Time Management Productivity Musts

Time Management Tips - Deadlines And Priorities

These are two of the most important things to plan when setting goals. Setting Deadlines and Priorities enable you to achieve greater productivity. You wouldn't believe how many people miss this. Or . . . maybe you would. GRINS.

Whether you are trying to achieve a personal or work related goal, you will need to make a few decisions.

First, decide the beginning and finishing dates for each goal. In that time frame, you need to allow yourself planning and time management. Always take into consideration the end result and the time it will take you to achieve it.

If it's a large, long term project, plan accordingly. Set certain times to accomplish different portions or milestones of your goal. This will help you figure out how much more committed time is needed.

When there are several projects you need to get done, write them down and prioritize which ones are the most important, which ones need to be done first, so your plan runs smoothly to completion.

Stick to the plan and try not to fall back into old habits that didn't work for you previously. Do the most complicated or hardest ones first when you have the most energy. You will find that as the days go on, the smaller targets seem to complete faster because the jobs may seem easier.

So, two very important things that will determine how well your goal setting program progresses: Prioritize and Set Deadlines for yourself.

See you next time.

Goal Setting Tip - Do You Have A Solid Plan Of Action?

Goal Setting and Planning - Steps to Success
Guest Author - Kenneth Wallin

I was sitting around the home office this afternoon, and I got to thinking about goal setting. I wonder why more folks don't set goals? That was my internal question for the day. And some thoughts surfaced, and I wanted to share some of these thoughts with you. Plus, I will also take a few moments to write about a phenomenal goal setting technique that every leader ought to use.

Perhaps the reason most folks don't set goals is they just honestly don't know how. So, let's think about that for a bit. Setting goals is a step oriented process. (Yep, it really is a 1 ... 2 ... 3 ... process.) In fact we can reduce it to a few simple steps just to make it easy and something any leader can do right away.

Step one is the hardest step in the whole goal setting process. Whether you are a team leader, or you are just setting personal goals for your own life, you must have some idea of the outcome you seek. There is a common little ditty that describes this step, and it goes like this, "A fellow goes to the airport and gets in line at the ticket counter. He gets to the front of the line and says to the Agent, 'I want to buy a ticket.' The Agent asks, 'Where would you like to go, Sir?' The fellow replies, 'I don't know, I just want to buy a ticket.'"

Now, you ask, what does this mean? Simply put, you cannot buy a ticket (set a goal) until you have decided where you are going (an outcome).

So, first you figure out the outcome you desire to accomplish. It may be something like, start a business, or buy a car, or set up a Forex trading account. Whatever that final outcome you want to have happen is the first thing you must decide. (You're not done yet.) Having done that step you must get going on the next step.

Step two is a bit easier, but not simple. You must determine the timetable for reaching your goal. It is important to do this, so you can understand the level of effort you must commit to accomplishing the goal. (While we are thinking about it, you do understand the outcome goal is supported by both short term and intermediate term goals, don't you?

Short term goals are the activities you must accomplish right away either because they are foundational for your outcome goal, or they are easier and will establish progress for the team. Intermediate goals are those that require foundation to accomplish, or are probably going to take more time to accomplish.)

If you are thinking of trying to get a business started within the next quarter, you will need to think about a lot more time and resource investment to realize the outcome you seek. If you are thinking about a getting that business going by the end of next year, well, you can plan for less stress on your time and wallet as you set about the process. (It may amount to the same resource investment in the end, but will be less incrementally on your wallet if you have more time to accomplish the outcome.)

Step three is the committing of the process to writing. (You knew that was coming, didn't you?) You can do this by setting up a formal business plan, or just writing some of the activities you need to accomplish either in the short term, or later (those are intermediate goals) on a pad of paper (for now).

I am a big supporter of starting with a pad of paper and writing out with my pencil (not a pen) some of the things I need to do to get there. For purposes of discussion let's say you are opening a business, and here are some questions you might need to answer.

Is it a virtual (on the Internet), or is it a bricks & mortar (in the real world) business? What are your products, and where will they come from? Will there be a team of employees needed, or is this a one-person home-based business? As you can tell, this is not hard, it is however detailed. Just think through the "things" needed, and then prioritize them according to whether you need them now, or later.

Step four is pretty simple. Formalize the whole thing into a plan. I like to use Microsoft Project for this step as Microsoft Project has some really good templates you can use to build your plan.

Now, you do not have to use this application, but whatever tool you choose make sure you have these elements included; Initiation, Planning, Executing, Controlling, and Closing.

Initiating is, simply put, determining what the outcome is, whether a team is needed, and when the process will begin.

Planning is the critical step of figuring out all the short term, intermediate, and coordinating goals (activities) necessary to reach the outcome, and committing that whole set of activities to writing,

Executing is the step where you (and the team if you have one) go get the whole thing going.

Controlling is keeping track of what is getting done, and what is going not so well (and letting the team know, as necessary).

Closing is the step where you let everyone know the outcome has been reached (and make a written report, if required).

Here is the most important thing I can tell you ... and I want you to pay close attention to this ... PRESS GO when you get the plan developed.

What this means is simply this. When you have gotten your goal established and a plan of action developed to accomplish the goal ... start moving, execute, JUST DO IT.

So many of my clients have a weakness, they cannot just step out, and start work on getting going on a project. So, have a Kickoff Meeting (set a date for it, and put that date in your plan), then push the accelerator, and get going. If you don't start moving on your plan, you will never reach the goal. Do this one thing, and you will have so much more success.

In an upcoming article I will be discussing Stretch Goals, their construction, importance, and all about this neat "secret" to building really effective teams. I hope you will be looking for this article, it will be another valuable skill you can put to use. (It is not a big secret, it just seems a lot of leaders don't use it to full effect and I want to change that.)

Ken Wallin is a retired US Army Officer, and a Senior Project Management Professional. He has more than 35 years leading in both military and consulting positions. He currently is working on his PhD in Business Administration specializing in International Business at Northcentral University. Ken writes about management, leadership, and team building.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kenneth_Wallin

Benefits To Goal Setting For 2009

If you are not already setting goals or making New Year's Resolutions then you should really get busy and complete this very important life task. This past week I have been reviewing my 2008 results and making 2009 plans.

Goal Setting has always been an important skill for me to have and I believe in it entirely. Goal Setting is a technique that can be very powerful and can result in some great returns in all areas of your personal and professional life.

It can exponentially increase your productivity inside the time frames you have available. However, you must be very specific and avoid generalities in your goal setting strategies.

At a very simple level, goal setting lets you determine where it is that you want to go in life.

On a more complex level, goal setting can be a vision that is long term and comes with the motivation to change your entire life.

When you know what it is that you want to achieve you can set goals and focus on taking the steps to make them a reality.

When you set goals that are clearly defined you’ll be able to measure them and feel proud as you achieve each one.

Forward progress for small goals is crucial so that you can find motivation for your bigger goals.

Some of the non-material things that you accomplish when you set goals include:

• An increase in your improvement level.
• An increase in satisfaction for what you accomplish.
• A feeling of pride for achieving personal and professional goals.
• An improvement in your self-confidence.
• Fewer attitudes that are holding you back from being happy.

Studies show that when people effectively set goals they suffer less from anxiety and stress. An increase in self-confidence can help you to concentrate more fully on both your personal and professional life.

Not to mention that you successfully achieved what you went after . . . (GRINS).

We have a FREE Ebook version of "The Power Of Setting Goals" available from our Free Ebooks And Reports section of the RGG Ezines page. Just scroll down and download it FREE.

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Your New Year's Resolutions - How Are You Doing With Them?

Cover of Go For It!New Year’s Resolutions – Resolving to Make Things Happen

Every January 1st, millions of individuals make a pledge to themselves to make specific changes in their lives. By February, most people's goals have begun to languish, if not altogether dissolved. They pledged but didn't commit.

What makes New Year's resolutions so very hard to keep?

Why does it become so difficult to keep the momentum going?

Oftentimes, the problem is simply that our goals are too lofty, too unrealistic, too out of reach. We set ourselves up for failure by setting goals that are very difficult to achieve. Sometimes we go too big without preparation and good planning.

So how can you beat the odds and keep your New Year's resolutions? The best way to succeed in keeping your New Year's resolutions is to come up with a personal plan. Construct a strategy for success.

Here's how to make things happen. Resolutions are just goals. The only difference is the "vocabulary" you use.

Spend some time contemplating your goals before acting. Many individuals tend to operate out of a vague sense of dissatisfaction with the way things are going in their lives.

