Personal Development - The Life Uncommon by Nacie Carson - Personal Development for a New Generation » Productivity

The Power of Organization

Nacie Carson — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 23:50:48 +0000

Would you consider yourself organized?

I don’t consider myself organized – well, at least not inherently. I have to work hard to find a place for everything and keep everything in its place. But what I find is that when I *do* focus on organization, other elements in my life – from my daily routine to my thought process and creativity – become much smoother.

I know that I am most productive when I feel I am organized – when the kitchen is clean, the laundry is folded, and the linen closet has some rhyme and reason to how things are arranged on the shelves. I also know that I am not alone in this sentiment…studies have shown there is a direct correlation between being well organized and the amount you are able to accomplish/concentrate on.

But did you know that being well organized can not only help you be productive, but it might also help you live longer?

That’s right – keeping that junk drawer a little tidier can help you add years onto your Uncommon Life. Dr. Howard Friedman of the U.C. Riverside campus published a study in 2008 that concluded organized people live an average of two to four years longer than their disorganized counterparts.

The study also showed that organized people tend to have better health habits, take less risks, have more stable jobs and marriages, and achieve more than those who are less organized.

Wow. Who would have thought keeping your shoes lined up on their shelves could be so powerful?

Of course, you don’t want to go to the other end of the organization spectrum and become OCD…but I think most of us could use a little more organization in our lives – and this research may just be the impetus you need to tackle that scary cluttered attic.

I know it got me up and sorting – this weekend I de-cluttered and super-organized my closets, junk drawers, kitchen cabinets – you name it, I organized it.

The result? A Sunday night of sitting back, relaxed on my couch ready for True Blood/Mad Men knowing that everything has a place and everything is in it’s place. And I have to say, that feels pretty darn good.

What are your thoughts on the value of organization – is the study legit, or just a bunch of Bologna?

Here’s to your Uncommon Life,

When Inspiration Strikes

Nacie Carson — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 00:40:46 +0000

When inspiration strikes, do you pay attention?

Sometimes, the roar of the world, our friends and family, even our own internal voices can drown out the bright ideas that come to us and can change our lives.

Think of some of the most important accomplishments of mankind: antibiotics, space travel, heck, even the self-flushing toilet…they all likely came into existence thanks to someone experiencing a flash of inspiration – what if there was something we could take to help our bodies ward off infection? What if man could fly like the angels? What if you could do your bathroom business without the extra, arduous step of needing to turn and flush?

The old stories goes that Sir Isaac Newton was inspired to the concept of gravity by an apple falling from a tree and knocking him on the head. Benjamin Franklin supposedly got the idea for electricity by flying a kite in some inclement weather, and Mr. Sherlock Holmes solved most of his investigations by sitting around smoking a pipe waiting for inspiration to hit him.

Yet in our busy, noisy, ten-things-at-once world, most of us don’t have the luxury to hang out for hours under orchard trees, fly a kite, or just sit around and enjoy nineteenth century tobacco. This just means we need to work harder to allow inspiration, the most incredible and fickle of muses, to show herself.

Inspiration can give you the jolt you need to figure out that next business venture, handle the personal issue you’ve been facing, or even open your eyes up to a whole new way of living.

So as we move through this week, I ask you this:

When was the last time you felt inspiration strike?

When did it happen? Where were you? How did you feel? Thinking about the last time you really felt inspired can help you prep yourself to be the happy recipient of another shot of inspiration.

Leave a comment and share the last time you experienced inspiration with your fellow Uncommoners!

Here’s to your Uncommon Life,

What If?

Nacie Carson — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 14:35:50 +0000

What if you had made a different choice than the one you made? What if things had never happened like that?

What if you had taken that job? Where might you be now?

What if you hadn’t married your wife, who might you be with?

What if you had done this differently, said that instead of what you said…what if those things out of your control had never happened to you?

Movies, books, music, and inconceivable amounts of hours of human thought have been spent on that one most painful thought – “What If Things Had Gone Differently?”

