C’mon is 30 days really a long time?

      There are things we can do in our lives which affect us and those around us for the better. They may affect us emotional or physically. They can be large things or small things. They may be something which changes our outlook on our lives or they may be small tiny things which just make our lives easier.

     Many people look at their lives and want to change it. They are dissatisfied and think if they can change things they will be a better person they will have a different outlook. Change is a hard thing and not as easy as it can look.

     They say any change will take 30 days to become a habit. Once you do something for 30 days on a regular basis it becomes part of you. Take exercise for example. If you work out once that is a change. Is it a change which will affect your totally outlook? Not unless you stick with it and make it a part of your life and your outlook.

     There are many large changes a person can make in their lives. Changes will affect the bigger picture. Changes will affect how they look at life. Exercise has already been mentioned. This is a big change in many people’s lives. Not only does it help you get into shape, lose weight and look better, it can also change your attitude. Working out on a regular basis has been shown in studies to have a positive effect on person work habits and personal lives. It changes their attitudes and outlooks.

     Nutrition is also a change for improvement which is a big adjustment for many. Giving up fast food for healthier alternatives is a struggle for many, but the rewards are great. A healthier person also has a new lease on life. They can handle stress better. They have more stamina and resilience. Nutrition is a key factor to many of lives best rewards.

     There are also changes which one may not think about in this perspective. It could be something as small as getting eight hours of sleep a night, writing thank you notes for the shower gifts, spending time volunteering at the senior center or spending more time with your children and spouse. These are little changes in our lives which bring immeasurable changes. They bring us joy and satisfaction. They may change the way we view things forever.

     Change doesn’t have to be a scary thing. It doesn’t have to be life altering either. It can be something simple and small that may only affect the way we see things in the future. Change affords us the opportunity to make our lives better in some way. It also gives us the opportunity to find ways to bless others lives as well. What kind of change will you make today?

 

 

5 Ways Women Can be Successful in a Man’s World

 

Women have been fighting long and hard for the recognition and the success in what is known as a man’s world. What women fight the hardest is usually themselves. Women have a different mindset. They think different than men. It is not a sexiest comment, it is pure DNA. Women’s minds were not made to work the same as a man’s. This is by no means saying women cannot succeed in this man’s world. It is saying a woman has to go about it in a different manner.

    #1 – Attitude is everything. A woman has to approach the goal with a can do attitude. Women have always been perceived as the weaker sex. Part of this perception comes to the forefront because the attitude. Don’t act like a man, but act with the attitude and confidence of a man. Know your mind is just as good as a man’s. A woman can get the job done just as well as a man. Show a strong confident attitude.

     #2 – Admit when you can’t do a task. There are some task out there people can’t do, man or woman. Knowing your limitations and admitting them goes a long way to becoming a success. This does not mean you don’t do the task. Admitting you can’t do it and learning to get it done are two different things.

     #3 – Put yourself out there. Women typically do not put themselves out in the man’s world. This goes back to attitude. Women are traditionally caretakers, not the risk takers. Learning to take risk and put yourself out there is a very effective method to making it in a man’s world. 

     #4 – Learn to know when to change your path. Life is unpredictable. If you find yourself in a situation which is going to be totally unworkable, learn when to give it up and move on. This also goes back to the female mindset. Women want to make things better. Make everyone get along. Knowing each situation is not going to work is one key to making it in a man’s world. They call it cutting your losses. 

     #5 – Find yourself a male mentor. There is nothing as useful as a mentor in your life. Finding someone to pattern your life after is an exceptional way to become successful. If you want to make it in a man’s world, finding a successful male mentor may be your ticket. Remember the male mind works differently. You can learn a lot from observing how they get things done. 

     With all of these things you still remember you are woman. Even after you have gained your ticket to the boys club you still want to remember you are a woman and bring uniqueness to the task at hand. Let them know your distinctive ideas and talents. Bringing a woman’s way of thinking to the market is an asset as well.