Achieving your goals often demands that you take a time out from your life to seriously examine your life trajectory.

Be honest about what you want. What do you really want? When answering these questions, you will have to put aside the needs of your family members, friends, and personal relationships. You must be honest with yourself.

Also ask yourself, "What has kept me from achieving my goals"? What are you most afraid of? This period of contemplation is paramount to realizing your goals.

If you simply act before thinking, chances are you will begin the process of realizing your goals unprepared. You will run into obstacles and abandon your goals when the going gets tough.

By contemplating your desires and motivation beforehand, you are more likely to be prepared to encounter the obstacles and challenges you will probably face.

You should concentrate on one resolution at a time. Many people tend to make numerous resolutions, or lump several resolutions into one large category.

Be specific about what you want.

Write it all down.

The power of articulating and putting down in print your resolutions can be surprisingly powerful. It is very important that you be as specific as possible.

Don't make a promise to spend more time with your family or become a more healthy person.

Instead, pledge to spend two more hours a week with your family. If weight loss if your goal, resolve to lose two pounds a week. Be specific and realistic.

Set up a system of accountability designed to keep you on track. Many people abandon their New Year's resolutions because they simply forget the pledge they made at the start of the year.

Setting up a system of personal accountability ensures that you keep your goal at the front of your mind. Create a nurturing support system made up of friends and family members.

Research shows that people who are successful at realizing their goals feel a sense of responsibility to keep going. They made a pledge to themselves and others, and feel more pressure to keep their resolution.

Communicate your intentions to friends and family. Tell them about your New Year's resolutions. Explain what you are trying to accomplish, and why. Enlist their support. Encourage them to help keep you on task.

Also, you should not be afraid of exposing vulnerabilities or perceived weaknesses. Rather, you will find that most people will admire you for preparing to achieve your goals.

But remember that ultimately, success lies in your hands.

Make it as easy as possible to begin.

Another important consideration in working towards your New Year's resolutions is that you may need to start off small. Expect the process to be difficult, but still achievable.

Start by making small changes. If you are trying to lose weight, begin by integrating short exercise routines into your schedule.

The smaller you start, the better the chances that you will keep going. This will allow you to cultivate a sense of change in your life.

Drastic or massive changes in your life will be too difficult to keep going for a sustained period of time. Start off small, and keep going.

Be Passionate. Almost all individuals who successfully achieve their New Year's resolutions have chosen goals that they are passionate about. In order to be successful, you need to cultivate a sense of passion about your resolution.

If you are not passionate about achieving your resolution, you will be more likely to abandon it.

Passion creates determination. Determination creates persistence.

And persistence will almost always bring you to your goal.

After all you did make a "Resolution" didn't you? Didn't you resolve to accomplish your task?

Commit to it's execution and Go For It! (For more goal setting information check out our new Free Self Help Library section)

Money: Scarcity or Abundance Attitudes?

Well, we have been talking a little bit about Money lately and so I wanted to share a brilliant post by Steve Pavlina the other day . . .

I don't know how I missed this post, I follow his blog regularly in my RSS reader, but I did come across it today and I had a huge 'AHA!' moment . . .

Many of us simply do not regard our money as "the value of services we provided" and do not visualize money goals properly. We do tend to let our current environment tell us how much money we deserve, and therein lies the problem.

Our "belief systems" have been allowed to grow from what others tell us, and not what we have consciously decided or reset in our minds, about how much is 'a little' and how much is 'a lot'.

If we have never had much money and do not earn large incomes, there are certain amounts that scare us, typically amounts of money that are above our "pay grade". Steve outlines a solution for increasing proper money awareness.

Check this post out here: Money And The law Of Attraction

Here is a little teaser from StevePavlina.com but you really have to read the whole article in order to grasp the concept.

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Is $500 a large or small amount? It depends on your perspective.

If you’re in a scarcity mindset, it might seem like a huge sum. If you have a wealthy mindset, it may be a tiny amount. That may be hard to believe, but it’s true.

I used to think $500 was a lot of money. It certainly seemed so when I would end a month with less than $100 total. If I gained or lost an extra $500, it could make a difference in my finances for months to come. An extra $500 was a significant amount of money.

But after shifting my mindset about money to invite more abundance into my life, $500 began to seem like a tiny amount. $500 represents the cash I might carry in my wallet. If I gain or lose $500, it makes no real difference in my finances. $500 is a fairly insignificant amount.

Once I got my mindset to this point (which I did mostly by imagining what it would feel like to be there in reality), it wasn’t long before my reality began to reflect it. I became a “vibrational match” for earning larger sums.

At one point having more than $100,000 in the bank would have seemed rich or wealthy. But now it just feels normal… like duh, I’m supposed to have that much cash all the time.

Some examples of financial relativity

Here are some examples to help shed more light on the concept of financial relativity.

A realtor thinks having $50,000 cash is normal

Shortly after Erin and I first moved to Las Vegas in 2004, we were chatting with a local realtor who said she liked to keep at least $50,000 cash on hand at all times (not for investment, just for her personal money).

Erin and I gave each other a quizzical look. We thought she must be very snooty or elitist to feel that way. Why would anyone need that much cash?

Eventually we realized that our reaction to her statement was precisely why we could never save up $50,000 in cash. We were pushing it away from us by assuming it was too much money to hold onto. Having $5,000 cash was . . . Read the rest of Steve's article: Money And The law Of Attraction

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Do You Have Goal Setting Worksheets For Your Goal Setting Program?

How Can Goal Setting Worksheets Help You?

Goal setting can be done in many ways. For example, you could simply think about it, make big plans or even use goal setting worksheets. Success is determined by a system that can streamline the process. Join me as you discover how goal setting worksheets can help you.

In any goal, there is always a way for its achievement. We can look at the success as a spectrum. On the one end, failure, and on the other, success. To achieve success then needs to do things different. After all, we see many people who have a goal, even if they haven't consciously thought about it. For example, those who want a Yacht, and want to retire to a sunny beech, but in most cases never do.

I truly believe that every goal you desire for the fulfillment of, you can achieve. However, tools are needed. You can't put on a new tire on a car, without effective tools, not can you succeed without the effective tools.

In goal setting, this is the goal setting worksheets. You see, from that spectrum of success, we can see less we do, less we get, and the more we do, the more we get. This applies in most cases but not all cases.

You could plan to make a cup of coffee, and make it into a 100 page business plan of how you will make the coffee. What we need is a simple way to do things. A goal setting system with goal setting worksheets that make this possible.

There are many places that offer goal setting worksheets, and some even offer comprehensive goal setting systems. These can be a great way to keep things simple, without having to fall short on the necessities of goal setting.

You can think about a cup of coffee and make it without plans; however, you can't just leave your life goals to such chances. They must at the very least be written down on paper. Even if you don't have a goal setting system, simply writing it down, will improve the likelihood that you will achieve that goal.

If we look at that success spectrum again, we will find that there are things we can do to either make it more likely to manifest in our lives, and decrease the time to achievement. Achieving both of these is a science and an art in goal setting.

It needs smart goal setting. And smart is all about finding solutions that makes life easier, cut down the time to achievement, and increase likelihood of success. This takes time, and even with a full on system, you may find that you can tweak the goal setting systems to meet your needs.

Goal setting worksheets are great for many reasons. Once you use them over time, you will find them become second nature. And then your goal setting will take on a new meaning. With you setting goals and achieving them on almost a daily basis.

By Koz Huseyin

Find out more about smart goal setting and the goal setting worksheets I use, and get your free eBook worth $7, where I give you the 10 best goal setting ideas. Get your copy by visiting: http://www.howtogoalset.info

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Koz_Huseyin

How Do You Organize Your Day Around Your Goals?

Goal Setting, to Do Lists and Day Planners Considered

Guest Author - Lance Winslow - Ask any organized person if they have a system to help keep them on the track to success and they will probably laugh at you, but then explain how they keep their schedule going using a day planner, PDA or perhaps a To Do List.

Some folks do all this and more, and they are the most successful people amongst us. Why, because they know how to set goals and what they must do to achieve those goals.

They have an advantage over other folks because they write it all down and keep track of it all. The bigger picture, their life's goals and all the little micro-goals that are necessary along the way.

They treat all goals as if they are the main goal and fight to stay up with their assigned tasks that will lead them to these goals. Perhaps, when you see someone with a PDA, To Do List or a day planner in tow, you will realize that you are looking at a successful person.

