Coach Andrea

Coach Andrea’s Intro

It’s December.  Time to begin to reflect on the goals I set way back in January.  I knew in my gut that some of those goals didn’t feel right when I wrote them down.  Yet, I continued to plug away.  I’m going to take more time over the holidays to dig into these goals.  This week’s Tip provides 6 questions to ask yourself as you consider how you did on your 2012 goals and how that time of reflection can help in setting your 2013 goals.  See the What’s New section for a process to capture your accomplishments and set your goals.

One of my goals is to spend quality time with my family during this holiday season, so this will be the last Coaching Tip of the Week for 2012.  Look for your next Tip on January 4th, 2013.  I wish you all the love and happiness this season can bring and may the New Year find you healthy, happy, prosperous and full of joy.

Quote of the Week

“He who is slowest in making a promise is most faithful in its performance.”

Evaluate Your Performance This Year to Increase Next Year’s Success

By Andrea Novakowski

William, the owner of a health care consulting business, emailed me last week in preparation for our upcoming call. Should we discuss his goals for next year, he wondered, or should we reflect first on the year that just passed?

We can do both at the same time, I replied.

Back in January, William created five goals he wanted to work on. (He thought fewer would be better, and I agreed.) Of the five goals, he’d nailed two of them, had gotten very close to two, and had abandoned the last one mid-year.

After congratulating him on a job well done, I asked, “What do you think made you accomplish those first two goals and get close to the next two? What caused you to give up on the fifth?”

In other words, I wanted William to consider what the ideal conditions were for accomplishing each of his goals, and to judge whether those conditions had been in place during the past year. This exercise often sheds a great deal of light on why you did or did not achieve what you set out to do. You can try it for yourself. Ask yourself the following questions:

Did the goal harness your strengths? William is a great people person and connector, so his goal of increasing his business by tapping into his referral network was perfect for him. It was something he enjoyed working on because he was good at it.

Was it a group effort, or did it rest solely on you? One of William’s goals, bringing a new product to market, required the help of his leadership team. He succeeded because he was able to share his vision with the people who worked for him. Did your goal depend on the cooperation of others? How well did that work out? (For more on how to articulate your vision and/or enlist others’ help, click here.)

Did you make the goal a priority? What seems important at the beginning of the year sometimes falls off the radar as the months progress. Last January, William wanted to expand his business by buying another small practice that would add a service his company didn’t provide. While this seemed like a good idea at the time, he didn’t focus on the goal until the second quarter.  By the time this goal moved into the priority position, the company had decided to merge with another firm.

Did you have a concrete plan to make the goal a reality? You’re more likely to accomplish a goal if you have a road map to get there. You can either plan backward or forward; it’s up to you. With backward planning, imagine the goal has been accomplished and ask yourself: what would have to happen just before that? And just before that? And so on. With forward planning, start from today and list the steps that will take you to your goal.

Was it really your goal, or was it someone else’s?  It’s hard to admit it to ourselves when a plan is based upon others saying, “Here’s what you should do.” If you’re trying to accomplish a goal mainly because other people think it’s a good idea, or because everyone else is doing it, you may not be pursuing it with your whole heart. Before setting a goal, ask yourself if this is what you really want.

Does your goal energize you? Do your spirits soar when you think about working on the goal, or do you feel drained? When something is true and right for you, you’ll feel it somewhere in your body. (For me, it’s in my gut.) The thought of trying something new may make you anxious; that’s normal. Let the twinge of fear clear away before you really assess whether your goal is worth doing.

As 2012 winds down, it’s a great time to reflect on what you’ve accomplished, and more important, to think about why some things got done and others didn’t. How will you use this year’s experience to design your goals for 2013?

Coaching Call To Action

First and foremost, enjoy this blessed holiday season with family, friends, and loved ones.  Second, look back at 2012 – did you enjoy the journey and reach your goals? Third, plan for 2013 using the information below.

I’d love to hear from you about what you discover as you take time to reflect and plan.  Please take a minute to share your thoughts below.

What’s New?

