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Time to “March” Forward
Another month is upon us. How are you doing on those goals you’ve developed? Do you have any way to track your progress? Don’t lose hope if you have to answer, ‘what goals?’
With a new month comes new hope for a better future. The month of March is a great way to move forward and get them done. It’s a great day to start a new goal or go after what you’re dreaming of. As long as you have dreams, they can become a reality. But, it does mean you have to take action to get them accomplished.
Starting with small steps, ala Kaizen, will help you to begin and override any fears or doubts that may creep up. ‘Will it work?’ How will I do this?’ ‘It seems so hard’ ‘It will never work; no one will want to buy it’ and on, and on, and on. If you allow these underlying fears to become bigger, you won’t begin let along achieve.
Starting with the smallest, least threatening action will ‘show’ your brain that what you’re doing isn’t so bad, which allows you to continue moving forward. It’s ‘marching’ with one step, which you keep doing until you’re ready for the next, and then the next. With habits now taking almost sixty days to sink in, starting small creates good habits for life. It’s one of the easiest ways to begin and get things done.
Wishing you success as you march towards a more productive and successful life. Today also begins Lent, the start of 40 days until Easter; this can also be a good time to create positive habits that will impact not just you, but others. You can give up a bad habit, i.e. eating sweets, over-drinking, smoking, lying, gossiping, etc., or practice kindness to others, i.e. giving thanks or compliments, volunteering, donating possessions or money to those less needy, etc. I’m sure there is something we all can do for forty days. A positive mindset needs to set the tone – look forward and march!
If you’d like help with setting or achieving goals, contact us today at http://www.cyscoaching.com – let’s talk!
Time for Change in 2015
It has been a couple of months since I’ve been here – the end of the year did not turn out exactly as I’d hoped; I had to put my beloved dog, Bailey, down when she got sick very suddenly, my Mom was hospitalized for a week when she suddenly got sick and I came down with the flu. Not exactly events that can be planned for.
Bouncing back from unplanned events can take some time but is worth the emotional effort in order to heal and gain focus and clarity on what the future will bring – exactly what you want it to. The New Year is a perfect time to have hope, to be optimistic, and to redefine any area of your life that you desire. If you haven’t yet taken the time to set your desires and plan out your year, here are three steps to help you:
- First, do a quick review for how 2014 went to see what went well and what didn’t; decide what you will continue to do (the positives) and what you will delete (the negatives). Determine if there are any goals you wish to continue, as well as any new ones, and write these down.
- Next, take each goal and break it down into all the steps you believe it will take to achieve them; list out the resources you will need, i.e. finances, people/support, time, etc. Having an end-time is crucial in order to provide motivation to begin and keep going. Mindset would be included here – what will you do to push through any fears that might hold you back.
- Finally, Begin. Take one step today that will move you forward and closer to achieving one goal on your list. Focus on just that one area until it’s done. Then, you can move on to the next and the next. This serves the purpose of keeping your focus on one thing and for better managing your time – both of which are essential to high performance.
2015 can be all you want it to be provided you take massive action starting today. These steps will help – to your success!
Ready to Set 2014 on Fire?
Happy December! With only a couple weeks left of this year, now is the perfect time to plan and prepare so you can hit the ground running in 2014 and blaze into success. What you do now is predictive of how your new year will start; I think it’s a misnomer that the beginning of the year is the time to set goals for what you want to accomplish throughout the year. This typically leads to starting but dying out quickly. Setting a goal is great; after all, it is the outcome you desire for some partt of your life. But just having a goal is not enough – you need to define all aspects of what it will take to get you there as well as being prepared for any roadblocks, either internal or external, that will arise.
Preparation is the key to action as it leads you towards your desire; you won’t be confused on what to do or where to go. Setting big goals sets the stage but taking massive action completes the scene, so to speak. If you’re ready to set 2014 on fire, here are 5 steps you can take right now to get you there:
1. Review this past year’s accomplishments – why they worked, what resources you used, support you received – and build off of those You want to rinse and repeat these activities. Challenge yourself to see how you could take that accomplishment and push it to a higher level; for example, if you spoke at a network meeting, go for a speaking gig at a conference or an event.
2. Likewise, review what you didn’t get accomplished or activities that didn’t work and review them to see if you missed opportunities, if you didn’t have the right market/resources/support, or if you allowed fears to get in your way. Determine if they are still important to you, as needs and desires can change, and let go of what no longer feels good. With those that are left, decide what you could do to make them work in this new year.
3.Set big, bodacious goals – really challenge yourself this year; this can be in regards to going for that promotion, taking the plunge and starting a business, or setting a money goal. Big goals need big actions to get them done so really stretch yourself – we usually can accomplish more than we think; you’ll never know if you don’t go so move forward and look at the bigger picture for what’s possible.
