Here are my daily affirmations. I have them written out on a huge poster paper, which is taped on my hall wall. I say them aloud sometime between getting up and leaving the house. I'm not totally consistent about doing it every day, but the poster is always there whenever I need a reminder. :-)
-Today I create my ideal future.
-Today I do what I love.
-Today I choose to be happy.
-Today I challenge myself.
-Today I take action to make my dreams come true.
-Today I enrich the Universe with my love.
-Today I clarify what I want & I make it known.
-Today I attract love and wealth into my life.
-Today I experience the abundance in my life.
-Today I live up to my full potential.
-Today I do what needs to be done when it needs to be done!
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Monday, January 17, 2011
Opportunity in Every Moment
"People wait for opportunity to come along...yet it is there every morning." - Attributed to Dennis the Menace
I would change this quote to say that opportunity is there in every moment. Every moment, you have a choice. Are you going to choose to do what you know needs to be done? Or are you going to choose to sit in front of the TV longer? Are you going to choose to create the life you want? Or are you going to choose to wait on the sidelines?
Are you going to choose to be happy? Or are you going to choose to wallow in self-doubt, self-pity, or depression? Yes, in some moments, it's a lot harder to choose the happiness - sometimes, you may continue to choose sadness. And that's ok, because in the next moment, you get to make another choice, a different choice if you want. Where you are right now and who you are right now is exactly that - right now. In the next moment, you can choose to be someone else, a different version of yourself. Who do you want that different version to be? Who are you going to be in this moment?
Are you going to continue reading this blog? Or are you going to take this opportunity to choose to do something else? What would your ideal self do in this moment? What opportunity would your ideal self jump on in this moment?
Don't pass the opportunities by - even if they are dressed in work clothes. Some people wait for the opportunities to come - others see the opportunity in every moment.
I would change this quote to say that opportunity is there in every moment. Every moment, you have a choice. Are you going to choose to do what you know needs to be done? Or are you going to choose to sit in front of the TV longer? Are you going to choose to create the life you want? Or are you going to choose to wait on the sidelines?
Are you going to choose to be happy? Or are you going to choose to wallow in self-doubt, self-pity, or depression? Yes, in some moments, it's a lot harder to choose the happiness - sometimes, you may continue to choose sadness. And that's ok, because in the next moment, you get to make another choice, a different choice if you want. Where you are right now and who you are right now is exactly that - right now. In the next moment, you can choose to be someone else, a different version of yourself. Who do you want that different version to be? Who are you going to be in this moment?
Are you going to continue reading this blog? Or are you going to take this opportunity to choose to do something else? What would your ideal self do in this moment? What opportunity would your ideal self jump on in this moment?
Don't pass the opportunities by - even if they are dressed in work clothes. Some people wait for the opportunities to come - others see the opportunity in every moment.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Three Year Vision Article from Fabienne Fredickson
Most people will write New Years Resolutions with time frames of a year or a few months. But you're not 'most people', are you? No, you're here to dream bigger than 'most people'. If you're going to dream big and play big, a few months or a year is not enough time! For your huge dreams, picture where you want to be three years from now...
Plan Out Your 3-Year Vision for Attracting Clients (and The Life You Really Want)
by Fabienne Fredrickson, Founder of ClientAttraction.com
In practice building (and getting clients), it seems to be that most self-employed people just hope for the best. They simply keep doing what they've been doing and don't have a strategy for creating the practice they'd be truly and deeply happy with. This is a big mistake in my opinion.
I used to write down my goals each year, but it never really worked for me. I just didn't feel really excited about my new goals. They didn't seem to propel me in motion and so I kind of viewed them as being useless. I never really looked at them, probably because they seemed like "shoulds" rather than "really-meaningful-wants."
Then I came across the concept of creating 3-year visions instead of just a list of goals for the upcoming year. This visioning wasn't just about business goals, but also family, financial, spiritual, and relationship goals. It became a "holistic" way of looking at what you wanted in your life. All the pieces looked like they would work together, but only because you were compelled to make it all work together, which was the first time I'd done that in such depth.
The coolest thing about visioning 3 years out came to me after I started doing this regularly. I noticed that ONE year goals were never too much of a stretch. They seemed like timid goals, goals that didn't really get me excited. But having to create a vision of what 3 years down the line would look like allowed me to REALLY think BIG.
Inhibitions dropped. My creative side started going and I really took time to see, "Hey, what WOULD I want my life to look like in 3 years, if I could have time to create it?" SHAZAM! I felt like I'd hit the jackpot.