2012 Accomplishments, 2013 Goals Forms Are Ready

It’s time to get started on your master plan for 2013.  Give yourself some quiet time, put on some relaxing music … and begin.  First, acknowledge all that you have accomplished in 2012.  Next, write down your goals for 2013.  Open your mind to ALL the possibilities.  Start each goal with “I am” or I will.”  Don’t even THINK about restricting yourself.  This process may take two hours.  It may take two weeks.  Remember, you’re building what you want in your life.  To help you with this process, here are some key questions to ask yourself:

1. Looking back at your life both personally & professionally:

• What worked well in the past year?
• What didn’t work well and why?
• What surprised you?
• Who or what disappointed you?
• Who or what delighted you?

2. Looking forward to the new year:

• What do you want more of in your life?
• What do you want less of in your life?
• Who do you want to spend more time with?
• Who do you want to spend less time with?
• What are the most important things you want to accomplish?
• What do you need to learn to accomplish these things?
• What contribution do you want to make?
• How much do you want to earn, save and invest?
• What will you do for fun and optimum health?
• What is your single most important goal?

To receive a form to capture your accomplishments for 2012 and your goals for 2013, send me an e-mail at Andrea@CoachAndrea.com with “Accomplishments and Goals” in the subject line.

Gift Certificates Available

Looking for a unique gift for a friend, colleague or family member? Giving the gift of coaching partners the recipient with a professional coach with real world experience.  Your gift provides one-on-one coaching to help them sift through their conflicting priorities and demands, determine what’s most important and take action.  The coaching will help them focus, gain clarity, problem solve, and get results.  What better gift is there to give someone you care about!

Please call Andrea at 508-231-0766 or email Andrea@CoachAndrea.com for additional information.

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Coach Andrea’s Intro

A couple of weeks ago, I gave a talk to a group of highly enthusiastic and energized business owners in Concord, MA.  The time for creating goals for 2012 was upon us. About half of the group raised their hand when asked if they’d already created their goals for 2012.  Congratulations was in order!  Next, I asked if they believed they would accomplish these goals.  Not all of those hands remained raised.  This week’s Tip includes the 6 steps I used to help the business owners in Concord, as well as my clients, answer YES I Can!

Quote of the Week

“We would accomplish many more things if we did not think of them as impossible.”

~ Vince Lombardi

Truly Accomplishing Goals that Matter

By Andrea Novakowski

Matthew, the owner of a computer services company, greeted me at his office door with a big smile. It was the first week of January and he’d completed his 2012 goals worksheet. He was excited to share with me the vision he’d created for himself and his business. But three weeks later, when I asked what actions he’d taken on his goals, Matthew’s smile turned to a frown. He’d already run out of gas.

He’d taken a few stabs at the goals, he said, but they all felt too big and distant, and there were competing priorities, and his customers were complaining… the list went on and on. So many distractions!

Did you set big goals for yourself this year? How are you progressing on them so far? If you’re like many people, you started out the year with great intentions, but now we’re nearing the end of January and reality has set in. Not much has really changed. The same roadblocks you ran up against in 2011 are still here in 2012.

I’ll tell you what I told Matthew. It’s not enough just to list what you want to accomplish. You also need to examine each of your goals and figure out why it’s important to you, how you plan to achieve it, and what you’ll do when problems arise.

1. Before you get to work, look deeper into each of your goals. Ask yourself:

• What is the purpose of this goal? Why do you want to achieve it? How will it make a difference in your life or the lives of others?
• What are the benefits of reaching this goal? Does it honor your values?
• Deep down, do you really believe you can reach this goal? As Henry Ford once said, “Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right!”

2. Identify the potential obstacles that might get in the way of accomplishing your goals. Be especially honest with yourself about old habits or beliefs that might otherwise catch you by surprise, such as procrastination, perfectionism, burnout, negative self-talk, lack of know-how, or having too much to do.

3. Discover your solution. How are you going to overcome each obstacle? For instance, if you’re chronically over-scheduled, check out Stephen Covey’s Time Management Matrix. Set aside time on your calendar to work on your goals. Recognize which tasks need 100 percent of your effort, and which can be done at an 80 percent level. Delegate or ask for help.

