The process and challenges associated with accomplishing goals involve a level of personal development and introspection. Introspection involves overcoming your nature to step outside your comfort zone and take risks with potential rewards that will forever change your life.  Our belief systems are often the cause of the results in our life.  If we have an association that money only comes to people with a certain level of education, then we’ll never have money without that education. Given this level of consciousness, how do we change our belief systems to empower us and improve our lives?  How do we change our behavior or the situations around us?  Remember, the only thing you have control over is yourself; create the possibility to have everything.  What would that look like?  How would that negate the belief system instilled in you?  Are you willing to look within, do some work and change yourself and the outcomes in your life?  If so, you must start by doing some self reflection and having the willingness to be aware and make changes.  Here is a step by step process:

1.    Identify what is hard... What pushes your buttons?  When do you feel immediately reactive or defensive?

2.    Acknowledge that this situation is placed in your life for a reason, to help you develop and be the best individual you were destined to be in this lifetime.  This situational test is to help you realize that there’s something you need to learn to help yourself grow and develop.

3.    Identify your reaction… Do you feel like lashing out?  Are you upset, hurt, mad, angry, frustrated, or do you feel helpless?  Why are you experiencing this?  Would others react this way?  Are you taking it personally?  What are your assumptions as it pertains to the situation?

4.    Restrict. This might be very difficult but you must stop yourself from reacting and allow the process to happen and reflect on what went wrong.  How did this situation arise?  Don’t take things for granted; appreciate the opportunity to change through this experience.  This is an opportunity to learn from your own experiences, change your reactions and become a better person.  What is your blockage?

5.    Deal with the situation differently and change your consciousness!  Stretch yourself by changing the results.  Be aware of your reactive nature and what is causing this reaction within you. From this point forward, appreciate this learning experience and be prepared in the future to handle things differently.

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing but expecting different results.  In order to change the results in your life, changing your actions, reactions and routine are the only ways to successfully influence the outside factors that influence your happiness and sense of fulfillment.  So start by looking within and being aware of how you view and handle situations in your life.

Do you have a dream, a goal…something to achieve and work towards?  If not, what drives you to wake up in the morning? 

Having the desire to be someone, accomplish something, and leave behind a personal legacy all starts with setting personal and professional goals and setting out to achieve them.  Once that concept is understood, the question becomes: “How do I stay focused on accomplishing goals without losing sight of the purpose and not getting distracted by life’s struggles and constant changes?”  This is a very common concern and often negatively effects staying on track to achieve a goal.  Here are some suggestions:  

1.       What is the goal?  Focus on what motivated you to create this goal.  Is it a health concern, financial concern, or personal goal?  Be aware of the importance and positive changes that will occur when this goal is achieved.

2. Place a reminder around you.  Either cut out a picture of the ideal body you want, home you want to live in, or career you desire.  Whatever the goal, it’s important to see it on a consistent basis so it’s not forgotten.  Place it somewhere in your home or office where it’s visible; when you pass by the picture, visualize yourself already accomplishing that goal. Experience the feeling every time you see the picture.  In order to manifest your dreams and desires, you must believe that they can occur and see your life changed because of them.

3. Break down the goal so it’s measurable and achievable, so you can work towards it on a daily/weekly/monthly basis. Set a reminder for yourself every month to track your success. You can easily create a spreadsheet to measure how far along you are.

4. Find an accountability partner whom you’ll share your progress with. Therefore, make sure this person is aware of your short term goals in order to achieve the ultimate long term goal. This way, your accountability partner can make sure you’re on track.

5. Have a backup plan in case you fall behind.  Are you willing to accelerate things one month to make up for a previous month’s shortcomings?  If so, make sure your accountability party is aware of how to motivate you.

6. Celebrate the small successes.  If you’ve worked hard for several weeks/months or accomplished half the goal, reward yourself!

7. Make sure to have fun; create a game out of it.  Track and share your progress, struggles, etc. with your accountability partner.  Allow your partner to support you and make suggestions.

8. Make sure to remember the reason you created the goal and visualize achieving it every time you loose focus or purpose.

9. Good luck and enjoy!!!

As the clock stroked midnight on New Years Eve, many of us started the year with a kiss, champagne cheers and a resolution. How will this year and the resolutions we make be different from previous years where less then 10% were actually achieved?  Do we want another year to go by without attaining our goals and desires?  What happens when we don’t feel a sense of accomplishment?  Does the time go by too quickly and then we look back thinking: “What have I done and why haven’t I accomplished anything?

Let’s start 2009 with a commitment to ourselves that this year will be different, this year will be better, and this IS the year of fulfilling promises and achievement.  Now here comes the hard part…How?  Here is my recommended step-by-step process:

1. What do you want to accomplish in the long term (by December 2009)?  Is it to make more money?  Lose weight?  Buy a house? Eliminate/reduce debt? Be realistic and honest with yourself.  Be sure not to set yourself up for failure or disappointment. Additionally, make sure that all your goals are measurable (by you and are not reliant on others to complete).  Having a goal of “feeling good” is not measurable…What does feeling good equate to?  Where does it come from and what’s the result? How does your life change when you feel good?  Use these answers to create a measurable goal.

2. Now that you have a goal to accomplish in the coming year, break it down into monthly, smaller goals.  For example, if you’d like to lose 25 lbs by December and reduce your body fat percentage, then you’ll need to get your body fat measured ASAP.  If you break down this goal, it equates to a little over 2 lbs a month.  Is this realistic?  Is it healthy?  Yes!  Make sure the goal is beneficial for you in the long term. Crash diets usually result in a sense of failure and weight gain.  So, be conscientious of your well being.

3. Now that you’ve broken down the goal, you need to answer the following questions:
   a. What will happen if you DON’T achieve this goal?
   b. How would that make you feel?
   c. What changes in your life will occur?
   d. What’s the worst thing that will happen?
   e. Why do you want to avoid that happening?
   f. What will happen if you DO achieve this goal?
   g. How would that make you feel?
   h. What positive change will occur after achieving this goal?
   i. What’s the best thing that will happen by achieving this goal?
   j. What will you do to prevent getting distracted from achieving the goal?

4. Now you know the affects of either achieving or not achieving your goal.  Do they align with your values and what’s important to you?  If so, then your next task is to find an accountability partner.  Someone to check on you each week, make sure you’re on schedule, encourage you, and challenge you to overcome the obstacles.

5. Finally, CELEBRATE!  You need to find a way to celebrate your successes, not just accomplishing the goal at the end but achieving all the small milestones along the way.  If your goal is broken down monthly and you achieve your monthly goal, what will you do to celebrate yourself?  

Although each person is different and uses a number of structures to operate their lives, this is just a general guide/tool to follow.  Having journals or creating a daily schedule also work for many individuals.  Being specific, breaking it down, knowing the value, and celebrating are ways to make it happen. Good luck and just know that you have a coach, right here, to help guide you and hold you accountable if necessary.  Enjoy 2009 and make sure to have fun!