Goal Setting and Vision Casting

by Carolina Fernandez

"You don't get points for predicting rain. You get points for building an ark." Louis Gerstner, former Chairman and CEO of IBM

It's that time of year again: time to reflect back on the past year and evaluate relationships; examine areas where you spent your valuable time, money, and energy; ponder goals set last year and revise new ones accordingly; and count your many blessings.

As I spend time these next few days looking over notes from years past, I will make every effort to draft goals for the New Year that will help me move further down the path. To becoming more of the person whom I hope to become. My goal every year is to become more saint-like, and many areas in my life need to be addressed in order to help me evolve--step by step--to that end.

I will not suppose that what works for me will work for you. I will only share what I do in the hope that it might help you as you prepare for the coming New Year.

I rely on my Filofax, where I write all of my goals down in colored ink on colored paper. Over the years I have called my goals various things, but as of last year they became known as the "6 F's." Here goes...

1) FAITH

How can I get myself further down the spiritual path and become more saintlike? Specific steps I might record to get me closer to my goal would include: disciplined and consistent reading of scripture, journaling, reading books on spirituality, plugging into a charitable organization whose vision fits that of my family's, taking a mission trip, maintaining a "bloom where planted" attitude about life, etc.

2) FAMILY

How can our family--including my husband, our four kids, myself, and the dog--become the strongest and happiest group of people as we share life together? And what things do I need to be pro-actively instilling into our family's structure to ensure happy childhoods for each of our four kids? What is my vision for each child? What gifts and talents does this child have and what do we need to do to help him develop them for other people's benefit? Specific steps might include: planning a family summer vacation, replacing TV with a family reading night, investments in music lessons, commitment to sports teams, scheduling weekly date nights, etc.

3) FRIENDS

How can I maintain the many friendships that I have formed over the years given the great physical distances that separate us, and how can I form new friendships with people who cross my path? Specific steps would include scheduled trips to visit girlfriends, frequent long-distance phone calls, celebrating birthdays with gifts and cards, continuing Christmas gift-giving traditions, etc.

4) FINANCIAL

How do we become more financially independent? How do we reduce debt and increase wealth? Steps would include my making a list of a realistic number of books to sell, seminars to schedule, articles to write, investments to make, savings goals to meet, tithing commitments to keep, etc.

5) FITNESS

How can I maintain a health and fitness regimen that keeps me in optimal physical and emotional health--while maintaining kids who are too young to maintain themselves? Specific steps would include scheduling a realistic number of trips to the gym per week, weekly commitments to swimming and tennis, and to weight training, etc.

6) FUN

What things would I enjoy doing personally and with my family that would help me enjoy life to its fullest? I would include specific trips and dates with Ernie, plans for vacations with the kids, Broadway shows, season tickets to the philharmonic, oil painting classes, etc.

Studies show that people who record their goals IN WRITING have a much greater chance of accomplishing them. Spend quality time thinking about specific goals that you'd like to make in your life. Begin the process now. Let your sub-conscious absorb the goals and let it help you figure out ways in which to make these goals realistically attainable. Consider your life stage. A trip to the gym might be quite realistic for me but a pipe dream for you if you have a newborn or a couple of toddlers underfoot. Don't fret that your goals seem out of whack or not grand enough. Go easy on yourself and resolve to come up with goals that fit where you are and where you'd like to be by the end of the year. And remember to have fun with the process. Enjoy a glass of red wine and sit by the fire while you doodle your thoughts. Dream. Imagine.

ONE FINAL THOUGHT: Remember to count your blessings of this past year. Make a list. We are each coming to the dinner table New Year's Eve night with our individual Top Ten Lists. Consider making this a New Year's Eve tradition in your family, too. Nothing makes one feel better about the world than counting all the ways in which you have been uniquely blessed.

Please let me know if I can help you in your journey.

Have a blessed New Year. PEACE!

Carolina Fernandez earned an M.B.A. and worked at IBM and as a stockbroker at Merrill Lynch before coming home to work as a wife and mother of four. She totally re-invented herself along the way. Strong convictions were born about the role of the arts in child development; homeschooling for ten years provided fertile soil for devising creative parenting strategies. These are played out in ROCKET MOM! 7 Strategies To Blast You Into Brilliance. It is available on Amazon.com, in bookstores everywhere, or by calling 888-476-2493. She writes extensively for a variety of parenting resources and teaches other moms via parenting classes and radio and TV interviews. Please visit http://www.rocketmom.com to subscribe to her free ezine and get a weekly shot of inspiration.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/

Secrets of Setting Goals and Stategies for Achieving Them

by Ann Marie Parisi

Webster’s Dictionary defines goal \.2 as the end toward which effort is directed.

Do you have goal(s) in your life? Have you reduced your goal(s) to writing? Studies have been done by respected universities which

indicate 90% of us never set goals; of the 10% who do, only 3% actually write them down. This latter group consists of some the most successful people in all fields of endeavor.