4. Goals usually take many steps to achieve. Breaking your goals down into these concrete steps – making what’s called a “project plan” – will help you visualize exactly what it’s going to take to get from point A to point B. Once you’ve listed these action steps, write the next step on your calendar. That will help keep it in the front of your mind.

5. Measure backward. Sometimes, when you think about what you’re trying to accomplish, it may seem as if you’re not getting any closer. Try looking at where you were when you started working toward your goal and measure your progress from that point instead.

6. Build accountability into your plans. The more people you tell about your goal, the more support you’ll receive. Design a follow-up process that works for you. Check in with your supporters on a regular basis (weekly, monthly, quarterly).

Matthew nodded throughout our discussion: he realized that while he’d listed some worthy goals on his worksheet, he hadn’t considered the steps along the way, nor had he anticipated the obstacles he was likely to encounter. We spent the rest of Matthew’s coaching session discussing how he could regain the momentum he’d had at the beginning of January — and make real progress on the goals he’d set for himself!

Coaching Call To Action

This week, pull out your goals for 2012.  Which ones are moving along on track?  Congratulate yourself!  Which ones are already stalled?  Review the six steps above and determine your next step to move into action.

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Coach Andrea’s Intro

Happy New Year!

There are so many articles on the internet about goal setting.  Whether you own your own business or work for someone else, the key for setting goals is choosing what will be most important to you.  What makes the biggest impact for you in your life?  Steve Straus’s article reminds you to be conscious in this process.

Elevating Life

By Steve Straus

“I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestionable ability of man to elevate his life by conscious endeavor.”
~  Henry David Thoreau

The key to this quote is not “endeavor” it’s “conscious.” You can work hard, endeavor, on the wrong things and end up changing nothing. But when you are conscious about your world, your desires, your resources, your activities, then wonderful things can happen. And that’s encouraging. Are you conscious?

Copyright 2012 Steve Straus. All rights reserved. Steve Straus can be contacted at http://www.StrausUSA.com.

Coaching Call To Action

What will you do this year that really matters?

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Coach Andrea’s Intro

The good news is you can learn to be a top achiever! In this week’s Tip, Chris Widener shares 6 traits you can build and develop to become successful. He also notes you don’t have to be born with these attributes. How many do you already possess?

Quote of the Week

“You are not here merely to make a living. You are here to enable the world to live more amply, with greater vision, and with a finer spirit of hope and achievement. You are here to enrich the world. You impoverish yourself if you forget this errand.”

~ Woodrow Wilson

The DNA of Top Achievers!

By Chris Widener

This got me to thinking about what makes up those who are top achievers. Is there a “DNA” to them? Obviously, all top achievers wouldn’t have the same literal DNA but what about a figurative DNA? Is there a common “gene” that they all have? Are there common “genes” perhaps? I think so!

If we could get right down to it, I think these are the genes we would find in the DNA of top achievers:

