The unger oI Setting Big Gouls

Written - Robert Pagliarini - 61 Comments

Categories: selI improvement, Uncategorized

Image courtesy of WriterInspired
ran in a race over the weekend and re-learned a valuable lesson. During the middle of
the run, turned a corner and faced a long stretch the kind that doesn't seem to end.
When started the race, the thought of crossing the finish line motivated me. But when
was half-way through, out of breath and out of energy, visualizing the finish line didn't
provide me with any "umph.
nstead of focusing on success and reaching my goal, tried to forget all about the finish
line and conquering the long stretch ahead. dropped my head and looked about three
steps in front of me. Every three steps became a new "finish line. Forget about
everything else, told myself over and over. Focus on just those next three steps. Before
knew it, had run the long stretch and was turning another corner.
So what does this mean in the real world? All the experts encourage you to dream big.
Making your goals big and bold, they say, will help you persist in the face of obstacles.
But many times, this thinking doesn't cut it.
Big goals can become a double-edged sword. Big can get you off the couch, but it can
also create frustration: 'm in the battle for my life, struggling in the trenches, getting shot
at, and you want me to focus on winning the war? don't think so. How about focusing
how to survive the next 24 hours?
There's a fine line of course. f you exclusively focus on the immediate (i.e., what's right
in front of you) and ignore the bigger picture, your work may start to feel pointless. To
achieve of a healthy balance, try the following:
1. Think big. In order to get the motivation to enter the race (e.g., start a company, write a book,
lose weight, learn to play drums, start a blog), it`s important to visualize the Iinish line and to
bask in the mental glory oI crossing it. The bigger you think, the more excited you`ll be to get
started. II you`re not a 'think big kind oI thinker, check out Michael Port`s Think Big
Revolution website Ior some inspiration.
2. .9 small. et out oI your head and start doing small things every day to get one step closer to
reaching your goal. You`ll Iind that even the biggest goals (and longest stretches) can be
achieved by Iocusing on those small things that will take you a Iew steps closer to your
destination.
3. $9ar9 94/ay. Thinking about successIully achieving a big goal is easy. Actually achieving a big
goal is hard. This is why most people talk and only a Iew do. II you want to accomplish X, you
must do something today right now that moves you closer.
If you're afraid of heights, the ruIe is not to Iook down. During my race, I had a
new ruIe: don't Iook up. I focused on my next few steps and knew if I did this over
and over and Secrets to Soccess
Written - Victor Stachura - 228 Comments
Categories: selI improvement
What is it that makes people successful and mean really
successful compared to you or me? Are they smarter or do they work harder? Are they
risk takers or have powerful and influential friends?
The financial newspaper Investors Business Daily (BD) asked these same questions a
few years ago and started a multi-year search for the answer. They studied industry
leaders, investors and entrepreneurs to understand the traits they all had in common
that contributed to their success. Reproduced here is their list of 10 Secrets to Success
along with my commentary on each no-so-secret, 'secret'.
decided to reproduce the list here and comment on each of the traits in hopes of
motivating you and myself in the process. t's time for me to take my own advice and
start on the path to my dreams. hope to motivate you, by using myself as an example.
originally came across this list when was staring at some papers on a refrigerator
owned by someone who was very successful both personally and financially. My family
and had just spent the night as a guest in a great house in the suburbs of Boston. We
were living life large as we played pool in the rec room, drank wine from the wine cellar,
and enjoyed a dip in the hot tub. The problem was, neither of the couples in the house
owned the property or the life we were pretending to have. You see, my friends were
house sitting for the original owner and they had invited us to stay for the weekend.
t wasn't until the morning after our little 'party' that noticed something taped to the
refrigerator something that impacts me each time read it. t was the BD 10 Secrets to
Success. Once my head cleared, quickly copied them down and read them over and
over again. After our vacation made copies and posted them in my home office and
inside a journal decided to keep.