No, not all of them are totally successful, but they are all on their way, because keeping tabs on the mini-goals of each day is how you keep up the pace to achieve the bigger goals, the ones, which really matter and ultimately decide your success in life, career or sports.

You can either set yourself up for failure by doing nothing or taking it easy without incrementally moving forward each day, or you can strategically plan your successful journey using all the tools at your disposal. Please think on this.

Copyright Lance Winslow

"Lance Winslow" - Lance Winslow's Bio. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lance_Winslow

Are Your Year's Goals Achieved? It's Getting Late In The Season

Have you ever noticed that with the beginning of each season there seems to be a push for people to make improvements in their lives? Just before the end of the year and then when the New Year arrives most people talk about making new years resolutions.

When spring comes people talk about wanting to shed a few pounds to fit into summer apparel. In the fall people discuss that they are going to plan for holiday time better and at the holiday’s people make promises to make more of an effort to stay in touch with family members and friends.

Usually within a few weeks of making a statement about changing our ways we are back to our old routine.

Here are a few tips that you can take to help achieve your goals this year:

Write down the goal that you want to work on. By writing the goal down you are making more of a commitment to work on this area of your life. Write down your goals every morning until they become part of your day.

If you seriously want to achieve your goals, then discuss them with the important people in your life. By sharing what you want to accomplish with others they can help keep you accountable by asking you what you are doing to achieve your goals. Give your friends and family permission to remind you what you have said you want to accomplish.

When you are working towards something it is often times easy to forget or overlook small steps that are made to achieve your goals. By keeping a journal of the steps that are taken to achieve your goals you can look back and see that you have been working on things, or you can look back and realize that you have not been making effort and that you need to put more time into what you want to accomplish.

The goals we set for ourselves are meant to better our lives and to increase our happiness. The journey towards goal achievement does not have to be paved with self denial and pain.

Make an effort to enjoy the steps made along the way. Bask in the glory of making small improvements. Things are not going to change over night. If a goal is worth writing down and talking about it is most likely going to take a while to achieve it.

So often people let their goals fall by the wayside because they feel defeated if they do not accomplish them immediately. When you are writing down the goals that you are working on also write down a reasonable time frame in which to complete them.

Do not make the time so long that you will procrastinate and do not make it so short that you are setting yourself up for failure. Be realistic and take time to enjoy the journey to achieve your goals.

Remember it's more important to happily achieve your goals then to achieve your goals to be happy . . .

Goal Setting Benefits - Add Clarity And Confidence To You Life

Did you know that . . .

By setting goals you can:

• Improve your self-confidence
• Achieve much more over your lifetime
• Improve your overall performances in life
• Increase your motivation to live a life of significance
• Plan and take action to eliminate attitudes that cause unhappiness
• Increase your pride and satisfaction you get from your achievements

People who use goal-setting effectively:

• concentrate and focus better
• show more self-confidence
• suffer less from stress and anxiety
• perform better in all areas of life
• Are generally happier and more satisfied with life

Goal Setting Builds Self-Confidence

- By setting goals, and measuring their achievement, you are able to see what you have done and what you are capable of.

The process of achieving goals and seeing their achievement gives you the confidence and a belief in yourself that you need to be able to achieve higher and more difficult goals.

Just something to think about if you are wondering why you need to set goals . . .

See you next time.

Are You Making These Three Mistakes?

3 Mistakes That People Make in Life and How to Avoid Them

Introduction

If you are reading this article then the chances are that there are things in your life that are not as you would like them to be; the circumstances of your life aren't all that you would have hoped for; or you find that you are unhappy with the way things are.

The good news is you're not alone and you are about to learn about 3 mistakes that people frequently make and how to avoid them. These things prevent you from having the life of your dreams.

Remember: Change does not happen over night! The principles and tips you will learn need to be practiced and applied in your life by You. No-one else can do any of these things for you!

1. Not Setting Goals and Not Dreaming

Top of the list of mistakes is the lack of Goals and Dreams. For many people, simply setting goals and defining their dreams for themselves is 90% of the problem. "Yes, yes, I've heard all this before..." Mmm... so how come you are reading this article?

Most people have heard somewhere that they are "supposed" to set Goals and have Dreams, but 95% of us don't bother. Is it any wonder then that only 5% of people ever achieve their goals? Well if they are the only people setting them, then isn't it pretty obvious???

So, is it as simple as setting goals? Well, yes and no. Only a fool would think that they simply had to write down a long list of things that they want and they would magically appear! Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that goals need lots of hard work attached to them, we'll get to that in a little while!

There are good goals and ones that aren't any good. The following principles will help you to define a goal that you are likely to get attached to and, as such, are likely to achieve.

S.M.A.R.T. Goals

* S - Simple Is it simple to convey your goal in a few words?
* M - Measurable How will you measure your progress?
* A - Achievable Can you achieve the goal?
* R - Realistic Are you being realistic about time and details?
* T - Timely Have you put a date on it?

There are other important aspects too:

* Positive goal - never use words like "not" and "don't" etc. e.g. I am not poor, instead, say "I am wealthy".
* Present tense - write the goal as if you have achieved it now, or say something like: "It is the 25th of January 2011 and I have..."
* Focus - don't dwell on the goal all the time, but leave reminders such as photos, or 'post-it notes' around that you will see every now and again to keep your focus steady but relaxed.

So, to sum up, in order to achieve something, you have to set goals...

Otherwise, what on earth are you aiming for???

2. Making a Living, Not Making a Life

The belief that you have to work hard to get anywhere in life is an extremely common one. The bottom line is that if something feels like hard work, how likely are you to be happy about it? If you are working hard at something that you really loathe to do, find boring, or doesn't satisfy you, then no amount of amazing outcome will ever make the journey worthwhile.

In order to move forward in life, you need to redefine your ideas about working hard. Think of something you really love to do, maybe golf, shopping or spending time with the kids (if you don't love doing any of those, then pick something else). Now, answer this question: "How much hard work is it to do this thing?"

It's not at all hard is it? Yet, you are spending time and energy (probably as much as you can spare) on these activities. The same applies to work, business or whatever you do to eat, clothe and shelter yourself.

If you really love doing what you are doing, then it's not hard work at all. There may be small parts of it that you don't enjoy so much, but generally you'll just skip through these and get on to the good stuff.

In my work (which I adore), I meet so many people who are slogging their guts out at work, striving to achieve more and earn more money. Really, they are slowly wasting away their time on things they really don't enjoy doing, in order to have enough money to buy something that might make them feel happy for a while.

Why not do what you enjoy, anyway?

Is this not your challenge, to find the thing you love to do and then do as much of it as you can? Ok, so it might not be easy to find, but I assure you that if you look and you are open to it, you will find it.

Think about the people who seem to skip happily through life, they appear to get all the breaks and the good stuff...

They are simply happy with what they are doing!

3. Wondering, "Why Does it Always Happen to Me?"

This is what I call 'self-entrapment'. Thinking thoughts like this keeps you trapped in a loop that you cannot easily escape from. Imagine a world where everything that is going to happen is governed by what has happened before!

In fact the only certainty we know is death - and with advances in medical science, it wouldn't surprise me if we find a way to eradicate that little problem one day!

So why do so many of us live our lives based on this unwavering belief that things always happen this way, or bad things always happen to us?

Well, your brain believes that you need to make sense of your world and so it remembers everything that ever happens to you. Then, when it perceives that you need more information, it will present you with all the evidence to suggest what might be about to happen. The problem is that it is often passed through a filter - normally a negative one.

Now this filter is trying to do something positive for you, it is trying to keep you safe, or sane. However all that it achieves is to create fear, discomfort and indecision in you. This keeps you stuck in the past - usually with the belief that if it's happened before, then it'll happen again.

In order to create lasting change in your life, you are going to need to do something different to the way you have done it previously. In order to do this, you have to believe that things can be different.

"Why does it always happen to me?" is going to need to be replaced by something like, "I have the opportunity to be different and to attract new, more positive circumstances into my life."

So, you can believe that: because the last 3 major life decisions you have made haven't worked out, that there is no point making a new one now. Alternatively, you can think:

"I have learned so much from my past choices and I can build on this learning with my next choice."

