5 Minutes of Awesome: Recent Episodes
April Flaten
Join me for 5 minutes of inspiration, motivation, getting out of your own way and taking action! What can you do in 5 minutes?
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Giving yourself permission is about allowing yourself to take control of your own actions. It has nothing to do with the result or the outcome of what you choose to do. It does mean that you can get out there and give it a try and see what happens. It’s about remembering the things that you have always wanted to do and allowing yourself to do them for any reason.
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Your action step today is to make a plan. Whatever you have in front of you, for your week or your month or your quarter, take an extra 5 minutes to make a plan for yourself. You can make any kind of plan you want. I personally like to write out my “I get to” list, and look at my calendar. You can get out sticky notes and color code your plan. You could brain dump everything out onto a napkin and leave it on your kitchen table to review at breakfast tomorrow. Get a little creative and remember to evaluate your plan to make sure that it is continuing to work for you. The most helpful thing that I have found when it comes to creating a plan is to write it down first. Any further organization after that is much easier once you have it all visible and in front of you.
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What are we taught about what failure means? Is failure something you’ve been taught to avoid? What stories have you told yourself about your own failures? What power does failure have over you? Could you learn to welcome failure? Could you understand how failure fits into your process of achieving a goal? Could you learn how failure is beneficial to creating? Tune in to learn about different ways to make your failures work for you!
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Time for a simple message today. Breath. Slow down. And breathe again. Yes, most of the time during a 5 minute fuck yeah I am talking about getting excited and inspired, which are often high energy things! And normally I am rearing to get you pumped up to get out and crush it!
Today I want to go in a different direction. I know that I regularly find myself going too fast. This comes in the form of racing thoughts, or too many ideas or wanting to do everything right now and not knowing where to start. I am here to say that the act of slowing down can add good things to your life. Listen and enjoy!
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So we are on part 3 of 3 of our conversation about confidence. It is time to start looking at some more action steps that you can take to build and cultivate your confidence. Before we get into these action steps I want to make a specific distinction between confidence and arrogance. I have heard this many times, and honestly I’ve said this to myself as well. And that is, “I don’t want to be cocky” or “I don’t want to be arrogant.” Fair enough and now that we know what we don’t want, let’s get more specific and define what you do want to be.
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What is in the way of you finding your own confidence? Let’s start here. First of all, one way to look at confidence is your ability to see yourself clearly or to believe in yourself and your capabilities.
On that note my question to you is… Can you see yourself clearly? At some point in time, did you stop seeing the qualities and characteristics in yourself that you are proud of? Or maybe you could see the awesome things that you were doing, but other people couldn’t see them. This, of course, is not a reflection on what you are doing, but an example of how others weren't ready to see your awesomeness. BUT then you started to believe that because someone else couldn’t see your awesomeness, that meant that your awesomeness didn’t exist.
Well I’m here to tell you, your awesomeness does exist and it’s up to you to find it, see it and acknowledge it!
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Let’s get excited about confidence! What does it mean to be confident? How can we cultivate and practice confidence? I, of course, have a few ideas I’d like to share. And I encourage you to start by sitting down and defining what confidence means to you. When you think of a confident person, what do you think of? What are they doing? What is their demeanor? How do they present themselves? What did they do “behind the scenes” to become confident? If you start here and go no further, you are already off to a great start in cultivating your own confidence!
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Why do we think we need to feel ready before we do certain things? I mean if it is something like driving a car or performing brain surgery, then I get it, you want to feel ready for those tasks! But what if it is taking action towards your health or your career or one of those goals you have been meaning to get to? Are you telling yourself you need to be and feel ready before you go take action on ANYTHING? Let’s dive into this a little more and see what it means to be ready!
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Stop "shoulding" all over yourself! For today's You Got 5 Minutes episode, let's talk about what happens when we use the word SHOULD. Personally I have noticed a number of things when I use this this word, including, shame and guilt, a feeling of pressure and even an indication of a goal or desire that I have neglected. For the longest time, I didn't realize that I was doing these things to myself when I would say things like
"I should be stronger than that by now."
"I should be doing what they are doing."
"I should have started earlier."
"I shouldn’t have eaten that."
. First I had to be come aware of when I was using the word SHOULD the most and pay attention to the emotions that accompanied it. Then I learned how to refocus on myself, my goals and my actions! Listen in to learn more about cleaning up your "shoulds" and shifting your mindset forward!
