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
Monday, August 18, 2008
OK, time to turn over a new leaf
I find it a bit amusing that I started this blog back in August and the first post I chose to write about was making time. Now here it is November already and I am finally making time to blog.
I am learning coaching is all about creating new habits, small consistent behaviors that take us closer each time the the bigger goals and destinations we have in mind for ourselves. Well for me, right now the habit I will be working on is blogging. Sharing with you my perspectives, observations and thoughts. Without further ado the original first blog.
So life is too short. The summer is too short. Vacation is too short. Often we feel that there is not enough time to really enjoy whatever it is we want to enjoy. STOP! No it is not. We are just in too much of a hurry. Take the time to enjoy it. Figure out how to enjoy it more.
Search on the web for articles and advice on how to find more time in the day and you will be reading for quite sometime. It is easy to get caught up in the daily routine of life and convince ourselves that we just don't have enough time.
1. Unplug. Turn off the computer, the TV, the stereo, the ipod and take some time for yourself. You want to start reading more? Use the time that you normally would watch TV to relax after the day and read a book. That list of electronics can be very useful tools, but they are also the biggest time wasters. Encourage your children to do the same. Make it a family affair. Let everyone know that from 7pm - 8pm is quiet time in the house. Let the kids know that they can work on homework, draw, read, write in their journal, etc, as long as it is quite and doesn't involve electronics.
2. Schedule it. Have you been putting off cleaning the garage or painting the spare bedroom? And then the weekend comes and it is so filled with other activities that you put it off again? Our minds are conditioned to function within time organization. That is why many do better when we have clear deadlines and expectations. Schedule your tasks. Want to take a class? Find the class you want to take, register and get it on your calendar. We often are good about this for large vacations, but it works for the smaller situations too. Schedule it! Need a date night? Or family game night? Schedule it!
3. Small bites. I work with my clients on breaking down their goals into easy to achieve steps, steps they can begin today. No matter what the task is, break it down into smaller steps. What do you wish you had more time for? A hobby that would take your mind off of work? Spending quality time with your family? Whatever it is, break it down. Define it as a series of smaller steps, just like you are writing a recipe, except this is a recipe for success. Then schedule when those steps will be completed. Unplug and get to it. Complete the first step.
4. Outsource it. Often we take up so much of our time doing tasks that we are not good at, or dread doing. Outsource that task. Now maybe it is not practical to hire a chef to cook dinner everyday, but look into Supper Solutions or Supper Made Simple once a month. This is a cost effective way to create healthy meals, that will make dinner prep much easier and free up a little more time for you. Consider hiring a painter to paint that spare bedroom. Or hire the kid down the street to mow your grass or rake your leaves. Then you will have a few hours to write a letter to your son in college or catch up on emails to old friends.
5. Be honest. Maybe it is more about being honest with yourself. Do you REALLY want more time to do the things you say you want to do? Or is that just a convenient excuse? If you really had more time what would you do with it? What is that worth to you? If it is truly important you can and will find the time .
So no matter how much you think "there is not enough time," I am here to tell you, there is. God has given us an abundance of time, the question is how do you choose to spend the time you are given?
I am learning coaching is all about creating new habits, small consistent behaviors that take us closer each time the the bigger goals and destinations we have in mind for ourselves. Well for me, right now the habit I will be working on is blogging. Sharing with you my perspectives, observations and thoughts. Without further ado the original first blog.
So life is too short. The summer is too short. Vacation is too short. Often we feel that there is not enough time to really enjoy whatever it is we want to enjoy. STOP! No it is not. We are just in too much of a hurry. Take the time to enjoy it. Figure out how to enjoy it more.
Search on the web for articles and advice on how to find more time in the day and you will be reading for quite sometime. It is easy to get caught up in the daily routine of life and convince ourselves that we just don't have enough time.
1. Unplug. Turn off the computer, the TV, the stereo, the ipod and take some time for yourself. You want to start reading more? Use the time that you normally would watch TV to relax after the day and read a book. That list of electronics can be very useful tools, but they are also the biggest time wasters. Encourage your children to do the same. Make it a family affair. Let everyone know that from 7pm - 8pm is quiet time in the house. Let the kids know that they can work on homework, draw, read, write in their journal, etc, as long as it is quite and doesn't involve electronics.
2. Schedule it. Have you been putting off cleaning the garage or painting the spare bedroom? And then the weekend comes and it is so filled with other activities that you put it off again? Our minds are conditioned to function within time organization. That is why many do better when we have clear deadlines and expectations. Schedule your tasks. Want to take a class? Find the class you want to take, register and get it on your calendar. We often are good about this for large vacations, but it works for the smaller situations too. Schedule it! Need a date night? Or family game night? Schedule it!
3. Small bites. I work with my clients on breaking down their goals into easy to achieve steps, steps they can begin today. No matter what the task is, break it down into smaller steps. What do you wish you had more time for? A hobby that would take your mind off of work? Spending quality time with your family? Whatever it is, break it down. Define it as a series of smaller steps, just like you are writing a recipe, except this is a recipe for success. Then schedule when those steps will be completed. Unplug and get to it. Complete the first step.
4. Outsource it. Often we take up so much of our time doing tasks that we are not good at, or dread doing. Outsource that task. Now maybe it is not practical to hire a chef to cook dinner everyday, but look into Supper Solutions or Supper Made Simple once a month. This is a cost effective way to create healthy meals, that will make dinner prep much easier and free up a little more time for you. Consider hiring a painter to paint that spare bedroom. Or hire the kid down the street to mow your grass or rake your leaves. Then you will have a few hours to write a letter to your son in college or catch up on emails to old friends.
5. Be honest. Maybe it is more about being honest with yourself. Do you REALLY want more time to do the things you say you want to do? Or is that just a convenient excuse? If you really had more time what would you do with it? What is that worth to you? If it is truly important you can and will find the time .
So no matter how much you think "there is not enough time," I am here to tell you, there is. God has given us an abundance of time, the question is how do you choose to spend the time you are given?
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