• A predisposition to setting high, lofty goals. Top achievers are people who won’t and can’t settle for the status quo. They see average as a place they want to keep in the rear-view mirror. Instead, they continually look for ways to stretch themselves, to get better, to do better, to be better! They set their sights on goals that others have never even thought of. They want to shoot so high that even if they miss, they go higher than everyone else. This is what makes them top achievers.
• An ability to focus intently upon reaching their desired destination. Many people can set high goals, but just as many people get sidetracked by one thing or another on their way to those goals. High, lofty goals usually take a while to get there so there will always be plenty of time to be tempted to stray away from the road that is taking you to those goals. Often, those things that sidetrack people are good things, but not the best things. Top achievers do not get sidetracked. They stay focused. They know where they are going. They have an ability to say “no” to the good things in order to get to the best things.
• The willingness to personally sacrifice in order to get to their goal. When the going gets tough, many people quit. When the going gets tough personally, most people quit. When the going gets tough for top achievers, they remind themselves of the high, lofty goals they have set for themselves. They remind themselves of what an accomplishment it will be for them and that the reward is worth pushing through the momentary trials. They are willing to sacrifice personally in the short-term in order to get the reward and the prize long-term. Keeping their eyes on the big picture enables them to persevere through any personal pain they may experience.
• A predisposition to tenacity. Tenacity is the ability to “keep on going.” Tough times? Keep on going! Financial troubles? Keep on going! People are suspect? Keep on going! You look like a dreamer? Keep on going! Tired? Keep on going! Want to quit and take it easy? Keep on going! Just remember this: Keep on going! The prize is ahead! Many people quit just before they were to get the reward, so keep on going!
• The ability to see available resources and to use them accordingly. Those who are top achievers know that they cannot be lone-rangers on the way to the top. No one makes it by himself or herself. Top achievers recognize their weaknesses – the weaknesses that if they don’t cover will keep them from becoming a top achiever! They see their resources and they work to get them into a helping position so they can continue the route to becoming a top achiever. And they don’t use them, they utilize them. There is a big difference! People, finances, etc are all brought in to help by the top achiever.
• A desire to help others achieve more for themselves as well. The top achiever knows that they can make a difference for others by becoming a top achiever. They know that the wealth they make can feed the hungry. They know that the position of influence they achieve can open a door for someone who may not normally get a chance. True top achievers look at how they can bring many with them, not how they can leave many in the dust. People are helped by the top achiever, not trampled upon!

I think if we could get to the DNA of top achievers, the things we talked about above would be at the core and fiber of their beings. What about you? Did you recognize yourself at all? I hope so! The good news about the DNA we are talking about today as opposed to real DNA is that you can go out and work on top achiever DNA whereas you are stuck with real DNA. So if you lack a little in the above-mentioned areas, take heart – you can get better and work on them so that you can become a top achiever!

Chris Widener is the Co-Founder of Chris Widener International, www.MadeForSuccess.net, a wealth of ongoing motivation and leadership skills training.

Coaching Call To Action

Chris provides great reminders of what it takes to be a top achiever.  The one that speaks to me this week is tenacity, the ability to keep on going.  I would add a qualifier – keep on going without causing pain/hurt to others.  We can become so driven that we don’t see the impact of our actions on those around us.  Which trait above speaks to you – with or without qualifiers?

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Coach Andrea’s Intro

When I first talk to people about coaching, I tell them we will be creating a vision, setting goals, taking action, measuring performance, modifying actions (as needed) and achieving results. This structure has a built in assessment process to determine whether to continue along a path or modify. This week’s tip, by Marsha Petrie Sue, shares a similar idea: don’t give up, know when to cut your losses and create new goals.

Quote of the Week

“The reason most people never reach their goals is that they don’t define them, or ever seriously consider them as believable or achievable. Winners can tell you where they are going, what they plan to do along the way, and who will be sharing the adventure with them.”

~ Denis Watley

Know When to Cut Your Losses

by Marsha Petrie Sue

Sometimes, giving up is necessary. Quitting may very well be good for your health, according to a study reported on by the Association for Psychological Science. The lesson isn’t necessarily a new one; it simply states that it’s helpful to know when to cut your losses. But here is the catch: the upside to the study for those less willing to give up on goals easily is that of the participants who did quit, those who were more willing to set and re-engage in new goals had more sense of purpose. Notice they didn’t give up altogether; they merely modified their actions to fit a new set of goals.

So the question is: Will you give up, or toughen up? The choice, as always, is yours (Sue, p. 57).

From: Sue, M.P. (2010). The reactor factor: how to handle difficult work situations without going nuclear. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Reprinted with permission from the OSU Leadership Center, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, (614) 292-3114, http://leadershipcenter.osu.edu

Coaching Call To Action

As you face obstacles this week, you have the choice of giving up, pushing through, or setting a new set of goals.  You choose.