One final thought, from one of the great business philosophers: "For things to change you have to change." (Jim Rohn)

by Dan O'Neil

Dan O'Neil is a Life Coach working in the UK. He specialises in helping people create a work-life balance, improve their confidence and self-esteem, and achieve their goals in life. Dan also writes a popular personal development blog

More information on Dan's Life Coaching services. This article forms part of a free ebook download available on Dan's website.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dan_O'Neil

Power Up For New Year's

I just wanted to share another post from Shane And Peter's Blog which is perfect timing for those of us reviewing this year's results and planning next year's goals.

Take some notes, I certainly did and maybe get a beverage and sit down with it for a while. Check out 2008 Goals, Scare Yourself.

Now back to today's article . . .

New Years Resolutions - 7 Keys to Victory
By Brian Walsh

Whether you call them unproductive patterns, limiting beliefs, or simply bad habits, for some reason, as a new year approaches, many of us resolve to make some changes. The resolve part is easy. How do we actually execute a successful change campaign?

A few times a year, a hypnotherapist colleague and I conduct self-hypnosis workshops. An integral component is goal-setting. The following recommendations are part of that.

1. Realistic & a Slight Stretch.
Be reasonable in what you choose to change. You're the one who has to implement this plan. Examine your motives for this change. Is it for yourself, or to please others? Make your target just a bit beyond what you think you are capable of.

2. Be Clear.
As it says in the book, The Law of Attraction, make a list of what you don't want as a step in creating your list of you do want. Form a WRITTEN affirmation that is positive. Avoid the use of negative words (don't, won't).

3. Be Specific & Flexible.
Avoid comparative words (less, better, more). One of the main advantages of establishing goals is that they provide motivation and direction. If you fall short of your stated goal, don't beat yourself up. Celebrate what you have achieved.

4. Paced & Measurable.
One of the reasons many people don't bother with setting goals is that the process to achieve them often seems daunting. This is easily overcome by chunking goals into smaller units. For instance, monthly or even weekly mini-goals can be more palatable.

5. Announce Your Goals.
Find friends or colleagues who will support you in your objectives. Share your plans and timelines. Now, your reputation is on the line.

6. In Your Face.
For the most part, the mind processes information visually. In addition to whatever words you use to describe your goals, begin cutting out representative pictures from magazines.

Paste them on posters and put them all over your world. That means bedroom, bathroom, car, desk, and anywhere else you can think of. Information that is captured by your peripheral vision is not usually analyzed by the conscious mind.

This means that as you walk by your posters, your peripheral vision will convey that data directly to your subconscious mind, thereby reinforcing your goals.

In addition, even if you haven't been trained in self-hypnosis, you can relax with soft music and visualize your goals. Make your visualizations as vivid as possible.

7. Changing Habits.
Many people think that it takes 21 to 30 days to form a new habit. Actually you can establish a new habit in only 5 days.

What takes up to 30 days is the release of the old habit. Once the new habit is formed, it competes with the old habit for dominance. Every time you exercise the new habit it gets stronger, and the old one becomes weaker. The reverse is also true.

Following these recommendations will improve the odds of succeeding in your resolutions for 2006. Happy New Year.

Brian Walsh, International speaker

Dr. Brian E. Walsh is the author of Unleashing Your Brilliance

He was a part-time journalist and broadcaster before joining a major international company. For much of his 30-year career he was involved in human resources, specifically training.

While living in the arctic, Brian studied anthropology and Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP), which prepared him for working with other cultures. He was then transferred to China where he served as his company’s GM.

After his return to Canada, he elected early retirement to further his earlier interest in NLP and hypnotherapy. He returned to formal study, and within four years had achieved his Ph.D. His dissertation, which focused on accelerated learning techniques, inspired his passion and his book, "Unleashing Your Brilliance".

Dr. Walsh regularly conducts workshops on accelerated learning. He is a master practitioner of NLP, an acupuncture detoxification specialist, an EFT practitioner, and a clinical hypnotherapist.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Brian_Walsh

Don't wait for New Year's. Start cultivating those positive habits today! Be ready to hit the ground running in the new year.

Al Smith,
aka The Realgoalgetter

---

"Imagine how your life would change if you could put it on AUTOPILOT and reach all of your goals automatically!"

Now you can with "The Power of Positive Habits," the new book that #1 NY Times best-selling authors Jack Canfield, Brian Tracy, John Gray Ph.D. are all raving about!

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. How you can "Improve Your Health" Automatically!
. How you can "Achieve Greater Success" Automatically!
. How you can "Lose Weight" Automatically!
. How you can "Lower your Cholesterol" Automatically!
. How you can "Reduce your Cancer risks" Automatically
and much, much more!

Order this program now. Start plotting the auto pilot course to your dreams! 100% Money Back, Satisfaction Guaranteed As Usual

The Power Of Positive Habits

---

Are you missing out? Want shortcuts to your goals?
Great Attitudes Create Great Results!
Al Smith is also the Editor and Publisher of
FREE Motivational and Goal Achievement Ezines.
Blast through Procrastination, Inaction, and Distraction
with Consistent Focused Action!
For success tools at your fingertips,
Subscribe Now to The Realgoalgetter Ezine
at http://www.realgoalgetter.com/ezines/.
--------------------

Is Life Keeping You?

Is Life Keeping You From Getting Anywhere?
By John Halderman

Are you too busy with what you are doing to change or get ahead?

Are you so distracted with life that you have time to pay attention to what you want in life?

Can you even remember what you want any more?

The routine tasks of daily life can so easily use up all of your time that they become the main part of life.

When was the last time you spent time thinking or contemplating what you want in your life? For most it has been far too long.

Are you aware that your daily activities are your predominate habits? A habit is an automatic thought, routine or behavior. They become so ingrained in you life that you build interpretations, thinking, behavior, and defenses around them, protecting the status quo.

Have you noticed how protective you can be about what you do and think, even if you are not really sure why. How you will defend anything even if it is really not in your best interest. You will actually personalize and protect your habits no matter how negative, debilitating and restrictive they become.

Sometimes, what habits prevent you from doing is far more damaging than the habit itself. Many habitual routines cause you no harm other than sapping your time and energy that could be utilized for your personal growth and development.

We have all heard of how effective use of our time leads to results. Well, there are always results in your life; everything you do has a result. Even when you think you are doing nothing, you are getting the results of the doing 'nothing'. And part of the result is, what you are not doing while doing the 'nothing'.

If you sit and watch TV instead of washing the dishes, the result is - the dishes are not washed, and of course you accomplished TV watching.

This goes on all day, with you getting appropriate results for all of your actions and apparent inaction.

The question becomes, how long are you going to continue to let what you do all day long prevent you from the life you desire? You can't continue to do everything you do now and expect different results. You must make some adjustments.

Change what you are doing and what you are doing will change. Your results will change and so will your life. It takes effort on your part. Who said the life you want is easy? I'm not saying it is hard either, not any harder than what you are doing now.

The challenging part is in getting yourself to alter what you are now doing to allow for what you want. You have gradually built your life to what it is today, whether you did so intentionally or not.

You then need to make any adjustments that are needed to support what you want. It will take effort at first, as your ego mind will want to fight to preserve the status quo. It will take determination and self-discipline on your part at first to override the existing habits.

This can only take place when your inner drive is sufficient to back your efforts. Only when you become fed up with what you no longer want and you become deeply desirous of what you do want will you have the needed mental and emotional drive.

You will need to insert into your day, some things that support what you want. You need to be moving in the direction of your dreams, not just once in a while, but each day.

Take a look at what you want in your life - what activities would lead to them becoming reality for you? Put these into your daily schedule and help them become your habits. Even if small, they will begin to have an effect.

If you were in baseball and wanted to be batting over 300, don't you think you should be doing a lot of batting practice? Of course, that's obvious right! Then why don't you do any practice for what you want?

You have allowed yourself to be consumed by your habits, you must change that in order to get what you want. And what you have in your life is directly related to how much time and attention you have given it. Give an appropriate percentage of your time with what you do want.

Spending all of your time doing things that are not part of what you want your life to be and then complaining about it changes nothing. All you are doing is accentuating your unhappiness.

Another key part of this is to know what you want unfiltered by the ego. There is a lot deep in your mind that is covered by the activity of the day. Schedule time in your day for contemplation of some sort, as well as the specific activities.

Meditation is good or any quiet undistracted dedicated thinking 20 to 30 minutes at least once a day. Contemplative thinking is something most of us do not do enough of, as we are so busy running around just doing what we are in the habit of doing.

It is so easy to allow ourselves to get in the rut of just wishing of something rather than taking steps towards making it happen.

And very important, you must stick with it, just doing something for a short term or once in a while will not effect change. What job, business or college degree can you be successful in if you only do it once in a while?