Lisa’s Latest Reinvention

I started tennis lessons at Bollettieri’s at IMG last week (the World’s Premier Tennis school). I am always looking for ways to challenge myself and grow.

After my first lesson (I looked like a clown compared to the other clients), I felt super! Not because I looked like a clown but because I looked like a clown and didn’t punish myself for it. My goal with anything I try for the first time is to listen doubley hard and "act as if" I already have the talent.

I didn’t let the fact that I was grouped with the newbie, less-talented group, deter why I was there. I had an amazing day and learned a great deal in the 3.5 hour session.

Three days later with very little tennis experience, my husband and I beat our more experienced friends in a doubles match!

The even greater part, this week’s session I was videotaped and I saw that I applied what was taught to me last week.

The lesson that I preach and apply to my own life is, "Do your best for you." This will allow you to see and appreciate your own progress without agonizing over what everyone else is doing.

That’s what life is about, learning and having fun with it!

Looking forward to helping you with your next reinvention.

Warmly

Lisa Lockwood

PS. If you like what you’ve heard, Visit http://www.ReinventionSecrets.com (Click on the word YOU in the heading to reveal a surprise from me to you!)

 

When Opportunity Knocks and YOU Least Expect it - Grab It

Grab those unexpected opportunities in your life.

There are times in your life when you get handed great opportunities. Unfortunately, most of the time they are usually at times when you are least prepared for them.

Opportunities catch us you with no makeup, in sweat suits, your our hair piled on top of your heads. They may catch you when you are out of breath and have 201 things on your ‘to do’ list still to be done.  Opportunity may catch you when you have a whole other plan for the direction your live is heading at that time.

Sometimes it is worth taking such an opportunity regardless of the situation you may find yourself caught up in.  Don’t worry about the fact you have no makeup on etc. or that not ready at such a point in your life.

Grab the opportunity with both hands and don’t let go!

You only get one chance at this life . . . learning to flow with the punches, think on your feet and grab those unexpected opportunities may be the best way for you to achieve the most satisfaction in your life.

Don’t let how you look, or don’t look, prevent you from taking advantage when opportunity knocks. Don’t let plans that you have made stand in your way of the opportunity  or opportunities which you have been waiting for all your life. Be willing to put yourself out there and achieve those life-changing challenges without any regrets.

Dedicated to helping you reinvent yourself.

Warmly

Lisa ‘Phoenix’ Lockwood
PS. When you want to reinvent yourself - http://www.reinventionSecrets.com

 

Obstacles - Don’t Let Them Get in YOUR Way of Success

Isn’t it true that when things come easy we value them less?

I’ve got to tell you, ever since people have approached me about turning Undercover Angel into a Major Motion Picture it’s been a zoo.

Of course, I feel blessed at the interest but what people don’t realize is what it takes to have a major motion picture made.

Did you know that it took Matt Damon and Ben Affleck 6 years to get Good Will Hunting Made from concept to the big screen? They taught me that even when a movie is optioned it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s going to be made. Hollywood can sit on it for the entire option period and then decide they’re going to pass on the project. What this means is, if another producer wants to make it they can’t until the option contract has expired.

One month before Good Will Hunting’s contract was due to expire with a major hollywood producer and another major player decided to buy it. Next loophole? Matt & Ben wouldn’t budge on playing the lead, co-lead characters. It took them another year to win that right.

So you can imagine how sweet it was when the movie was made, they got exactly what they wanted and won Oscars for Best Screenplay!

The resaon I share this story is because, I, too, have been up against many obstacles for the last 2 years and have not given up hope. Persistence pays!

I look forward to sharing the wins and challenges of this journey with you!

Lisa ‘Phoenix’ Lockwood
PS. When you want to overcome your obstacles and reinvent yourself, click on the image in this post.

How to Choose Your Role Models to Reinvent Yourself

When it comes to choosing your role models . . . pick the best of the best.

As a small child, can you remember what or who you wanted to be?