I get sucked into the trap of “What If?” all the time – I look back on life and in hindsight, with all my new knowledge and understanding, think about how I might do this or that differently and how that would change where I am today. If I had just thought about it like this, took advantage of that, avoided so-and-so, I wouldn’t be here – I might be somewhere more fabulous, more perfect, more ideal.

And that is why “What If” is the most painful of siren songs – it allows you to think that if things had been different, any and all problems, struggles, and issues you currently face would be magically wiped away and you’d be left with nothing but roses and champagne.

I recently had a discussion with someone I respect greatly where all they could think about was how if they had done things differently, the predicament they faced would be gone. It occurred to me that what they were ignoring, and what most people including myself do when they go down this horrible train of thought, is that had they made different choices, they wouldn’t be problem free – their set of problems would just be different.

No life is problem free – and if it is, you might as well be dead. A problem, a struggle, a skill to learn, a challenge to be overcome, is what fuels the human experience. While it might be tempting to imagine you had made different choices when you are in the middle of struggle, try to remember that different choices also come with their own issues, and they are the devil you don’t know.

What If is like a mirage in the middle of the desert. It is a bittersweet thought process that shines with all the potential and possibility you’ll never experience – providing an alternate path, an escape and maybe even an excuse (“If I had just won that scholarship, I would have achieved more”) while backhanding you with the absolute truth: we cannot go back, there is no redo for life, and even if we could go back there is no guarantee we would end up in any better or different place.

So all we can do is take a deep breath, square our shoulders forward, and try to right the wrongs and meet the challenges that are in front of us. And any anytime the “What If” siren starts to call, just tell it where to stick it…

Here’s to your Uncommon Life,

Going Off the Grid

Nacie Carson — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 20:12:21 +0000

Have you gone off the grid lately?

I have. And it has been quite an experience.

The past few weeks, I’ve been “off the grid” – what does that mean? It means I haven’t blogged, haven’t tweeted, haven’t Facebooked, YouTubed…in fact, I haven’t even been online that much.

You could say I’ve been on a technology fast.

For the past three years, my life day in and day out has been online. There wasn’t a single day that I didn’t touch my accounts and contacts online – and I can honestly say that: holidays, birthdays, “vacations,” – I logged in at least once a day every day for the past thousand days.

But something strange happened a few weeks ago – I woke up, went through my morning routine, and was about to open up my computer when I found myself stopped.

I just sat at my desk, staring at the laptop, trying to will myself to push the “On” button.

I struggled internally for a few minutes, when I suddenly realized something strange: I needed a break from the internet.

The next day, I woke up and felt the same. And the day after, and the day after. So I decided to listen to my heart and allow myself to stay offline until I was ready to plug back in.

Lessons Learned Off The Grid

Being literally and figuratively out of the loop for almost three weeks is a scary prospect. As an internet based business woman and someone who just likes to be a part of what’s going on, there were days when I felt a queasy feeling in my stomach, thinking that when I plugged back in no one would remember my name.

But the truth is, none of the major tragedies that I had worried about occurred. Blog traffic remained surprisingly high and steady, twitter followers continued to slowly and steadily increase, and my reputation did not crumble.

How many of you feel the same types of fears? We get so entrenched in our online lives and start to confuse important, necessary work with busy, “makes me feel important” work.

I found that I have cut out a lot of my offline self because my online self has taken center stage. So here’ the question:

Have You Forgotten How To Live Offline?

Have you forgotten the personal development value of disconnecting from the technology and reconnecting with other things, like friends, family, nature, and self? Have you forgotten the simple joy of going for a walk, shopping without the Blackberry blinking non-stop, or just reading a book?

While for us in the internet generation the idea is scary, the moral of the story is clear: Sometimes, unplugging, going off the grid, and stepping away from the keyboard for a good chuck of time is good and healthy. Listen to your heart and your mind, and try to listen to the signals.

