All right, so last night I attended a Boulder Entrepreneurs Meetup group and we spoke about blogging. It made me realize how delinquent I have been. I have been writing down new ideas in my journal about topics that I want to blog about, but have not been developing them here. So I am doing it now. A question came up last night about how often to blog and being that I talk a lot about communicating expectations I thought I should lay out what my expectations are for this blog.
I plan to write here once a week. But that is a goal, and I will be working to create that habit. Sometime after I get into the habit of sharing my thoughts and ideas here I hope to increase that to about 2-3 posts a week. The more feedback I get from others and subscribers I get, I am sure my commitment will increase.
Goal Setting Basics
So there it is. Step one in goal setting, write it down and share it with others. Sounds easy. Blogging sure helps with the share it with others part. This one is obvious though, you will easily be able to check on my progress and hold me accountable.
Goal setting is such an interesting skill. We all say we know how to do it, but many of us choose not to do it. Or we only do it half committed. I asked a friend of mine if she has goals that she is working on, and her response was "well yeah, sort of."
"Sort of" having goals is like being a "little pregnant". Either you are pregnant or you aren't. You either have goals that you set and are taking steps to reach them, or you aren't. Pretty simple.
As a coach I remind people to set goals. I help them develop a plan to accomplish those goals. I support them in becoming aware of and overcoming what Zig Ziglar calls "stinkin' thinkin'. " And I help them celebrate their accomplishments. These are all little steps in goal setting, but essential steps. After working with many clients I have come to realize, most people do NOT have the skill of goal setting.
Most people have dabbled with the resources of goal setting, but they have never learned the skill of goal setting. No different then, I own a harmonica. I have instructional books and DVDs on how to play the harmonica. I can even play some notes on the harmonica and can string enough notes together to play simple tunes. I cannot play the harmonica. I have all the necessary resources to play and some people might watch me play a simple tune and believe I can play a harmonica. I am not playing the harmonica. I am playing with the harmonica, just as my son plays with his toys.
Now that is not to say that I cannot learn to play the harmonica and develop the skills to play. I simply have not done that yet. The same is true for most goal setters. The resources are there, they just haven't developed the skill set to be a goal setter. So how do you get there?
What is the quickest way to Carnegie Hall? Practise, Practise, Practise. As any good musician will tell you, practise makes all the difference. Many take lessons to learn from a teacher or mentor. They practise chords in their head (visualization) and hear music in their dreams. And they screw up a bunch before getting it right.
So it goes with goal setting. Learn the chords, find a mentor or coach, and practise, practise, practise. And remember it is OK if you don't get it right each time, that is why we are practising. A great place to start is one of my favorite books on goal setting is See You at the Top, by Zig Ziglar. Don't have enough time to read it get the audio book.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Loving the Little things
Much of my focus lately has been teaching myself to be grateful. Gratitude is a never-ending lesson. There is so much to appreciate around us, yet it seems to get lost in the desires of something new. Autumn is a wonderful time to work on this lesson. The air is crisper, the world is full of color, the trees are full of their fruitful bounty, and of course there is football. But fall offers us a great perspective on the lesson of gratitude, because fall doesn't last very long, and very frequently it is gone before we take the time to truly appreciate it.
Take the time today to soak in the glory that is your world around you. Excite your senses by seeking out and noticing the many stimuli around. Stop and smell your world. Do you remember what crushed dried leaves smell like? What does that remind you of? Have you listened to the cooler nights? Or observed the wind conducting its symphony with the trees and leaves? Have you appreciated the brisk morning air as it fills your lungs? When was the last time you laid down in the grass, listened to the sounds around you and watched the clouds?
My son still reminds me to take pleasure in the little things. Often on a hurried morning as I try to get him off to school (his daycare) he sees the sun and says "good morning sun. Boy you are awfully bright this morning. Thanks for being warm and bright." It stops me cold and makes me grateful for the lessons he has learned and now teaches me. It makes me slow down and seek the many blessings I was missing.
The other morning it wasn't Jackson that gave me my reminder it was the boy across the street. He said "hi". Actually he said "hi" about 4 times until I stopped what I was doing and acknowledged him. Then he said very matter-of-factly, "clouds". I replied, "yeah look, clouds" and I went on to get into my car. He then yelled and pointed, "clouds!" I paused for a minute and looked up. I saw clouds. I was preoccupied with getting in my car. I was thinking about the order I was going to run my errands. After I got Jackson buckled in his seat, I looked over at the boy. He was fixated on the sky. I took a minute and looked to the sky with him. They weren't just clouds, they were beautiful. There were 3 different types of clouds. There were birds flying with the clouds as a backdrop. As I took 20 seconds to soak up what was so captivating to this boy, I again received my reminder to see the blessings around. Then I knew I had done it right, because the boy across the street began yelling and clapping his hands, "Clouds! Clouds!" He looked over to me and smiled as he kept clapping.
In this day and age of constant contact and 24 hour media coverage, don't lose sight of the small things. The smiles. The sound of nature. Watch a child. Watch their interest in the little things. Let it remind you to be grateful for all those little things. Look around and count your blessings. Take the time to say thank you for all those blessings.
“Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.” -Robert Brault
Take the time today to soak in the glory that is your world around you. Excite your senses by seeking out and noticing the many stimuli around. Stop and smell your world. Do you remember what crushed dried leaves smell like? What does that remind you of? Have you listened to the cooler nights? Or observed the wind conducting its symphony with the trees and leaves? Have you appreciated the brisk morning air as it fills your lungs? When was the last time you laid down in the grass, listened to the sounds around you and watched the clouds?
My son still reminds me to take pleasure in the little things. Often on a hurried morning as I try to get him off to school (his daycare) he sees the sun and says "good morning sun. Boy you are awfully bright this morning. Thanks for being warm and bright." It stops me cold and makes me grateful for the lessons he has learned and now teaches me. It makes me slow down and seek the many blessings I was missing.
The other morning it wasn't Jackson that gave me my reminder it was the boy across the street. He said "hi". Actually he said "hi" about 4 times until I stopped what I was doing and acknowledged him. Then he said very matter-of-factly, "clouds". I replied, "yeah look, clouds" and I went on to get into my car. He then yelled and pointed, "clouds!" I paused for a minute and looked up. I saw clouds. I was preoccupied with getting in my car. I was thinking about the order I was going to run my errands. After I got Jackson buckled in his seat, I looked over at the boy. He was fixated on the sky. I took a minute and looked to the sky with him. They weren't just clouds, they were beautiful. There were 3 different types of clouds. There were birds flying with the clouds as a backdrop. As I took 20 seconds to soak up what was so captivating to this boy, I again received my reminder to see the blessings around. Then I knew I had done it right, because the boy across the street began yelling and clapping his hands, "Clouds! Clouds!" He looked over to me and smiled as he kept clapping.
In this day and age of constant contact and 24 hour media coverage, don't lose sight of the small things. The smiles. The sound of nature. Watch a child. Watch their interest in the little things. Let it remind you to be grateful for all those little things. Look around and count your blessings. Take the time to say thank you for all those blessings.
“Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.” -Robert Brault
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