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Today it's story time! I recently came to a couple realizations! One was “I can do all the things” and the second was “It feels really good to run my own race at my own pace.” In other words, I realized that I am in exactly the place that I need to be and I get to choose what I do next! Now coming to the realizations is one thing. Letting those realizations sink in enough to implement them into my life is another. And for today's 5 Minute F*ck Yeah, I simply want to share my story about what happened for me when my realizations sunk in. If you like this episode, please check out a complimentary story I shared on my Buy Me A Coffee page called "Definition of a Spell." Thanks for tuning in!
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In the context of taking action on anything, a personal project, your business, your health… anything, here are some guiding questions and thoughts.
- What are the things that have worked really well for you? NO MATTER what anyone else has said.
- What is not working well for you?
- What have you learned from the ways that are not working for you?
- What would you like to try and see if it works well for you?
- How can you implement and take action in the way that works best for you?
- Check in with your energy, what would feel best to get done first, even if it’s not the most important thing. Maybe it would feel good to do some simple things first, and gather some momentum and motivation for the bigger more important things on your list! Or make it random and fun!
YOU get to choose how you get things done! YOU get to make up your own rules!
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If you haven't listened to the Comparisons Part 1 Episode go back and check it out. It is all about comparing yourself to others and exploring the effect that has on you. Today let’s look at another comparison. This one is about you comparing yourself to who you used to be. These are the thoughts that sound like…
I used to be stronger when I was in college
I used to be so consistent with my habits.
Back then I was better at getting back on track.
These comparisons can take you out of your present moment and often cause you to focus on what you are “NOT” doing. If all you can see is “I am not fill in the blank,” then it is going to be hard to see what is in front of you. It’s going to be hard to see your current situation. It is going to be hard to see the things that you can create.
So the next time that you find yourself yearning to be the person you used to be, stop and take a breath. Here are a couple prompts to reflect on.
What did you like about the person you used to be and how can you implement those qualities or habits back into your life?
What do I currently want in my life and how can I set goals and make a plan to achieve that again?
All in all, the right mix of gratitude and goal setting is a great place to start the next time you compare yourself to the person you were at any point in the past!
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Today I have a really simple message.
"I believe in you"
What ever you choose to do. What ever you want in your life. I believe that you can find, create, build, achieve and otherwise receive that thing. And I can tell you all day long that I believe in you. And my question for you as you move forward into your next day, week, month, year, or chapter of life is...
How can you start believing in yourself? Find the times that you were successful. Find the times that you surprised yourself with you own capabilities. Think about something that you do believe in and apply those same principles and ideas to your belief in yourself.
One more time for those in the back.
I Believe in You. And how can you believe in you too?
Listen in for more on believing in yourself!
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For all the ambitious people out there. For the over-thinkers who want to make progress but are feeling stuck. For the people who get really excited but never know where to start. Let’s start simple, set some goals and get organized! There are so many reasons that we can set goals. Here is the thing tho… the goal setting step is step one. So let’s get this first step done really well so we can build plans and habits and crush those goals!
So if you like the “SMART” goal setting process, great go use it, I support you in that! The best thing you can do for your goals is get them written down and using the “SMART” goal setting process is one way to do that. One of the reasons it didn’t work for me is because none of those letters helped me make a plan for getting to my goal. So however you choose to set the goal, make sure you include making a plan for it as part of that goal setting process.
Listen in for more on why writing down your goals is important!
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Ever compare yourself to someone else? Of course you have, you’re a human being! It can be so easy to look at someone else who is in a different place than you and say something like
“I could never do what they are doing.”
“I’m not as strong as they are.”
“I wish I was as smart as they are.”
Listen, comparisons are useful when we are deciding what new shoe to buy or which TV show to watch. What is actually happening when you compare yourself to another human being?
Think of it as straying down a path that isn’t yours. Or letting looking thru binoculars at one thing off in the distance while blocking out all the things that are right in front of you. Is this really helping you with your goals or desires?
Let’s look a little closer at the words and language that we use when we compare ourselves to other people and understand the effect that it is having on us. Listen in for a practical exploration into what happens when we compare ourselves to others and what we can do about it!
Thanks for listening! I invite you to connect with me if you have questions or topic suggestions! Please subscribe and share whenever you hear something that resonates with you!
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Are you using your imagination for good or for evil? Are you letting your imagination get the best of you and create worlds of worry and worst case scenarios? Do you realize that you did almost the same thing when you were a kid and you were imagining fantastical worlds filled with dragons?