If you don’t think you’d be able to step away for a few weeks at a time, try these tricks to get the space you need in smaller doses:

Have one computer-free day each week (don’t turn it on, don’t check email)
Pick a specific start and end time for your day and stick too it
Shut your computer off at night
Keep your computer in an office room or spare bedroom, don’t keep it in a high-traffic family space or your bedroom
Work on developing work relationships offline – get together with your online contacts, call them on the phone, or write an old-fashioned letter

Remember that living Uncommonly is about chasing our dreams, both on and offline.

Here’s to your Uncommon Life,

The Continual Pursuit for Personal Liberty

Nacie Carson — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 13:12:09 +0000

There are several occasions throughout the calendar year that lead to serious feelings of gratefulness and reflection – as an American, the 4th of July is one of those holidays.

Since starting my own Uncommon Life, the 4th of July has caused me to feel intensely grateful for the fact that I live in a country where it is acceptable to decide on my own what I want to do with my life and then have the freedom to go out and do it. I recognize that many people around the world, especially women, do not have this luxury.

Yet this time around, I found myself caught up in a new train of thought – that personal liberty is not just a gift that has been given, but a responsibility placed on our shoulders that requires constant consciousness and maintenance – and this fact is reflected every day in our Uncommon Lives.

While we may succeed in freeing ourselves from one oppressive force – say a job we dislike or a lifestyle that doesn’t have meaning for us – we are not finished in our pursuit of freedom. There will be another thing, and then another thing, and then another throughout our lives that threatens our freedom.

Maybe it will be an oppressive relationship, romantic or otherwise, maybe it will be a habit that makes us feel trapped. Maybe it will be a part of ourselves we need to face and conquer, or a situation that needs to be addressed.

It could be one of a million things.

The bottom line: Our pursuit for liberty in our Uncommon Lives is a continual endeavor – it is not a one time accomplishment.

It is easy to become complacent and passive, even for those who endeavor to live proactively. Sometimes I wake up feeling put down, belittled, or conquered by an element in my life and realize that I have gotten a little lazy in my pursuit of happiness and fulfillment and have let something take a part of my personal freedom.

What then has to happen is I need to find the root source of the oppression and work to declare my independence and make the change.

As we move into the second half of 2010, I’d like you to take a minute to reflect on what is oppressing you in your own life. Personal liberty is one of those pesky life elements that is a journey, not a destination – but it is a crucial part of your Uncommon Life, whether you’re an American, a Brazilian, or a Zimbabwean.

Real liberty always starts within.

Here’s to your Uncommon Life,

5 Creative Ways to Get Unstuck

Nacie Carson — Fri, 07 May 2010 13:40:36 +0000

By Brandi-Ann Uyemura

(Want to guest post at TLU? contact me!)

Sometimes in the process to live a more authentic life, we can feel stuck. Writers are not the only ones who get blocked. When you’re on a mission to go from a to where you want to be, the road can feel long and overwhelming. The good news is that there are things you can do to get unblocked. In fact, there are five.

Here’s what you can do now to get unstuck and get back on your path to inspired living:

Revisit what your passions are. On the road to success, sometimes we lose sight of why we began this journey. Spend an hour a week refocusing your attention on your passion. Whether it’s writing for magazines, working for an eco-friendly organization or volunteering at your local shelter, remember to devote time to it. Not spending enough time and energy cultivating your passions could be the reason why you’re feeling stuck in the first place.
Play. “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” And it will do the same to you. As children, our full-time job was to play. But playing isn’t just for kids. It’s just as important to adults too. Make time to do something completely unrelated to your job and be as silly and as non-serious as you can be.
Learn something new. Walk the same path every day, eat the same lunch, write the same stuff and you’re bound to get bombarded with boredom. Change things up a bit and you may find a solution to the problem that’s got you stuck. Taking a foreign language class, for example, could spark a new idea on international communications for a potential magazine article.
Take a risk. You don’t have to go mountain climbing or skydiving to reap the rewards of risk-taking. You just have to do something that makes your heart skip a beat and your palms sweat. Join toastmasters or take a trip to a country you’ve always wanted to travel to. When we risk big, we often gain unexpected gifts in return.
Take a small step in the right direction. Fear often paralyzes us. You may be feeling stuck because there’s something you really want to do, but are too scared to do it. If you’re dying to write a book or run a marathon, for example, forget about the end result. Instead focus on the baby steps you can do today. A small step every day will give you the confidence to keep going and the best part? Keep it up and eventually you’ll get to your goal!

