Baby, It's Cold Outside

Welcome to winter in Canada.  We are experiencing a blast of arctic air that is set to stay with us for the next 10 days!  I may be proudly Canadian but these cold blasts can be miserable!

That being said, the cold snap got me thinking about my goals for the future.  Oh, I have several and I'm a firm believer in setting goals for your life, career, business, relationships and health.  Small goals that are easy to achieve and celebrate are my favourites.  Each day I celebrate a goal that I successfully completed.

Larger goals are wonderful but if you forget to create an action plan to achieve your big dream type goal you will begin to feel discouraged.  This may lead to giving up on your dreamy goal.

Today, I was looking out my picture window and I started to daydream and a new dreamy goal came to my mind.  My new goal - Every Winter I Will Spend a Minimum of 3-Weeks in a Hot, Hot, Tropical Climate.  Fabulous goal and I want it to be successful so I set about creating an action plan.  I will be in Costa Rica or other tropical paradise from January 22, 2014 to February 15, 2014....period.

My action plan created the steps I want to take to make my goal a reality.  First, finances - how much will I want?  I divided that amount by 52.  So much easier to look at dollar values when they are small and it makes it doable!

Second, what do I want to change in my business to ensure the extra funds are available.  I set about writing action steps to increase my income.

Third, hubby.  Okay, he pretty much loves whatever I plan so I'm good there.

Done!!  I set a goal and developed the action steps to make it a reality.  As a bonus, I created new and fantastic action steps to grow my business.

The benefits of Goal Setting and Creating an Action Plan are enormous.

So, get out your pen and paper, start daydreaming, jot down notes.  Dream big and choose one to make a reality.  You will have a new sense of accomplishment, confidence and an event in your future to look forward to.  How great is that!

Turn Resolutions to Accomplishments

New Year's "Accomplishments"

Oh, those pesky New Year's Resolutions, restrictive, untamed and with a big chunk of hope thrown in for fun. 99% of resolutions fail. Not a good statistic, I know and there are great reasons for the high failure rate.

• New Year's Resolutions are TOO BIG to handle for one person even if you believe you have gobs of will power.
• TOO MANY to Handle! Really, you're gonna lose 50 lbs by February 1st, quit smoking, stop drinking and be a nicer person all in one go?
• The resolution is worded Passively and Negatively. Surprise! I want to quit smoking; I want to lose weight; I want to blah, blah, blah.

Turn your New Year's Resolutions into New Year's Accomplishments!

Follow these simple tips and you'll be on the path to celebrating your Accomplishments before you can say Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious backwards!!

• Chunk it Down and Add Some Fun. Take the time to reflect on the one change you will make this year - Will you quit smoking? Will you eat more fruit & veggies? Will you travel? Will you enjoy every day? Will you dance in the street weekly on Thursdays?
• Pick One, Only One. Now you're focused on one change that you will achieve in 2013. Smile! You have taken the first step on your journey to success.
• Start with small steps to success. Today I will include one healthy vegetable side dish with dinner

• Smile even when faced with a challenge and make it a great day
• Replace soda with water
• Lace up my running shoes and walk for 10 minutes

• Change your language to be pro-active and positive - state your change in "I will, I can and I am". Saying you "want" to do something is wishy-washy and opens the door to the million excuses you're going to give when you don't succeed

Small step changes are realistic and manageable. Write your Statement of Success. Celebrate your successes every day. Your result will be a happy, healthier life where you congratulate yourself for meaningful successes rather than berate yourself for failure.

Here is my statement of success for 2013!

I am a nature lover and I will plan my days off to include enjoying the natural environment while relaxing and reflecting on my personal and career successes. I will wake up every day, smile and look forward to a new day with a sense of curiosity and adventure.

Happy New Year!!

Susan

NLP Life Coaching - Awaken Your Potential