Perhaps you wanted to be a doctor, police officer, nurse, fireman, a pilot, famous sports stars or something else, only you know. The point is, whichever role it was, in effect, these ‘roles or people’ - really were your role models. Your whole life has been one continuous role model. whether you realize it or not.

I am guessing you have dreams you wish to attain. Picking the very best role models for your goals, is one of the best  tools you can use to help you achieve your goals.

Take one of  the goals you want to achieve right now. Maybe you want to become a manager at the job you work at for example.

Look around you.

Access the managers who are currently there. You will see a difference between all of them. There are those who are just there passing time. They may have been promoted years ago and have been stagnant ever since, wandering around like a rat on a treadmill, going nowhere fast.

They may have just been promoted and are out there winging it. These are not the ones you want to emulate.

You want to choose a role model who is . . . the best of the best.

Pick the manager who knows where he or she is going. Choose a manager who had the goal of becoming a manager and strove to make that goal their reality. They had a plan and steps to succeed, they stuck to their plan, even is they encountered bumps on the road along the way, temporarily throwing them of course - the facts are, they hung in their until they achieved their goal/s.

Once there, they are doing the job of their dreams to the best of their ability. They are furthering themselves. They are taking opportunities as presented to them. They look for any and every opportunity to become better at their job.

These are the types of people you want to have as your role model. They are the best of the best.

Now you need to see how they did it. Look into their methods. Track their behaviors and their actions. How did they become managers? Did they take certain training? Did they rank high in the classes they took? Who did they model their lives after?

Talk to your role model. Make them your mentor. Ask their advice.

Be frank with them.

Tell them you want to achieve goals similar to theirs and you want to know how they did it. Most people will gladly help you along your route to success, especially if they are the ‘best of the best’.

Model your life and goals after the “greats”. This will make you one of the “greats” as well.

Always remember to be willing to help those people who will seek you out once you accomplish what you have achieved.

Pay your knowledge forward when you end up becoming a role model for others . . . these people will be like you once were, prior to you successfully attaining your goals.

Dedicated to helping you reinvent yourself.

Lisa ‘Phoenix’ Lockwood
PS. I have just release my new ‘Reinvention Success Secrets’ Package where you can get mentored by me for FREE. Email lisa@lisalockwoodblog.com for details.

Are YOU a Risk Taker?

We all have people we admire and I am guessing you are no different. For me, people such as Lance Armstrong, Barack Obama and Angelina Jolie are just a few people I admire, do you? These are people who many others admire to.

What do these people, and others like them, have in common? They are all risk takers to some extent.

They have taken what life has handed them and run with it. They have all decided to say to themselves, I am going to reinvent myself and they did.

While you may not consider riding the Tour de France as a risk, it really is when you look closer at it. Riding for many days one end, on a bicycle through the French countryside sounds pretty risky and the crashes each year, confirm it is.

Barack Obama could have taken the less risky route and stayed in a job in Chicago, but he stepped outside his comfort zone and ran for congress and then president. Think of the risks he took. 

Angelina Jolie took the risk and went to Hollywood. It is a town where a high percentage of people don’t make it, but she did and is at the top of her peer class, setting a great example to others due to her extensive volunteer work.

As for me, I was a ‘girly girl’ who first put herself out there to run for Miss Illinois even though I had never ever walked  a cat walk before yet I placed 25th out of 205 women. That was a risk, as well as joining the military, not to mention the years spent as a police officer in Chicago, doing undercover roles and as a memeber of the SWAT team.

Whatever you consider a risk, remember nothing is really worth it, if it is just handed to you. Being motivated enough to work for it, and take the risk to achieve it, is all part of the accomplishment at the end of the road to help you reinvent yourself.

While these risks may appear extreme to you, there are other aspects which you may discover which allow you to take much smaller risks, many are already waiting for you in your own suburban back yard. Learning to take risk, even small ones, may make your life more rewarding along your stepping stone to success.