If you want it to be a part of your life - make it a part of your life!

Change your efforts and your results will change.

John Halderman writes and speaks with intent on helping you get effective results with your personal growth. For self-improvement tools, tips and resources for living a satisfying life get the "Effective Personal Development Newsletter" and a bonus report http://www.activepersonaldevelopment.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=John_Halderman

---

"Imagine how your life would change if you could put it on AUTOPILOT and reach all of your goals automatically!"

Now you can with "The Power of Positive Habits," the new book that #1 NY Times best-selling authors Jack Canfield, Brian Tracy, John Gray Ph.D. are all raving about!

Read this book and discover:
. How you can "Improve Your Health" Automatically!
. How you can "Achieve Greater Success" Automatically!
. How you can "Lose Weight" Automatically!
. How you can "Lower your Cholesterol" Automatically!
. How you can "Reduce your Cancer risks" Automatically
and much, much more!

Order this program now. Start plotting the auto pilot course to your dreams! 100% Money Back, Satisfaction Guaranteed As Usual

The Power Of Positive Habits

---

Are you missing out? Want shortcuts to your goals?
Great Attitudes Create Great Results!
Al Smith is also the Editor and Publisher of
FREE Motivational and Goal Achievement Ezines.
Blast through Procrastination, Inaction, and Distraction
with Consistent Focused Action!
For success tools at your fingertips,
Subscribe Now to The Realgoalgetter Ezine
at http://www.realgoalgetter.com/ezines/.
--------------------

Before You Set Any Goal . . .

Before You Set Any Goal Question Everything
By Oliver Fix

If there was a way to have everything you want and need, effortlessly and gracefully and you could indeed be happy and satisfied every moment of your journey, would that be worth reconsidering some of your most cherished beliefs and spending some time looking with new eyes and considering your life from another perspective?

This was already the first step in setting your goals: spend time developing the vision of the outcome of your life. Seek alternative views and explore how people you admire are doing it. Start dreaming up your preferred way of operating and don’t be shy.

Here is something about beliefs: They define what we allow ourselves to experience. Science determined that we do not actually perceive the world as it is, but only as we are able to see it through our own specific glasses/filters. We mostly perceive what we believe to know…

The implications of this are fascinating. What we have experienced so far is due to the beliefs we held. Someone with a different belief system would have experienced the events in your life differently and would have drawn different conclusions and taken different actions! This means beliefs are primary and whatever happens is secondary to how we are affected.

So, before we set our goals and as we are building our vision of how we want to live and who exactly we want to be, we need to become aware of our current beliefs. Some of them may not have been working in your favor in the first place, prompting your desire for change.

Our society seems to hold some of the following beliefs very deeply. Read them and feel if they hold any power over you: ‘You have to work hard to get what you want’ ‘There isn’t enough for everyone- it’s either you or someone else’ ‘You have to be pretty or outwardly successful to be loved and accepted’ ‘Your worth depends on how well you do for yourself’ Etc…

Chances are that you have been affected by these and other rather limiting and fear based beliefs and that they have not given you the happiness and satisfaction you know you want and are seeking to attain.

So, are you ready to have it easy? Are you ready to envisage a life based on love and abundance, where you ‘know’ you are OK and taken care of and where you allow yourself to thrive with ease and grace? Or is this idea intimidating, far-fetched or ‘unrealistic’? Who would you be if YOUR life was easy and satisfying?

Contemplate the following questions and write a list of at least 10 items for each question:

1. What would you do if money, age or skill were no issue? Make a note of any ‘Yeah but…’ responses on a separate list, so they don’t keep you stuck.

2. What would you do if you could not fail?

3. What is most important in your life? And in what order?

Once you have a clear idea of what it is you really want, relish in in the imagination of having it. Imagine vividly and in detail how it would feel if you had your ideal life, being who and how you really want to be, doing what you love to do and getting everything you ever desired!

Do not worry about how it is going to come about. Note and temporarily park any arising worries on your ‘Yeah but…’ sheet. You can deal with them later. Indulge in how you want it in great detail. Pretend it has come to pass already. Your unconscious will not know the difference and will from then on assist you in bringing your desires into reality. Let this magic work for you.

So, once you have fully captured your ideal scenario, write it up, make a photo collage or a drawing, or find any other symbolic way, which reminds you of your new self and desired state often and powerfully.

Next take the ‘Yeah but…’ list and put your creativity to work. Allow yourself to find solutions to the seeming impossible and allow yourself to be surprised by how proficient your unconscious is at generating solutions, now that it knows where you want to go! There might even be events or circumstances, which previously seemed difficult and somehow now prove ‘just right’!

Once your vision is clear, truly connected to your original desires and in line with your core beliefs of choice you have made a goal for all the forces to conspire in making that goal a reality!

About The Author, Oliver Fix, Olympic Gold Medallist in 1996 and Olympic Medal Winning Coach in 2004, offers coach / consultant services that can propel you and your company into this outstanding level of success.

Find out more on his website: http://www.oliverfix.com and contact him at: oliver@oliverfix.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com

---

The Motivated Mind
Discover the Secrets to Getting and Staying Motivated
to Change Your Life and Achieve Your Dreams.
The Motivated Mind is a new, step-by-step guide
that will teach you how to get everything you want in life.
The secrets can now be yours.
The Motivated Mind

---

Are you missing out? Want shortcuts to your goals?
Great Attitudes Create Great Results!
Al Smith is also the Editor and Publisher of
FREE Motivational and Goal Achievement Ezines.
Blast through Procrastination, Inaction, and Distraction
with Consistent Focused Action!
For success tools at your fingertips,
Subscribe Now to The Realgoalgetter Ezine
at http://www.realgoalgetter.com/ezines/.
--------------------

3 Simple Steps To Getting Exactly What You Want!

Goal Setting - Get Exactly What You Want!
By Josh Brown

I am writing you from the quaint sea town of New Bern, NC where my wife and I are catching some much needed R&R.

Lately many of our students have been telling us that their biggest goal is to leave their current 9 to 5 J-O-B and start investing in real estate full time. They no longer want to be tied down by corporate rules and structure.

While I was on this trip I realized that if my wife had not left her job last week, we could not be here right now. She simply would not have been able to take time off. So, how was she able to retire at 24? The answer is quite simple…

She took a few of the success principles Lou and I preach to our students daily and took action on them!

My wife was able to leave her job because she took decisive action!

When she realized she wanted to leave her current job, she sat down and analyzed the situation; made realistic goals for herself; and started taking action on those goals!

In other words, she developed a smart plan for success then took action each day to ensure success. You must constantly move yourself forward even if it is only a small step each day!

Tiger Woods does it! Donald Trump does it!

Developing a plan so you can clearly see your objectives and taking action daily towards those objectives is the key to any successful endeavor. Very few people are successful by accident.

1. You must have a strategy for success!

2. You absolutely MUST take decisive action on a daily basis!

3. You must surround yourself by people who will support you and/or help you on your road to success!

Using these 3 simple steps you can create huge progress toward your business and life goals!

My wife was able to retire from her job at 24 by applying these 3 simple yet powerful steps to her life! Give them a try you won’t believe the results!

I hope this quick note will inspire you to make the necessary changes to create huge results! Have a great weekend!

Josh Brown

President, Investor Wealth Academy, Inc.

FREE! Real Estate Investing Secrets To Earning $100,000 Your 1st Year! -- 11 Overlooked Real Estate Statregies That Will Turn Your Investing Business upside Down And On The Fast Track TO Success...Guranteed! Plus A Bonus Track With A Secret So Successful It Can Double Your Investing Income Overnight!

www.InvestorSuccessTactics.com

Are Your Goals Exciting?

Are Your Goals Exciting?
By Jim Donovan

This may sound like a strange question, but are you really excited about your goals? Of course, I'm making the assumption that you have already invested the time to think about what you want your life to be like and identified some of your goals in several areas. If not, please do this immediately. If you don't know where you're going, how will you know when you get there.

Having written goals will change your life; I guarantee it! Spend some time thinking about what you'd like your life to be like. For the sake of this exercise, let's set goals you'd like to have accomplished one year from now. Of course, you can set shorter and longer goals as well.

What would you like for your relationships? How about your health, career, and finances? How about your mind and emotions? What would you like to experience? What would you like to do, be, or have? Invest some time now to identify these things and write them down. This will greatly increase the likelihood of your accomplishing them.