The 3-year vision was a way for me to create something to strive for that REALLY spoke to me. Something that made my heart beat a little faster after I read it, excited to get going, and just a little bit scared of the thought of me reaching it. Now THAT would propel me into motion the way a yearly list of goals wouldn't be able to do. (By the way, my deep down secret is that I strive to reach these in 1 or 2 years, not 3, and that's usually what happens.)
So, each year, around this time, I create a 3-year vision of what I want my practice to look like. I write it in the present tense, as if it were 3 years later, that same day. For example, this past year I wrote mine on January 4, 2010 as if it was January 4, 2013, and I talked about all the things that had happened since 2010. All the things I'd accomplished in my business, with my finances, my investments, my family, and myself over the "last 3 years," which obviously hadn't actually happened yet.
Such a cool exercise and it really gets the blood flowing when you read it back to yourself, now and over the year.
"When you can clearly see yourself being there, you can see much more clearly how to get there. You can imagine the path to your dreams, and then start to actually walk it. Play an active role in your own future. Imagine with passion and detail how you'd most like it to be." —Ralph Marston, www.greatday.com
You see, I've figured out that it's not just about goals. Yes, goals are important, but the way I look at it, it's about focusing on what you REALLY want for your life, not the "shoulds." It's also about putting into effect the Law of Attraction in a big way. When you know what you want for your life, when you can imagine it with passion and feel what it feels like to have it, it's almost guaranteed to come to you.
So, this weekend, I'll be taking a couple of hours to work on my own 3-year vision. I wouldn't dream of not doing it. My success depends on it and it does for you too.
Your Client Attraction Assignment:
Your turn. Sometime this week, create a 3-year vision dated January 4, 2014. Your 3-year vision must be one that will literally PULL you into your future, will scare you just a little bit, and make your heart beat a little faster than normal whenever you read this.
Make your 3-year vision very specific, realistic, and a big STRETCH (that's what's going to move you forward quicker than you would if you didn't have it). If you're right brained, use bullet points for categories such as business, finances, personal, family, spiritual, fun, health, etc. If you're left-brained, then write freely, and remember to keep it all grounded in the specific, with lots of MEASURABLES and TANGIBLES thrown in there so you can keep track of your progress over the next 3 years (that's what I do).
Be sure to write in the present tense as if it were 3 years from now… If it doesn't scare you just a little bit or get your mind racing, then it's probably not enough of a stretch. By the way, I just looked back to last year's 3-year vision and I was SHOCKED to see how many of the goals in my 3-year vision I'd already achieved in just a little over a year. This stuff really works!!
Once you've done your 3-year vision and are ready to get marketing in a big way for 2011, invest in your success by getting yourself the Client Attraction Home Study System™. It avoids all the unnecessary stuff and instead gives you the most important things to do to find your niche, get out there in a big way, set up simple, solid systems, so you consistently fill your pipeline and continually get new clients. It's all step-by-step, not a big mishmash of things. So, you do step one, and when you're done with that, you move on to step two, and so on. SO easy. That's why my thousands and thousands of customers have gotten such great results from it. All the tools, scripts, templates, and examples are handed to you on a silver platter. You can get yours at www.theclientattractionsystem.com. Why struggle when you can just model a system that already works?
© 2010 Client Attraction LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Fabienne Fredrickson, The Client Attraction Mentor, is founder of the Client Attraction System, the proven step-by-step program that shows you exactly how to attract more clients, in record time...guaranteed. To get your free Audio CD by mail and receive her weekly marketing & success mindset articles on attracting more high-paying clients and dramatically increasing your in.come, visit www.clientattraction.com
Thanks to Fabienne for the wonderful article and the inspiring thoughts! :-)
Plan Out Your 3-Year Vision for Attracting Clients (and The Life You Really Want)
by Fabienne Fredrickson, Founder of ClientAttraction.com
In practice building (and getting clients), it seems to be that most self-employed people just hope for the best. They simply keep doing what they've been doing and don't have a strategy for creating the practice they'd be truly and deeply happy with. This is a big mistake in my opinion.
I used to write down my goals each year, but it never really worked for me. I just didn't feel really excited about my new goals. They didn't seem to propel me in motion and so I kind of viewed them as being useless. I never really looked at them, probably because they seemed like "shoulds" rather than "really-meaningful-wants."
Then I came across the concept of creating 3-year visions instead of just a list of goals for the upcoming year. This visioning wasn't just about business goals, but also family, financial, spiritual, and relationship goals. It became a "holistic" way of looking at what you wanted in your life. All the pieces looked like they would work together, but only because you were compelled to make it all work together, which was the first time I'd done that in such depth.
The coolest thing about visioning 3 years out came to me after I started doing this regularly. I noticed that ONE year goals were never too much of a stretch. They seemed like timid goals, goals that didn't really get me excited. But having to create a vision of what 3 years down the line would look like allowed me to REALLY think BIG.