Many people get petrified at the though of public speaking. Getting up in front of people to speak is a huge fear for many people. However, did you know that many people who do this everyday for a living, were once just as scared as you about public speaking and many still get so nervous each and every time they take the stage.

They take that risk every time they approach the podium to deliver a speech, but they discovered how to overcome their fears.

What risks do you consider taking?

What  dreams do you have which are holding you back because you deem them to be too risky for you to even consider?  Maybe you would like to write your life story or write a book on a topic you have considerable knowledge in. Have you considered skydiving, but consider it too risky? Maybe you would like to run in the New York Marathon.

Any dreams you have which are holding you back from achieving them due to the risk factor or your fears . . . have you ever stopped to consider these may all be risks which are worth your whiel.

You may know of the reality TV show, Fear Factor, this is a perfect example of people whose dreams and fears were stifled, yet they overcome such fears by taking the risk and finally saying ‘YES’ before their brain automatically kicks in and says ‘NO’ it’s all too risky.

Reach outside your comfort zone and see what you can achieve and discover how to reinvent yourself.

Only you can be the one to push yourself beyond your self limitations, the ones your mind has set for yourself. Expand your horizons and reinvent yourself. Reach for the stars because you can do it..

Warmly

Lisa Lockwood
PS. My whole life, I have kept challenging my own mind and asked, "how can I continually reinvent myself" and if you can just ask yourself the same question, you will easily reinvent yourself, overcome fears and obstacles, the same ones which have been holding you back.

 

 

 

How To Prepare Yourself For The Unexpected

In your life, you need to prepare for the unexpected.

Why?

Because it’s going to happen.

Let’s face it, you may of had the best of plans worked out for you and your loved ones - then life stepped in, slapped you across the face, mucked it up and you were left bewildered.

When this happens, at this point, you have several options available to you.

The question is, which option you choice is up to you. When you discover how to deal with the unexpected events in your life, and begin to think on your feet, your life will change - you will have started the process of how to reinvent yourself. 

This is a life skill you need to cultivate.

Reflecting on certain aspects of my own life where I was a  Police Officer, an Undercover Hooter’s Girl and in the military for example, this provided me with plenty of opportunities to discover this one skill and then fine tune it. These aren’t the only places you can discover these how to prepare for the unexpected. 

Take advantage of your own life opportunities. From a line worker, to an executive to the newspaper delivery boy, we all have opportunities which  teach us, including you. You are NEVER too old to reinvent yourself.

Being prepared for the unexpected may include planning ahead for the goals you want to reach in your life and making detailed plans on how to get there is crucial. It may include what to say and do when you go in to a situation you have never been in before, such as a social event. or like in my case, when I was infiltrating the Chicago Mafia where I went undercover as the eye candy, exotic dancer girlfriend of a mafia member .

Regardless of your situation, it’s always good to go with a plan and know ahead of time what you can expect.

Even though you plan, something may happen which will catch you off guard and you need to think on your feet.  What you do at this point can go in several directions. Many of you will choose to take the safe route. Sometimes it is the very best choice to make.

Others will choose to think on their feet, moving swiftly with the change of plans and turn a potential bad situation, on it’s ear and back in their favor.

Now this isn’t always the wisest decision. You have to learn to weigh the pros and cons of each course of action you take. In other words to think, not just react. Often just reacting will just make a bad situation worse.

What would you do?

Preparing for the unexpected is more than just planning.

It can be a mental attitude as well. Going into a situation which you can handle, regardless of what happens is an attitude, not just planning. Tell yourself  - ‘you are a strong individual’.

In life, in many situations, you would not even be there if fate, or your supervisor, boss etc.  did not think you were fully capable of handling the situation - regardless of what crops up.

Remember this: Those around you in your life, have the faith in you to complete your job or mission. Do you?

Only you know your circumstances.

As an example, your  mission could be completing the paper route on a cold snowy day when you tire goes flat or like in my real life case,  convincing a mafia member that you really are arm-candy and not a police officer or going undercover as a Hooter’s Girl for a drug bust.

