“Your mind is for having ideas, not holding them.” David Allen
One of the best things that I did as an employee for the federal government was to apply for the ICE mentoring program. I was in my 11th year as an attorney with the agency and along with the plethora of emails, one popped up in my inbox that was inconspicuous as to the gold it would hold for me. Having set out at this point in my career to open up my world to possibilities beyond what the lack of leadership in my field office would have us believe existed, curious, I applied. And as a result, not only did I experience a great mentor, now lucky to call a friend, I was guided to set out a strategic direction, or a Mentoring Action Plan, to become the leader in my field that I am today.
One of the benefits of this mentoring program was the opportunity to attend the David Allen’s Getting Things Done workshop in New York City. For all of you over achievers, multi-taskers and the like, this three day workshop and certification was just the thing I needed to get organized, set my priorities out and alleviate stressful chaos from blocking a clear path to achieved goals.
One of my favorite activities learned was the Monday morning “Mind Dump”. The idea behind this was to empower yourself by getting things out of your head and on to the paper. I found that when I took just a moment, 10 minutes tops, to put pen to paper and dump out from my head, everything including the kitchen sink (especially if it needs to be fixed) in front of me, the worry dissipated as I captured all things and no longer concerned myself with what was missing. Like the industrious professionals that we all strive to be, it just what was called for to declutter the mind and focus positive energy on my priorities feeling more in control of the path toward my dreams.
I think this is where you begin to make your own luck. When you are feeling out of control and all over the place because there is too much going on in your head, make your list and start getting things done. The world is constantly attempting to communicate with us, when there is too much noise going on from within, it makes it that much more difficult to hear. When you clear out the noise, instead of missing out, you get those important intuitive hits or messages that will make your journey that much easier.
So dump away, get clear. If you find it difficult to sit still, allow for at least 10 more minutes to meditate before doing this incredible exercise and breathe into this profound moment of inspiration so that you can soar above and look at the bigger picture.
And at the end of making your first list, take a deep breath again because now the fun begins. Not only do you get an endorphin kick when you check off each one as you go, but you make room in your life as the “busyness” falls away and the magic begins to happen. And from that place, you will find peace, manifest abundance, and go forth in prosperity. A pretty amazing lesson to learn from saying YES to your enlightened path!