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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 024
In "Self Improvement Front Line" this week:
* Where Are You Today?
* Goal Setting - Six Steps To Keeping Focus
* 4 Quick Tips to Boost Your Self-Confidence
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Where Are You Today?
Imagine this...
You're walking along minding your own business when someone
pulls up next to you in a car, gets out, grabs hold of you,
puts a blindfold on you and bundles you into the backseat of
the car. They get back in, lock all the doors , and drive off!
Then they just drive and drive for hour upon hour. They turn
left and right, go back and forth, uphill and downhill, and
seemingly round and round in circles.
Then, just as suddenly as it started, the car stops, the
driver gets out, opens your door and pulls you out. He takes
off your blindfold and says simply, "Now find your way home!"
And with that he jumps back in behind the wheel and speeds
away into the distance!
You gather your senses and take a look around. And there you
are in the middle of a field surrounded by totally unfamiliar
sights - stuck in the middle of nowhere!
So how are you going to get home?
Well you know where home is but the problem is you have no
idea where you are now, and so how do you know which
direction to head in?
Have you got a map? Not very likely and even if you did,
whilst you might know how to find your home on it, what
help would it be unless it was marked with big X saying
"You Are Here"?
A compass might be useful, if you know how to use one, but
even that would only tell you what is North, South, East,
and West - you still don't know which way to go!
If the sun is shining you can work out roughly the time by
its position in the sky, and if you wait around, by
following its path you can work out those compass points.
But that won't tell you where you are now.
So you can sit and wait for nightfall and then look up at
the stars and, just like all the sailors in the past, use
them to navigate. Right! So when was the last time you
looked up at the stars at home and studied them so that you
know precisely their positions in the night sky? Only if
you do know that, will the stars help you to find your way
home.
So what else can you do? Well the best thing would be to
see if you can spot a building, and if so head for it and
ask for help when you get there. But if you can't see any
then you do at least know where the road is that the car
sped off along.So get to the road and start walking. You'll
have to decide in what direction but at least its a start.
Then when a vehicle comes along flag it down and ask for
help. Or if the road is deserted you'll just have to keep
going until you come across a road sign with the name of
somewhere familiar on it to guide you.
It may take some time but eventually something or someone
will come along to help you, just as long as you don't
just give up! And you will get home.
But wouldn't it all be so much easier if you know exactly
where you are when the driver leaves you.
And that's the whole point really because no matter how sure
you are of where you want to go, what getting there will be
like, and how it will make you feel, unless you know where
you are now, you simply cannot even begin the journey.
So where are you today? You may have well formulated goals
and know eaxctly what achieving them will mean to you but if
you don't know the answer to this question you are not ready
to begin the journey.
So take a look at your circumstances and ask yourself a few
questions like,
Am I happy, and what makes me happy?
Am I healthy?
What skills and knowledge do I have that will help me reach
my goals?
What do I need to learn to help me on the journey?
What resources do I have that will be helpful?
What do I need to get that will help further?
Who will support me on my journey?
Do I need to ask anyone for help and if so who?
That last one is important because remember that in the story
above your likeliest way of getting home was by asking for
help. And so it is in life. You should never be afraid to ask
for help in getting to where you want to be.
So answer your questions and let your journey begin.
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Goal Setting - Six Steps To Keeping Focus
By Andrew Cox
We ask every leader we work with what they would do more
of, better, or more often when they look back on their
career, and the top answer is "Focus." When asked how they
would do that, they answer that they would be even more
goal oriented than they had been. In their opinion, goals
create focus that creates accomplishment. With so many
demands intruding or attempting to intrude on their
attention and energies, goals that create focus are their
firewall, and their primary path to success.
Given that so many highly successful people look to goals
for focus, why is it that so many organizations and people
can't state their personal goals or the goals of their
organization - let alone how their personal goals align
with their organizational goals?
One reason given is time - "We don't have time for that -
we're too busy. " Another reason (read excuse) given is the
belief that an individual has no control over their future
- too many things outside a person's control can cause
things to change, so just go with the flow.
It turns out that most people spend more time focused on
planning a two week vacation than they do planning their
career. I suspect that's because planning a vacation is
controllable, pleasant, and near term - it's easy to focus
on it.
But to succeed and prosper, it's vitally important to have
a personal set of goals. - they keep us in the game -
whatever game is being played. And personal goals that
closely align with organizational goals create a tremendous
amount of energy, commitment and focus.
Personal goals are even more important when organizational
goals don't exist, or aren't expressed, or exist in name
only. It's very tempting in those cases to simply give in
to the flow of the day to day, and go with whatever comes
along - with little if any focus.
Goals help balance the very human tendency to be distracted
by the pressing, in - your - face things that happen every
day - it's called being "flexible." Flexibility can be a
strength, but it can also be a weakness - when flexing
becomes a habit and we look back and see that flexing took
us far away from where we wanted to be or needed to be.
