What are you working towards this year?

Successfully achieving what’s important to you is both inward- and outer- focused work. Your actions and plans matter. And so does your mindset, energy, and inner dialogue.

Whether your goals are outcome-focused or about personal change / transformation, the following ideas will support you in getting there.

1. Do you feel energized when you think about working towards your goal(s)? If not, either modify your approach or change your goal.
2. Tracking your progress towards your goals will keep them top of mind.
3. Clarity on how each or your goals is a positive force in your life will help you keep momentum.
4. You are more likely to stick with your goals if you focus on the journey rather than the outcome.
5. We are all our own worst enemies when it comes to achieving our goals. How are you in your own way?
6. You must believe you can achieve your goals. Otherwise, you’re defeated before you begin.
7. Make sure your goals are measurable. It’s virtually impossible to put action around vagueness.
8. Visualize both the outcome and the process of achieving your goals.
9. Be sure you have written action steps for each of your goals and incorporate them into your daily calendar.
10. When you are clear on what you want and truly committed, the universe conspires to make it happen. Are you both?
11. If you can visualize yourself taking actions towards your goals, you’ll be more likely to actually take the actions.
12. When you commit to your goals out loud and in front of other people, you’ve just given your goals a big boost.
13. Exhaustion and stress won’t help you succeed with your goals and resolutions. Self-care will. Practice it daily.
14. Be sure you have a timeline and clear action steps for your goals/resolutions Without both, you’ll stay stuck.
15. Words create new realities. Articulate your goals, the steps to get there and how you’ll incorporate those steps into your life.
16. Beliefs become self-fulfilling prophecies. Believe in your goals and your ability to achieve them and you will be successful.
17. Goals are a tool to concentrate your focus and move you in the direction you want to go. Stay present with your journey.

Which ones most resonate with you? I’d love to hear your thoughts and experiences!

I love this story I received from one of my clients.

In ancient times, a King had a boulder placed on a roadway.  Then he hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock.  Some of the King’s’ wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply walked around it. Many loudly blamed the King for not keeping the roads clear, but none did anything about getting the stone out of the way.

Then a peasant came along carrying a load of vegetables.  Upon approaching the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the stone to the side of the road.  After much pushing and straining, he finally succeeded. After the peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note from the King indicating that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the roadway.  The peasant learned what many of us never understand!

Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve our condition.

I wish you an obstacle-free New Year! But in case you do encounter obstacles – big or small – know that you have the strength, creativity and resilience to turn them into opportunities.

“It takes as much energy to wish as it does to plan” ~ Eleanor Roosevelt

What’s on your list of  “Someday I’ll …”, “If only I could …”, and other assorted wishes?

It would be so lovely if your fairy godmother swooped in, waved her magic wand, and made your dreams come true.

Send her my way if she does happen to drop by ;-).

However, in case she’s gone missing, here’s a question to consider. What would happen if you picked one item from your list, set a timer for 30 minutes and wrote down specific steps you could take to turn it into an actual project … a plan?

Those 30 minutes could turn your dream into reality.

What a shame it would be to miss that opportunity.

In March, I took a tiny stumble while walking towards the starting line of a 5-K run. As in, so minor it shouldn’t have even been noticeable. Instead, I ended up with the energizer bunny version of a lower back problem … it just kept going and going and going.

Normally my chiropractor and massage therapist can quickly take care of alignment and muscle problems. Not this time.

Long story short, I discovered I have a body mechanics issue that set me up for this injury. I’m now in the process of retraining the muscles in and around my right hip to work properly. What that really means is that I’m learning to walk differently.

And it feels incredibly weird.

In this case, it’s a physical change. But any time you move, act or think in a way that’s different from your habitual way it feels strange. That’s one of the reasons change is slow. It’s human nature to default to what feels familiar.

Whatever change you’re trying to make in your life, be patient and consistently practice.

With time your new habit will feel normal … and that’s when it will become your natural way of moving, thinking or acting.

Here’s the scenario … You have things that need attention and important tasks that need to get done. In fact, there’s a lot to do.

But nothing on your “A” list – or even “B” or “C” lists – feels compelling. Not even when ignoring your responsibilities and to-dos could blow up on you.

If that sounds familiar, you’re probably bored. (As a friend of mine often says, “Ya think?!”)

Boredom is a major energy drain … and when left unchecked, creates a downward spiral. Not only is it incredibly difficult to get motivated to do whatever it is you’re bored with, it becomes difficult to get motivated to do much of anything.

So you mindlessly play solitaire, web-surf, clean grout with a Q-tip or similarly mind-numbing activities.

The most obvious solution to boredom is to change your situation. And that’s important.

But if you’re not able to do that quickly (and I recommend you at least start taking small steps), you can still break out of the boredom cycle.

Become mindful about mindlessly procrastinating.

Seriously. The very nature of boredom-induced procrastination is mindless-ness.

So, if you’re going to procrastinate, do it mindfully.

Every time you feel the urge to web-surf, play solitaire or engage in whatever procrastination pattern you’ve fallen into:

• Take three deep breaths.
• Then stand up and walk around your office, your desk, the hall, whatever your setup is. If you work from home, crank up some music and literally dance or jump around. If you’re in an office, try to find a private spot and just bounce around – even if that means you have to hide out in the bathroom. You want to shift your energy.
• Three more breaths.
• Ask yourself, “What is one thing I can do right now to engage myself and be present.
• And the final question, “What am I going to choose right now.”

Don’t judge your choices. The goal is to work on making more mindful choices. And give yourself a chance to see a change – don’t beat yourself up if not perfect out of the box.

One step at a time and you will break out of the boredom cycle.

I had the great privilege of hearing Debbie Yow, NC State’s Athletic Director speak at a meeting last week. She had much to say that was inspiring but her comments about dream killers were my favorite.

Nothing will smash your hopes and aspirations faster than:

• Assumptions
• Complacency
• Fear
• Sleep deprivation
• Short-tem thinking
• Ineffective communication
• Lack of vision … what do you want to become and who do you want to be

What are your dreams for the upcoming year and beyond? Take time to consider whether you’re harboring any dream killers.

And then do something about it.

It’s completely within your power.

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