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Coach Andrea’s Intro

Periodically, the most important action you can take to improve your results is to stop.  Then assess, looking both forward and backward. This week’s Tip by Dr. Alan Zimmerman provides a simple exercise you can do whether you are sitting down with your first cup of coffee for the day or taking your first sip of wine watching the sunset. Grab your journal and pen and answer the questions below.

Quote of the Week

“Progress is the product of human agency. Things get better because we make them better. Things go wrong when we get too comfortable, when we fail to take risks or seize opportunities.”

~ Susan Rice

Seven Questions to Ask Yourself to Get Better Results

By Dr. Alan Zimmerman

We’ve all heard the motivational speakers preach the message of “Ya gotta have goals.” And they’re right. “Ya gotta have goals.”

That’s a very important start in any endeavor, but it’s not enough to guarantee your success. In addition to HAVING some goals, you’ve got to do some PERIODIC CHECKING to see if you’re going in the right direction and making sufficient progress towards your goals.

I recommend the following seven questions. They’ll keep your goals in the forefront of your mind, and they’ll help you stay on track … doing the right things to achieve your goals as you avoid the inevitable pitfalls.

1. What three things could prevent you from achieving your goals in the next six months?
2. What is the single biggest opportunity you will have to grow personally and professionally in the next twelve months?
3. If you were able to do last week over again, what one thing would you do differently to have better results?
4. If you were able to do last month over again, what three things would you do differently to have better results?
5. Are you spending your time in a way that delivers the best possible results?
6. What one thing can you stop doing today that will give you more time?
7. If it were entirely up to you, what would you change in your work?

They’re great questions. And every time you ask yourself these questions, you’re going to get a payoff.

As published in Art Sobczak’s Smart Calling newsletter and from Dr. Alan Zimmerman’s Internet newsletter, the ‘Tuesday Tip.’ For your own personal, free subscription to the ‘Tuesday Tip,’ go to http://www.DrZimmerman.com

Coaching Call To Action

Alan has provided great questions that I’m going to spend time answering Monday afternoon as I do my monthly business planning. How about you? When will you set aside time to assess your business?

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Coach Andrea’s Intro

As we are getting close to the half-way mark for 2011, I thought it was a good time to check in on your goal progress.  Michael Neill’s article this week gives us permission to put aside the “loaded” goals on your list. You know those goals that you’ve given so much significance and meaning? Just put them aside for now.  Read on to learn more.

Quote of the Week

” Achievable goals are the first step to self improvement.” ~ J.K. Rowling

The Loaded Goal

by Michael Neill

Creating results in the world is fairly straightforward.  If I want to lose weight, I take in less calories than I burn up, regardless of which diet, eating plan, or “lifestyle choices” I make in order to do it.  If I want to accumulate wealth, I spend less money than I create (regardless of how much I create or what I do to create it) and keep the rest.  If I want to write a book, I put words on a page repeatedly until they tell some semblance of a story or create the opportunity for the reader to learn and transform.

These formulas are common sense, fool-proof, time-tested, and will work for every single person that uses them.  So if you’re consistently not achieving something you say you want to achieve, it’s probably not because you don’t know how.

It’s because that goal, whatever it is, has become loaded with so much extra significance and meaning that you can barely face it, let alone achieve it.

The loaded goal is that goal which seems to be your most important and longest standing one – it’s the one that “for some reason, I don’t seem to be able to make any real progress on” and “this year, I’m finally going to handle”.

What makes the loaded goal so frustrating is that it seems as though it should be easy.  “After all”, we tell ourselves, “other people are able to lose weight, make more money, find a partner, write a novel, get fit, etc – why can’t I?”

The reason why it’s so much harder to reach a “loaded” goal than a regular one is that your focus isn’t really on the result you want to create – it’s on you.

When your goal is loaded…

• Getting fit isn’t about being fit and losing weight is no longer about weighing less (if indeed it ever was) – it’s about “overcoming your essentially lazy, good for nothing nature and proving that you CAN do it” or “if I lose weight, that will show that I’m ‘good enough’ to attract a man”.
• You don’t just want to have more money (though that would be nice too) – you want to prove to your spouse/parents/colleagues/self that YOU do have what it takes and YOU will triumph in the end.
• Writing a novel isn’t about telling a story, it’s about “being an author” or “fulfilling your potential”

As a coach, my clients consistently try to convince me that what we should really be focusing on is their loaded goal, whether it’s winning an Oscar, losing weight, or becoming the first non-Asian leader of China.  (Yes, those are all real examples!)