A friend shared a joke with me that illustrates that point
- "Inside every 65 year old is a 40 year old wondering what
the hell happened?"
Focus is the difference between wondering what the hell
happened, and landing where you wanted to land. It's the
difference between throwing a touchdown pass - or throwing
a superball - and watching it bounce every which way - with
high energy, but with no idea where it will land - and what
good - or damage - it will do.
Here are six steps to create focus:
1 - Write down where you want to be in one month, six
months, one year, three years and five years. I know, it
sounds like a lot of work. It is. But I can tell you from
personal experience that those time frames will blow right
past you if you don't take the time to plan them now. And
you'll end up like that 65 year old wondering what happened.
2 - Define how your source of income - your job - your
profession - fits into your own goals. How do your work
goals fit in with your personal goals? Are they the same?
How can they come together in the near term to provide long
term benefit? The closer your personal goals align with the
goals of your organization or profession, the better your
chances of accomplishing them. This is the key to focus -
being convinced and directed to success through goals that
embrace you personally and professionally.
3 - Start with short term goals, but with the end in mind.
Weekly, monthly, quarterly. Define the top 3 to 5 things
that you need to do now to get you to where you want to be.
No more than 3 to 5 - and 5 is a stretch. Remember, you can
only really focus on doing one thing at a time. There is no
more powerful way to become discouraged than to "over goal"
yourself at this stage.
4 - Express your goals in positive terms. Express your
goals in terms of what you want to achieve as opposed to
what you want to avoid or get rid of. Optimism loves
positive outcomes - work to think in those terms.
5 - Define your goals using the SMART formula - Specific,
Manageable, Realistic, Attainable and Time - framed.
6 - Keep track. Hold yourself accountable. Review your
goals at least weekly. Carry them with you wherever you go.
Make them part of your thinking. Make a habit of reciting
your goals and the outcomes of achieving them. Make them
your way of life. And when they need to be revised - and
that will happen often - just do it.
If you're feeling frustrated and busy and not sure where
you're going, start this process today. It isn't easy. It
requires personal discipline. It requires faith in
yourself. But the rewards of a sense of purpose, focus and
freedom are worth the effort. And when you look back in a
few weeks to a few months, you'll be surprised at how far
you've come, and making goals the cornerstone of focus will
become a habit - a habit of success.
About the Author:
Andy Cox helps clients align their resources and design and
implement change through the application of goals focused
on the important few elements that have maximum impact in
achieving success - as defined by the client. He can be
reached at http://www.coxconsultgroup.com and E Mail at
acox@coxconsultgroup.com
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4 Quick Tips to Boost Your Self-Confidence
Mary Chapin Carpenter has a line in one of her songs that
goes, "Sometimes you're the windshield; sometimes you're
the bug." When I've suddenly lost my confidence, I feel
more like the bug, than the windshield.
When this happens, it's easy to replay the situation over
and over again, hoping for a different ending. This
usually only makes me feel worse. What I really need is
something to remind me that being the "bug" is a temporary
state. I don't think I'm alone here. All of us need
confidence boosters at some time in our lives. Here are a
four quick tips for boosting your confidence:
Remember a Time When You Were Confident
Write down a past experience that gave confidence. Think
about why this experience made you feel confident. Who was
involved? What happened? What did you do? Be as detailed
about this experience as you can so that it is vivid in
your mind. Refer to this experience to remind you that you
have been confident before and will be again!
Make a Success Album
Use a 3x5 card to write down things you've been successful
at in the past. In this case, success is anything you've
done that's made you proud of yourself. It may be cleaning
out your closets or bringing in a big account for work. Put
the cards in a photo album. When your confidence is low,
read the cards in your album to remind you that you've been
successful in the past.
Affirm Your Confidence
Leave written affirmations on sticky notes in places where
you will see them regularly. The notes can contain action
affirmations, such as "You Can Do It" or a favorite
confidence-building quote. It's best to use short phrases
that are easily remembered and always use positive words.
For example, it's better to say "I AM successful" rather
than "I am not a failure." When you see the affirmation,
it's also helpful to say it aloud, rather than reading it
to yourself.
Let Your Answering Machine Pickup Your Confidence
Ask friends to call your answering machine and leave
positive comments about your strengths, talents and what
makes you special to them. When things aren't going well,
listen to these comments to remind you that there are
people who believe you are talented and very special.
Use these ideas to recharge your confidence. They're simple
to do and useful to anyone who experiences a sudden loss of
confidence or needs a confidence boost. They'll help remind
you to be the windshield and not the bug!
About the Author:
Sara Healy is a life coach who helps people with life and
career transitions using their strengths and values. Find
out how she can help you make positive changes in your life
by contacting her at: =>
http://www.sarahealy.com
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