Tag Archives: Goals

A Wonderful Thought

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“What a wonderful thought it is that some of the best days of our lives haven’t happened yet!”

-Author Unknown

image from searchengineland.com

image from searchengineland.com

Today’s quote caused me to pause a bit longer than I normally do as I look to the New Year ahead. Instead of looking at the year as a whole, or even fleshing out the priority goals and objectives I wish to tackle, I plan on looking at each day as a unique and precious gift.

One way to see the value of this exercise is to take a trip into your past to examine and pleasantly re-experience, through memory, some of the really great days and experiences. As you take the time to do this, count how many great days you can recall. The list will probably be finite.

EXERCISE:

How can you design the coming year, proactively and intentionally, to have as many remarkable days this year as you have had to this point in your life?

Better to be a lion

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“It is better to be a lion for a day than a sheep all your life.”

-Elizabeth Kenny, unaccredited 20th Century Australian nurse

Image from Flickr by Tambako the Jaguar

Image from Flickr by Tambako the Jaguar

Take an inventory of your life’s greatest moments—the ones where you did or were part of something remarkable, noteworthy, and of course, memorable. What were you doing at the time? I would guess that on many of these occasions you were reaching for some goal, striving for something you desired, or operating beyond your comfort zone inspired by a high-priority commitment.

Rarely do great accomplishments occur when we simply move day-to-day, grazing on the same grasses of our personal or professional worlds.

EXERCISE:

How and in what ways can you rally your inner lion to courageously roar, chase, and pounce on the successes you desire?

“Be mindful of the future…”

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“Be mindful of the future… but not at the expense of the moment.”

– Qui-Gon Jinn, a fictional character in the Star Wars saga

 

Image from ompuertoviejo.wordpress.com

Image from ompuertoviejo.wordpress.com

I’ve noticed recently that many people get ahead of themselves, living far too often in the future. See if any of these scenarios apply to you:

  • You are constantly thinking about the upcoming weekend.
  • You find yourself frequently envisioning your next vacation.
  • You can’t wait to retire from your job—which may be many years away.
  • You often anticipate your next job or promotion, or the one after that.
  • You can’t wait to have that next new suit, car, or bigger home.

Although I am a big advocate of having goals that spur all of us on to achieve better futures, I see far too many people missing out on the daily activities that make their journey worthwhile.

EXERCISE:

How would being mindful of the present provide you more satisfaction in your personal and professional life, as you pursue your goals and visions for the future?

“Coasting only happens when …”

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“Coasting only happens when you are going downhill.”

—Mike Rayburn, one of the youngest inductees in the Speaker Hall of Fame

Photo from dimitri.co.uk

Photo from dimitri.co.uk

When was the last time you took a bike ride outdoors? Try to remember a specific ride with many hills. Close your eyes and visualize the effort and “burn” it took to climb the steepest and longest hills. Experience the relief of going over the crest, when you began coasting, allowing gravity to make your journey far easier.

EXERCISE:

Examine some of the current professional or personal hills you are on, or intend to climb. How will the pursuit of reaching the top make you even stronger for future challenges?

If you happen to notice that there are very few or no hills ahead, perhaps you are coasting, and headed downward. Make a point, once you have relaxed or recovered, to find the next hill worth climbing.

“There is no elevator to success…”

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“There is no elevator to success. You have to take the stairs.”

-Author Unknown

Stairs to the Crown of the Statue of Liberty Photo from Buildipedia.com

Stairs to the Crown of the Statue of Liberty
Photo from Buildipedia.com

The Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor has 356 steps.
The Washington Monument in Washington D.C. has 897 steps.
The Eiffel Tower in Paris, France, has 1,710 steps.
The Empire State Building in New York City has 1,860 steps.

Your journey to success has     ?     steps.

When I was a young adult, I visited New York City, seeing many of its sites, including the Statue of Liberty. I actually walked up the entire 354 steps, to look out what, at the time, were some pretty small windows.

I distinctly remember the tremendous burn in my thighs, my loss of breath, a good bit of sweating, and my legs feeling like jello on the way down.

These days, I see many people looking for the elevators and escalators of life, hoping to break little or no sweat on their journey to success.