Inhibitions dropped. My creative side started going and I really took time to see, "Hey, what WOULD I want my life to look like in 3 years, if I could have time to create it?" SHAZAM! I felt like I'd hit the jackpot.
The 3-year vision was a way for me to create something to strive for that REALLY spoke to me. Something that made my heart beat a little faster after I read it, excited to get going, and just a little bit scared of the thought of me reaching it. Now THAT would propel me into motion the way a yearly list of goals wouldn't be able to do. (By the way, my deep down secret is that I strive to reach these in 1 or 2 years, not 3, and that's usually what happens.)
So, each year, around this time, I create a 3-year vision of what I want my practice to look like. I write it in the present tense, as if it were 3 years later, that same day. For example, this past year I wrote mine on January 4, 2010 as if it was January 4, 2013, and I talked about all the things that had happened since 2010. All the things I'd accomplished in my business, with my finances, my investments, my family, and myself over the "last 3 years," which obviously hadn't actually happened yet.
Such a cool exercise and it really gets the blood flowing when you read it back to yourself, now and over the year.
"When you can clearly see yourself being there, you can see much more clearly how to get there. You can imagine the path to your dreams, and then start to actually walk it. Play an active role in your own future. Imagine with passion and detail how you'd most like it to be." —Ralph Marston, www.greatday.com
You see, I've figured out that it's not just about goals. Yes, goals are important, but the way I look at it, it's about focusing on what you REALLY want for your life, not the "shoulds." It's also about putting into effect the Law of Attraction in a big way. When you know what you want for your life, when you can imagine it with passion and feel what it feels like to have it, it's almost guaranteed to come to you.
So, this weekend, I'll be taking a couple of hours to work on my own 3-year vision. I wouldn't dream of not doing it. My success depends on it and it does for you too.
Your Client Attraction Assignment:
Your turn. Sometime this week, create a 3-year vision dated January 4, 2014. Your 3-year vision must be one that will literally PULL you into your future, will scare you just a little bit, and make your heart beat a little faster than normal whenever you read this.
Make your 3-year vision very specific, realistic, and a big STRETCH (that's what's going to move you forward quicker than you would if you didn't have it). If you're right brained, use bullet points for categories such as business, finances, personal, family, spiritual, fun, health, etc. If you're left-brained, then write freely, and remember to keep it all grounded in the specific, with lots of MEASURABLES and TANGIBLES thrown in there so you can keep track of your progress over the next 3 years (that's what I do).
Be sure to write in the present tense as if it were 3 years from now… If it doesn't scare you just a little bit or get your mind racing, then it's probably not enough of a stretch. By the way, I just looked back to last year's 3-year vision and I was SHOCKED to see how many of the goals in my 3-year vision I'd already achieved in just a little over a year. This stuff really works!!
Once you've done your 3-year vision and are ready to get marketing in a big way for 2011, invest in your success by getting yourself the Client Attraction Home Study System™. It avoids all the unnecessary stuff and instead gives you the most important things to do to find your niche, get out there in a big way, set up simple, solid systems, so you consistently fill your pipeline and continually get new clients. It's all step-by-step, not a big mishmash of things. So, you do step one, and when you're done with that, you move on to step two, and so on. SO easy. That's why my thousands and thousands of customers have gotten such great results from it. All the tools, scripts, templates, and examples are handed to you on a silver platter. You can get yours at www.theclientattractionsystem.com. Why struggle when you can just model a system that already works?
© 2010 Client Attraction LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Fabienne Fredrickson, The Client Attraction Mentor, is founder of the Client Attraction System, the proven step-by-step program that shows you exactly how to attract more clients, in record time...guaranteed. To get your free Audio CD by mail and receive her weekly marketing & success mindset articles on attracting more high-paying clients and dramatically increasing your in.come, visit www.clientattraction.com
Thanks to Fabienne for the wonderful article and the inspiring thoughts! :-)
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Goal Dichotomies & Opposites
As mentioned, I've been taking yesterday and today as a personal retreat to work on my intentions and goals for 2011. Something interesting that has been coming up a lot for me this weekend is that my goals are occurring as dichotomies or opposites. As you may notice (I certainly did as I was writing this!), one side of each dichotomy comes more easily to me, while the other side tends to be a bit harder for me - it takes more effort or conscious thought to really integrate it into my life.