Brandi-Ann Uyemura is a freelance writer who writes for newspapers, magazines and websites. She also helps inspire others to follow their dreams on her blog 2inspired. You can follow her on Twitter.

Fighting Fear: Life is the Present

Nacie Carson — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 13:51:13 +0000

If you are anything like me, sometimes you just feel overwhelmed about making things happen.

As Uncommoners, it is our responsibility to take what we have in front of us and shape it into something distinct, unique, and meaningful – but as exciting as a task as this is, it is also incredibly daunting. After all, we might shape it into something wrong, or not do what we should have done, and then be unhappy and….STOP!

That train of thought can just get to you – and it gets to me too.

There are so many things that can distract us from our goals and make us feel we are less than capable of achieving them. I find the two biggest things aren’t things at all – they’re spaces in time: the past and the future. Let’s take a look at both and how to handle the affect they can have on the only thing the matters: the present.

The Past

All of us have one, and all of us are often reminded of it every day, be it good or bad. Our past stares back at our reflections in the mirror, it hangs in our closets, and surrounds us in the form of furniture, people, and stuff. Everything we have surrounding us now, but physical and intangible, were put their in the past – be it the immediate past (2 seconds ago), or the more distant past (2 months ago, two years ago).

Sometimes the past can prove to be a huge hindrance to our ability to get where we want to go for several reasons:

We have seen choice – consequence pairs in the past and are afraid to repeat them
We have acted in certain ways in the past or felt certain ways and are afraid to change or continue them
We see other people’s pasts in relationship to their present and are afraid to emulate them

As a trained historian, I have been conditioned to see the past as a valuable piece of the puzzle to understand what might happen in the future. But the more I live life, the more I see the past as simply a closed book of dids and didn’ts that don’t need to direct the dos and don’ts of today.

We can learn from the past, we can appreciate the past, but the past is over and needs to largely be let go. If you are finding it tough to act on the things that are important to you in the present, I want you to take some time and sit down with yourself to go through your past. Consciously pull out the parts that were happy, insightful, integral to who you are, and then kiss the rest goodbye and it go.

Happiness lies in the present, not in the past.

The Future

The future is an inspiring and amazing concept: it will become anything we make it, and lies open and waiting for someone to paint their dreams on it.

At the same time, the future can loom before us like an axe waiting to fall and a mess of probabilities that can scare the living daylights out of you. This is where I often seize up.

If you make the wrong choices in the present, doesn’t that mean that the future will be ruined? After all, you have to live with the consequences of today, right? Furthermore, there are infinite number of ways anything can work out, and even though you can plan things to go a certain way that doesn’t mean they will – in fact, they will probably go a way you never expected, right?

Sheesh! When my mind starts down this train of thought, I know it’s time to just relax and take a chill pill.

It’s true the future stretches out before us unknown and full of potential, and it is true that this potential is infinite. But what is the future really? How far in the future are you thinking? One day, one month, one year, one decade?

The big future, many years from now, is scary. But the immediate future, like tomorrow and the day after tomorrow, are more manageable because you have more control over them. The big future is full of unknown variables, but the immediate future can almost be tasted it’s so close.

Take a minute to appreciate the big picture every now and then so you can stay on course, but spend your time focusing on the immediate future – the journey of 1,000 miles begins with a single step, not gazing in fear at all 1,000 miles.

Which is more daunting to you, the past or the future?

Here’s to your Uncommon Life,

Overcoming Obstacles with “What Next?”

Nacie Carson — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 15:16:35 +0000

When it comes to fulfilling your dreams, have you ever felt like you hit a wall?

You know that feeling: everything is plodding along just fine and dandy until something comes up that seems like a game ender. The project stalls, no one buys your product, a recession strikes and wipes out your “get out of this hell-hole job” fund, key people you were coordinating with lose interest or pull out. It happens all the time, every day – in fact, it is probably happening to someone right now.

