The majority of men meet with failure because of their lack of persistence in creating new plans in the place of those that fail. ~ Napoleon Hill

When asked how old he is, my son rarely fails to stick the "and a half" after "three." For him, it's an important distinction; he wants everyone to be clear that he's reached the tipping point, and is now sliding towards four.

So it occurs to me that we're 2006 and a half, now that we've slipped into July. July is that time of year where I take a look at where I am, what I've accomplished and where I haven't come as far as I'd like. I look at my big plans for 2006 and always find some cause for celebration, some plans that need re-tooling and some goals that I simply need to let go.

Where are you on your path for what you wanted for yourself in 2006? What do you need to celebrate? What needs revamping? And what needs to be let go of so you can focus your attention on what's really important?

New Resolutions are not just for New Years. In every moment of every day you get to decide the direction you will head.

What's next for you?

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One of the reasons coaching is such a powerful force is accountability. Having a coach provides the structured focus on what you want to create by holding you accountable. The American Society of Training and Development published a study that showed the percent likelihood that change would occur after you:

Hear an idea: 10%
Consciously decide to adopt it: 25%
Decide when you will do it: 40%
Plan how you will do it: 50%
Commit to someone else that you will do it: 65%
Have a specific accountability appointment with the person you committed to: 95%

95%?!? That's a thirty percent increase, simply by adding "I will call you on Tuesday and let you know that I've accomplished ________" to your commitment. That's a phenomenal ROI... You're worth it.
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Weekly Challenge: Live YOUR full 2006
You're 2006 and a half now... what's important for you to create before you turn 2007? My challenge for you this week is to figure that out, plan for it and put it into motion.

Set yourself up for the second half of 2006. Get what you need. Create what you want. Become the bigger you that's ready to claim what's next!

Need help? Give me a call and we can brainstorm what's next for you...

Weekly Wakeup 3/20  To subscribe to Weekly Wakeups go to http://www.jodihume.com/

"When you know what you want, and want it bad enough, you will find a way to get it." ~Jim Rohn

I have met the Master of Perseverance, and he is three years old. My son has recently taken to wanting my parents to come to our house NOW. This desire occasionally strikes at a reasonable hour of the day, but most of the time his craving arrives before the sun does. But the thing is, even if his devoted grandparents were perched, ready and willing to jump in their car at a moments notice.... they live a solid two hours away. So he is always disappointed, but never discouraged.

No matter how rationally or cleverly I explain the "why," his response is always the same. He doesn't whine or throw a fit, he just unwaveringly replies "But mommy, I really want mimi and grandpa to come now... I really reeeaaaalllllllllly do...." That is his only response and his entire line of reasoning.

He seems to think that if he can finally convince me that his desire is sincerely and deeply rooted, that I will ante up and fork over the grandparents. And while I admit this is not my perspective when we're having this tearful conversation at five in the morning, I am amazed by the enormity of his commitment to what he wants. What if I carried that same two-line script with me, and repeated it just as unrelentingly?

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Weekly Challenge: Fill in the BLANK.... "I want _________________." Can you speak it out loudly and clearly? Perhaps even the thought of it was quickly followed by a "but....." (or however your particular script goes when you talk yourself out of something.) And if you cleared those hurdles, where do you imagine you stumbling or getting bogged down. Your challenge this week is to use these words as your mantra. "I want ____________, I really reeeeealllllly do." And then no matter what you encounter.... Say it again. And again. And again. I'd love to hear how it goes, either way. (by the way....Turner is getting his wish fulfilled (as a direct result of his persistence) I hope you do to.)

Weekly Wakeup 3/10  To subscribe to Weekly Wakeups, go to http://www.jodihume.com/
“We all want progress, but if you're on the wrong road, progress means doing an about-turn and walking back to the right road; in that case, the man who turns back soonest is the most progressive.” ~C.S. Lewis

Sometimes the most courageous and honorable choice you can make is to quit. You heard me… bowing out is the new brave.

I know it seems counterintuitive. How could it not? From our tiniest toddler-hood we are taught that quitters never win… winners never quit… stay true to your commitments… your word is your bond. The message is, that choosing to step off a train you’ve agreed to ride gets you kicked out of the integrity and success club. And it’s especially hard to jump from a train you’ve put years of work into, because that’s when departure starts to feel like defeat.

I admit that turning your back on a commitment or walking away from an opportunity is rough going, but I also contend that your most fiercely honored commitment should be to living your fullest and most meaningful life. And sometimes that will mean backing out and heading in a different direction... because you absolutely cannot get where you’re going if you’re on the wrong road.

In fact, being unswervingly true to yourself should be the thing you check of your ToDo list, each and ever day, without fail. And if that voice in your head is getting antsy that that I’m advocating rampant selfishness… you’re partially right. What I’m advocating is that you CHOOSE what will move you closer to the life you want live and the legacy you want to leave.

But it actually isn't about being selfish… quite the opposite really. It’s about accepting that you’re not the center of the universe. The world will not unhinge from it’s orbit if you walk away from a job or relationship or social engagement or committee meeting. Be true to yourself, then trust and allow that others will do the same.
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Weekly Challenge: Walk YOUR Path...

even if it means taking a few steps backwards (or sideways or around in circles) in the process. It's your path, and you're the only one that can know if the journey is taking you towards your destination.

Take a look around, and check in with what you're tolerating.

~ Where do you need to bow out or step aside?
~ What value is being stepped on by continuing?
~ What value would you be honoring by walking away?
~ What would that give you, or add to your life?