I have a few other dichotomies that I've been thinking about, and that I might write more about later (parts of myself vs my whole self, technology vs. nature, flexibility vs. strength, status quo vs. experimenting), but for now, it's time to go out and get some input, motion, and interaction. :-)
Movement vs. Stillness
I have quite a few 2011 goals that revolve around movement. I want to do a little bit of moving every morning/evening to stretch and strengthen my body (another dichotomy!) as well as taking movement breaks throughout the day. I also want to have at least five physart adventures every month, where physart = my all-encompassing word for physical art forms, aka dancing (ballet, belly, tango, everything!), acroyoga, cirque (acrobatics, aerial work, etc), parkour, rock climbing, capoeira, etc. Through my physart adventures, I want to learn new physical skills as well as experience being in the flow - being mentally, emotionally, and physically present and flowing in the movement (good blues dancing is great for that!)
As much as I want to move in 2011, I also want to take time daily to breathe and meditate, to be in stillness. Being truly still is much harder for me than being in motion. I used to get annoyed trying to do yoga videos because they would stay in the same pose forever, and I wanted to be moving (I have since found more ashtanga style yoga videos that come a lot more easily to me). I might be physically still a good part of the day because of working & being at my computer, but to be really mentally, emotionally, and physically still is a skill that I would like to cultivate in 2011.
Introspection vs. Interaction
These past two days have been wonderful - I'm so glad that I'm taking the time to read, think, journal, and introspect about myself, my life, where I've been, where I'm going, etc. One of my New Year resolutions / goals / intentions / whatever you want to call them is to continue with the introspection, both by journaling on a daily basis (even if it's just a sentence or two) and by setting aside time throughout the year to review my path and my processes, to see if what I've been doing is really getting me closer to where I want to be, and to alter my course if my actions have not been moving me forward or if my goals and my direction has changed.
While I love to introspect, I also want to interact! I am an introvert and I do enjoy being by myself, but I also need to remember that I enjoy interaction too! I have a tendency to hermit myself away when I'm stressed or overwhelmed. So one of my 2011 goals is to interact more! I'm not quite sure yet how that will manifest exactly - although I am getting clearer on how one-on-one or very small group interactions enliven me, as well as teaching to small-medium size groups. I do sometimes enjoy larger parties where I can see more friends all at the same time, but I often leave those parties feeling socially & emotionally tired and wishing that I had had more time to really talk with each person.
Input vs. Output
I love input! Learning new information, reading books, watching online courses (yay for MIT OCW and AcademicEarth)! I am a perpetual student, whether I'm in school or not. My main strength from Now, Discover Your Strengths and StrengthsFinder2.0 is input - "You are inquisitive. Whatever you collect, you collect it because it interests you. And yours is the kind of mind that finds so many things interesting." Because I like learning about so many different areas and I'm always finding new things that I want to learn, I'm not going to make goals such as "Learn French (and Spanish, and Chinese, and...)" or "Study algorithms (and artificial intelligence, and discrete math, and...)". Instead my input goals include reading & learning every day - and then every day, I can choose what I want to read and learn about!
Input is like air for me - necessary and vital. Output, on the other hand, is not something that I need on a daily basis, but I still think that it is necessary for my life. I'm working on figuring out how to incorporate output more regularly in my life. I have so much knowledge inside of me, and I love helping people so gotta get it to come out! Possible ways to output that I've thought of: writing, teaching in person, making videos. Writing is something that does not come all that easily to me - while what eventually comes out is usually good, the process of getting it out of my head and onto paper/screen can be long and stressful. However, I feel like the more I write, the easier it will be - so in 2011, my plan is to journal daily (as mentioned under introspection) and to write blog posts/articles both for my store and for various other side businesses I want to start. I also plan to share my knowledge about pregnancy/breastfeeding/babies in videos for the store as well as possibly incorporating videos into my side business ideas. The other key way that I output (which I'm not doing in my life now) is tutoring, teaching, and coaching - sharing my knowledge in one-on-one or small group situations (as mentioned under interaction). Still pondering how to get more of that in my life...
Dreams vs. Actions
In 2011, I want to dream big and play big! I want to take the time to focus on my dreams and my goals. Moving without direction will get you some place, but probably not the place you want to go! I have big dreams to help more people, both with my store (helping moms & babies) and through other means (working on side businesses, helping friends, etc). I also want to move closer to my main dream of becoming a mom myself. Each month this year, I will take time to refocus on my vision for my life and my business(es) - through vision boarding, journaling, and the like. I will also share my vision with my employees (for my store) and with my friends (for personal dreams). (I already had a great meeting last week with my employees to refocus on our greater purpose for the store - and I'm making plans to have a few friend meetings soon to share personal visions!)
As great as dreams and visions are, they don't happen magically with a snap of your fingers. You have to take action to get where you want to go. Dreaming and thinking up ideas is easy for me - putting them into action is a little bit more difficult. However, the dreaming and the acting go together for me - when I'm 'high' on an idea, I'm ready to take massive action to make it happen. So taking time to dream will mean more energy to take action - I just have to make sure that I start taking action early on in the dreaming so I don't just get stuck in thinking and wishing.