These moments are never good. They are what you dread when you set out to make something happen, and feel like a punch in the gut when they materialize.

But there is one simple trick you can use to overcome any obstacle to getting what you want and pursuing your dreams: it’s called the What Next? Mantra.

The Philosophy

Do you understand the power the phrase, What Next? has? It is a tool that the strong utilize constantly and the weak are scared of. It asks a simple question, not only to yourself but to those around you and the universe at large. It is a phrase of defiance, consistency, and determination.

What Next? is the antithesis of giving in.

When you ask What Next?, you are refusing to quit. You are saying, “OK, this is the outcome as it stand now, but where do we go from here?” You are telling the world – and yourself – that you will not accept the situation as it stands now and will find a way to make the best of it.

I want you to think about every time someone has told you “no” regarding something you wanted or worked for. Maybe it was that promotion, maybe it was a person you asked out on a date, or maybe it was just your parents refusing to give you that puppy. How did you feel? Chances are you felt defeated, disappointed, and ready to throw in the towel on that desire.

Now I want you to imagine that situation but picture yourself asking What Next? after you get the rejection – how does that change the story? Maybe you brainstorm another way of coming at the problem, maybe you switch gears and focus on achieving a similar goal. The bottom line? You push forward.

The Value

The benefit of the What Next? mantra is that it keeps you moving forward. No matter what rejection or obstacles get put in your way you just keep on going. If someone puts a wall in front of you, What Next? is the same thing as crawling over the wall, under the wall, going around it, or building a door in the middle. It means you will get to the other side, and no one can stop you.

It is the indestructible spirit.

When you approach life with a What Next? attitude, you are embracing proactivity. You are not going to let anything stop you getting where you want to go. It is a creative, determined, and joyful response to those things in life that are less that ideal.

So, What Next?

If you have a problem in your life right now that you feel has hit a wall, I want you to sit down and repeat What Next? over in your mind until you find yourself trying to answer the question. Maybe you’ve been trying to lose weight and have hit a plateau. Maybe you have been trying to make an idea work that just isn’t getting off the ground. Maybe you have a relationship that is going no where.

Whatever it is, ask yourself What Next? Say it out loud to yourself, say it to your friends, put it out there in the universe.

What Next? is an ideal response to life’s obstacles because of one simple principle: ask, and you shall receive.

So, What Next?

Here’s to your Uncommon Life,

*Don’t forget to sign up for the new and improved – and free! – TLU newsletter by clicking here or enrolling below:

Lessons from a Dirty Kitchen

Nacie Carson — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 19:22:47 +0000

Good afternoon, friends and Uncommoners! It’s a new week in a new month, and there is potential for success everywhere!

Before I get into today’s topic, I want to let you know that The Life Uncommon Affiliate Program is live and ready to go! I hope you’ll take a minute to go check it out!

Now…on with the business of the day!

Yesterday, I woke up and stumbled into the kitchen to fix some coffee. Half-awake, with my eyelids drooping, I turned on the sink to fill up the little carafe and suddenly heard a jolting (and eye opening!) crash: a stack of dirty dishes that had piled up in the sink had toppled over, spilling dirty water across the counter and down the cabinet front. Jumping back to avoid the dish water landing on my bare feet, I suddenly noticed that the sink wasn’t the only problem: the entire kitchen was a mess.

Sure, I’ve been busy the past few days, and yes, a little stressed, but until that moment I had been completely unaware of the mess that had been growing around me. Dishes were piled everywhere, even on the counter. Used forks were sitting next to the stove top, cabinet doors were hanging slightly open, and plastic wrappers and Tupperware containers were strew about like used confetti. And all this didn’t even include the mess of papers, magazines, and other sundries that covered the table…

Fully awake now, I stood helplessly in the middle of the kitchen with my empty coffee carafe in hand thinking How did it get this bad, and how will I ever clean it up – where do I start?

After several dazed moments, I turned the coffee on, rolled up my sleeves, and pulled on the yellow rubber gloves – there was nothing else to do but just get down to it.