One of the most wonderful tools you have is your imagination! I remember imagining that I could become magical if I got rays of light to hit me in just the right way! And now as an adult, I have learned to use my imagination to see best case scenarios in my mind for everything from my daily activities to my goals! I’ll say this as well, learning how to use my imagination in this way as an adult was a skill I had to develop. It took understanding more about how I think, I literally had to think about my thinking. Now it is one of the most motivating tools I have in my tool box as a coach, a human, and an entrepreneur.
So next time you hear yourself say… “what if everything goes wrong today…” remember… that is your imagination running amuck! Switch it up and imagine a best case scenario instead.
Thanks for listening! I invite you to connect with me if you have questions or topic suggestions! Please subscribe and share whenever you hear something that resonates with you!
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To do lists don't have to suck. What if it felt a little easier to take action on your “to do” list? What if you felt less pressure to get it all done when you look at your to do list. What if you didn’t feel overwhelmed by the tasks that are in front of you? Let’s take a moment to look closer at your “to do” List and see how we could change our perspective about it simply by changing the title of the list!
Now I am the kind of person that has a bunch of projects and ideas running through my head all the time. So the energy it takes for me to remember all of them and my next steps is overwhelming. And of course this is why making a list is important for me. I can get everything out of my head, look at it objectively and make a plan.
However, when I just write things down in list form, I look at it and I get bored and overwhelmed at the same time. Bleh! 🙁 So instead I made a simple shift by changing the title of this list. I now call it my “I get to” list and I write out each thing on my list with the words “I get to” in front of it! Now this list has the same energy as all the things that I love doing!
The other thing I love about my “I get to” list is that now it feels like I have more control over it than I did over the “to do” list. Truthfully, I have the same control over both lists. However, the change that I feel when I say to myself “I get to follow up with leads” is empowerment and choice rather than pressure and overwhelm. When I give myself the choice and the permission to do these things, I feel in control of my life!
And start by keeping it simple! Pick 3 things on that list, write out “I get to” 3 times and fill in those sentences. Then get to it!
Thanks for listening! I invite you to connect with me if you have questions or topic suggestions! Please subscribe and share whenever you hear something that resonates with you!
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The fear of the unknown is something that we have all faced. When all you can think to your self is…
“I don’t know what is going to happen next”
“I don’t know what I want”
“I can’t figure this out”
...we learn how truly out of control we truly are. It is a scary feeling. It takes us out of the present moment and into worst case scenarios. It leaves us frustrated and begging for some semblance of clarity, because everything in front of us appears fuzzy and dark. Please understand that whenever I say “we” and “us” I am absolutely including myself in these feelings and experiences as well.
Ok so, in these instances when we learn exactly how non-psychic we are, what are we supposed to do? One thing I have learned recently is to pay attention to the thoughts in my head when uncertainty rears its cunning head. And damn, does it take practice!
Tune in to this episode and enjoy my story about that time when I went to the grocery store without a plan or a list. Guess who has 2 thumbs and ran around the store for way too long getting frustrated about how uncertain I was about what I wanted to buy and eat! This kid! And of course stay tuned for how I became aware of the thoughts in my head and made a simple change in my language that helped me find clarity and certainty.
Long story short, when uncertainty and the fear of the unknown show up in your life, how can you re-focus on the things you do know? How can you shift your mindset to see the things that are in front of you right now? How can your reflect and look inward and remember who you truly are? Take a moment to do some goal setting or celebrate some wins or take stock of all the work you have done to get to where you are right now. While you may not know what is coming up next for you, you absolutely can enjoy and appreciate what is in front of you right now!
Thanks for listening! I invite you to connect with me if you have questions or topic suggestions! Please subscribe and share whenever you hear something that resonates with you!
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A simple message to start at the top for you listener “Go do the thing!” What ever it is, stop thinking and start acting. Action dispels overwhelm. Get out there and fail a little bit. Make some mistakes. Learn and move forward!
The second message for you today is “Get excited!”
If you can let yourself be upset about things that don’t matter in the grand scheme of things, can you also take simple things and get excited about them? Like… “OMG Hell yeah it’s time to do laundry!!!!” And who told you chores have to be boring? Who told you that doing your taxes sucks? The phrases “that’s boring” or “this is going to suck” are judgements, interpretations and opinions that we put on things. Guess what, you can make a different judgment. You can change your opinion about something… just by changing your opinion.