As great as dreams and visions are, they don't happen magically with a snap of your fingers. You have to take action to get where you want to go. Dreaming and thinking up ideas is easy for me - putting them into action is a little bit more difficult. However, the dreaming and the acting go together for me - when I'm 'high' on an idea, I'm ready to take massive action to make it happen. So taking time to dream will mean more energy to take action - I just have to make sure that I start taking action early on in the dreaming so I don't just get stuck in thinking and wishing.
Intensity vs. Consistency
Over my personal retreat this weekend, I've been watching videos and webinars about goal-setting. One that I really liked was by Brian Johnson from Philosopher's Notes (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxzMHXZRW3w). However, I have one big personal disagreement with the video. Brian places consistency over intensity. I, on the other hand, like intensity over consistency (although not to the exclusion of consistency). Maybe because I'm a scanner, I prefer to delve into different interests and have variety throughout my week (as well as my months and years!). I don't like having a set routine every day, and having to do something every day, even if it's something that I enjoy, makes me feel confined and stressed. So rather than having daily goals that I know I'm not going to do consistently such as "Write one article or blog post every day" or "Exercise for at least 30 minutes every day", my goals have more action items with a longer time frame. By saying "I will write over 350 articles / blog posts in 2011", I allow myself to go intense when I get into the right mood, writing a few (or ten) articles at a time, while still averaging about one per day. Same thing with setting a goal of "going on at least five physart adventures every month" - one month, I may do all of my adventures in one week, and the next month, I might do one per week. In the YouTube video, Brian Johnson mentions that when he studied fitness, consistency won out over intensity - however, newer ideas like Timothy Ferriss's The 4-Hour Body are challenging that idea. Moderation in everything, especially moderation! :-)
In spite of all I just said about intensity before consistency, I actually do really like consistency in some areas of my life, specifically my home life and my relationships. The comfort of knowing that nothing is changing at home and with my family and friends (no drama, no intensity) allows me the freedom to go out and be intense in the world! So while they aren't goals per se, I want to continue that consistency in my life of having supportive friends and family. I'm also making some daily goals, as I've mentioned above. But all of my daily goals are either short enough or vague enough that I can actually accomplish them every day without feeling trapped. Every day, I will move and be still. Every day, I will introspect and interact. Every day, I will input and output. Every day, I will dream and act. Every day, I will be intense and consistent.
In spite of all I just said about intensity before consistency, I actually do really like consistency in some areas of my life, specifically my home life and my relationships. The comfort of knowing that nothing is changing at home and with my family and friends (no drama, no intensity) allows me the freedom to go out and be intense in the world! So while they aren't goals per se, I want to continue that consistency in my life of having supportive friends and family. I'm also making some daily goals, as I've mentioned above. But all of my daily goals are either short enough or vague enough that I can actually accomplish them every day without feeling trapped. Every day, I will move and be still. Every day, I will introspect and interact. Every day, I will input and output. Every day, I will dream and act. Every day, I will be intense and consistent.
I have a few other dichotomies that I've been thinking about, and that I might write more about later (parts of myself vs my whole self, technology vs. nature, flexibility vs. strength, status quo vs. experimenting), but for now, it's time to go out and get some input, motion, and interaction. :-)
New Years Resolutions with Brian Johnson
Brian Johnson from The Philosopher's Notes has two great videos about New Years resolutions. One of the main ideas that I got out of these videos is that my intention for 2011 for this blog is to inspire and motivate people to dream big and play big through having fun studying and sharing these concepts & ideas that I love.
The first video is his resolutions from last year that he made for 2010. I've been watching this video to help me in my personal retreat this weekend.
Some of the things I love from his 2010 video...
-mindmapping! I have so many different areas of my life that mindmapping is a great way to see them all, yet have them separated so I can focus on goals for each one. I just happen to have similar large paper that he uses in the video (from Levenger - I like the Oasis Concept Pads and the Monthly Calendar Dream Pads. I also use them as vision boards where I paste on pictures, quotes, etc and then tape them up on my wall.)
-don't get too attached to outcomes! Yes, we want our dreams to come true, but we have to remember that our outcomes are the byproduct of our processes & rituals, of the things that we do in life. Also sometimes life has a different idea of what our outcomes should be than we do - but usually what life throws at us is in the end going to be way better than anything we could have dreamed up ourselves. So start moving toward your outcomes, but take interesting side trips. (In the next video for 2011, Brian talks about how his 2010 outcomes changed for the better!)