If you want to know more about this, there are lots of books, including mine, to help you. That's not really the topic of this story, however, I'm asking you now to revisit your goals, particularly your short-term, six month to one year ones.

Do they make you want to jump out of bed each day eager to get going? Recently, I was feeling "less than great." I was even bordering on becoming depressed, something I rarely experience. I felt unmotivated, and wound up being pretty sick for several weeks.

Upon closer examination, and because I agree with Plato that an unexamined life is not worth living, I realized one of the things that I had done was to reset some of my short-term goals to be "more realistic."

I think I believed what I was hearing about the current economic situation. Of course, some of what "they" are saying is true. Some people are experiencing an economic downturn. Interestingly enough, the Horchow Catalog, a collection of some of the highest priced, one-of-a-kind items you can find, is expecting another year of double-digit growth.

This is as compared to a 1 or 2% for the rest of the catalog industry. They were quoted as saying that "there are always well-healed people willing to pay for fine things." Obviously, not everyone believes in the economic downturn!

What I had noticed about myself was that in the interest of being realistic, I had lowered my expectations. While this may seem like a reasonable thing to do, in reality, it left me totally uninspired and feeling pretty unmotivated about my goals.

For example, if you have a goal of making enough money to "pay the bills" how exciting is that? Is that going to make you jump out of bed in the morning saying, "oh wow, I can't wait to get going, so I can make money and pay the bills!" I doubt it.

When I understood what I was doing, I immediately set new goals. I set goals that were way beyond my reach. Goals that were huge enough to really get my juices going.

Now, when I think about my new, bigger goals, I get excited just imaging what it would feel like reaching them and what my life would be like having accomplished them. I get jazzed just thinking about my new income goals, for example.

And even if I don't fully reach it, I know I will go way beyond what I might have accomplished and will feel better along the way. After all, isn't feeling good what it's all about.

Now, go get your journal, and let's start setting some new goals for the coming year. Following is a simple exercise to help you become clear about your goals and begin creating the life you've always wanted.

1. Write what you don't want. This will help you get clear about what you do want. Afterwards, you may want to throw this list away.

2. Write what you want. List everything you want to do, be, and have for the upcoming year and beyond.

3. Write each goal in the form of an affirmation. Do goals in all the major areas of your life - spirituality, health, relationships, social, career, things, and money.

4. Next to each one, write why you want this and how you will feel when you have accomplished it.

5. Write at least one action you can take right now to move toward your goal. What simple step can you take immediately (today)?

Each day, read your list of goals, concentrating on the feelings associated with having them. Feelings like freedom, value, love, secure, safe, prosperous, etc. The more you can feel the feelings your goal will produce, the faster you can draw it to you.

After you reread your goals and are feeling the good feelings associated with having them, ask yourself, "What is the next action I can take to move toward this?" Do this daily and watch your life change.

If you had all the information and tools you needed to live your dream life, would you use them? Yes? Click here ==> www.jimdonovan.com/ebookoffer.html

© 2004 Jim Donovan — PO Box 1147, Buckingham, PA 18912 — (215) 794-3826

Jim Donovan is the author of "Handbook to a Happier Life, a motivational speaker and coach. For a no cost bonus product & more, visit http://www.JimDonovan.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com

Time Is A Valuable Asset - Are You Giving It The Attention It Deserves?

Time - Your Most Valuable Asset in the War against Procrastination

Research shows that people spend most of their time and effort working on activities that have nothing to do with the success of their projects.

I'm convinced that procrastination is the main reason people fail to live richer lives.

If you want to get serious about eliminating the habit of procrastination, you can start right now by recognizing that your most valuable asset is time.

Learn how to use your time efficiently. Make sure that people know when you don't want to be interrupted-don't blame other people when you don't have enough time to finish a task.

When you miss a deadline, plan how you're going to finish the remainder of the work instead of making excuses about why you didn't get it done on time. - Then do it.

Procrastination is a No. 1 cause of stress.

Do you ever wonder why the most successful entrepreneurs-people like Bill Gates, for instance-always seem so relaxed in interviews and public appearances?

They work harder than most of us and they make billion-dollar decisions that the rest of us will never have to face in life, yet they never seem stressed out, worried, or depressed. Why not?

Research shows that high stress levels are caused when too many things are left undone. That's why habitual procrastinators always complain about chronic fatigue-putting things off creates enormous stress in our lives, which manifests itself as fatigue.

Break down your long-term goals into manageable segments and milestones. Without measuring your progress on long-term goals, you can easily delude yourself into believing that you're making good progress when you're just spinning your wheels.

Setting project milestones is a good way to measure your progress and stay focused.

Reserve some time each day for working on your long-term projects.

Spend most of your time on the things that need to be done this week, but try to spend some time each day on work that helps you make progress toward your long-term goals.

The tasks that help you achieve long-term goals are easy to leave undone. They don't seem urgent in the way that telephone calls seem urgent, but they usually represent our most important goals in life.

In many cases, these larger goals get pushed off the radar screen by the countless distractions and "urgent" but unimportant things that demand our attention throughout the day.

You need to spend 75 to 80% of your time on jobs you have to wrap up this week.

But dedicate the rest of your time to projects that need to be finished in the next six months. Have you set milestones for these projects? How are you measuring your progress on each project?

Always ask yourself: What have I learned about the consequences of procrastination, based on the decisions I made-or failed to make-yesterday?

Never lose sight of what's most important in life.

Ask yourself every day: If I only get one thing done today, what must that one thing be?

Then . . . get it done.

Whatever it takes, DO IT!

----------------------------------------

You can listen to this article. The audio has been recorded here.

Talk to you next time.

Need More Motivation? Take Pictures Of Your Goals

Do you take lots of pictures of your Goals? How would you like to come home to this after a hard day's work? Maybe a second home right on the beach? Think about it!

If you don't have pictures of your goals then you are missing out on some great motivational material.

By the way this picture was taken on the west coast of BC, Canada (west coast of Vancouver Island specifically) Not too far away for us from Richmond, in the Metro Vancouver area.

We come up here every winter for a weekend or sometimes longer to stay during storm season. The wave action is awesome when the storms hit!

Take pictures and keep copies up wherever you spend time, and definitely keep them in your planners.

If you need more info on how to keep yourself motivated, check out Reasons That Move You Bring Clarity, Focus, Determination and Momentum, an old article of mine.

How To Fall In Love With Your LIfe

How to Fall in Love With Your Life
By Dan Goodwin

Ask yourself honestly this question - Are you in love with your life as it is right now?

Most of us can say that we love parts of our life - those parts we can’t wait to get involved in, and pour our time and creative energy into. Then there are other parts we don’t so much love, but just like, accept or tolerate.

Often we can find ourselves blindly hurtling down paths in various areas of our lives without much thought or planning or any particular aims. Without taking the time now and again to assess where we actually are in our lives, and whether or not we're heading where we want to be heading, we can end up with that heart-sinking moment we when suddenly look in the mirror one day and ask - “How did my life end up HERE?”

If you're not in love with your life right now (and very few of us are totally…), how would like it to be different? What would it take to for you completely and utterly fall in love with every part of your life?

Your life is a partner you're going to be with for the rest of your days. Doesn't it make sense to make that partner as lovable and as pleasurable to spend time with as you can?

Take some time to write, draw or otherwise create a picture of your life as it would be when you’re completely in love with every part of it, your vision of how you’d love your life to be.

One way to make this exercise more vivid and powerful is to write it in the present tense, as if you already have this life you love. Immerse yourself in it as deeply as possible, use all of your senses to describe your life.

Be honest and specific, you may want to divide it into different areas like Relationships, Work, Finances, Health and consider them each separately. Get into details and measurable aims.

For example don’t get drawn into vague statements like “I want to be a famous writer”. Instead state what kind of writer you are, what you’ve written, what you’ve published, where your work is published, how much you earn from it, who reads it and where and how you create.

We all have the choice to live as we wish. Every day is made up of a series of tiny choices, and the occasional bigger one.

And we all have imaginative and resourceful minds capable of being highly creative and then putting that creativity into practical action.

So start small, choose just one thing today, one part of your life you're not in love with. Then use your abundant creativity to start coming up with all the possible the things you could do to get closer to where you want to be in this part of your life.

Don’t censor or restrain your imagination, just write freely all the different things you COULD do, however viable they seem at this time.

Once you've got a long list, ask yourself - "And what ELSE could I do?". Ask this question again and again until you've completely exhausted all your ideas.

