Tag Archives | goals
dreams and wishes. 62/365

5 Tips to Help You Achieve Your Dreams Now

By on January 20, 2012 in Inspiration, Personal Growth
dreams and wishes. 62/365

Image by nicole.pierce.photography ♥ via Flickr

“You know those goals you’ve set for yourself, those dreams you’ve been waiting for the perfect time to live out? It’s time.” – Maria Shriver

What have you been waiting for? It’s the rare person who does not have dreams, goals, wishes; those someday, when the time is right, maybe when I have more…whatever.

NEWS FLASH…

There is no perfect time, no right circumstance, and no magic window of opportunity. There is only now. Now is the time to stretch out of your zone of security and comfort and reach higher. As my very wise father used to say, “Get your rear in gear!” (Except he used a slightly different word that I will not print on this blog for sensitive eyes to read.)

I have some tips to impart before you embark on your quest for all of those magnificent dreams:

Get very specific about what you want

Ambiguity is the kiss of death for dreams. Be crystal clear, be specific, and if possible be vivid. Be able to explain your objective to a complete stranger – You don’t have to actually do it. Just be able to if you needed to.

Be sure that it’s still right for you

Dreams and ambitions change with time. What we wanted in our 20’s may be radically different from what we want in our 40’s. Question if the vision you had for yourself is still the future you really want.

Have your fantasy

In other words, it’s more than thinking outside the box. That phrase is so over-used that I don’t think we even pay attention to it anymore. What I want you to do is, not only think outside the box, think over the box, think under the box, forget the box even exists and think on a blank canvas. However, don’t forget that there are still opportunities inside the box. I just want you to open your mind to all possibilities (Ahem…without any illegal substances please!)

Gather the troops

Enlist help wherever and whenever you can. Telling people what you want gives you a measure of accountability. Moreover, you never know where your most valuable resource may be found. Mentors and potential partners are everywhere. For example, when I was first trying to get my career as a freelance writer off the ground, I made an off-handed comment during a massage (one of my favorite gifts) about wanting to write full-time to the massage therapist whom I had never met before. I was floored when she told me she had a friend who was looking to get some help with his blog. Hello! That’s opportunity knocking. Who knew!

Full steam ahead

Be bold. Be courageous. Be determined. Don’t be afraid to do something that makes you (or someone else) uncomfortable. Stop making excuses…If you don’t have the time, drop something else. If you don’t have the knowledge or skill, get it.

Every day that goes by is another opportunity lost. Are you going to keep wishing and hoping and complaining or are you going to go after what you want?

Now, be brave and tell me what you want. I’m listening. Put it out there. You never know what kind of support you’ll get. Post a comment or share it on our Facebook page.

 

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The Thinking Man sculpture at Musée Rodin in Paris

Got a great idea? How to Do Something About it!

By on January 16, 2012 in Inspiration, Personal Growth, Success, Tools

The Thinking Man sculpture at Musée Rodin in Paris

Image via Wikipedia

We all know someone – probably more than one someone – who has said, “I had that idea!” “If only I had pursued it, I’d be rich.” Well, actually that’s not necessarily true. Having an idea or concept is no guarantee of success. So many other factors come into play, but the reality is thinking, dreaming, and planning means nothing without action.

Many people have great ideas, few actually act on them. And believe me, if you don’t somebody else will. It’s what you do with your creative notions that matters, not what you think. Whether it is an innovative design, a brilliant invention, a fabulous book idea or a unique business concept doesn’t matter. The world needs pioneers who have ground-breaking ideas.

So, you have a dream, an idea, a splendid thought for a new and improved or never before done…something. Do something with it. Just start moving forward. If you don’t know how…ask, research, find out. There are many resources available. Get a mentor; pick the brain of someone who has done something similar.

Tell someone

Get support

Brainstorm possibilities

Flesh out your idea

Determine what need it fills

Decide what end result you want

Make sure you have the proper motivation or desire

Make a plan of action

Now, do something!

