A good friend recently asked, “Could you give any advice on how you keep yourself moving and confident?” 

Well, isn’t that the question of the century?

I think most of us have struggled with the answer to this at one time or another. I know that in the 16 years I’ve been working on PassPorter, I’ve had my ups and downs. Most of it has been up, though, which is pretty amazing when I consider that 99% of my work is self-driven. I work at home and could, at any time, decide to skip off, watch puppy videos, take a nap, whatever. But most of my day is spent right here at my desk doing work-related tasks. By choice. Really!

So how am I doing it? Here are five things I do on a regular basis to get work done and feel good doing it:

1. Own Your Day

Each day is a new day for me, a new chance to do something I want. And each day I make a conscious decision to take that day by the horns and make it MINE. When I wake up in the morning I think about what I want to accomplish and I go through it in my head. Every once in a while it’s just “get a frappucino,” but usually it is a list of things that I consider priorities. My priorities are sometimes skewed, too — I have a tendency to make time for things that I feel are priorities, rather than look at a list of things that should be done and make one of those a priority. In order words, I don’t let a list of things dictate what I will do — I specifically choose, usually from day to day. Like today, before I got out of bed, I told myself I would complete a section of a book I’m working on. In this case, it’s tedious work and not my first pick, but it needs to be done and I want it done. So by “choosing” to do it, I own it. I become the boss of my time. This keeps me moving every day.

2. Find Your Superpower and Do It Regularly

Everyone has something they are really good at — this is your superpower. Hopefully you know what it is, and if not, make it a priority to identify it. Then do it. Often. Why? Because when you’re good at something, and do it frequently, it builds confidence. I am fortunate to have a number of talents, but speed is probably my biggest superpower. I employ this regularly by working fast. Not all the time, mind you — that would be exhausting. But frequently enough that there are days when I look back at what I did and realize I packed like 50 PassPorter tasks into that day by sheer SPEED and I’m utterly amazed … and impressed! And it feels good. I did all those things, and, dang, I’m amazing. And tomorrow, when I’m faced with a whole lot of things, I remember yesterday. I feel confident that I can do it. I don’t always, and sometimes I fall short, but I let it go … and start over tomorrow at tip #1! Do you know what your superpower is? When was the last time you used it?

Superpowers activate: PassPorter packed for the post office!

3. Fill the Glass Fuller

Are you a “glass half empty” or “glass half full” type? What do you think I am? I think most people would say I’m “glass half full” based on the general attitude of PassPorter, which is positive and enthusiastic. But, in reality, I’m not. My first impulse is to think the worst rather than the best. But I firmly believe that thought determines outcome, so going about my day with a negative attitude is not acceptable. So I change it, and I do this by filling up my glass with positivity–positive people, ideas, feedback, and outcomes. I fill myself with good. Bad stuff creeps in, it always does, and when it does, I don’t assign it a greater value than the good. I won’t lie and say this is easy — it’s taken years to learn to do this. I distinctly remember the first year of PassPorter and how I obsessed over one negative review and ignored the other 10 positive reviews. It was soul crushing! In time, I came to learn that if I placed an equal value on these reviews, everything worked better—this allowed me to still act on the negative review (i.e., make an improvement if I could) and still feel good (10 positive reviews will overwhelm one negative review). You can learn to do this, too, and it totally works.

When I look at “The Magic in PassPorters” painting by PassPorter Member Angie Daley I ONLY feel positive, so it makes sense to keep it near me and look at it often!

4. Aim High

Set a big (but realistic) goal and make it happen. Nine times out of ten, it totally works. Even if you don’t meet your goal exactly, I’ll bet you’ve accomplished a WHOLE lot of stuff and are pretty darn close to it. I once painted a quote on my office wall that read, “Shoot for the moon — even if you miss you’ll be among the stars.” Sounds trite, I know, but it is true. I love goals — they are my best friends. But if your goal is too small, well, you may not get as much done as you want. I never set unrealistic goals, I just set big goals. There’s a huge difference. Unrealistic goals are something to avoid at all costs. A big goal, on the other hand, can motivate me like none other. It’s like a challenge to myself. I think, “If I tried hard, I bet I could do this …. but can I REALLY? I’m going to find out!” And off I go. And when I do accomplish that big goal, it’s the best feeling in the world. It’s like a +5 confidence booster! Plus, I just got something big done! I can’t tell you how many PassPorters have been finished in this way. I distinctly remember finishing PassPorter’s Walt Disney World 2007 in one month just a few weeks after my son was born because I’d been pregnant and couldn’t do it earlier in the year as I usually do. It was hard, but I rocked it!

5. Evaluate, Don’t Compare

Have you ever had a great day, then later compared what you did in your day with someone else’s day, and found your day lacking? This is a confidence-killer. Comparison is the thief of confidence. Rather than compare, evaluate yourself based on your OWN goals and ideals. It’s all relative anyway. That person who you think is better than you is eclipsed by someone else anyway. Don’t go there. Consciously stay away from comparison. PassPorter does what it sets out to do very well, thank you — it doesn’t have to be #1 to be the best at what it does. I learned this slowly over the years as I watcehd PassPorter continue to succeed and thrive despite not being the #1 Disney guidebook. You don’t have to be #1 either. Evaluate yourself based on what YOU want to accomplish, and feel good about it. I struggle with this, but have gotten much better over the years. When I have problems here, I go back to #3 and focus on all that positive feedback for PassPorter.

PassPorter rocks!

These five points are crucial for productivity and confidence. They really work for me and have allowed me to lead a happy, satisfying life. So … go set yourself a big goal, something that utilizes your superpower, and rock its socks off! Then remind yourself frequently of how amazing you really are!