Gail McMeekin Blog Tour – Excerpt from 12 Secrets of Highly Successful Women

At Wise Well Women, I am thrilled to report that we are stop #15 on author Gail McMeekin’s Blog Book Tour.

I have been honored to receive coaching support personally from Gail through the Creativity Coaching Association as I near completion of my creativity coaching certification, and I have been looking forward to this release of her latest book, The 12 Secrets of Highly Creative Women. I was even happier to learn that she added a companion book — the 12 Secrets of Highly Creative Women Journal – too!

Below you will find an excerpt from Gail’s latest creation, The 12 Secrets of Highly Creative Women Journal – a companion book to The 12 Secrets of Highly Creative Women. The book is a poignant, inspirational and essential guide book for all creative women. In it you’ll find essays, writing prompts and focused exercises, all design to help those women seeking a more creative and fulfilling life.

AVOIDANCE GAMES

The progressive realization of worthy goals propels you toward your vision of prosperity. The addition of positive choices every day improves the quality of your journey. So, why not get started? In case you’re a procrastinator, here are eight tips to help you begin:

1. Acknowledge that avoidance creates needless stress for you. By procrastinating, you put yourself under an energy-draining emotional strain. Procrastination is the opposite of success. If your procrastination represents indecision, then identify what information you need to make that decision and get moving.

2. Break down overwhelming tasks into small ones. Do you want to write a two-hundred-page book? Write a page a day and you’ll be done in seven months.

3. Do a start-up task to break the stalemate. If your goal is to find like-minded joint venture partners, start with your stack of business cards and then move to the Internet to give you some initial prospects.

4. Work on your goal for ten minutes. Denise hates filing, but if she sets a timer for ten minutes and puts on her favorite CD, it gets done.

5. Use your moods to your advantage. Recently, Judy had a big marketing proposal to write which could earn her a coveted promotion, but the words eluded her. Feeling social, she called several contacts in her marketing association and brainstormed more ideas for her proposal. These conversations illuminated why she had writer’s block and the next day, the proposal flowed.

6. Procrastination can also mask ambivalence. If you’re still doubtful about your goal, list the pros and cons of accomplishing it. If the advantages don’t outweigh the disadvantages, then the task isn’t worth it.

7. Make a contract with a friend or a colleague that you’ll meet your goal by a specific date. If nothing else, fear of embarrassment will motivate you.

8. This is why job hunting groups, leads groups, small business planning groups,  Mastermind groups, and support relationships, like mentoring and coaching, work. Use the advantage!

9. Lastly, reward yourself for meeting your goals beginning with your first steps. Latoya loves inexpensive costume earrings and treats herself to a pairwhenever she crosses off an action step.

Avoidance rates as a prime time waster. Make sure that you stay in charge of it! Whenever you find yourself falling into the procrastination rabbit hole, whip out your journal, and write about what is stopping you. The truth will become clear to you.

Remember—every day is an opportunity for you to gain headway towards your life of positive choices.

All these exercises will increase your proficiency and increase your likelihood of a fortunate outcome. Act today!

The next stop on Gail’s tour will be Sher McConnell’s Smart Women’s Institute–  – tomorrow, December 16th. To read more excerpts and visit the rest of the tour, here’s a list of participating blogs for your enjoyment:

November 29th – Better Yet Bookshelf 

·  December 1st – Gut Truster’s Blog   (Lynn Robinson)

·  December 2nd – Jenna Avery    (Jenna Avery)

·  December 3rd – Tranquility du Jour (Kimberly Wilson)

·  December 4th – Jamie Ridler Studios   (Jamie Ridler)

·  December 5th – Penguin Tales  (Kate Garchinsky)

·  December 6th –Life Work Transitions    (Deborah Knox)

·  December 7th – Beth Tunis  (Beth Tunis)

·  December 8th – Writing Down Your Soul   (Janet Connor)

·  December 9th – I Am Fully Alive  (Olga Aura)

·  December 10th – Marilyn Tam (Marilyn Tam)

·  December 12 – A Room of Her Own (Darlene Chandler Bassett)

·  December 13th  – Leading Remarkable Women to Uncommon Success (Jane Pollak)

·  December 14th – The Attention Factor  (Alice March)

·  December 15th – Wise Well Women (Nanette Saylor)

·  December 16th –  Smart Women’s Institute  (Sher McConnell)

Like or let us know what you think of Gail’s book excerpt in the comment field and you might win a copy of The 12 Secrets of Highly Creative Women Book AND Journal or a copy of The 12 Secrets of Highly Successful Women!

Gail McMeekin, M.S.W. is the founder and president of Creative Success, LLC, where she helps creative professionals and entrepreneurs turn their passions and unique ideas into prosperous businesses. She is the author of The 12 Secrets of Highly Successful Women, The 12 Secrets of Highly Creative Women, and The Power of Positive Choices. She is a national executive, career, and creativity coach as well as a licensed psychotherapist and writer. She lives in the Boston area.

Visit the Gail McMeekin’s website at creativesuccess.com