By admin in Improve Yourself on January 17 2008
Everybody has bad habits. Everybody. Now granted, some people have less than others and some people's bad habits are more grating than those of others, but we all have them. What is great is that we don't have to!
Imagine a life where you couldn't change? What kind of life would that be? But we can, so let's!
There are two kinds of bad habits: Those you know you have that others may or may not know about, and those you don't know you have but everybody else knows you have!
For the sake of everybody involved we ought to get rid of them all, right?
Well Chris, how can I get rid of a bad habit if I don't know I have it? Simple, but hard. Ask somebody to be brutally honest with you! You might think, "Yeah, but I'll be embarrassed." Would you rather everyone talk behind your back? Get up the courage and ask. Ask somebody who loves you and has your best interest in mind. Be gracious and don't defend your self. Just accept it and work on it. Read More...
By admin in Improve Yourself on January 17 2008
When it comes to achieving accomplishments there are two foundational actions that must take place. When these two actions take place, and take place in the right order, you will become unstoppable. You will also enter into an elite group of people who actually do both.
You see, most people are given to only one or the other, and in doing so negate their opportunity to accomplish what it is that they want to accomplish.
What are these two actions?
Intake and output.
Think about it. Read More...
By admin in Goals HOW TO on January 17 2008
It is important to have goals because they are good for your physical and mental health. You can have goals for all areas of your life. Here are a few ideas: Career, Learning, Clubs, Money, Community, Politics, Contribution, Professional, Emotional, Reading, Family, Relationships, Health, Service, Home, Spiritual Interests, Travel.
What Makes an Effective Goal?
Not all goals are motivating. If a goal is too vague, hard to measure, or impossible to achieve, it will lack effectiveness and ultimately be a wasted exercise. Goal statements should be:
- Stated with action verbs
- Specific
- Measurable
- Challenging
- Written down, with completion dates
Effective goals have all five ingredients.
The 80/20 Rule
The 80/20 Rule (also known as Pareto's Principle) says that 20% of what we do produces 80% of the results. Read More...
By admin in Goals Tips & Tricks on January 17 2008
Note: This article was originally written at mid year so it is good reminder around June but the principles are applicable anytime.
In a sporting event, the players are given a break at the half in order to refresh themselves, look at how they played in the first half, and set strategy for the second half. So as you approach halftime, here are some thoughts. Do you have a vacation planned in the next two months that will give you the needed break and refreshment? If not, schedule one this week! How did you "play" in the first half of this year? Have you met your goals that you established at the beginning of the year? Here are a few ideas to evaluate where you are at with your goals as you approach the halfway mark.
Take some time to sit down alone and review your goals. How many are you on mark to make? How many have you not even begun on? How many have you achieved? Read More...
By admin in Goals Tips & Tricks on January 17 2008
Goals. Most people have a love-hate relationship with goals. They love them because they are such a great idea and a wonderful way to motivate us to achieve, as well as evaluate our progress, but hate them because for many, they more often than not go unattained and simply frustrate them. This isn't what goals should do!
So here are some simple ways to set goals so that we achieve them! After all, what good is a goal if it isn't something you achieve? Here are some simple steps you can take to make sure that you see change in your life this year.
Narrow your focus. That's right, start small. Pick two or three areas tops, that you want to work on. Too many people say to themselves, "I want to do this, and this, and this, and this..." and they end up doing nothing! Most of what you do throughout your day can be done without a lot of mental or emotional exertion, but change isn't one of them. So focus down to a couple. This way you can get some victory in these areas. Here are some areas to think about: Physical, Intellectual, Emotional, Spiritual, Financial, and Relational. What areas need some work? Now, what one thing should be the first item on the change list? The others will come later, but for now, you should focus on two or three total. Read More...
By admin in Goals HOW TO on January 17 2008
All goals take time to accomplish. But most people are impatient. All really worthwhile objectives involve work, and sacrifice, maybe even pain! But most people HATE pain. Therefore, most people don't have any system at all for setting targets.
As some wise person once said (and we've all heard it a hundred times), "Nobody plans to fail, but many people fail to plan." And when you look at that sentence on balance you have to realize that it's the same thing. No plan equals a plan for failure.
