicity Parenting and Kim John Payne on Plan Simple Meals

MYTH #3 – Being domestic means I’m not a good at my work, not a good CEO, not a real ladyboss.

This is something that is really embedded in our belief system, but I am not convinced it is true. We are always trying to prove ourselves as women. We get back to work as soon as we can after kids. We feel shame around working from home. But we should be proud of being able to raise our kids and run our busineses. Listen in to the podcast from Jenny Fenig who runs and amazing business and homeschools two of her 3 kids.  

MYTH #4 – It is just a phase. It will all get better when ...

Yes, stuff changes in your life, but you need to give yourself permission to create the life you want now.

If you wait until your kids turn (fill in any age) or when you make more money, when you move, when the school year ends … you’ll find that when you get to that point, what you want will change. So that doesn’t really work.

You can start creating the life you want right now, wherever you are.

MYTH #5 – I just don’t have the time.

It takes time and practice to learn that this one isn’t true. There are people who have achieved amazing things who have the same amount of time as you and I do in our days. We choose how we want to spend our time. So let’s start choosing the things we want instead of putting them aside.

I love this quote from Alexia Vernon: “I’m not carrying around a story in my head that I’m busy, I don’t have enough time, that I’m unhappy. I’m choosing to bring the energy to everything of “I have time, I have space, this is what I have chosen, and thank you more please.”

Are you ready to let go of the story that you are too busy? Can you get past the other four myths?

How do we change things? How do we fit in the things that make a difference all...