The problem was, after a couple of months forgot about the secrets and they fell by the
wayside. And so did my actions towards my goals. At the time the articles 7 Ways to
Grow the Action Habit or How To Motivate Yourself Self Motivation didn't exist and
lost my motivation. Well, re-discovered the list and want to share it with you now. hope
you take these not-so-secret, secrets to heart and realize your dreams whatever they
may be.
. How You Think is Everything.
Always be positive. Think Success, not Failure. Beware of a negative environment.
This trait has to be one of the most important in the entire list. Your belief that you can
accomplish your goals has to be unwavering. The moment you say to yourself "
can't., then you won't. was always given the advice "never say can't and 'd like to
strike those words from the dictionary.
've found that from time-to-time my attitude waivers. A mentor of mine once said "it's ok
to visit pity city, but you can't stay and there comes a time when you need to leave.
Positive things happen to positive people.
2. Decide upon Your True Dreams and GoaIs: Write down your specific goals and
develop a plan to reach them.
Write down my dreams and goals? Develop a plan to reach them? You mean like a
project plan? Yes, that's exactly what this means. You may have heard the old adage: A
New Years resolution that isn't written down is just a dream, and dreams are not goals.
Goals are those concrete, measurable stepping stones of achievement that track your
progress towards your dreams. My goal is to start a second career as a freelance writer
what are your goals?
. Take Action. Goals are nothing without action.
Be like Nike and "Just do it. took action by reaching out and started writing. Every day
try to take some action towards my goals. t may be small, but it's still an action. Have
you taken action towards your goals?
4. Never Stop Learning: Go back to school or read books. Get training & acquire skills.
Becoming a life long learner would benefit us all and is something we should instill in our
kids. t's funny that once you're out of school you realize how enjoyable learning can be.
What have you learned today?
5. Be Persistent and Work Hard: Success is a marathon, not a sprint. Never give up.
think every story of success read entails long hard hours of work. There is no getting
around this and there is no free lunch. But, if you're working towards something that
you're passionate about, something you love then is it really work?
6. Learn to AnaIyze DetaiIs: Get all the facts, all the input. Learn from your mistakes.
think you have to strike a balance between getting all the facts and making a decision
with incomplete data both are traits of successful people. Spend time gathering details,
but don't catch 'analysis paralysis'.
7. Focus Your Time And Money: Don't let other people or things distract you.
Remain laser focused on your goals and surround yourself with positive people that
believe in you. Don't be distracted by the naysayer's or tasks that are not helping you
achieve your goals.
8. Don't Be Afraid To Innovate: Be different. Following the herd is a sure way to
mediocrity.
Follow through on that break-out idea you have. Ask yourself "What would do if wasn't
afraid?
9. DeaI And Communicate With PeopIe EffectiveIy: No person is an island. Learn to
understand and motivate others.
Successful people develop and nurture a network and they only do that by treating
people openly, fairly and many times firmly. There is nothing wrong about being firm
just don't cross the a-hole line. How do you deal with people?
. Be Honest And DependabIe: Take responsibility, otherwise numbers 1 9 won't
matter.
over, 'd eventually reach the finish line. And 'm happy to report did finish the race.
Oh, guess learned one more lesson. Don't run in a race that you haven't trained for if
you want to walk the next day. (Ouch!)
Secrets to Soccess
Written - Victor Stachura - 228 Comments
Categories: selI improvement
What is it that makes people successful and mean really
successful compared to you or me? Are they smarter or do they work harder? Are they
risk takers or have powerful and influential friends?
The financial newspaper Investors Business Daily (BD) asked these same questions a
few years ago and started a multi-year search for the answer. They studied industry
leaders, investors and entrepreneurs to understand the traits they all had in common
that contributed to their success. Reproduced here is their list of 10 Secrets to Success
along with my commentary on each no-so-secret, 'secret'.
decided to reproduce the list here and comment on each of the traits in hopes of
motivating you and myself in the process. t's time for me to take my own advice and
start on the path to my dreams. hope to motivate you, by using myself as an example.
originally came across this list when was staring at some papers on a refrigerator
owned by someone who was very successful both personally and financially. My family
and had just spent the night as a guest in a great house in the suburbs of Boston. We
were living life large as we played pool in the rec room, drank wine from the wine cellar,
and enjoyed a dip in the hot tub. The problem was, neither of the couples in the house
owned the property or the life we were pretending to have. You see, my friends were
house sitting for the original owner and they had invited us to stay for the weekend.
t wasn't until the morning after our little 'party' that noticed something taped to the
refrigerator something that impacts me each time read it. t was the BD 10 Secrets to
Success. Once my head cleared, quickly copied them down and read them over and
over again. After our vacation made copies and posted them in my home office and
inside a journal decided to keep.
The problem was, after a couple of months forgot about the secrets and they fell by the
wayside. And so did my actions towards my goals. At the time the articles 7 Ways to
Grow the Action Habit or How To Motivate Yourself Self Motivation didn't exist and
lost my motivation. Well, re-discovered the list and want to share it with you now. hope
you take these not-so-secret, secrets to heart and realize your dreams whatever they
may be.
. How You Think is Everything.
Always be positive. Think Success, not Failure. Beware of a negative environment.
This trait has to be one of the most important in the entire list. Your belief that you can
accomplish your goals has to be unwavering. The moment you say to yourself "
can't., then you won't. was always given the advice "never say can't and 'd like to
strike those words from the dictionary.
've found that from time-to-time my attitude waivers. A mentor of mine once said "it's ok
to visit pity city, but you can't stay and there comes a time when you need to leave.
Positive things happen to positive people.
2. Decide upon Your True Dreams and GoaIs: Write down your specific goals and
develop a plan to reach them.
Write down my dreams and goals? Develop a plan to reach them? You mean like a
project plan? Yes, that's exactly what this means. You may have heard the old adage: A
New Years resolution that isn't written down is just a dream, and dreams are not goals.
Goals are those concrete, measurable stepping stones of achievement that track your
progress towards your dreams. My goal is to start a second career as a freelance writer
what are your goals?
. Take Action. Goals are nothing without action.
Be like Nike and "Just do it. took action by reaching out and started writing. Every day
try to take some action towards my goals. t may be small, but it's still an action. Have
you taken action towards your goals?
4. Never Stop Learning: Go back to school or read books. Get training & acquire skills.
Becoming a life long learner would benefit us all and is something we should instill in our
kids. t's funny that once you're out of school you realize how enjoyable learning can be.
What have you learned today?
5. Be Persistent and Work Hard: Success is a marathon, not a sprint. Never give up.
think every story of success read entails long hard hours of work. There is no getting
around this and there is no free lunch. But, if you're working towards something that
you're passionate about, something you love then is it really work?
6. Learn to AnaIyze DetaiIs: Get all the facts, all the input. Learn from your mistakes.
think you have to strike a balance between getting all the facts and making a decision
with incomplete data both are traits of successful people. Spend time gathering details,
but don't catch 'analysis paralysis'.
7. Focus Your Time And Money: Don't let other people or things distract you.
Remain laser focused on your goals and surround yourself with positive people that
believe in you. Don't be distracted by the naysayer's or tasks that are not helping you
achieve your goals.
8. Don't Be Afraid To Innovate: Be different. Following the herd is a sure way to
mediocrity.
Follow through on that break-out idea you have. Ask yourself "What would do if wasn't
afraid?
9. DeaI And Communicate With PeopIe EffectiveIy: No person is an island. Learn to
understand and motivate others.
Successful people develop and nurture a network and they only do that by treating
people openly, fairly and many times firmly. There is nothing wrong about being firm
just don't cross the a-hole line. How do you deal with people?
. Be Honest And DependabIe: Take responsibility, otherwise numbers 1 9 won't
matter.
