Untitled Document

Please forward this ezine to anyone you know who is interested in examining the relationship they have with themselves and the ones they have with everyone else.

You Get a Better Life When You Get 'Better At Living' Life

Expert Women Who Speak ... SPEAK OUT!

I have been selected as a contributor to the sixth volume of Expert Women Who Speak ... SPEAK OUT! This series provides women information & strategies to meet the challenges in their lives. All co-authors are professional speakers who have collectively come together to share their expertise with other women.

Publication is expected Fall 2006.

The Backyard Project:
Today's article is all about what I learned from taking on a huge backyard project. I will post pictures on my website in the next week for those of you who are interested and seeing what has consumed me for the last two months. You will find the link under 'What's New?'. If you can't find it the first time you look, be sure to check back.

Interested in a fund-raiser for your group or promoting a workshop? True Colors® or Personality Dimensions® are crowd pleasers. They also have multiple application workshops such as Parenting, Communications, Teambuilding, Relationships, Leadership Development, Sales & Customer Service, Teaching & Learning Styles, Work/Life Balance,etc. People come away understanding themselves, valuing others and having had a great time. Now that is value! Contact me for additional information or check my website for my availability.

Mid April I began to dig up my sizeable backyard and create a whole new structure that would eventually included gravel pathways, retaining walls, shaped flower beds, a new entrance to the gazebo, resting areas and a sculpture nook. Areas that had been nothing but weeds were now outlined in brick and sported well defined walkways. It has been a huge undertaking that has lasted two months so far, and I am a few weeks away from finishing. How did I ever take on something so large and bring it to near completion? What were the steps so that I apply what I have learned to the next big project in my life?

1. Dare to dream …
The idea for the backyard project began to form in my head long before the spade hit the dirt. I fantasized designs, visualizing the end result to the point that when I looked outside I would often see what ‘could be’ instead of the reality of the situation.

2. Start with a plan …
The design may have stayed as a fantasy in my head if a friend had not offered to draw it out for me. Somehow that concrete drawing made it seem doable.

3. Chunk it down …
The overall plan was a huge undertaking, so as not to be overwhelmed, I chunked it down into separate stages and components. There were two stages of gravel pathways, the retaining wall, reshaping flower beds and the gazebo entrance, the sod area and finally the new planting area.

4. Be flexible enough to revise …
The project changed as I was engrossed in the doing of it. As I was digging what was to be the walkway, I started visualizing how I could create a new entrance into the gazebo and reshape the flower beds into separate areas with rest spots for a bench or my garden sculptures. I incorporated those ideas into the design and they are one of the most successful aspects of the project.

5. Determine your resources …
Resources come in many forms. For this project I needed time, finances, materials, advisors, cheerleaders and manpower. Spring came about a month early this year, so time was definitely on my side. I unrealistically told someone that I would have it all done in two weeks. That was mid April and I am still not completely done mid June. I was fortunate in that I put aside the funds for this project earlier. My original idea was to hire someone to do it for me. Once I took on the job myself, I realized that I would have needed five or six times the amount of money that I had saved if I had hired someone! I was lucky enough to have knowledgeable advisors throughout the process and once I got going there were lots of cheerleaders. Some were encouraging from the beginning, while others reserved judgment until it started to shape up. My own family initially showed little interest. It was just another one of mom’s ideas; however, they now are the backyard’s biggest fans.

6. Identify the sticking points
I had three areas where I noticed internal resistance:

• The first one was ordering the materials. I simply did not want to go and do it, yet I couldn’t continue the project without the raw materials. I finally recognized that this was a sticking point for me, so I asked my husband to do it for me. He was delighted as he is a natural shopper; it also alleviated his guilt as he simply did not have the time to be working with me one hundred percent of the time.

• The second problem area came when the materials arrived; the 66 lb. bags were simply too heavy for me to lift. I asked everyone who came near me that looked capable to carry one or two bags. My son’s friends were afraid to drop over as I was constantly asking them.

• The third area as based on lack of knowledge. I did not know how to build a retaining wall. While I had found most of the information that I needed on the Internet, I had trouble visualizing how to build the wall and dig the drainage ditches. Fortunately, I discovered that our local Home Depot had classes on the subject and that problem was solved. Information is always available in some form or other.

7. Make time for it
Balancing the other areas of my life with this huge project took planning. I still had my immediate family as well as elderly parents, whose needs had to be met. I also had a business to run, friends to see and my own self care needs. Every week I would plan out the important tasks that needed to be done in every role that I currently play and schedule them in. I must confess that even though I scheduled half a day to work outside, there were times that I didn’t stick to it. I also often found that my sore muscles often demanded that I take some time off and focus on other areas of my life for awhile.

8. Evaluate
Now that it is almost done, I’ve taken some time to just sit outside and evaluate the project. I confess there is one area that I still have to revise, much to my family’s horror. “You’re not changing something else!” I also know what needs to go into next year’s outdoor budget. My husband has decided to wire the yard so that we can add lights and a fountain.

9. Celebrate
I’m not there yet … close though! I fully intend to sit outside with friends and celebrate my success. I am going to schedule outdoor dinner parties just to make sure that I finish! I am amazed that I took something on of this magnitude and I am extremely proud of my achievement. Believe it or not, I have an “I can do anything” attitude at the moment, and I am already looking to see what mountain I can scale next.

The lessons that you learn in one area of your life can be applied to every other area. New experiences expand your level of belief in yourself. All of you have taken on big tasks or projects successfully, but how many of you have identified the process behind what you accomplished and applied it to your next big adventure?

One more way that you can get a better life by getting 'Better At Living' the one that you've got!

You can change your life
You can make it better
You just have to get 'Better At Living' it!

Lesley Cordero is founder and President of Cordero Consulting, a company offering personal growth solutions in the form of workshops, keynote presentations, and Internet information resources. Let's Get Better At Living!

PERMISSION TO REPRINT: You may reprint any items from "Deep Linking" in your own print or electronic newsletter. Please include the author's name and the following paragraph:

Reprinted from "Deep Linking", a free ezine for people who are ready to get 'Better At Living'®. Subscribe at http://www.LesleyCordero.com .

You are receiving this because you signed up for it at http://www.LesleyCordero.com or at one of Lesley Cordero's workshops or speaking engagements.

Lesley Cordero
186 Fairleigh Ave. S., Suite 1
Hamilton, ON L8M 2K5
Canada
Phone: 289.439.2691
e-mail: info@LesleyCordero.com
http://www.LesleyCordero.com