But what I know is that in order to create results, we need to stop talking about what’s wrong with you (your issues) OR about what’s right with you (your self-esteem) and put our attention where it will make the biggest difference – on the results you most want to create in your life and in the world.

And the simplest way to do that is to literally “take a load off” your mind and put that loaded goal off to the side.  Take a few weeks, months, or even a whole year off from trying to deal with it.  Enjoy your life.  Have some fun.  Stop working on yourself and that particular goal for awhile.

What will happen, counter-intuitive though it may seem, is that everything else in your life will start working better and better. Oh, you’ll still be able to work yourself up into a lather about your loaded goal – after all, it’s loaded up with all your favorite hot-button toppings.  But if you’re willing to keep putting it back down and get on with something else you actually want to create for its own sake, at some point, you’ll look at your once-loaded goal in the context of your increasingly wonderful life and wonder what all the fuss was about.

This is our psychological immune system in action – when we let our problems sit for a bit, they are as likely to dis-solve as be solved. When they don’t, chances are we never actually put it down long enough for it to heal, picking at it in our minds like a really yummy scab.

So that’s today’s experiment, and if you like, it’s one of the best experiments I can suggest for 2011:

Make this year the year you DON’T achieve your loaded goal.

That doesn’t mean you can’t go out and create all sorts of wonderful other things in your life.  Just let that one go (for now), and we’ll check back in later and see if it still matters to you.  The only thing you have to lose is a lifetime of stress, angst, and struggle.

What you stand to gain is beyond measure or compare…

Have fun, learn heaps, and enjoy your life!

Copyright 2011 Michael Neill, author of Supercoach: 10 Secrets to Transform Anyone’s Life.  All rights reserved – Read more tips at www.Supercoach.com.

Coaching Call To Action

Summer is here! This week assess your 2011 goals.  Which one is “loaded” for you? Will you put it aside or reframe it and commit to it?

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Coach Andrea’s Intro

Happy New Year!

Are you ready to make 2011 your best year ever? Art Sobczak’s questions prompt you to look at your business and life and COMMIT to actions that will make a difference for you.

Quote of the Week

How to Make 2011 Your Best Year Ever

By Art Sobczak

Today’s Tip has been a New Year’s tradition for about five years now. It’s usually one of my most popular issues of the year, and most-visited in the archives.

If you’ve seen this before, don’t quit reading. People who are serious about self-improvement know that it is a result of consistent action, not one-time exposure to something. I didn’t approach the door of the health club at 5:30 a.m. this morning and say, “Oh, I’ve been here before,” and then turn away.

If you’re serious about having your best year ever in 2011, TODAY is the best time to start. I do suggest you take some time to sit down with these questions. Think about your answers. Challenge yourself. Write them down. Then go to work!

It’s quite simple: if you want to be better in 2011, YOU need to do more than simply WANT it. You need to make some changes. Start now.

What are you going to do to improve your industry and product knowledge in 2011?

How many inactive customers will you revive and turn into regular customers again? What do you need to do to make that happen?

What will you do to ensure you’re protecting your best customers, and adding more value to the relationships? How will you sell even more to them?

How many new customers will you bring on this year? How do you plan to do that, specifically?

What will you do to improve your physical health in 2011?

What, specifically, are your sales and production goals for 2011? How does that break down into quarterly and monthly goals?

How much more money will you make in 2011? How will that happen? What will you need to do, today, to take the first steps in that direction?

What will you need to do to increase THAT number by an additional 10%?

What are you going to do every day to keep your attitude at a high level?

How much time are you going to spend, daily, to improve your own sales skills? What will you do?

How many referrals will you get in 2011? How will you get them? From whom? What will you do to turn them into sales?

