Do any of the following statements sound like you?

“It ain’t over ’til it’s over.”

“I’m going to have to reschedule.”

“I can’t help it, I’m a perfectionist.”

“Tomorrow is another day.”

“I would have, I should have, I could have. But, I didn’t. And I regret it.”

How many times most women over 40 have heard or spoken those words!  For some of us, they’re the guiding principles of our lives. Our lives are filled with so much to do and so much to distract us, that we seem to go from one activity to the next without considering what really needs to get done. We often don’t consider what really needs our undivided attention and what really justifies a heightened sense of urgency so we can make the most important tasks our most important priorities.  Consider that you’ll have one of the best New Year’s Eve nights ever if you identify the projects or activities that you’ve been postponing, procrastinating about, or constantly revising to the point of obsession, and decide you’re going to Whip It, Zip It, Ship It!

Of those three options, “Ship” is the linchpin.  In fact, the manifesto to “Ship” is just one of the many exhilarating takeaways of Linchpin, the newest book by world-class marketing genius and all-around charming and witty writer Seth Godin.  Godin, the author of 11 best-sellers and five free online e-books (bless his heart, right??), devotes an entire chapter in Linchpin to urging all creative persons to get beyond the fear and resistance that makes us hold on to our art for longer than is healthy, and to just commit to “ship” and “Join the Cult of Done.”

On the very first page of the chapter titled “The Resistance,” is a concentric circle graphic that shows the most evil word of all nudging into the intersection of the three wistful regrets of could have, should have, and would have – the demonic, airless, finger-pointing place:  “Didn’t.”  Godin assures us that it doesn’t have to be that way, that letting go and declaring it done is the best way to make art.  Yes, art!

I, for one, am adopting my own manifesto:  “Getting It Done Means More Time For Fun.”  If you have a better one, let me in on it.  I’d love to hear from you!  Over the next month, I’ll have plenty of tips and ideas for how to Whip it, Zip it and Ship it that have nothing to do with anything bad or harmful or reckless.  Rather, we’ll focus solely on what you have to do to Whip It, Zip It and Ship It – to Get DARE From Here™.

Seth Godin

Seth Godin’s Book: Linchpin

DARE TRIUMPH

The workshop at NYU was so successful we are still reveling in the feeling! It was a TRIUMPH! The receptivity and evaluations for the event were all TOP-NOTCH. Unfortunately, we had so much response that we had to turn people away, so we will be organizing more of these.

Let me give you another great tip from one of our panelists. Kathy Gurland, an inspiring post-40 woman who runs a hospice-care consulting firm, told us not to be afraid to go back to school, as that is where the idea for our life’s work may actually strike.

I can speak to that. Going back in my fifties to get an MBA in finance at NYU was hard, let me tell you. But it is one of the best things I have ever done. It is NEVER too late to do almost anything the mind, heart, and soul aim to accomplish.

In fact, what distinguishes the most memorable campaigns – whether they are for marketing, for politics or for actual military battle – i.e., a real REVOLT! – is a mantra that grounds the leader (Ruler) and her team, a rallying cry that moves the action plan forward.  It was only after I dealt with the fear of what would happen to me if I didn’t lose the weight that I developed a mantra to help me achieve my goals.

The mantra was a command that I plastered at strategic points all over my house.  It was anchored by a SMART goal, which entailed a specific date, the amount I wanted to lose and milestones along the way to track my progress.

Like a lot of goal-oriented individuals, I chose my birthday as a deadline.  I was determined to lose 57 pounds by my 57th birthday.  So, the mantra I plastered all over my home – especially on my fridge – was this:  “57 by 57.”

What powerful and DARE-ing mantra would help you REVOLT to reach a Big Goal? Tell us about it – we DARE you!

In order to stage a successful REVOLT against my weight, I needed to be a strong Ruler – of my time, my resources, my diet, my exercise.

If you’ve ever staged a REVOLT – for your life, your career, for a cause you care deeply about – then you know that merely wanting to do something and actually getting it accomplished are two different things.  It requires discipline, goal-setting and all the other tips and advice you’ve heard thousands of times.   

Are there resolutions you would gladly “resurrect” if you knew you could stage a successful REVOLT to achieve your goals? Tell us about it – we DARE You!

A lot of us want to change ourselves, our careers or our communities in a year.  But, a REVOLT of that magnitude – a Big SMART Goal – can be daunting if you don’t set certain smaller goals, increments and benchmarks to hit along the way.

While a Big Goal, like a Big Cause, requires the dedication of a marathon or a fighting army, you don’t have the resources for that (unless you’re Hillary Clinton or Angela Merkel).  All the more reason to set goals that can be accomplished in sprints of a few weeks, a month, several months.

Staging a REVOLT involves specific measurable goals you want to achieve, plus a strategy for achieving them, especially if you’re the one who’s a dictator.  If you’re trying to do too much, with too little time, or always for other people, that requires a different kind of REVOLT.  It requires a re-envisioning of what you want to become, in light of what you have to deal with now, rather than focusing on where you were in the past.  

As a visionary, intelligent, motivated woman over 40, when was the last time you REVOLTED against trying to fix the past and instead DARED to envision a great future? Tell us about it – we DARE You!