SigmaU Blog

The days, months and years can slip by in a haze if we’re not intentional about how we approach each day. This can happen during times of extreme stress or change, but it can also creep up on us where we realize that a decade has passed and we’ve been going through the motions.

Here are a few ways we can take deliberate action and be even more intentional and live with purpose.

Set Daily Intentions

Brendon Burchard’s High Performance Planner is an awesome tool to use to set your day up with intention. You start by journaling answers to questions such as how you want to show up that day. What emotions do you want to have that day? Who needs you on your A-Game? Setting intentions about how you want to show up is a fantastic way to increase the way you live with clear intentions. If you have a tough meeting, set intentions about how you want to show up. How would your best self handle conflict?

Have a Kaizen Mindset

Kaizen is an approach to creating continuous...

What if we looked at pain differently to take back our power?

Without going into details, I've been through some seriously painful life altering moments and stressful situations over the past 2 years. The body doesn't lie – you know you're experiencing high levels of stress when your resting heart rate is in the red while you're sleeping.

I recently had a friend ask how I was holding things together, I responded that it was my habits and reframing that was saving me.

Here's how you and I can look at pain in a new way:

P- PURPOSE 

 What if the challenge or crisis you're currently experiencing is a necessary part of the process. What if you must go through the storm to build the strength necessary for the next battle ahead or to appreciate the reward with deep reverence?

A- AWARENESS 

What if the pain you're experiencing is intended to create more awareness? Is your body telling you to slow down but you keep ignoring it? Is the challenge you're...

“Nothing contributes so much to tranquilize the mind as a steady purpose.” - Mary Shelley

The quote above was in my 5 Minute Gratitude Journal the other day and it struck me because purpose has come up quite a bit with clients and in conversations with colleagues lately.

I had just been telling a colleague about how impressed I was with a saleswoman at a clothing store. It wasn’t a super fancy story by any means, but she was dressed to the nines and had her make up and hair done like she was headed to a gala. I had never seen that in a retail environment before. If I had to guess, she was in her late sixties, early seventies and while she was helping me, I was curious about her. Was she working again because of the recession and things have become harder to afford at home? Was she struggling to make ends meet? Then it dawned on me, perhaps she gets dolled up the way she does and happily serves clients because she has a strong sense of purpose!

My colleague and I...

Clarity is incredibly powerful. Why?

When we have complete clarity about what it is we want in life, what we stand for and what our big North Star is, it gives us a sense of peace. It provides assurance that our efforts are counting towards something. Often, when we don't have clarity, we can bumble through each day, get a multitude of tasks completed, are very busy and may even feel some sense of productivity and accomplishment.  However, we can be left wondering if we’re making a significant difference at all.

When we have complete clarity, we know where we're headed, and what we want to achieve.  We have vision.  More importantly, that big North Star gets us excited and fired up and helps us build momentum. We’re more optimistic because we're working towards something that really matters to us.

Clarity also provides us with total focus so that we can determine what our distractions are. Meaning, what are the activities, people,...