Goal Setting requires first of all specificity. In other words “to be a success” is not a valid goal. Rather goals should sound like this: “By 2010,

I will have my own Carvel Franchise in Brooklyn’s Bensonhurst Section” or perhaps: “By next year this time I will have completed my first novel and submitted the manuscript to 10 publishers.”

Goals need proper maintenance, small adjustments that build on the main goal.

Immediately and audaciously begin to take action. Refine your goal(s) more and more. Post visual images of your goal in prominent locations, like your bathroom mirror, your pillow, refrigerator, your work area, your car, your brief case, and any where else you might regularly eye it.

Write down the benefits of achieving your goal: I will be happier, healthier, wealthier, etc. when I achieve ‘your particular goal.’ Act as if you have achieved your goal and are just filling in the details of how you got there. Keep a smile on your face. Reward yourself for each positive step you take, and don’t beat your self up over miscues/minor failures. They are a part of the ‘rungs of the ladder’ that lead you to the top.

Consider every obstacle you might encounter, along the way. Develop strategies for handling each circumstance. Common obstacles you are likely to confront are naysayers, lack of capital, small failures, digressions, competition, poor time management, etc. Know beforehand how you will overcome any obstacle that comes your way.

Gain as much knowledge as you can about your goal. If your goal is to be an Indy Car Driver, learn every detail about the car, the track and the competition. If your goal is to be a sports agent learn every detail about your competitors (fees they charge, who their clients are, what their shtick is, where they hang out, when and how they approach clients).

Develop support groups/mentors, who can provide you honest advice and counsel, help you overcome obstacles and keep you motivated.

Construct a plan of action, and meticulously work the plan. A popular adage says: “People don’t plan to fail, they fail to plan.” One common error is, mistaking activity for accomplishment.

Be committed. To paraphrase W. H. Macy, don’t be committed like a kamikaze pilot on his 12th mission.

Seek and seize opportunity. The mass of men call this luck; they believe success is serendipitous. As Zig Ziglar says: “Arise each morning when the ‘opportunity clock’ sounds” and greet God boldly with the words: “Lord we are going to have a great day.” Who could be a better partner than the Lord?

Remember you have the same number of hours in a day as any doctor, lawyer, entrepreneur, or for that matter, your average billionaire like Bill Gates. Use those hours wisely, “Age quod agis” – “do what you are doing,” always remaining focused. Understand you aren’t making sacrifices by giving up some habits and activities you enjoy, but rather that you are now investing your time and talent in yourself instead.

Don’t sit around waiting for things to happen. Make them happen. Ed McMahon isn’t going to knock on your door. If you want to succeed you must proceed without hesitation. Until you are truly committed and begin the journey to success, there is a good chance you may draw back. Don’t! Move forward and “seize the day.”

If you would like more information or personal assistance on setting and achieving goals contact Ann Marie or Al Parisi at lunchbagnotes.net.

Ann Marie is a teacher and author and speaker. She resides in Agoura Hills, California, with her co-writers and speakers, her brother Anthony and dad, Al.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/

Top 5 Relationship Advice Tips

Relationship Advice--Tip List

1. Pick a partner that if stripped of everything materialistic (bank account, clothing, car, home etc.), you would still find interesting, funny, and attractive.

2. Find at least one thing you have in common with your partner and do whatever that is on a regular basis. No matter if you get that dream 60-hour work week job. No matter if you have 5 children! No matter if you had a huge fight last night. Do it.

3. If you have to go to bed angry at your partner, at least discuss that anger in a decible level lower than screaming before you do. Both parties should have a clear understanding of each person's side of the story whether they agree with that side or not.


4. Build trust. Do not require titles or labels until both parties feel you must define your relationship. Do not demand a total itinerary of the other person's day/night. Do not snoop. Do not play games.

5.Do not stay in a bad relationship for the wrong reasons. It only prolongs the inevitable. Examples: Length of time together, children, fear of the unknown, pity, waiting for other person to change etc.

This concludes the relationship advice tip list by GirlShrink.com All these tips are based in a core element of all relationships--communication. Much success in applying this relationship advice to your life.



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Lisa Angelettie, M.S.W., is a psychotherapist, writer, and speaker. She has been helping clients with all types of life issues since 1998. She is the Founder and Director of www.GirlShrink.com , a site that offers expert online advice, counseling and coaching for women on a variety of issues such as relationships, mental health and more. Get information about our free advice & other services by Clicking Here.
To subscribe to the self-help GirlShrink newsletter "Better Choices", please go to:The Free GirlShrink Newsletter

Lisa Angelettie M.S.W.

Put your Mind & Body on "Autopilot" and reach your goals...automatically!

By Dan Robey--Author of "The Power of Positive Habits"

Did you know that habits are incredibly powerful tools for personal growth
and success?