Mid-clean, I found myself thinking about how many problems in life are just like my messy (and embarrassing) kitchen. The slowly grow around you while your mind is on other things, until they become so big you just can’t ignore them anymore. But once you get to that point, it seems impossible to start fixing them – the problem is just too overwhelming.

How many of you have found yourself in the middle of a problem like that? That, once you realize its full magnitude, seems completely unfixable?

I can think of hundreds of situations that feel like that – debt, weight gain, health management, parenting, money management, business development…the list goes on and on.

But what I really appreciated as I stood there swishing warm water over sauce stains and scrubbing counter tops is that there are very few things in life that can’t be fixed with dedication and a little bit of elbow grease.

In order to clean my kitchen, several things needed to happen:

I needed to see and understand that my kitchen was dirty
I needed to commit to cleaning it
I needed to finish the job

The end result of following these steps was a kitchen that sparkled like it had when new – no long term damage done, just a few minutes sacrificed on a bright, sunny Sunday morning. Sure, not every mess is as easily cleaned up (don’t you wish they had emotional Lysol?), but more messes than we think can be fixed with just determination and elbow grease, and there are very few things in this world that are not repairable – credit scores, reputations, even hearts can be cleaned up to look like new if the right care and “cleaning products” are used.

As we look toward this new week, can you identify any areas in your life where you are starting to notice a figurative “dirty kitchen”?

Here’s to your Uncommon Life,

*Don’t forget to sign up for the new and improved – and free! – TLU newsletter by clicking here or enrolling below:

Understanding The Importance of Today

Nacie Carson — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 13:56:22 +0000

Do you know what today is?

Sure, it’s Wednesday. And yup, it’s March 31. But this isn’t what I mean.

Today is the first day of the rest of your life.

I’m sure you’ve heard people say that before – it’s cliche. But like most cliches, it comes from a place of powerful truth.

Everything that has happened before today, before this moment, is history. You can’t change it anymore than you can reorganize the stars in the sky. What you did, what you didn’t do, what you felt, thought, believed, wanted, dreamed, hated, and imagined about your life before today is irrelevant. All that matters now is how you take the next step forward today.

If you think that today is the first day of the rest of your life, and really believe it, then you have a beautiful gift in front of you: you have the power to shape exactly what the rest of your life looks like.

How often have you wanted to do something – whether it was a major life change like quit that job you hate, or just something small like starting to exercise more – and watched today just slip away. “Oh, I’ll do that tomorrow,” or “Well, now is not a good time – maybe next week, next month, or next year.”

You wait for a good time, for the stars to align perfectly, for the universe to give you the green light that says, “Come on and do this, there is no risk, I guarantee it will all work out!”

And guess what – that will never come, no matter how many ducks you have in a row or how perfectly you plan things.

That is the nature of life. There are so many moving parts, most of which are out of your control, that shift and change on a daily basis. If you wait for them all to behave you will be waiting forever.

I recently heard from a friend of mine who was unhappy in her job. “I kept waiting to put in my notice for the right time at the workplace,” she told me. She was concerned about leaving her team short staffed, inconveniencing her managers, and causing a massive disruption that she had decided she would wait for the ideal time – when everything was running smoothly – to quit. Guess what – after months and months of waiting that time never materialized.

“It got to a point where I realized there would never be an ideal time to go, and the more I waited for “the perfect” time to show up the more I was wasting precious time in my own life.” So she finally put in her notice, left the company, and found that the sky didn’t fall on either her or her old team.

Now it’s true that some times may be better than others, but remember that no time will be perfect to start doing what you want to do or being who you want to be. The world and most of the people in it aren’t sitting around every day wondering how they can help you accomplish your goals – they are busy living their own lives and trying figure things out for themselves. If you want to accomplish anything, you need to start those wheels yourself.

So I ask you, my dear friend and Uncommoner: since today is the first day of the rest of your life, what do you want the rest of your life to look like?

Here’s to your Uncommon Life,

*Don’t forget to sign up for the new and improved – and free! – TLU newsletter by clicking here or enrolling below: