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Each week receive exciting news, tips, articles and advice on how to be the successful person you've always wanted to be.
"Self Improvement Front Line" will guide you along the path to achieving all your goals in life with regular sections on all the important facets of your personal development.
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Newsletter 005
In "Self Improvement Front Line" this week:
* Je Ne Regrette Rien!
* Goal setting - How To Choose a Goal Buddy
* And So It's Holiday Time...
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"Je Ne Regrette Rien"
Don't worry, I'm not going to write this newsletter in French!
It's just that when I was at school we had a French teacher who
was an admirer of the French chanteuse Edith Piaf and as the
end of the school year got near he would take the opportunity
to bring in his old records and play them to us. It was a good
way to learn some new French words.
But one of Piaf's songs particularly stood out with me and I've
always remembered it. It was called "Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien",
which means "No, I regret nothing".
So why am I telling you this?
Well simply it sums up the way you should approach life.
Most of us make mistakes and take some wrong decisions in our
lives. You probably have lots of "what ifs" and "if onlys"
playing on your mind. Most people do. And sadly, that's where
they go wrong, because no matter what you have done in the past
you cannot change it.
What's done is done, and no matter how much you may regret it
and wish you could change what happened, the fact is you just
can't!
The problem is that while you continue to have these thoughts
your subconscious mind will continue to use them as a way of
holding you back. You need to re-program your mind to take on
a "will do" attitude instead of a "what if" one.
You cannot change what has happened.
You can decide what to do today.
You can influence what happens in the future.
You just have to take action.
Let me give you an example:
One of the most common regrets that people have is that they
wish they had worked harder at school and had achieved higher
grades and better qualifications. Then they would not be stuck
in the dead-end job they find themselves in.
The trouble is they usually just say to themselves "if only"
and then carry on just the same. They accept their situation
because in their minds they believe they are there because of
something they did in the past and their mind is happy to
accept it because they regret it.
It is their fault they are in that dead-end job! But not
because of what they did in the past but because of what they
do not do today.
There are so many opportunities to study to achieve what you
want in life regardless of what you are doing now and what age
you are.
You simply have to make the decision today to do something!
You have already taken that step because you have subscribed
to this newsletter.But it is vital that you understand that
you must regret nothing and instead learn from what has gone
before.
Decide what you want today and take the steps necessary to
get it.
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Goal Setting – How to Choose a Goal Buddy
Having a `Goal Buddy' to support you in achieving your dreams,
encourage you when times get tough and help youfind new
inspiration, is a fantastic way to keep yourselfmotivated and
focused on your goals.
But what sort of person makes a great Goal Buddy?
1 – Someone who believes in you. We often look to share our
goals with those close to us, but sometimes this can be a
mistake. The people who love us don't always believe in us and
they also have a strong incentive to protect us and often that
protection comes in the form of dire warnings about not taking
risks or stepping outside your or their comfort zones. They
mean well but often they will hold you back.
A great Goal Buddy is someone who sees something in you that
confirms your own belief and they don't necessarily have to
know you well to feel that. One of my best goal buddies has
only known me 3 months, lives a long way away and we only
communicate by e-mail or occasionally phone.
2 – Someone who can listen well. The purpose of being a Goal
Buddy is to be a sounding board for ideas and questions that
arise for you in the course of working towards your plans. As
the old saying goes, they have two ears and one mouth and they
should be used in that proportion.
A good Goal Buddy will listen carefully, offer opinions and
ideas when prompted, but sometimes will simply be prepared to be
a sponge, soaking up your frustration and difficulty without
comment and especially without judgement.
3 – Someone who can see things clearly. Often the reason
someone close to you does not make the best Goal Buddy is
because they are not detached from your outcome. If you are
starting a business, for example, their home and future lifestyle
may be on the line just as much as yours and their fears may get
in the way of clarity.
The ideal Goal Buddy has total detachment, apart from their
desire for you to succeed, they will not be materially affected
by your achievements and this allows them a much clearer
perspective and the ability to see things that you can't.
4 – Someone who is good at solving problems. No matter how
clever and creative you are, you will not be able to do
everything on your own. A well chosen Goal Buddy will be skilled
at coming up with possible solutions for the obstacles that you
encounter along the way.
They do not need to be rocket scientists or math graduates, but
an ability to reframe problems, look at issues from multiple
angles and simply bring an alternative perspective will be
invaluable.
5 – Someone with a good network. If between you and your Goal
Buddy, you are still unable to come up with the answer to a
problem, then the ideal candidate will have a strong network of
friends and colleagues who can offer extra skills and access to
capabilities that you may never have found on your own.
The most inspiring words you will ever hear from your Goal Buddy
may well be – Let's call John, he knows all about that.
So if you are looking to identify someone to support you on the
road to your goals, before you pick up the phone, measure them
against this 5 point checklist and see if they are cut out to
be the perfect Goal Buddy.
About the Author:
My name is Andrew Grant. I hope you enjoyed reading this
article. You will find many more like it in my FR,EE
newsletter at :
http://www.money-and-mind. com
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And So It's Holiday Time...
Well here we are near the end of the year and in a few days it
will be Christmas Day. So I would like to take this opportunity
to wish you a Happy and Peaceful Christmas and send you my best
wishes for an enjoyable holiday time.
I'm going to be taking a break to spend time with my loved ones
and so there will be no newsletter next week.But rest assured
that I will have lots to share with you in the New Year.
This time of the year gives you a good chance to reflect on how
life is going for you.In recent editions of Self Improvement
Front Line we have looked at the importance of both giving and
being able to receive with gratefulness and the next week or so
will help you to bring those aspects into focus.
I hope that during this holiday time you will be able to spend
time with your friends and family as that is an important part
of developing a rounded life. No matter what the time of year
you should always ensure that you make time for those around you.
And even though it may be holiday time try not to lose sight of
your goals.Even at this time you can be doing little things each
day, such as reading and exploring new topics on the Internet,
that will take you a little closer to where you want to be in
life. So keep your mind active, well just a little anyway!
And finally don't forget that you can be exactly the person you
want to be, you just need to take action. So don't wait till
New Year's Day to make resolutions, start today instead!
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