So here is a plan for goalsetting - target-setting - that may assist you in changing the way you address life.
Take out a new sheet of paper and write the numbers 1 through 10 vertically, about an inch apart. Ready? OK.
To make it easy for you to remember, I've made each of the following ten points hinge on words starting with the letter "P".
Point 1...PAPERIZE. That's MY word. It means: Commit everything to writing. Read More...
By admin in Goals and Life on January 17 2008
In many of his wonderful talks the motivational speaker Zig Ziglar states "you've got to have goals." Have you ever asked yourself why?
You are instructed that you need different types of goals. There are fitness goals, financial goals, relationship goals and spiritual goals. Your list of goals can be endless. There are some successful people who are working on more than fifty goals in developing their personal and business life. There is pride expressed in the fact that the more goals they have the better person they are.
There are more and more people becoming goal junkies.
There will be those of you who will give me good reasons for setting and achieving goals. I ask you a deeper question. This question is "For what purpose?" You think if you do not set goals nothing will be achieved. There are many who when setting goals feel increasingly conflicted.
Rather than more goal setters this world needs people to simply be present to their lives. Read More...
By admin in Goals HOW TO on January 16 2008
It's been said that everyone has goals, whether we know it or not. We have goals to keep our current job, or to get a different one. We have goals to save for the future, or to travel, take a vacation, or purchase the things we need and want to make our lives more enjoyable. An important distinction, however, is that top achievers are very intentional and focused on their goals, while many of the rest of us are not.
Top achievers know that the wording, structure, timing and format of a goal can make it's achievement much easier - or far more difficult. Top achievers understand the basic skills for setting and reaching their goals, every time! They know how to design goals that create success. Here are the 10 most important steps to set and achieve your goals:
1. Reachable goals are SPECIFIC. Top achievers know that to reach their goals, the brain must know exactly, precisely, what they are trying to accomplish. Never word a goal with vague terms like "some" or "a little bit", or "more". Be specific! If you want to lose 8 pounds and reach a weight of 175, specify those exact numbers. If you want to save $200 this month, be exact. Your brain can help you accomplish almost anything if it knows precisely what you are aiming for.
2. Reachable goals are SIMPLE. Read More...
By admin in Improve Yourself on January 16 2008
As 2005 approaches, many of us are thinking about change. Many of us are setting goals, and making promises to ourselves and to those we love. We may vow to do everything different-better-next year. We set lofty expectations to lose weight, learn a 2nd or 3rd language, never yell at our kids again, or give up our vices completely. And as the calendar closes out one year in favor of another, the timing seems just perfect to make those changes. But are we really, really ready? Attempting to change before we have made a fully educated CHOICE to commit to the process may be our first (and biggest) New Year's mistake.
Psychologists Prochaska, Norcross, and DiClemente, among others, have developed a theory about the process of change, and the process by which we can be effective at implementing long term change in our lives. This Transtheoretical Model involves a number of steps by which people have been professionally and successfully treated and taught to manage their problem behaviors through behavior modification. As you read, ask yourself where you are in the process of change, and what obstacles are standing in your way from reaching the next level, and ultimately success. Read More...
By admin in Goals Tips & Tricks on January 16 2008
You have a choice it would seem - you can float along on the river of the life, don't worry about where it takes you and maybe disappear over a waterfall or go with the flow but steer your way towards your objective.
If you want a chance at achieving something you have to set goals. If you want to achieve your goals then there are a number of simple rules to follow.
Write them down! Only 5 % of the population writes down their goals! Take a wild guess whether they achieve them or not? If you don't set goals then at the end of next year you will find your no further forward than you are now at the end of 2004! Writing down your goals involves imagining or visualizing them. Don't write them on scraps of A4 paper and then throw them in the bin! Get a little notebook you can carry in your pocket and refer to on a regular basis. This sounds crazy but you need a kick up the **** on a regular basis and referring to your goals will do just that!
Make your goals detailed and specific, I want to live somewhere warm and nice is a bit vague even for the subconscious mind! Who, what where, why, when! Read More...
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