-work in your stretch zone! Brian makes the distinction between your comfort zone, your stretch zone, and your panic zone. While we do want to challenge ourselves when we dream big and play big, we don't want to freak ourselves out and create a ton of stress in our lives. Remember there's a reason why it's called "play big"! Life should be fun! Yes, we have to do laundry and not all of our work is going to the most fun we've ever had. But overall, life is our playground! Remember, Brian mentions living playfully!
One thing from the video that I don't agree with for my personal life is...
-consistency vs intensity. Brian places consistency over intensity. While I do like to have some consistency in my life, I prefer to dive into interests and immerse myself in them for a while, rather than taking little steps each day. Having to write a full article every day would stress me out, but making a goal to write 350 articles over the course of the year and then writing a few (or ten) at a time when I get in the writing mood works much better for my scanner personality. Brian mentions that when he studied fitness, consistency got better results than intensity. That idea is starting to get overturned by people who do High Intensity Training or CrossFit, as well as in Timothy Ferriss's new book The 4-Hour Body.
The second video is Brian's thoughts about how his resolutions changed during 2010 and what he'll do in 2011.
Some of the things that I love about his 2011 video...
-your goals will change! Brian mentions how one of this 2010 goals had been DVDs, but instead that goal shifted into making his Optimal Living course. He doesn't sound mad or sad or anything bad about not doing his DVDs - in fact, he sounds happier about the course than about the DVDs. Remember that you'll always be changing and shifting your life course. What you want on 1/1/11 will probably not be what you want on 6/1/11 (or even on 1/2/11!). And that's ok! :-) Let your goals evolve over time!
-take a day for reading & journaling! Brian talks about how he spent the whole day reading a book and journaling. I love to do that - really get into the book and your thoughts, ideas, and revelations that come out of reading the book.
-cross out the hundred squares! Brian makes little squares to signify his creative production goals, and then x's out each little square as he completes it. That's a great way to see how far along you are and to get a sense of "I did it!" when you finish. Since many of my goals are yearly or monthly goals, rather than daily goals (in order to take advantage of my working style as mentioned above), I'm getting out my graph paper to keep track of how I'm progressing through the year.
-goal making is NOT a once a year thing! While we're certainly more likely to really get into goal-setting and resolutions around New Years, this should not be something that we only do once a year. As already mentioned, our goals will shift and our processes will change as we see what's working well and what's not. By incorporating our intentions and goals into a monthly, weekly, or even daily ritual, we can see our big dreams more clearly and remind ourselves to continue to play bigger and bigger.
Hope these videos have inspired and motivated you! Feel free to share any revelations that you've had from watching Brian's videos or reading this post! Have a wonderful 2011! :-)
The first video is his resolutions from last year that he made for 2010. I've been watching this video to help me in my personal retreat this weekend.
Some of the things I love from his 2010 video...
-mindmapping! I have so many different areas of my life that mindmapping is a great way to see them all, yet have them separated so I can focus on goals for each one. I just happen to have similar large paper that he uses in the video (from Levenger - I like the Oasis Concept Pads and the Monthly Calendar Dream Pads. I also use them as vision boards where I paste on pictures, quotes, etc and then tape them up on my wall.)
-don't get too attached to outcomes! Yes, we want our dreams to come true, but we have to remember that our outcomes are the byproduct of our processes & rituals, of the things that we do in life. Also sometimes life has a different idea of what our outcomes should be than we do - but usually what life throws at us is in the end going to be way better than anything we could have dreamed up ourselves. So start moving toward your outcomes, but take interesting side trips. (In the next video for 2011, Brian talks about how his 2010 outcomes changed for the better!)
-work in your stretch zone! Brian makes the distinction between your comfort zone, your stretch zone, and your panic zone. While we do want to challenge ourselves when we dream big and play big, we don't want to freak ourselves out and create a ton of stress in our lives. Remember there's a reason why it's called "play big"! Life should be fun! Yes, we have to do laundry and not all of our work is going to the most fun we've ever had. But overall, life is our playground! Remember, Brian mentions living playfully!
One thing from the video that I don't agree with for my personal life is...
-consistency vs intensity. Brian places consistency over intensity. While I do like to have some consistency in my life, I prefer to dive into interests and immerse myself in them for a while, rather than taking little steps each day. Having to write a full article every day would stress me out, but making a goal to write 350 articles over the course of the year and then writing a few (or ten) at a time when I get in the writing mood works much better for my scanner personality. Brian mentions that when he studied fitness, consistency got better results than intensity. That idea is starting to get overturned by people who do High Intensity Training or CrossFit, as well as in Timothy Ferriss's new book The 4-Hour Body.
The second video is Brian's thoughts about how his resolutions changed during 2010 and what he'll do in 2011.
Some of the things that I love about his 2011 video...