$mar90r 55r4a.h 94 Tim0 Manag0m0n9
WrILLen - DuvId B. BoII - 1 CommenLs
CuLegorIes: producLIvILy LIps
Today`s business world is constantly changing at
breakneck speeds. It requires Ilexibility, a great deal oI
organization, and a good sense oI humor just to keep
up. Companies are retaining Iewer employees but the
workload continues to increase, making it harder to
meet job demands and almost impossible to maintain
any kind oI work liIe balance.
Many companies have recognized this disparity and
have implemented various types oI time management
training programs. Even so, you need to come up with a well thought out plan in order to
meet your goals. Luckily there are several things you can do to make the most oI your day,
get things done, and still have time leIt over to relax.
Tbe Curse of tbe Information Age
As technology improves, the number oI people bombarding us with messages only seems to
grow. Every day they have new and improved ways to interrupt our work. Between e-mail,
the telephone, and the Iax machine, we have entered the age oI inIormation overload.

One oI the best things you can do to work smarter is to manage your incoming
communications. Separate your work and personal e-mail accounts, and only respond to your
work-related messages while you are in your oIIice. Save the personal messages Ior later.
Schedule blocks oI time in your calendar speciIically Ior this task, put a time limit on it, and
stick to it. Buy an egg timer iI you need to.
Schedule your important phone calls as well. Allow suIIicient time to contact your clients,
but do not get entangled with personal conversations. Keep your phone time to a minimum,
but do not be short or rude. et a phone with caller I.D. and an answering machine, and put
all non-essential calls on ignore.
anaging ountains of Paperwork
Develop a desktop organization system Ior incoming documents and mail. Touch the papers
as little as possible, meaning they get Iiled as soon as you have time. II you come across mail,
notes, or memos that will not be Iiled, shred them as soon as you are Iinished reading them.
The goal is to reduce the amount oI clutter on your desk so you can work more eIIiciently.
Handling paperwork wastes almost as much time as e-mail, so by making a simple change in
how you handle paperwork, you could be saving yourselI a great deal oI time.
Speaking oI clutter, organize your desktop. It does not necessarily need to be neat, just
Iunctional enough Ior you to get things done.
Find Some Quiet Time
When you need to read a technical document or iI you are working on a task that requires
great thought and concentration, remove yourselI Irom your colleagues. Interruptions Irom
co-workers can cause you to lose Iocus, and can cost you a great deal oI time when you need
to go back and re-read something. Close your oIIice door or go to the library to ensure your
success with your project.
Take a Breatber
Sometimes we become so Iocused on getting things done that we Iorget to give ourselves a
break. Walk around the oIIice or go outside and get a Iew minutes oI Iresh air. Eat your
lunch, and have a snack in the aIternoon. etting the blood moving and nourishing our bodies
will ensure the ongoing Iunction oI our brains. We will be able to stay on task better when we
do not Ieel Iatigued, making it easier to accomplish our goals.
Remain Focused
As new projects arrive or circumstances change, we may Ieel compelled to jump to a new
task beIore we Iinished the previous one. Unless it is an absolute emergency, avoid this
behavior. You interrupt your progress and train oI thought, making it diIIicult to pick up
again where you leIt oII with any eIIiciency. Lack oI eIIiciency only adds to the amount oI
time it will take you to Iinish.
Scbedule Everytbing
II you do not already keep a calendar, begin now. Write everything down, with an allotted
time period. Allow ample time to reasonably accomplish your goals so you do not Ieel
overwhelmed or unduly pressured. Do not stray Irom your schedule, which should include
personal errands and chores as well as work-related appointments.
Following a Iew simple changes will not necessarily change the amount oI work you must
complete, but it will help you complete your work more eIIiciently. etting things done in a
shorter period gives you the extra time you have been looking Ior. You can take your extra
time and spend it guiltlessly on your spouse, your children, or in a hot bath.
Workingsmarter will help you keep up with the demands oI the workplace while still
maintaining a good work liIe balance.
%is article was written - David B. Bol Hus-and, Fater, Friend, Lifestle Coac,
Autor, Entrepreneur, and creator of Slow Down FAS%. For more info visit is -log at Slow
Down Fast -log.