For many—including myself—it is through burning efforts and striving that we most often achieve and truly appreciate our greatest successes.

EXERCISE:

Where in your past have you taken the stairs of life and achieved success?

What climbing is still required of you in order to rise to your next level of professional and personal achievement?

There is a very useful book by Rory Vaden titled Take the Stairs. It may help you get off on the right foot!

“It is always your next move.”

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“It is always your next move.”

—Napoleon Hill, American writer one of the great writers on success

Photo from Flickr by Wyoming Jackrabbit

Photo from Flickr by Wyoming Jackrabbit

Do you play board games or video games? How about other types of games?

If you do, you know that what keeps us engaged is the goal of winning, and celebrating each achievement along the way.

What about the game of life, where professional or personal achievement is the goal? Sometimes when we feel stuck or stopped, when we become frustrated or discouraged, we forget that our next move might be the one that shifts the world for the better.

EXERCISE:

Notice where you are stopped, stuck, or plateaued in your professional or personal life. Explore and courageously choose to make your next move in at least one area, toward a more desirable future.

Feel free to reply to this post and let me know what happens.

“The man on top of the mountain didn’t fall there.”

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“The man on top of the mountain didn’t fall there.”

– Vince Lombardi, American football coach

Image of a man standing on a mountain top

Image from Flickr by Matty Bishwam

When I think of mountain climbers, I think of people pursuing adventures and challenging themselves to achieve a new level of greatness or accomplishment.

Take a look at your own progress towards the summits of your professional and personal goals.

Exercise:

Are you getting where you want to go? Have your mountains recently been more like molehills?

What planning is required and what people or gear will you need to achieve the satisfaction of reaching the top of your most important life summits?

“A good goal is like a strenuous exercise. It makes you stretch.”

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“A good goal is like a strenuous exercise. It makes you stretch.”

– Mary Kay Ash, founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics

image of young girls stretching in ballet outfits

Image from Flickr by tom@hk

Just as a personal trainer helps stretch their clients physically to support their fitness goals, coaches stretch people beyond their comfort zones to achieve their professional and personal desires.

In both cases, the stretching beyond our physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual limits provides a catalytic stimulus to support new growth and the development of capacities previously not available.

Exercise:

Where do you want or need to stretch beyond your current abilities to pursue and achieve even more than you previously thought possible?

“You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.”

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“You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.”

– C.S. Lewis (attrib.), author of the Narnia books

460Image from Flickr by soupboy.

With the Olympic Games in Sochi taking place right now, I was curious to learn the age of some of the oldest athletes. Among some interesting anecdotes, I learned about Ann Abernathy who was called “Grandma Luge” for her participation in the 1988 Calgary Games, the 1992 Barcelona Games, the 1994 Lillehammer games, the 1998 Nagano Games, the 2002 Salt Lake City games and the 2006 games in Turin.

In her final Olympics she wore a red helmet to honor women over 50 that go out and do what they want to do.

The commentator on her final games called her “Nonna Olympia” or “Grandma Olympics” and in a ceremony at the Olympic Village, the Major presented Ann with an Olympic Torch in honor of her achievement.

Exercise:

What goal have you yet to set, or dream have you yet to dream, because you think you’re too old or it’s too late?

“Don’t think of your goals – think from your goals.”

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“Don’t think of your goals – think from your goals.”

– Unknown

We are entering the holiday season and before you know it, we will be into a new year filled with promise and great opportunities. It’s that time again to reflect on what we have accomplished this year and begin the journey forward.

Quote 417Image from Flickr by Lara Cores

Regardless of how much or even how little may have been achieved, consider a new approach to goal setting for the coming year. This quote suggests that we use our goals as a magnet to attract and pull us forward in thoughts and deeds to realize them.

Exercise:

Begin with the end in mind and think from your goals and you will see the action steps and milestones more clearly than ever before.

Consider picking up a copy of Stephen Covey’s famous book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People and pay particular attention to Habit #2 which is “begin with the end [goals] in mind.”

You may wish to watch this video, which starts with the above quote: vimeo.com/23265082