-your goals will change! Brian mentions how one of this 2010 goals had been DVDs, but instead that goal shifted into making his Optimal Living course. He doesn't sound mad or sad or anything bad about not doing his DVDs - in fact, he sounds happier about the course than about the DVDs. Remember that you'll always be changing and shifting your life course. What you want on 1/1/11 will probably not be what you want on 6/1/11 (or even on 1/2/11!). And that's ok! :-) Let your goals evolve over time!
-take a day for reading & journaling! Brian talks about how he spent the whole day reading a book and journaling. I love to do that - really get into the book and your thoughts, ideas, and revelations that come out of reading the book.
-cross out the hundred squares! Brian makes little squares to signify his creative production goals, and then x's out each little square as he completes it. That's a great way to see how far along you are and to get a sense of "I did it!" when you finish. Since many of my goals are yearly or monthly goals, rather than daily goals (in order to take advantage of my working style as mentioned above), I'm getting out my graph paper to keep track of how I'm progressing through the year.
-goal making is NOT a once a year thing! While we're certainly more likely to really get into goal-setting and resolutions around New Years, this should not be something that we only do once a year. As already mentioned, our goals will shift and our processes will change as we see what's working well and what's not. By incorporating our intentions and goals into a monthly, weekly, or even daily ritual, we can see our big dreams more clearly and remind ourselves to continue to play bigger and bigger.
Hope these videos have inspired and motivated you! Feel free to share any revelations that you've had from watching Brian's videos or reading this post! Have a wonderful 2011! :-)
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Dream Bigger and Play Bigger in 2011!
Today is 1/1/11. Today is the first day of a new year. Will today be the first day of your new life? What will you do today to dream big and play big? :-)
While you can certainly choose to start living your life bigger at any moment, the popularity of New Years resolutions and goals make today a perfect time to start. So set some time aside today to figure out your big dreams and make your plans to play big this 2011. I'm taking both today and tomorrow as a personal retreat to realign with my greater purpose and to set both outcome goals and process goals for the new year.
What's the difference between outcome goals and process goals you ask? Well, outcome goals are where you dream big. Outcome goals are about the end results that you want in your life, such as "I make a six-figure income", "I weigh my ideal weight", "I am close with my family and friends", "I am happy", etc. Process goals are where you play big. Process goals are the hows of getting to your dreams or your outcome goals, such as "I make at least 25 sales calls a week", "I exercise for 30 minutes at least four days a week", "I schedule get-togethers with my friends every week", etc.
Process goals are what you have control over on a day-to-day basis. You can't magically decide in a moment to all of a sudden lose 15 pounds, but you can decide in a moment to get up out of your chair and do some squats. Your process goals are not just intermediate steps to your bigger vision - they are action items that you can choose (or not choose) to do. So if one of your outcome goals is "I earn $200,000 this year", your process goals would not include "I sell over 5,000 widgets each month" because selling 5,000 widgets is not an actionable task that you can make an immediate choice to do. Instead, your process goals would be actions like "I hand out over 30,000 brochures to qualified prospects every month" or "I suggest at least one upsell item to every customer I talk with".
You may be thinking, "Well, that distinction between outcome & process goals is great - but I have no idea how to get to my dreams. I don't know what actions to take so I can't set process goals." Don't worry! You don't need to see the whole path to take the first step. I know that it may be overwhelming or disconcerting to start toward a huge dream when you don't know how you're going to get there. Or you may have a dream or an outcome goal that no matter what processes you put in place, you're still not guaranteed to reach your dream, such as "I meet the man of my dreams". I'm one of those types of people who likes to plan - and it's really hard to plan when you don't know how the heck to get what you want.
Even if you don't know each and every action step to your dream, you can still start taking some steps. If you don't know how to get to your outcome goal, make a process goal to ask several knowledgeable people about what you can do to reach your specific dream. Or if you don't know which action items will get you what you want, make a process goal to start down a path even if you don't think it's the best way to go. For example, if you're trying to find the perfect guy, decide to go out to a book club even if you don't think there will be many men there. By starting to take action, your mind will be primed to be looking for opportunities. Remember, life is just one big journey of learning and adjusting course. If you try one process path and it doesn't work out, then just switch paths and try another way. You may even end up changing your outcome goals too as you refine what it is that you really desire in this life!
So if you haven't already started jotting down some goals while you were reading this post, grab a piece of paper or open up a new document file, and write down at least three outcome goals that would make your life better. Then under each of your outcome goals, write down several process goals or actionable items that you can choose to do to move forward toward your dreams. Don't be afraid to dream BIG and play BIG! The only way you're going to live a bigger and better life in 2011 is to dream bigger and play bigger than you are now.
Are you still reading this post? Go write your goals! :-) I'm off to go write mine!