Speaking of referrals, will you please forward this issue to two others who would also benefit from these weekly Tips? (OK, that’s one of mine.)

How are you going to maximize the use of your time? Where will you cut out the time-wasters in each day?

What have you been putting off that you will take care of within the next two weeks?

Who can you help to feel special every day?

What challenge, wish or desire–that you’ve never attempted before–will you finally achieve in 2011? How will you do that? Why?

Where are you going to write all of this down so you can review and revise your plans regularly?

What will it LOOK like when you accomplish everything you’ve just been thinking about?

How good will it FEEL?

What will it SOUND like when you achieve these things?

Why COULDN’T you do all of this?

Any answer to that last one is not a reason, but rather a self-imposed limitation, excuse, or lack of desire or effort. The biggest deterrent to success looks us in the mirror every day.

Now, go out and plan to have, no, COMMIT to YOUR BEST YEAR EVER IN 2011!

Art Sobczak, Business By Phone Inc., provides how-to ideas and tips for rejectionless prospecting, selling, and servicing by phone. Get the free ebook, “29 Sales Tips You Can Use Right Now” at http://www.BusinessByPhone.com.

Coaching Call To Action

You know Einstein’s definition of insanity, “doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results”. What changes will you commit to making in 2011 so that this year will be the best ever?

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Coach Andrea’s Intro

My clients often ask, “How do I get from where I am to where I want to be? How do I accomplish what I want to accomplish in this life? Where do I start?” This week’s Tip by Chris Widener outlines 7 steps for achieving your dreams. First, you dream!

Here in the U.S. next week is Thanksgiving. A very Happy Thanksgiving to you all! Thank you for sharing your ideas, thoughts, feedback, challenges and successes with me. I am honored to be included in your life.

There will be no Coaching Tip of the Week on November 26, 2010 due to the Thanksgiving Holiday. Enjoy this time of thanks and gratitude. Our next Tip will be issued on December 3, 2010.

Quote of the Week

“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.”
~ Melody Beattie

Steps to Achievement

by Chris Widener

Since this is a time of adjustment for me and a time for me to renew my dreams of what I want to accomplish in life and business, I want to share a few thoughts on achieving your dreams. It is never too late to dream or renew your dream for a better life. The real question though, is how do we achieve a dream? Well, here are some thoughts that will help you answer that question!

Can achievement be broken down into steps? Well, it isn’t always that clean and easy, but I do know that those who achieve great things usually go through much of the same process, with many of the steps listed below as part of that process. So if you have been struggling with achieving your dreams, look through the following, and internalize the thoughts presented. Then begin to apply them. If you do that, you will be on the road to achieving your dream!

1. Dream it – Everything begins in the heart and mind. Every great achievement began in the mind of one person. They dared to dream, to believe that it was possible. Take some time to allow yourself to ask “What if?” Think big. Don’t let negative thinking discourage you. You want to be a “dreamer.” Dream of the possibilities for yourself, your family, and for others. If you had a dream that you let grow cold, re-ignite the dream! Fan the flames. Life is too short to let it go.
2. Believe it – Yes, your dream needs to be big. It needs to be something that is seemingly beyond your capabilities. But it also must be believable. You must be able to say that if certain things take place, if others help, if you work hard enough, though it is a big dream, it can still be done. Good example: A person with no college education can dream that he will build a 50 million-dollar a year company. That is big, but believable. Bad example: That a 90 year-old woman with arthritis will someday run a marathon in under 3 hours. It is big alright, but also impossible. Your dream must be believable.
   
3. See it – The great achievers have a habit. They “see” things. They picture themselves walking around their CEO office in their new 25 million-dollar corporate headquarters, even while they are sitting on a folding chair in their garage “headquarters.” Great free-throw shooters in the NBA picture the ball going through the basket. PGA golfers picture the ball going straight down the fairway. World-class speakers picture themselves speaking with energy and emotion. All of this grooms the mind to control the body to carry out the dream. You have to see it in your mind before you can see it in reality.
   