Weekly Wakeup 3/1  To subscribe to Weekly Wakeups go to www.jodihume.com

"Life is a mirror and will reflect back to the thinker what he thinks into it." ~Ernest Holmes

While slogging away on the elliptical at my gym, I intentionally divert my eyes to avoid glimpsing myself in the mirror, bobbing up and down like an awkward carrousel horse. I joked to the woman next to me that watching myself jiggle for an hour was NOT motivating me to get back on the fitness bandwagon. She laughed and said "agh, who cares.... it's not like anyone's looking at you anyway, everyone is too focused on themselves."

Are they? Or more importantly, was I? To avoid watching myself, I was mostly watching the other women, and I realized that I was critiquing them as if I were some pompous pageant judge. I carefully assessed how they moved, how they were dressed and how they were shaped.

It was unnerving to encounter that unsightly judgment in myself. And as I wondered, "where did THAT come from?" my eyes swung around to meet my own gaze in the mirror. I'd be ashamed to admit the critical wash of disgust, frustration, and disappointment that went through my head in a flash flood of self-loathing for that awkward carrousel horse. I was avoiding looking at my own struggle with my body, but I was still thinking it into the world, so it was being reflected back to me in how I viewed the women around me.

So if the world really is a mirror of what you think into it, take a look to see if you like the reflection. What are you happy with? What could use a little work? And where do you notice you get stuck?

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Weekly Challenge: Check out your reflection...

~ When do you encounter your own judgment?
~ Where do you have an overdeveloped sense of annoyance around a particular issue or person?
~ Where does your patience run thin for a particular personality trait or behavior or "type" of person?

Is it possible you're avoiding your own reflection?

This week, I challenge you to try this experiment. Show up in your life, dressed as the change or shift you want to see in the mirror of the world.

“Courage is the power to let go of the familiar" ~Raymond Lindquist

Susan Olson (www.unlockedbox.com) and I are included in the current "10" issue of Smart Woman Magazine (www.smartwomanoneline.com). Our segment was written in the spirit of letting go of those familiar but limiting parts of us that hold us back from truly living the most fabulous delicious existence we can. So here it is...

10 things you should toss out with your 2005 calendar

Your thin jeans. Don't put off living and loving your life while you wait to fit into some ideal version of the perfect woman. If you can't enjoy your life today, 10 pounds won't make a difference.

Your parents. You're an adult; it's time to start living by your own rules and expectations. Toss out everyone else's "shoulds" and write your own script.

Excuses. It's a lie that there's not enough time, money or energy to get what you want. Each calorie, cent or minute spent is a vote for what you choose to be a part of your life. If you cast your votes for your core priorities... you inherently create a life full of what you want.

Pecks on the cheek. Give'em the real thing. If you're going to kiss someone, make it good. Don't dilute the power of love and compassion with impotent expressions. Kiss big. Hug hard. Live deliciously.

Something you think you can't live without. When you give up the thing you think you need the most, you find out what you really have. Trust that you're already more than you're wildest imagination can conceive.

The voice of reason. Logical thinking is the #1 enemy of greatness. Sometimes the voice that keeps you safe is really only serving to keep you small. You're ducks will never be in a row... so march on "as is."

Your wonder woman costume. Fact: you cannot do it all (see above). So lose the golden lasso and take a moment to notice all the juicy joy around you that you're usually too busy saving the world to notice.

Your poker face. Hiding your true feelings wastes energy. Besides, who decided it's not alright to be sad, grumpy, ecstatic or angry? Let your feelings show and let people see the real you.

Your meeeooowwwwww... C'mon ladies, cut the judgment, lose the comparisons, and whip out some good ole fashioned compassion. We might make different choices, but that doesn't have to mean that one of us is wrong.

Your diary. The old stories you hang on to are weighing you down. Let go of the past and live in today. It's all you have.
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Weekly Challenge: TOSS it!!! This week, I want you to notice what is getting in your way of moving forward. Is it a belief? A rule? A voice? A should? What no longer serves you and what needs to be trashed, recycled or re-invented? What are you going to toss so that 2006 is YOUR year? (ps. I'd love to hear if you have suggestions to add to our list!)

To subscribe to Weekly Wakeups go to www.jodihume.com

As a personal coach, I wanted to find a way touch more lives than I can with individual clients, so each week I write an e-zine called Weekly Wakeups.  These weekly tips, quotes and thought provoking messages are delivered to your email address as a free weekly "wake-up call." These brief emails will help you stay focused on creating the Life You Want, with weekly reminders and suggestions for more focused living.

I would love to have you be a part of this community.  For more information, or to subscribe, please visit www.jodihume.com
Namaste...

~jodi

We only live once, but if we play our cards right... once is enough. ~Joe Lewis

It is dreary, cold and raining... and my two-year-old son is running and giggling in the backyard. Ever since breakfast he'd been begging to go outside. I kept saying no, and finally I resorted to the mommy trump card of "Turner, I said NO!" His eyes lit up and with triumphant glee he said...

"Then say YES mommy!"

I laughed at the simplicity of his logic and the realization that I really didn't have a good reason for denying him a romp in the rain. So I did say yes, and spent the rest of my morning stomping mud puddles and making mud-pies. My soggy shoes were forgotten as we knelt cheek to cheek, marveling at a giant spider web that was shimmering in the misty rain.

Needless to say, I don't have to look far for a reminder to live in the moment. Operating on auto pilot can rob us of unexpected joy and commit us to obligations that don't serve us. So be conscious of what you choose for yourself, and consider each "yes" or "no" as a vote for how you want to live and what you want in your life.

Weekly Challenge:  Say YES to one thing this week that is fun and frivolous. Rules of the game: It doesn't need to be outlandish or expensive, but it does have to mean something to you. It might mean saying YES to something you would normally talk yourself out of, or it could mean saying NO to something you don't really want to do. Or you might end up frolicking in the rain!

To Subscribe to Jodi's Weekly Wakeup, go to http://www.jodihume.com/home.htm