This is the second of a two-part series on S T R E T C H I N G yourself, or in other words, about not settling for "whatever." This is about asking for what you really want and then being in a position of such inner strength that life actually gets easier for you. It's not about "getting too big for your britches" or comparing yourself to others. Without taking conscious action, you tend to shrink yourself, to settle, to suck it up and do it anyway, a process that over time, lowers your sense of self worth. This list is about small actions you can take to reverse that process and live your life on purpose, succeeding on your own terms.

31 Practical  Ways to S T R E T C H yourself (Part II): 

20. Get out your list of goals for 2011 and put some action steps in your agenda today.

21. With that list of goals in mind, consider the difference between "interested in" and "committed to" and mark those goals that you are absolutely committed to. You don't need to commit to every goal, but certainly some of them.

22. Make or update your Magic Money list. (This is your priority shopping list of things outside your ordinary monthly budget, the things for which you need extra money.)

23. Count your blessings, and think of some new ones you haven't been aware of recently. For example, what would your life be like without indoor plumbing?

24. Find a way to intentionally expand your vocabulary. 

25. Dress up for work tomorrow like you're going to meet the top celebrity in your industry. (Who is that person? Maybe you can arrange a meeting.)

26. Complete this sentence 20 different ways: I'm the kind of person who....

27. Stand up straight, stretch, and breathe deeply. 

28. Write down 10 of your little-known preferences and do something to acknowledge some of them. (Along this vein, I bought the People Magazine Yearbook for 2011 last week. That was a fun read.) The more you know about your preferences, the stronger you become. That's why Socrates said that knowledge of self was the beginning of true wisdom.

29. Put order in your financial statements. Or at least read them. (On while on that subject, get started on your tax returns.)

30. Just say "no" and don't explain why. Don't volunteer if you don't really want to. Other people can bring brownies. The best thing is you don't need to come up with a reason, an explanation or an excuse. It's just not a good time for you to do this.
 

31. Give others permission to disagree with your decisions. Crazy as it is, not everybody is your fan and that's okay. You're here for your peeps, not the whole universe.

Life is short and typically you don't realize how much influence you really have to create your life. What's your favorite way to stretch into your best self?

Tomorrow I'll put out a printable version of all 31 ways on a single document.