Then, from your list, pick three options that appeal to you most, and write down the first step you need to take for each and a date and time when you’re going to put it into action. Then do it!

Review your progress regularly and then work on a different area, each time aiming to fall more in love with your life. Remember once again, your life is the partner you’re going to be with for the rest of your days. It’ll benefit you greatly to make it as loving, and as lovable, as you possibly can.

© Copyright 2006 Dan Goodwin.

Creativity Coach Dan Goodwin is the author of “Create Create!”, a FREE twice monthly ezine for people who want simple and powerful articles, tips and exercises to help them unleash their creative talents. Sign up right now and get your FREE “Explode Your Creativity!” Action Workbook, at http://www.CoachCreative.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dan_Goodwin

How To Be Happy Now!

I received this article in my email today and wanted to pass it on to you. After you read the article check out Miami's Blog article Happiness And The Mexican Villager. Every once in a while I need to be reminded to enjoy everything I do right now, to take time for myself right now, instead of continuously building an empire for tomorrow. Enjoy!

Begin With A Blank Page

If you could begin your life all over what would you change
given the chance to wave a magic wand and start from
scratch?

What if you had no ties, no burdens, no limits, no
memories, and no past?

What would that life look like? If the answer that comes
to your mind is different than what you are doing, why is
that? Why are you not doing what you want? Is it
because of someone else? A spouse, a parent - children?

I think the ultimate test is to close your eyes and place
yourself on your deathbed. (Fun, huh?) Now, look back at
your life as you are currently living it. What will you
think then? Will you be satisfied you lived completely?
Or will you wish you had done differently?

Here is a clue.

Very few, if any, of our senior citizens look back on their
life and say, "I sure wish I had spent more time at the
office!" I do not think anyone says, "I wish I had watched
more TV!"

This is what they say. "I wish I had been bolder. I wish I
had given more. I wish I had tried harder to see
more, do more and feel more." People wish that they had
lived more.

I know I have held back on some dreams and goals because
of our two boys. However, as my life progresses and learn,
I realize there is no reason to hold back. Just think -
if I hold back I am teaching them to hold back. Where does
that leave them - and their kids, and theirs?

On the other hand we have not been exactly standing still
either.

We have done our best to live our dreams. We
built a sailboat and lived aboard for 7 years traveling
about 15,000 miles. We lived in the snow in Aspen Colorado,
and on the beach in Hilton Head South Carolina. We lived on
an old brick mill in Long Island, and on the dock in Palm
Beach Florida.

We have written books and music, acted in
the theater, and home-schooled the boys. We have built a
horse farm, and businesses! Yet, there is so much more
we want to do!

It is a balancing act. We all must have sufficient
finances to support a comfortable lifestyle, (although
most of us tend to spend way too much on that!)

Part of this balancing act is understanding what we
are passionate about doing so that work becomes a joy
instead of a job.

Is this not a major reason of
lost dreams and goals? Many people find work, call it
a job and make a living at it.

But they begrudge every
minute of it, going as far as using the job as a reason
for playing the martyr. Find something else!

There are many, many teachers of the attraction
philosophies of "making a life". With as many opportunities
today in every field imaginable, somewhere, something is
calling to you.

Another part of the puzzle is to include those close to
you in frank and open discussions in what it is you desire.

Too many of the clients I have coached have kept their wants
and needs bottled up inside them forever! They decided for
the other person in their lives there was no interest in
whatever it was they themselves wanted to do! How absurd!

How can we possibly know what someone else wants or
desires without asking?

Would it not be tragic to spend
your life in a city for all your life, working at a job you
despise because you thought your spouse wanted that life,
even though you wanted to live in the country and be a
farmer?

Then one day you overhear your spouse tell her
best friend all she ever wanted to do was live in the
country? Don't laugh - I have seen this happen!

Sure this is a bit far fetched - but you would be amazed at
what I hear!

Make an attempt today to start with a brand new page of
your life. Create your life story how you want it.

If there are others in your life to be involved, have them
do the same exercise. Then compare what your notes. If
this matches your current life, congratulations! You are
one of the few. Now make it better.

However if your written life stories sound like someone
completely different, then you are living a life of
conflict.

Here is the good news. Your life is your life.
No one can take that away from you. You are not indentured.
You are not a slave. You are free to go, do, and be whoever
you wish.

It might not be easy, but it sure might be worth it. I coach
people daily who are changing their lives.

There are so many things to be grateful for, and so many things open to
us. We owe it to all the ones before us who gave us this
opportunity to take advantage of it.

Today.

Miami Phillips has spent the last decade teaching
business owners and others the secrets to living
a full and successful life. Try:
http://www.miamiphillips.com

Do You DayDream?

Self Improvement: Destiny or Journey?
By Eldon Taylor

How high is up?

Have you ever asked yourself, "Just how high is up?" or "Just how successful is successful?" or "Just how good is good?" Have you ever thought about the different "Yous" within yourself? Most of us have, at some time, considered our own path to personal growth and desired to improve upon improvement.

There is a simple, yet powerful, way to evaluate many personal characteristics and thereby gain additional access to who we are and what we truly wish to be. If life is essentially a school, which I believe it is, then we not only have our course work cut out for us but our objective for which our "learnings" specifically prepare us.

Get a piece of paper and try this little exercise.

First, write down all of your strengths, all of those characteristics about yourself that are good. Begin with the obvious, perhaps you’re very honest, or friendly, or cooperative and so forth. After you have completed this list, write down some characteristics that you would like to improve.

Perhaps you wish to overcome some fear or stop being jealous, or end gossiping or release anger and so forth. So, you’d like to be more courageous or more accepting and trusting, or more confident and so forth. Now, with both of these lists completed, think about yourself as having four inner aspects (IA) of the same you.

The first IA is your actual self--who you are, what you do, etc.

The second IA is your concept of an ideal-self. The ideal-self for most of us is just that, an ideal—but usually too ideal to be realistic. "Under no circumstances will I ever become angry," may be one such ideal.

Okay, the third IA is the ought-self. The ought-self is that collection of things typically foisted upon each of us during maturation. The collection of "you ought to do this" and "you ought to do that" statements we all have heard particularly from our parents and family members.

Last, but not least, is our desired-self. The desired-self is attainable, not so ideal as to be impractical as a goal.

With these four IA’s, take another sheet of paper and write down characteristics that apply pressure to how you feel about yourself, positive or negative, under each IA heading.

That is, use a separate column or sheet of paper to list the items (including feelings) that you may have about each category. When you’re done, compare the categories.

The question, "How high is up" has no answer unless there is some reasonable estimate as to the ceiling. Personal improvement is much the same. Self-examination can assist all of us in obtaining reasonable goals and that can provide at least some clear steps on the way to our ceiling.

Fantasizing your way to your goals.

I related the research that showed one could obtain the same gains from imaging exercise as from exercising in a study I reported upon in my Wellness book (which is free to download in our e-book library at www.innertalk.com) where basketball players improved their free throw shots as much by practicing mentally as the group that shot free throws everyday of the thirty day study.

Current research tends to suggest that the scripts we fantasize, that is, our daydreams, rehearse our worldview and in that sense predispose our experience. Repeating themes such as those around "getting even" and/or emerging victorious at someone’s expense, probably tend to create scenarios in many peoples lives that may lead to violence, anger, and so forth.

In short, our mental daydreams may become rehearsed scripts seeking an opportunity to be played out.

By contrast to the above scenario, whenever I have spoken to a successful person, a champion athlete, or anyone else truly at the top of what they do, they have informed me repeatedly and universally that their daydreams were about their success.

You can choose what to daydream about and you can end a daydream if it’s not something you want rehearsed and thereby a part of you.

Knowing this, it is incumbent upon each of us to think about the goals we wish to achieve. Look back at your lists, and set up a day-dream that is truly self-serving — one that rehearses your success and achievement according to your goals—your highest best.

To your best and thanks for the read, Eldon

Eldon Taylor, Ph.D. is the author of over 200 books and self improvement programs. He is a Diplomat in the American Psychotherapy Association and received the 2005 International Peace Prize for his work in teaching self responsibility (http://www.innertalk.com/eldon/index.html).

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com

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Action Step - Are you fantasizing or daydreaming about your goals?

Did you do the exercise? Do it later if you don't have time at this moment. But, do give it a shot, you might be pleasantly surprised at what you write down.

Go ahead. Daydream once in a while, it's good for you . . . You can have all the advantages and wonders of being childlike without the disadvantages of being childish. I love a good 'daydream'. Go for it!

