How I created more time for myself as an ambitious, goal-driven woman

If you’re anything like me, you wish there were 30 hours in a day.
How is there time to get everything done in just 24?!
Just a short while ago, I was perpetually stressed. My to-do list never had all the checks by it at the end of the day. I was running at superspeed, trying to get everything done, and my head and neck felt tense with stress.

But then I found an amazing hack to turn it all around. More on that later.
First, here’s a breakdown of what my day looked like. See if you relate:
I’ve had a morning ritual for a long time now, to help me center and ground, and get focused on my goals, so that came first. A calm oasis at the beginning of each day, which I so badly needed. After that, it was full on, go go go, getting my kids (3.5 and 2) ready for day-care.
I battled the traffic and got home by 9. There was just about time for a cup of tea before I started with my tasks for the day:

Client calls
Meetings
Admin ad infinitum…
Then I looked at the clock.
How on EARTH can it be almost 4pm ALREADY?!

I rushed to go pick my kids up. My cranky, cranky kids. At that time of day, they’re not at their best. Hungry, testy, and needing all the attention in the world.

I cooked dinner while they whined and moaned. Then they didn’t eat half of what I’d lovingly prepared, even though they very definitely did like that type of food yesterday.

We do our bedtime routine.
Then I’m back on the laptop, working again.

Now, I’m not a single mom… But you may have noticed there was absolutely ZERO ‘Me & Husband’ time in the schedule.

Well, pretty much the only time we got to spend together was me complaining, “I HAVE NO TIME TO WORK! I have so much on my plate. I have so many ideas. I want to expand my business in this direction, that direction, but I DON’T HAVE TIME…”

The extent of our communication was me saying to him…
Do more.
Do more.
Do more.
Do more childcare.
Do more chores.
Do fricking MORE, darn it!

Yeah, so you can imagine just how fulfilling our relationship was at that point.
One day, amidst all the stress and bickering, I thought…

There is something wrong going on here. Something’s not right.

Quickly I realized I was focusing on the LACK. I had a lack mindset in saying, “I don’t have time.” I kept saying that to myself, to my husband, to other people, over and over, and it made me more and more stressed. I felt constantly rushed. I wondered if my mindset was contributing to the stress and pressure I felt.

BOOM!
Mind blown.

I knew I had to change things.
It was then I had a slightly revolutionary idea.
I took the decision to CREATE MORE TIME.

Yes. You read that right.
And no. This is not a science fiction story.
I went back to what I do best – mindset work – and got experimenting. Here’s how…

The next morning, I got up as usual and did my morning ritual. But this time, when it came to the bit on gratitude I do, I held my head up high, and confidently said, “I’m so grateful for having all the time I need to do my work. THANK YOU, Universe, for giving me this opportunity to do the work that I LOVE.”

Then when it came to my affirmations part, I said, “I have all the time to do what I want to do. Time expands for me.”

Now, don’t get me wrong. All of this was really cool. But I was still a teeny tiny bit sceptical it could work. I mean, create time?! Anyone who knows me or works with me knows I am a fully paid up member of the Manifestation club, but this? Maybe I’d gone a little too far this time.

But, boy…Let me tell you…

I had NO idea the power of gratitude could be this powerful.
I noticed things start to change IMMEDIATELY
For one, I felt calm and relaxed. This enabled me to achieve more in the same amount of time. When I looked up at the clock, it wasn’t nearly 4pm. It was only 11.30am. It literally felt like I had stretched out time.

Not only that. My relationship became warm and satisfying again. We were spending quality time, chatting and laughing, not complaining.
Everything around me changed. Just with a simple act of gratitude…
I’ve been working with gratitude for so long. But this… this was something else. I learned gratitude has so much power. So, so, so much, that we can’t even comprehend it.

We absolutely have the power to create what we want.
All we need to do is create habits for success. A morning ritual that incorporates gratitude and affirmations is one of them.

The key, though, is consistency. We have to be persistent in our practices. Some days I don’t feel like doing my morning routine. But I do it anyway, because I know it’s a long term investment in my own success. When motivation fails, I know I need to be disciplined.

I’ve loved telling you this about my life because it illustrates my work so clearly…

First, we need to first identify the patterns that we have that are holding us back.

My pattern was thinking, saying and believing, “I don’t have enough time.”

Then we need to turn that belief around.

“I have plenty of time to do everything I need to do,” was the way I did this.

Next, we need to install in this new belief as ‘positive programming’ that give us different results.

“I’m so grateful for having all the time I need to do my work. THANK YOU, Universe, for giving me this opportunity to do the work that I LOVE.”

“I have all the time to do what I want to do. Time expands for me.”And it worked so incredibly beautifully. I go through the same with my clients seeking transformation and more success in their lives.So if there’s one thing I want you to take away from this today, it’s… the power of gratitude!