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If your goals include making more money (and whose goals don't include that?!), I would highly recommend Fabienne Fredrickson's Mindset Retreat program. Fabienne's programs are usually focused on helping solo entrepreneurs, but frankly this money mindset program is great for anyone and everyone! Whether you work in a cubicle or you own a business, you probably have fears and self-imposed barriers that are holding you back from where you really want to be. In the Mindset Retreat DVDs, Fabienne really delves into what's keeping you from dreaming bigger and playing bigger. I've learned so much already (and I'm only on day one of three!) I'll often play different bits of the CDs as I'm getting ready in the morning to move into the "dream big, play big" mindset and start my day off right. So if you're ready to dream big and play big in 2011, check out Fabienne's Inner Game of Abundance Mindset Retreat program. And let me know what your big dreams are and what you're doing to play big in 2011!
While you can certainly choose to start living your life bigger at any moment, the popularity of New Years resolutions and goals make today a perfect time to start. So set some time aside today to figure out your big dreams and make your plans to play big this 2011. I'm taking both today and tomorrow as a personal retreat to realign with my greater purpose and to set both outcome goals and process goals for the new year.
What's the difference between outcome goals and process goals you ask? Well, outcome goals are where you dream big. Outcome goals are about the end results that you want in your life, such as "I make a six-figure income", "I weigh my ideal weight", "I am close with my family and friends", "I am happy", etc. Process goals are where you play big. Process goals are the hows of getting to your dreams or your outcome goals, such as "I make at least 25 sales calls a week", "I exercise for 30 minutes at least four days a week", "I schedule get-togethers with my friends every week", etc.
Process goals are what you have control over on a day-to-day basis. You can't magically decide in a moment to all of a sudden lose 15 pounds, but you can decide in a moment to get up out of your chair and do some squats. Your process goals are not just intermediate steps to your bigger vision - they are action items that you can choose (or not choose) to do. So if one of your outcome goals is "I earn $200,000 this year", your process goals would not include "I sell over 5,000 widgets each month" because selling 5,000 widgets is not an actionable task that you can make an immediate choice to do. Instead, your process goals would be actions like "I hand out over 30,000 brochures to qualified prospects every month" or "I suggest at least one upsell item to every customer I talk with".
You may be thinking, "Well, that distinction between outcome & process goals is great - but I have no idea how to get to my dreams. I don't know what actions to take so I can't set process goals." Don't worry! You don't need to see the whole path to take the first step. I know that it may be overwhelming or disconcerting to start toward a huge dream when you don't know how you're going to get there. Or you may have a dream or an outcome goal that no matter what processes you put in place, you're still not guaranteed to reach your dream, such as "I meet the man of my dreams". I'm one of those types of people who likes to plan - and it's really hard to plan when you don't know how the heck to get what you want.
Even if you don't know each and every action step to your dream, you can still start taking some steps. If you don't know how to get to your outcome goal, make a process goal to ask several knowledgeable people about what you can do to reach your specific dream. Or if you don't know which action items will get you what you want, make a process goal to start down a path even if you don't think it's the best way to go. For example, if you're trying to find the perfect guy, decide to go out to a book club even if you don't think there will be many men there. By starting to take action, your mind will be primed to be looking for opportunities. Remember, life is just one big journey of learning and adjusting course. If you try one process path and it doesn't work out, then just switch paths and try another way. You may even end up changing your outcome goals too as you refine what it is that you really desire in this life!
So if you haven't already started jotting down some goals while you were reading this post, grab a piece of paper or open up a new document file, and write down at least three outcome goals that would make your life better. Then under each of your outcome goals, write down several process goals or actionable items that you can choose to do to move forward toward your dreams. Don't be afraid to dream BIG and play BIG! The only way you're going to live a bigger and better life in 2011 is to dream bigger and play bigger than you are now.
Are you still reading this post? Go write your goals! :-) I'm off to go write mine!
************************************************************************
If your goals include making more money (and whose goals don't include that?!), I would highly recommend Fabienne Fredrickson's Mindset Retreat program. Fabienne's programs are usually focused on helping solo entrepreneurs, but frankly this money mindset program is great for anyone and everyone! Whether you work in a cubicle or you own a business, you probably have fears and self-imposed barriers that are holding you back from where you really want to be. In the Mindset Retreat DVDs, Fabienne really delves into what's keeping you from dreaming bigger and playing bigger. I've learned so much already (and I'm only on day one of three!) I'll often play different bits of the CDs as I'm getting ready in the morning to move into the "dream big, play big" mindset and start my day off right. So if you're ready to dream big and play big in 2011, check out Fabienne's Inner Game of Abundance Mindset Retreat program. And let me know what your big dreams are and what you're doing to play big in 2011!
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