So it’s only 4 days till I write my Corporate Tax final and quite possibly my last final of my “storied” career in undergrad.  I realize that I’ve been ‘deathly afraid’ of this final because it could potentially mark the end of something that I’ve been so used to for 75% of my life… being in school.  What I’ve learned through these last 36 days up until now is that I’ve been making far too many excuses for not “manning up” and like the Nike slogan.. “Just Do It!”  No overly complicated plans with a 20 step process to success or anything of that sort.  Just simple daily reflection to keep myself in tune with what NEEDS to be done in order for me to move on to the next phase of my life… Graduation and embarking on a career in Professional Accounting.

Reading self-improvement blogs like zenhabits.net,  listening to Tony Robbins CD’s, and going through old journal entries, and most importantly having my support system of friends as well as my girlfriend talking me through it has kept me in check of not falling back into a victim/self-sabotage frame.  I’m grateful for their feedback and

I’ve recently gotten approval for my Letters of Permission to take Accounting Theory and Corporate Taxation at York University in case things don’t work out as a contingency plan, but I realize that might also be subconciously acknowledging that I will be extending my studies for at least a summer.

I’ve simplified my approach to productivity and “Getting Things Done” to just two steps:

• plan my 3 “Must Outcomes” when I wake up and ask myself my morning questions
• Stick to those must outcomes and attach a deadline for each of those.  That’s it.

Anyway, back to studying for Business Combinations… I’ll learn what I can and have fun doing so.

I’ve become more galvanized (notice the proper spelling ) than ever to consolidate my energies towards this final push before graduation.

My efforts have languished over the last week because of several factors in terms of putting strain on my preparation for finals - namely final assignments. Coming down the pipeline, I have a presentation on “Barbie across cultures” for my course in Intercultural Communications as well as a 2000 word book review on “Blockbusters and Trade Wars” due by the end of the month. In addition to that, I have a Corporate Tax assignment and a Business Combinations assignment due at the end of the month, so it’s a whole lot of work that I have to push through, and I can’t afford to snap under this pressure. A shit storm will collide if I don’t pump these assignments out in record time.

Although there were some “hiccups” that have stifled my productivity, by setting an aggressive schedule to finish off assignments by midweek, next week, I’ll have a lot more room to breathe to prepare for finals at least 3 weeks in advance. As a result of this plan for massive action, I’ve put on hold my Toastmasters meetings, leisure reading and full scale workouts.

I’ve got 40 more pages of “Blockbusters and Trade Wars” to knock off before I head to bed . This is an experiment in and of itself, as I’ll post my results of implementing productivity boosting tips for my next entry.

Take control of your consistent emotions and begin to consciously and deliberately reshape your daily experience of life. - Anthony Robbins

Often when we are confronted with a situation or outcome that we feel is undesirable, it’s easy to fall into a negative thought pattern. We dwell on the situation and amplify what is already perceived as “bad”, rather than accept it for what it is and move forward.

It is often a slippery slope that is hard to get off of when we are focused on only the negative and self-created ‘imminent doom’ that awaits us. However, this can all be avoided when you realize that you can instantly break that negative pattern by recognizing that we already have a ‘positivity toolkit’ containing these 12 ways to instantly change your mood. (more…)

It’s been quite some time since I’ve been waking up early. I was inspired through the different personal development programs I had finished, and reading great posts by found on StevePavlina.com and ZenHabits.com on the benefits of waking up early. (more…)