Just start in some small way to take steps to move your idea forward. Otherwise, in a few years you will be that sad, pathetic person who says, “if only…”

Is there something you’ve thought of but never pursued? Care to share?

 

 

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English: Quads Aces, to represent poker games.

BUSINESS IS A GAME

By on January 6, 2012 in Success
English: Quads Aces, to represent poker games.

Image via Wikipedia

I loved this concept from Tony Hsieh.

BUSINESS IS A GAME

Everything I know about business I learned from poker: financials, strategy, education, and culture.

FINANCIALS

  • The guy who wins the most hands is not the guy who makes the most money in the long run.
  • The guy who never loses a hand is nor the guy who makes the most money in the long run.
  • Go for positive expected value, not what’s least risky.
  • You will win or lose individual hands, but it’s what happens in the long term that matters.

STRATEGY

  • Learn to adapt. Adjust your style of play as the dynamics of the game change.
  • The players with the most stamina and focus usually win.
  • Hope is not a good plan.
  • Stick to your principles.

EDUCATION

  • Never stop learning. Read books. Learn from others who have done it before.
  • Learn by doing. Theory is nice, but nothing replaces actual experience.
  • Just because you win a hand doesn’t mean you’re good and you don’t have more learning to do. You might have just gotten lucky

CULTURE

  • To become really good, you need to live it, breathe it, and  sleep it.
  • Be nice and make friends. It’s a small community.
  • Have fun. The game is a lot more enjoyable when you’re trying to do more than just make money.

Tony Hsieh is the CEO of Zappos.com and the author of Delivering Happiness. Tony’s (longer) blog post is Everything l Know About Business I Learned from Poker.

What are your thoughts? Do you agree? Disagree?

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Why You Need a Clean Sweep if You Want to Improve Your Success

By on December 30, 2011 in Life Balance, Personal Growth, Success

Photo by Jesse Gardner

Every once in a while I get the urge to just dump everything…well almost everything… that I’m doing and clear the decks. Just sweep them clean. Create a blank slate on which to write our aspirations, goals and dreams. We get so tied up and bogged down in everything we have on our plates; projects, commitments, habits, that we have no room to breathe. No space to experiment. Not even the tiniest crack in our schedule to stop and think.

Do I truly care about the projects I’m involved in?

Why am I doing this again?

Do I really need to do that thing?

Here’s the harsh reality. If you haven’t made any progress on those goals you set earlier in the year, you need to question if they really matter.

Now take a deep breath and let them go. Make room for new goals, fresh ideas, creative projects.

What would you do if only you had the time?

It’s almost a new year, time for a fresh start.

Time for some house cleaning, both literally and figuratively.

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Crystal ball

The Single Most Important Productivity Tip

By on November 28, 2011 in Productivity, Simple Steps, Success

Crystal ball

Image via Wikipedia

Simple Steps

From the mailbag…

The question I am most often asked is… “What is your best productivity tip?”

Oh, there are so many, but the answer I give just might surprise you…

It’s not, do the most important thing first.

It’s not plan your day, every day.

It’s not eliminate distractions.

It’s not write everything down.

It’s not even set aside a power focus hour.

 

It’s BE CRYSTAL CLEAR ON WHAT YOU ARE TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH.

Because if you aren’t clear about what you’re trying to do or why you’re doing it, then the rest doesn’t really matter. You can be organized and efficient, but if you’re doing the wrong things then you are not being productive.

You are simply wasting your time efficiently.

Question everything, move forward, enjoy the journey.

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How to Use Focus to Improve Productivity and Results

By on October 26, 2011 in Productivity, Success
Focus = Improved productivity, faster progress, efficient time management & better results

Watch today’s Productive Life Minute…

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calm sea

Why Productivity and Success Start with a Quiet Mind

By on October 7, 2011 in Personal Growth, Sanity Savers
calm sea

Image by 'eindzel via Flickr

Life is so much easier when you have a quiet mind. The chaos that surrounds you doesn’t affect your sense of balance as much if you have a sense of “internal order.”  When you can operate from a mental place of calm and peacefulness, you are better able to view the big picture and are much more effective at setting your priorities and in achieving your goals. Think of yourself as the calm in the center of the storm.