See you next time.

Al Smith

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Are you missing out? Want shortcuts to your goals?
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When To Focus On The Small Picture . . . Overwhelm

5 Tips to Eliminate Overwhelm & Accelerate Action
by Beth Tabak

"You can't swing and think at the same time." Yogi Berra

The more you get up to bat the more you develop skills. Each time at the plate is another opportunity coming your way. The more you take action the more you will advance. Whether the game is your sport, career, business, home, or taking a risk one thing is clear.

The more you take action, the greater your skills become, and the more you achieve. Below are 5 tips to eliminate overwhelm and accelerate action.

1- Maintain a Clear Path~ Imagine mowing your lawn by just wandering around mowing wherever you see grass at any given moment. Can you imagine how long it would take? Studies are now acknowledging multi-tasking to be multi-debilitating.

The more you create a clear track of what needs to be done while fully focusing on one thing at a time, the faster you can move forward on it. See the resource below for help with this.

2- Microstep to Success~ Overwhelm is paralyzing. Start by microstepping. Take tiny steps to progress. Do what you know you can do (even if it seems ridiculous). I know I can clean out 1 drawer. I know I can put on my workout clothes and walk to the street. I know I can sit down with pen and paper for 15 minutes to ponder my book idea or begin a business plan.

Microstepping will move you forward, build momentum and confidence.

3- Set Time Deadlines~ Setting deadlines when you begin a task helps maintain pace. It prevents the regret of, "where did the day go?". Time is a valuable asset to be cared for. When beginning decide how much time you will allow, and focus to complete within that time.

Set times during the day to manage tasks that would normally interrupt you such as e-mails, phone calls, and co-workers. When interruptions are inevitable, set a boundary by deciding the time you will allow for the interruption.

4- Schedule the Significant Stuff First~ We are so responsible that we cast aside the things that will make the biggest impact in our lives. Or maybe it is fear that holds us back. In any event, add the important things to your schedule as a priority and move towards what you want.

5- Systematize~ Consistently look to create systems to save time. Remember how time is saved by having a system to mow the lawn. When something new goes in a cabinet something old comes out. Return calls and check e-mails at scheduled times daily. Throw junk mail in the trash immediately.

Give your items a home so nothing is ever lost. Schedule blocks of time to handle tasks in the various roles you hold. Automate. Keep a running list of items you need and errands, then handle at once. Systematizing with regard to a person's strengths and passions is even more advantageous.

Resource~ You are welcome to use the complimentary Get Things Done Task List. Send a blank e-mail to GetThingsDone@aweber.com , confirm your request in the follow-up e-mail, and you should receive it in minutes.

This is the time to step up to the plate. Put the breaks on overwhelm and accelerate action by taking the first step. Starting Now!

Copyright 2005 © Beth A. Tabak, All rights reserved.

Beth Tabak is a Business & Life Coach, columnist, & owner of Starting Now. She coaches small business owners and professionals who think big to step out in a bold way to grow beyond limits, stand out in the crowd, and experience the vastness of their capabilities. Move beyond limits at http://www.startingnowcoaching.com.

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Are you missing out? Want shortcuts to your goals?
Great Attitudes Create Great Results!
Al Smith is also the Editor and Publisher of
FREE Motivational and Goal Achievement Ezines.
Blast through Procrastination, Inaction, and Distraction
with Consistent Focused Action!
For success tools at your fingertips,
Subscribe Now to The Realgoalgetter Ezine
at http://www.realgoalgetter.com/ezines/.
From The Realgoalgetter Group of Companies;
dedicated to helping you live a long, passionate, joyful life.
--------------------

Where Is Your Vision Hiding?

This article by Catherine Franz really describes how a vision for your life may be knocking on the door of your mind and how important it is to listen when it does.

It hit me just right when I read it the second time, I love to hear about someone's personal life journey. This is real stuff and it is nice to know that we are all in the same boat! We all look calm on the outside but many of us have furious currents at work under the surface.

What potential message are you receiving that you dismiss before really investigating what the message is telling you. Our visions do not always come to us ready made and crystal clear.

Sometimes we have to interpret our mind's work, I mean really think about what our sixth sense may be saying to us. Sometimes it takes weeks if not months to clarify what is the right road for us.

Take some time this weekend to listen to your mind's work. Stop and record possible significant directions or hints of a more joyful, passionate future. Here's the article.

Embrace Your Overall Vision: It May Be Hiding in the Strangest Places By Catherine Franz

Thinking back on it, my lifestyle change journey really began about eight years ago. But I didn't become aware of it until about three years ago when I consciously decided I needed to lead a "lighter" life and started by cleaning out the medicine cabinet.

It seems so simple now, but it took three months before I could let go of the contents of that 14 x 16 inch space. Every time I went in that cabinet, a more honest assessment yielded more trash. Soon it became easier to be honest about the clutter of my life, at least the old stuff.

Memory stuff was not so easy -- things my parents gave me, my ex- husband, old boyfriends, friends -- I'm sure you get the picture. Of course, the kids' stuff was the hardest. But practice does make perfect, and in time I was able to make hard choices about what was really important to me.

Slowly but steadily over the next three years I conquered the rest of my house -- purging and cleaning every corner, cabinet and room.

Happy with what I'd accomplished, by fall of 2005 I was ready to focus on other life shifting goals. It was as if cleaning out the medicine cabinet and the rest of the house was the catalyst for other, bigger changes.

And the messages to make changes were all around me. Early in November 2005, I started hearing them. "It's time to really shift." I heard Dr. Phil, television's well-known therapist, say whenever I clicked on his show.

I didn't watch him very often but when my intuition said tape it or turn on the tube, I did, and there was the same message, "If it isn't working for you, change it." The timing was always impeccable. Of course, he expressed the message in different words.

But even with these coincidences, I heard the bold words but didn't take any action. Then the messages started bombarding me. Small, soft, large and loud. They kept coming. In early December, while in a meditative state, I heard it.

This time very clearly, very direct AND very, very loud, and firm. "Its time to really commit and get bold. Its time to reinvent yourself, Catherine."

All I could do was give a throat chuckle. The message scared the heebie jeebies out of me. Over the space of the week my feelings transitioned into, "Okay, I'm open, what do you mean by that?" I asked even though I had a good idea what it meant. The vision of selling everything and changing my environment to be much lighter, more Zen-like.

I've needed to lose a lot of weight (that was always a goal). But this time it was different, it wasn't the weight at all. It was, "Get healthy. There's a lot in store for you, and you need to be healthy in order to get there."

The picture got clearer as each week progressed. Key items appeared, I got nervous, questioned it, mulled over it, ran and tried to hide for a few hours from it, shared my doubts with my best friend, Brenda. The doubts faded but my lack of trust in myself didn't totally go away. I kept wanting all the answers. I want to know exactly what I was to do and how to do it.

The New Year is here now and I know what I need to do, although I still have no clue of what it all means. The thoughts of measuring up to the vision is still a little nerve wracking. Doubts come and go but only when I really don't want to eat healthy or exercise.

One step, now, is all I can focus on. Eat healthy now. Exercise now. Sell one piece of furniture now. Its replacement will come. I know all will come at the right time. And I think that is the only thing that keeps me in the "now" of working towards wherever this "reinventing Catherine" message is leading me.

I hold on to the vision that has been there for the last few months as I really like its picture. Yesterday, I spent some time working on my 2006 Attraction Board. It had been in the works since early November but the pictures weren't clear. Yesterday, while in the craft store things began to mesh.

This week I plan on test-driving new cars, deciding on which one I like, and placing its picture on my Attraction Board so that the universal laws will bring it to me.

When messages come of steps that you want to take, allow yourself to go through the emotions, but don't get stuck in the feelings. Keep the door open because the message you receive may only be a partial picture.

If you block it because it seems too big or impossible or unimportant, then the next message, the one that explains it or gives it additional clarity, won't get through to you. Even profound decisions often mask themselves as many simple choices -- like cleaning out a medicine cabinet -- and only take a few moments to make.

So be ready. Keep the doors open to the possibilities and listen -- messages can come from the strangest places -- a television program, a child, a piece of music, a memory or your own behavior. It really isn't difficult. It is a decision though. It is a choice.

(c) Copyright 2006, Catherine Franz. All rights reserved.

Catherine Franz, is a syndicated columnist, author, radio host, International speaker, and master business coach. http://www.abundancecenter.com