Right Now
Wow, we’re already in the third quarter of 2008! I hope this message finds you well and having made great progress with the goals you set out for the "New Year". Like many of my clients, you may have taken the time to evaluate what you can do to have the best year ever. With that plan in mind, every day creates a new opportunity to reflect upon your vision, goals and desires to grow and empower your life, personally and professionally.
Will you be prepared for the growth and opportunities that 2008 presents to you? How well did you do in achieving the goals you set for yourself personally, or professionally in 2007? How closely did 2007 represent the life you wish you were living?
For those of you that clearly outlined a plan and met at least some of your goals, congratulations! Take some time to reflect and reward yourself for the accomplishments you’ve made, no matter how big or small. Find gratitude in even the simplest accomplishments, changes or growth that occurred in the past year, and consider using that as your basis to focus on your development for the "New Year".
For those who didn’t quite get to planning and communicating your goals last year, I offer you this:
Right Now you have the option to start again and create a successful plan for 2008 by using these three simple tools:
Identify, Document, and Communicate
- Identify - To effectively set goals or create a vision, you must be clear on what your priorities, needs, desires, and goals are. Make a list.
- Document – Consider what is the best tool for you to document your plan. Will it be a journal, a word document, an entry in your daily reminder? No matter what method you choose, it will be most effective if your plan is clearly documented, is in priority order, and has targeted dates for you to reevaluate, review and make revisions, if needed.
- Communicate – When setting goals or creating an action plan, it is imperative that everyone involved is very clear on what the expectations are. Communication leads to accountability. If you want to succeed, how committed are you to being held accountable for your personal or professional success?
When you set a personal goal, find a way to best communicate to yourself that you are accountable for that goal, possibly through daily entries in a calender/diary, a weekly review of a list, or a letter that you review quarterly. To be successful in meeting your goals, it helps to use a method that is both practical as well as realistic and one that is compatible with your work and learning style. When setting personal goals, identify what your expectations are for yourself, and communicate them to a trusted, objective party who becomes your "accountability partner" (perhaps a Coach). Let that person know that they are your support system, your partner in your success. Let them know how you want to be held accountable for your actions or possibly, lack thereof.
Hold regular check-ins either with yourself or with your accountability partner to monitor your successes, no matter how big or small. Being accountable is being open to questions like, "how am I doing?", "how closely do my actions match my desires?" To be held accountable, you would want to reflect upon whether or not you are meeting your target dates, what accomplishments have been made so far, what adjustments would be made in order to meet your goals or hit your target dates? Take a look at the following statistics from the American Society of Training and Development:
The
probability of achieving a goal if: You hear an idea, is 10% You decide when you
will do it, is 40% You plan how you will
do it, is 50% You commit to someone
else you will do it, is 65% You have a specific accountability
appointment with the person you've committed to, is 95%
WOW!! You more than double your chances of success when you move from decision to commitment when you have someone that you trust to report your progress to. With this process in place you can create your own defined personal success, no matter how simple or complex!
When setting business goals for employees, have a general meeting to clearly communicate to all staff members exactly what the goals and strategies are for the upcoming month/quarter/year. The most important aspect of an effective communication plan is defining the expectations you have for each of them and sharing that information with each person. Clearly identify the role of each employee, including milestones and target dates.
Your plan is likely to be more successful if you take the time to monitor and adjust it as obstacles or challenges surface along the way. Some suggestions might include quarterly meetings with your entire staff to review progress and discuss areas that are moving along well and also identifying any goals that may need to set , tweak or reevaluated in terms of realistic expectations. For personal goals, it’s a good idea to review them monthly and re-align your priorities based on any changes, obstacles or challenges that may have occurred since you implemented your plan.
The most important elements of a successful plan begins with commitment, is backed by determination, and is reinforced with
your ongoing focus and redirection.
Remember, every moment is Right Now
and right now is all you need to get started!
“The time to show up fully for life is right now, whatever the
circumstances. Every moment, faithfully lived, is a chance to practice
the art of living. A life of magnitude does not just happen; it is
consciously chosen. Living is an endlessly creative process in which
we work on achieving the life we want through our willingness to be
who we would like to be”.
~ Marianne Williamson
I invite you to invest a half hour to discuss the benefits of forming a
coaching alliance together. I will clarify my role as Coach and how I
can support you in optimizing your potential, in both your personal and
professional life.
Remember, Right Now is all you need to get started!
Time Essentials® Coaching
in creating shifts in their thinking, behavior, and actions to produce life changing results.
The individuals I work with gain clarity, defined vision, self-confidence, breakthrough performances
and greater levels of achievement.