4. Tell it – One reason many dreams never go anywhere is because the dreamer keeps it all to himself. It is a quiet dream that only lives inside of his mind. The one who wants to achieve their dream must tell that dream to many people. One reason: As we continually say it, we begin to believe it more and more. If we are talking about it then it must be possible. Another reason: It holds us accountable. When we have told others, it spurs us on to actually do it so we don’t look foolish.
5. Plan it – Every dream must take the form of a plan. The old saying that you “get what you plan for” is so true. Your dream won’t just happen. You need to sit down, on a regular basis, and plan out your strategy for achieving the dream. Think through all of the details. Break the whole plan down into small, workable parts. Then set a time frame for accomplishing each task on your “dream plan.”
6. Work it – Boy, wouldn’t life be grand if we could quit before this one! Unfortunately for the lazy folks, the successful are usually the hardest workers. While the rest of the world is sitting on their couch watching re-runs of their favorite television shows, achievers are working on their goal – achieving their dream. I have an equation that I work with: Your short-term tasks, multiplied by time, equal your long-term accomplishments. If you work on it each day, eventually you will achieve your dream. War and Peace was written, in longhand, page by page.
7. Enjoy it – When you have reached your goal and you are living your dream, be sure to enjoy it. In fact, enjoy the trip, too. Give yourself some rewards along the way. Give yourself a huge reward when you get there. Help others enjoy it. Be gracious and generous. Use your dream to better others.

When you have become successful and achieved your dreams circle around and go back to number one. And dream a little bigger this time!

Chris Widener is the Co-Founder of Made for Success, www.MadeForSuccess.net, a wealth of ongoing motivation and leadership skills training.

Coaching Call To Action

Do you have a dream? If so identify where you are on Chris’s steps and what comes next? If you don’t have a dream, each day this week take some time and wonder “what if”? See what ideas come to mind and record them in your journal. And that’s all it takes to start achieving your dreams!

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Coach Andrea’s Intro

Are you the type of business person who takes a long time to start a project and once started the momentum builds?
Or are you the type of business person who is fine getting the project started, however never know when to stop the project? This week’s article is beneficial for both groups. Either way, you need to know when to end the project and it may be before the project is ‘finished”. Barry J. Moltz recommends including the definition of success and failure in your project plan. I’d always included the results I wanted, but not the point of failure.  What a great idea! Adding this point of measurement during the planning process brings additional clarity to the scope of the project. Don’t you just love getting new insights and ideas?.

Quote of the Week

“Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm.”
~ Sir Winston Churchill

Raising the White Flag: No Shame in Surrender

If we define failure ahead of time, we know when to stop pursuing certain paths; we know when to get out, and why to leave.  Again too many times, we think if we stay a big longer or work a bit harder, we can turn it around.  But as Will Rogers said, ‘If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop digging.’

It is almost always harder to quit than to keep going.  So many of us stay past the time when a business or personal relationship is profitable, productive, or healthy.  Part of the reason we stay may be that, by not having defined failure, we create the latitude to keep telling ourselves that we haven’t failed yet.  This is why defining success and failure up front helps us develop the kind of crazy confidence we need to rebound.  Unlike what many of us believe, having the courage to quit can sometimes actually build more confidence than staying the course (Moltz, 2008, p.175).

From:  Moltz, B.J. (2008).  Bounce! Failure, resiliency, and confidence to achieve your next great success.  Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.

Reprinted with permission from the OSU Leadership Center, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, (614) 292-3114, http://leadershipcenter.osu.edu.

Coaching Call to Action

Pull out 3 of your active project plans right now.  Look to see if you have a definition of success and failure noted on the plan.  If you don’t, add them.  If you do, congratulations!  Who else will you teach this concept to this week?

What’s New

Last weekend my daughter, Anna, graduated from college in three years!  Bill and I are so proud of her and look forward to watching this next year of her life unfold.  The plan is that she will take a year off between graduation from Colorado State University and starting vet school.  That’s the plan.  And she’s built into her plan the possibility of not being accepted into a vet program on the first go around.  How do our children get so smart?

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