So, what would happen if you took small simple aspects of your life and got really excited about them? And you can look at it 2 different ways. #1 What things am I less excited about and how could I inject some awesomeness into them? #2 What things do I already love and how could I amplify those things to make them even better?
Thanks for listening! I invite you to connect with me if you have questions or topic suggestions! Please subscribe and share whenever you hear something that resonates with you!
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Feeling stuck with a problem...
Having trouble moving forward...
Feeling like you have no choice or like you are out of options...
I am here to tell you that you truly have so many more options than you think that you do. But are you so focused on your problem or your stuckness that you cannot see any options AKA solutions?
Your action step today is to do some options work! This simple step is going to take you out of your problem focused mindset and into a solutions focused mindset. The first step is to write down what your problem is! Once it is on paper and out of your head, now you have the brain space to think about all the options you have to solve this problem!
Get creative, use your imagination. Try to come up with outrageous and silly options! Even if they are not completely practical, maybe they will spark an idea for another option! And remember you ALWAYS have the option to do NOTHING!
Thanks for listening! I invite you to connect with me if you have questions or topic suggestions! Please subscribe and share whenever you hear something that resonates with you!
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For todays “You Got 5 Minutes” let’s talk about one of the things that can derail your goals! Are you putting conditions on your goals or your action steps? For example, I have to do “X” before I can do “Y”. If you are waiting to figure out “X” before you even start thinking about “Y” then you may be waiting unnecessarily, which could also lead to frustration and giving up. I know it’s happened to me before! Instead of thinking of these 2 things as being in 2 separate camps, let’s look for a mindset shift. What if these 2 things are 2 parts of the same pie? WHAT IF you could do some version of “X” while you are working on “Y”?
Here is a more specific example
“I have to lose weight before I can start running.”
In this case, the condition is that losing weight is a prerequisite for starting to run. And I am here to remind you that you truly have so many options in front of you. So instead of waiting on that condition to lose weight before you even approach running, ask yourself this question. How many different ways can you think of to start running WHILE you continue to work on your weight loss goal?
This is one example out of many! Pay attention to when you are telling yourself the story of “I have to do ‘X’ before I can do ‘Y’.” And shift your mindset to “How could I work on “X” while I work on “Y”?
Thanks for listening! I invite you to connect with me if you have questions or topic suggestions! Please subscribe and share whenever you hear something that resonates with you!
Connect with me via
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For todays 5 minute f*ck yeah, I'd like to contradict a common saying that is "supposed to be" motivational. Let's look a little closer at the phrase "Don't quit!" and consider what is actually being said. How do these particular words direct our attention and impact our actions and emotions?
As you find those things in your life that are no longer serving you, then you can choose to QUIT them! While you're at it, take a look at the things you're doing really well that you want to CONTINUE doing. And now that you have made some space by quitting something, pick one thing that you can START doing for yourself.
And finally quitting a path or a goal that you thought you wanted is not the same as failing. It's ok to write a goal down, work towards it and then decide that it's not something that you actually wanted. Take a moment to reflect on what you learned from that path, choose another goal and get to work!
Thanks for listening! I invite you to connect with me if you have questions or topic suggestions! Please subscribe and share whenever you hear something that resonates with you!
Connect with me via
- https://www.aprilflaten.com/
- IG - @getyourmuscleon
- defineyourfitnessllc@gmail.com
When it comes to taking action, the simpler the better. Instead of feeling the pressure of trying to accomplish one big task...
because you want some thing to happen
or because you'll feel more accomplished
or because you are worried you are not doing enough...
Stop, take a breath and ask yourself, "What is the simplest thing that I can do today that will move the needle forward?" Keep it small and simple and repeatable! Remember that doing things like self care and rest are as important as making that next call or getting to your next workout. Another simple thing you can do is make a plan or write down your ideas!
So did you come up with your action step for today? Is it small, simple and repeatable? Awesome! Now repeat this action step for at least a week or longer to see what kind of impact this small simple repeatable action will have on your life. If you like this impact, keep taking that action! If you don't like it, oh what a great opportunity you have to choose a new action! Remember to give this action enough time to experience it's impact before you switch it up or add another action! Now go take action fam!
Thanks for listening! I invite you to connect with me if you have questions or topic suggestions! Please subscribe and share whenever you hear something that resonates with you!
Connect with me via
- https://www.aprilflaten.com/
- IG - @getyourmuscleon
- defineyourfitnessllc@gmail.com