4. Banish the fears – we all have them – fear of failure, fear of not being good enough, fear of being rejected, etc.; even procrastination stems from a fear (usually includes one of those listed). Once you identify those thoughts/feelings that hold you back, you can do something to banish them forever. Challenge your thoughts and don’t allow yourself to perpetuate negative ones through your internal talk.
5. Get support – none of us can do it alone so get some help to review your goals and to keep you accountable to complete them. You might find a mentor, enlist the help of a family member of friend, or you might consider hiring a coach who can help you to think bigger, help you set and strategize your goals, and give you accountability and support.
One last step – NEVER GIVE UP! Set the vision, focus on it, and take a cue from Kaizen: small, consistent steps lead to good habits and to reaching those goals your way. If you follow these steps, you will have your plan set and will be ready to set the new year on fire!
If you want help to set goals, create a strategy that will work for you – your terms, your way, and be fully supported along the way then contact us today to get started. http://www.cyscoaching.com
Mapping Out 2014
It’s hard to believe that in just six weeks we will be facing another new year. It seems surreal that the busiest of holidays are almost upon us and all that they bring. So my question is – are you ready for the new year and all that you want it to bring? Will you hit the ground running or will you be doing a slow crawl, unsure of where to go or what to do?
If you’re smart (and I’m sure you are 🙂 you will use these last weeks of the year to map out 2014; this answers the question of how you want your career, your business and your life to look like. I really liked to Mind-Map everything, as it give me the ability to brain dump any and all ideas as well giving me a visual picture of any and all goals & action steps I need to take. This tool is not limiting what’s already in my head; it just allows them to come out freely.
To Map out 2014, I believe you can’t move forward until you review how this year went, so some areas to look at:
- Your goals – did you reach them? How did you get there? Are they still important to you? Which do you need to let go of?
- Your ‘wins’ – what accomplishments did you reach?
- Your road-blocks – what stood in your way, i.e. financial, support, missed opportunities?
Now that you have this information, it’s time to map out the new year by following these steps:
- Dream big – take time to sit, with pen & paper, and your mind map, and allow your mind to visualize how you ‘see’ your career, business, and your life in this next year. List everything that comes to you
- Map out all the steps under each main category that you think it will take
- Your main goal(s) that you want to accomplish this year and the time reach them – prioritize the goals you’ve listed, with start and end dates; it is helpful to plan out by months or quarters
- Definitely map out January so you will be in action-mode come the first of the year
Once this is done, you can relax and enjoy your holidays knowing full-well that your best is yet to come!
If you want any help in mapping out your 2014 year, don’t hesitate to contact me; http://www.cyscoaching,com
Are You Ready For 2013?
The New Year – 2013 – is almost here. Are you ready? As cliche as it may sound, I feel very hopeful for the new year and believe in setting goals, creating bucket lists, and visioning what I want to achieve in the upcoming months. I have been busy defining new goals and thresholds, planning out my business and marketing activities, and putting them on my calendar. I have been creating new vision boards and motivational pictures as these inspire and excite me and move me closer to these “visions.”
How about you? Have you been preparing your lists and calendars with activities that will excite and enhance you, both personally and professionally? Is this the year you will go after that promotion or start your own business? Maybe you will decide to get healthy and begin to exercise or eat properly; or maybe you will save money, donate or volunteer more, or work on your emotional health through meditation and gratitude.
Whatever it is you decide, making the decision is a first start. Then, deciding on what areas you want to enhance or improve upon, making really clear goals, and defining what tasks you can do to reach them are the next steps. Action and commitment are the final keys that will help you go after these goals; getting support and recognizing your “wins” will keep you focused and in motion. Once you have your goals and tasks set, set a begin date, an end date, and then pick one task or project that will be the quickest and most efficient one to achieve.
These steps will help you to begin the new year on a strong note that will keep you unstoppable. Make 2013 YOUR year!
Day 31 – Goal Achieved!
Today marks the end of the month and the end of my 30 (31) day blog challenge – I made it! While it was a bit challenging to find inspiration and to commit to writing daily, this was one of the most rewarding goals I have made. I also learned several lessons from this:
- I can commit and achieve a goal, if I challenge myself
- Focusing on the end-result and the “why” enabled me to accomplish this goal
- Sharing my stories was not as scary as I had thought; putting yourself ‘out there’ is a risk but pushing through is the only way to get to the end result
- As time wore on, my writing got better; I was finding inspiration in a host of sources that enabled me to share my message with others
- Blogging daily gets your presence out there and I find it a great way to attract new follow even some new clients
One other lesson was that my confidence in my skills grew and I now have people who not only want to connect with me but need to. Hopefully, my lessons can become your lessons for any goals that you want to achieve. I feel super excited today that my reward is taking a day off and going to recharge (and play) at Universal; I always feel happy there. So now I challenge you to set a goal for September and to commit to making it happen. Have a great day and a relaxing holiday weekend! Share how you are going to spend this Labor Day weekend.
