Have you ever had such an amazing life experience that you thought you were going to need someone to pinch you to make sure it was all real?  Well, that has essentially been my story over the past 10 months!  It all started with my intention to transition from my corporate role to start my own leadership and personal development company, AMO Consulting. It’s been a wild ride full of crazy learning experiences with a lot of cool perks along the way that I’ll definitely share in a future post!  But the biggest lesson I learned is that every crazy learning experience was worth it to be able to experience what you see in the pic…me capturing the view of the ocean from my new dream home in Puerto Rico! 

In June 2013, I set my intentions on starting my business. In September 2013, I set my intentions on moving to my dream location of Puerto Rico. And on April 1st, 2014, I was able to take this picture to show that my dream was no longer just a dream!   

I don’t know if you’re catching the key theme here, but my successes didn’t just appear in my life!  My successes came from developing an intentional mindset and lifestyle that as I’ve found out…really does WORK!  While I’ve learned so many things in preparing for the last 10 months and then living them…here are five steps to ensure you live the life you want instead of living the type of life you desire to change. 

5 Steps to Intentional Living:

1. Get clear!! Take the time to really think through the type of life you want. Look ahead a few years. In 2018, what does your IDEAL life look like? Your work - are you at the same job, your relationships – are they better or worse, your finances, your fun, your health, your spirituality?  Take some dedicated time to think and write these things down.
2. After you have these things in mind, pick one area. Choose one that you feel realistic about improving upon in the near future. If you try to work on them all now, you may not hit any and give up.  Eventually, you may be able to work on a few at once but it will take time to get used to the practice. 
3. Write down where you want to be with that area in three months. We are starting small at first. I want you to get a win under your belt, so you see what you can do! Then create an action plan, complete with dates on the calendar and steps you will take along the way over the next three months.
4. Get started! Take the first steps. Then start a journal.  Write about what you are doing and keep track of ALL your accomplishments, even the little ones that seem trivial.  Remain positive! Write in your journal all the reasons why this is important to you and you’re not going to fail, but will make it happen. Remind yourself often and celebrate the little wins along the way. 
5. Don’t do it alone.  I wish I could take all the credit for the milestones and successes I’ve had over the last couple of years, but I can’t!  I have coaches helping me every step of the way.  Could you do it by yourself…of course! Or can you get there much quicker with greater clarity like I did with my coach…MOST DEFINITELY!  And I would love to work with you!  

I’ve shared with you my dreams of starting my own business and moving to Puerto Rico, and that is just the beginning for me.  So, what’s your dream?  What is it that you feel born to do?  Share in the comments, or shoot me an email.  My passion and experience is helping others in their personal and leadership development.  If you are like me, and know that you need coaching and mentoring for the journey ahead let’s stay connected through...  

• Free information and resources on the blog 
• Group programs 
• Or if your prefer to work 1:1, email me for a complimentary 30 minute coaching session

I look forward to hearing from you and helping you to take the right steps, develop an intentional lifestyle, and create the future you want.

Dream big! 
Anna 

Doing something new and different is hard. Whether it is changing careers after 15 years, starting a family, or quitting a steady job to start your own business or become a surfer in Costa Rica, it all takes courage, vulnerability, maybe a little bit of crazy and a lot of determination. But many times the risk and the cost to take those first steps toward your dream is so worth it when you look back at the end of your first year and think, man I am so glad I did this because the sleepless nights are worth it every time I see that baby smile, or work doesn't even feel like work anymore. Following your passion can be scary and risky and difficult but it is worth it! 

When I coach people, one of the things I hear myself saying over and over is, nobody wants to be or should be miserable at work, so figure out what you love and do that. People usually then tell me many excuses or reasons why they can't. But after we work though some of those "reasons", what it boils down to at the core usually is FEAR. 

We are afraid of what people will think of us, we are afraid of not making ends meet, we are afraid of failing and countless other things. In order to get over those fears, we need to develop the courage to look deep into ourselves and see what the source of the fear truly is, and then identify what the worst case scenarios might be. Really think through those what ifs. And most of the times, they then figure out the what ifs can be overcome, they aren't as devastating as we thought they might be. 

My twitter friend Jon Acuff has a new book that just came out called Start. One of the tag lines is "punch fear in the face." How awesome is that?! I absolutely love this line and I love saying it to people. Watch the video below and think about what you want to start. If you want to take the concept further you can attend the Start Conference in Nashville this September. 

Happy starting,
Anna