I look forward to hearing how you reinvent yourself.

Warmly

Lisa ‘Phoenix’ Lockwood
PS. Just like the mystical Phoenix bird which live for 500-600 years, then ignites itself and arises from the ashes to reinvent itself - you to can reinvent yourself. You can get started right now by subscribing to my 24 Success tips and Newsletter or take my blog RSS feed. 

 

 

 

I Have a Dream to Reinvent Myself - Do You?

Martin Luther King’s famous speech - "I Have a Dream" has been changing people’s lives across America and the world ever since he uttered those 4 powerful words. In reality, people chose to reinvent themselves.

Your Dreams can be fickle things.

They sit in the back of your mind pretty inactive, until you do something about them. Some people never will do anything. All their lives the dreams of achievement just sit there doing nothing.

Dormant, when the truth is, you have no excuses. Results count, reasons do not.

Others take on lives of their own.

Sitting down and putting your dreams for your entire year on paper is a great exercise.

Write out what you want to achieve.

Go ahead dream big. Write down the very details of your dreams.

Do you want to be the next contestant for the beauty pageant in your state? Write it down and list the details.

New Years is a great time to do this, but don’t let that hold you back. If it’s June make it a June’s Resolution list.

Writing down your list of dreams isn’t enough. Set goals. Make a plan. You have a list there right in front of you. Start making it happen. Take that list and start dividing it down into bite sized pieces so it doesn’t seems to daunting. 

Set your manageable goals with a timeline. You want to make that goal of promotion to a certain rank, break it down into the steps leading to that promotion. Give each one of those steps a date. Remember though these need to be realistic dates. You aren’t going to go from private to sergeant in 6 months.

You may have to do your homework to see what is a realistic time.

Then start working on your dreams.

Seize the opportunities that will make those dreams a reality. Achieving your dreams will not just come to you. You have to go out and make it happen. Sure, there are those that seem to get lucky, however, there really is not such thing as luck and the majority of people who have dreams come true are those that work at them.

Your dream/goal list is your framework.

Work within it.

Cross off the steps as they are achieved and celebrate! If you don’t achieve a step, know it isn’t the end. It is only a stumble in the road, and these do happen.

Remember it is your dreams, your goals, you can change and make that dream come true, regardless of setbacks. Readjust your time line and keep going.

Dreams do come true. You can reinvent yourself, reinvent your life and make all those things you have dreamed about a reality. All it takes is you and your ability to work at your goals.

Never give up on yourself. Never give up on the dreams that you hold.

Warmly

Lisa Lockwood
Author - Undercover Angel
PS. Go ahead, make today the day you choose to reinvent yourself. Start dreaming and put your dreams, thoughts and desire down on paper.

How To Reinvent Yourself

How many of you have stepped outside of your comfort zone and tried something you never thought you’d ever do? Congratulations to all of you thrill seekers! To those of you who didn’t, guess what? You have, but probably have forgotten about it.

I shared in my book, that in a million years, I never would have pictured myself driving a tractor trailer, let alone doing it in the military during Operation Desert Storm.! I was a girly-girl for Pete’s sake! What I’d like to challenge you with today is a fun exercise that I did with my two girls recently that made me and them realize how far we’ve come.

Chart your own Reinvention Tally sheet by listing experiences you thought you’d never do or have. Take a look at mine to use as an example:

 

SCUBA Diving Skydiving Hangliding Hot-air ballooning Para-sailing Flying Trapeze NASCAR driving Marathon running Swam with Dolphins Drove a tractor-trailer Gulf War Veteran SWAT team member

Undercover Agent-various roles Step-mom to three children Fire-walking Fire-eating Board Breaking Zip-lining Author Speaker Reinvention Expert Guest appeared on Nat’l TV programs Interviewed on over 100 radio programs Contacted by an Oprah Producer!

 

Start building your list and let me know how you’ve done. I can’t wait to share your wins!

 

 

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