One of my successful coaching clients who struggled with her ability to perform in the middle of chaos discovered that once she learned to quiet her own thinking and set up personal boundaries to ward off outside drama both in her business and her home that she was able to cultivate a sense of internal calm. If you can stop yourself from getting caught up in the busyness, external disorganization and drama around you, your ability to focus and take action toward your goals will skyrocket.

We generally focus our efforts on trying to change what’s going on around us, when instead we need to focus on what’s happening within us. That is after all the only thing we can actually control.

Question everything, move forward, enjoy the journey.

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P question

What’s Your Intention – Be More Successful

By on September 30, 2011 in Questions, Success
P question

Image via Wikipedia

Question

What is your intention?

That may be the most important question you ask yourself every day. In every aspect of your life, work, home, relationships, actions or choices, knowing your intention gives you the proper focus and direction.

If you don’t know what your intention is then you are floundering about like a tiny rowboat in the ocean. You will get tossed back and forth at the whims of the moment. But if you know what your intention is, if you know what you really want to get out of every day, interaction, relationship, task, and activity, then you are more likely to get it.

That does not mean that every single action we take must have a complex intention. It might be as simple as my intention is to be to be curious, observant, kind and open to new possibilities. That is broad enough and yet clear enough to set your course.

Question everything, move forward, enjoy the journey.

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Content: A picture of a green check mark. PNG ...

What Do You Need to Do First?

By on September 26, 2011 in Productivity, Simple Steps, Success
Content: A picture of a green check mark. PNG ...

Image via Wikipedia

Simple Steps

Put first things first each day!

What is your most important task today?

Not your most urgent - unless of course it is a matter of life or death, or imminent job loss – but your most important. What will have the most impact on your business, home, relationships or whatever your focus is at the moment? What one thing will make you feel as if you have accomplished something concrete today?

Now, whatever it is do it first!

If you make this a habit; you will see a tremendous boost in productivity.

Question everything, move forward, enjoy the journey.

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Hands.Pen.Paper.DupontCircle.WDC.17sep05

Why You Need to Do a “Mind Download” Daily

By on September 19, 2011 in Life Balance, Productivity, Simple Steps
Hands.Pen.Paper.DupontCircle.WDC.17sep05

Image by Elvert Xavier Barnes Photography

Simple Steps

Our minds are really like human computers. If we want to improve our productivity and efficiency, we need to empty the cache of temporary “files” and reboot for our brains to perform at their peak levels. Otherwise we can suffer from brain overload with too many circuits firing at once and so many programs (thoughts) running in the background that we either “freeze up” and can’t remember anything or simply process the information much more  slowly than we’d like.

Sounds difficult. But it’s not. It only requires a few minutes and some manner of recording your thoughts.

Choose your time – Try first thing in the morning and again before bedtime, but if that doesn’t work for you any time can work. I prefer to sit with my morning coffee for a few minutes and let my brain wake up. I apparently need the caffeine kick to form coherent thoughts.

Choose your method of recording – You can keep an electronic list on your mobile phone or computer, use a voice recorder or similar app or go the traditional pen and paper route. Though I tend to be a “techie” by nature, I still prefer to use a pen and pad for this process.

Now, take just 5 minutes and write down whatever is in your head or on your mind. Sounds doable.

And I mean everything… Not just tasks, but thoughts, concerns, questions and ideas too. You can sort them later, just get them out of your brain so that they can stop cycling through and using up precious brain power and space.

Once you’re finished you can add any tasks to your ongoing tasks list (you have one of those right?) Add any new ideas to an idea file to pursue later and record questions or concerns in a journal to mull over at another time. (If you never go back to mull them over, then they weren’t that important.)

By making it a habit to take just a few minutes each day to empty and organize your brain, you can drastically improve your ability to focus, complete tasks, achieve goals, find better balance and increase your energy. Not bad for 5 minutes work.

Question everything, move forward, enjoy the journey.

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