…and how to bust free and be the woman you want to be.

I spend a lot of time talking to women like you who want to change their lives. But when push comes to shove, there are four common mind traps that can keep you stuck right where you are.

The four mind traps are:

1. Time: “I don’t have enough time to                                    .”
2. Money: “I can’t afford to                               .”
3. Priorities: “My                            [kids, parents, job] come first.”
4. Fear, Doubt and Confusion: “I can’t. I don’t know how. I’m scared. I’m too old. I’m not good enough.”

Whether you want to improve your health, make a change in career, or get back on track after a divorce, nearly everyone falls into these four mind traps at one time or another. Hell, I’ve been there myself more than once.

But I am a self-help junkie and whenever I see myself getting stuck, I also see an opportunity to grow – to bust through an upper limit and reach my next level of potential.

I’m going to share my best strategies with you right here, right now. Starting from the top:

Mind trap #1: I don’t have time to                                          .
(fill in the blank)

This is the excuse I hear most often from women in why they can’t take care of themselves. Why they can’t exercise, make healthy meals or focus on their personal growth.

The truth is. Once you get a handle on time, your life gets easy and, there is always plenty of time.

Let me unpack this for you as you might see yourself falling into this trap too often.

If you never have enough time – if you’re on a hamster wheel – running and running just to stay where we are, you need to shift your thinking about time to what Psychologist Gay Hendricks calls “Einstein time.”[1]

“You manufacture your own time and you can make
as much of it as you want.”

Einstein time gives you all the time you need to make yourself a priority – to do all the things for you that make you feel and function better – exercise, meditate, spend time with friends, or take a vacation. Since you are the creator of your time, you will always have enough.

Are you wondering how?

To live on Einstein time, you need to stop being a victim of time. Eliminate the phrase, “I don’t have time.” from your thinking, because it’s a lie. Time isn’t something you have, it’s something you make. And you can make as much of it as you want.

“I don’t have time” really means, “I don’t want to.”

Here’s some homework to get you started:

Stop complaining about time. Start by noticing how many times you say, “I can’t. I don’t have time.” And instead, make time to do what is important to you. It might mean instead of saying, “I don’t have time.” You say, “I don’t want to. It’s not a priority for me right now.” You may have to stop saying “yes” to things when you really want to say “no.”

Using time as an excuse makes you a victim. The truth is, you control time. Time doesn’t control you.

Start by getting in touch with your priorities. Make some time each day to reflect on what is important for you in that day. Set a daily intention. Why is this important? Because your intentions become your actions, which, in turn become your reality. Set intentions carefully.

An intention can be simple. “I will take it easy on myself today. I will relax.” Or “I will make time to go to the gym today.” Or “I am going to spend two hours on my own development.”

Try adapting the mantra:

“I have plenty of time to do everything I want to do.”

Write your mantra on post-it notes. Stick them to your bathroom mirror, your refrigerator, and your laptop. Start making your own time. And see what shifts for you.

Did you notice a difference? Leave a comment on how time shifts for you below or on the Live a Whole Life Facebook Page.

Next week: “I can’t afford to.”