Think about the habits you have now and how they affect virtually every
aspect of your life. Your weight and health are determined by your eating
habits. Your relationships with people are determined by your social habits.
Your success at work is determined by your work habits. You have sleeping
habits that dictate how well you sleep. You have sexual habits. You even
have buying habits; just take a look around your house and you will quickly
see them. Our character, health and virtually every aspect of our lives are
indeed determined by our habits.

If you ask ten people on the street what the word habit means, nine out of
ten will tell you that a habit is a negative action that people do over and
over again, like smoking, or procrastinating, or eating too much. Bad habits
get all the press. Let‚s look at the results of just one bad habit: smoking.
Every year, over 400,000 people lose their lives to smoking-related
illnesses in the United States. Imagine then, the negative power that exists
in just that one bad habit. It is staggering.

Now I want you think about an even greater power, a power that can bring you
success, health and happiness; a power for positive, permanent, and
automatic personal growth: the power of positive habits. Let‚s look a little
closer at the meaning of the word habit. Random House dictionary defines
habit in this way:

Habit: An acquired behavior pattern regularly followed until it has become
almost involuntary.

The important words in this definition are acquired and almost involuntary.
Let me ask you a question. When is the last time you sat down and said to
yourself, "Today I am going to add a new habit to my life?" I would venture
to guess that you have probably never said those words. As you read this
article, you will see how easy it is to add positive habits to your life and
the great power they have to change it. Think about the words almost
involuntary. This means the habit is so powerful in your mind that it is
almost unstoppable! With respect to bad habits like smoking,
procrastination, and overeating, this is very bad. But with positive habits,
this is very, very good.

What is a positive habit? A positive habit is simply a habit that produces
positive benefits, actions and attitudes you want to acquire and make a part
of your life. Why is there such great power in positive habits to effect
change? Because habits, by their very nature, are automatic. After a period
of time they can become permanent.

So how do we go about adding new positive habits to our life? It‚s really
quite easy. You simply begin repeating an action, attitude or thought
process every day for at least 21 days. Research has shown that an action
that is repeated for a minimum of 21 days is likely to become a permanent
habit. Remember that positive habits have positive benefits and you will
reap those benefits for as long as you maintain that habit. So now that we
know what positive habits are, and how to acquire them, let‚s look at some
simple positive habits directly from "The Power of Positive Habits" book
that will help you be more productive and have a healthier body.

"Positive Habit Number 56" - Be More Productive With the 4-D Habit

Many of us are stressed out by the negative effects of work overload in our
careers. The 4-D habit is a very simple positive habit that will help you to
prevent work overload. Every time you are faced with a new task to perform,
apply the 4 D‚s as listed below. You will find that your workload will be
reduced as you apply this screening and decision making tool to each task
you are confronted with. Decide on the most appropriate choice ˆ and take
action.

Do It Now ˆ take immediate action, do the task right away, don‚t
procrastinate.

Dump It Now ˆ make a quick decision and dump the task.

Delegate It ˆ give the task to someone else. This is a very critical aspect
of time management. Your time is valuable; make it a habit to work on tasks
that you do best and delegate the tasks that can be performed by someone
else.

Defer the Task ˆ make an immediate decision to postpone the task to a later
time. Make sure to schedule a time to complete it.

"Positive Habit Number 3" - Take Flax Every Day for a Healthy, Trim Body and
Lower Cholesterol!

What is flax?

Flax is a blue-flowering plant known for its oil-rich seed. People have been
eating flaxseed since ancient times, it has a pleasant, nutty flavor. The
health benefits of flaxseed and flaxseed oil are significant and for that
reason this habit is recommended as a primary habit for health and a trim
and fit body. Here are some of the benefits of flaxseed and flaxseed oil:

Flaxseed contains both soluble and insoluble fiber. Several studies have
shown that flaxseed can help to lower cholesterol in the same way that other
soluble fiber foods like oat bran and fruit pectin do. A study at the
University of Toronto showed that total cholesterol levels dropped 9% and
LDL (the "bad" cholesterol) decreased 18% among a group of women who ate
milled flaxseed cooked into bread every day for a period of 4 weeks.

Flaxseed is one of the richest sources of lignans and alpha-linolenic acid.
Studies suggest that lignans may help to prevent certain cancers. Flaxseed
is one of the few plants in the plant kingdom that provide a high ratio of
alpha-linolenic acid (an omega-3 fatty acid) to linoleic (omega-6 fatty
acids), it is an excellent source of healthy polyunsaturated fat.

A new study has confirmed that the positive habit of taking flax seed daily
can help you get a trim and fit body. I interviewed Dr. Sam Bhathena, a
researcher at the Phytonutrients Laboratory of the US department of
Agriculture, he said, "we have observed that flax seed meal is much more
effective in lowering cholesterol then soy. Several other studies have shown
that in general, omega-3 fatty acids,lower lipid deposition, and help in
reducing body weight."

Omega-3 fatty acids ˜ More than half the fat contained in flaxseed is
omega-3 fatty acid type, an essential fatty acid. There have been numerous
studies reporting the health benefits of consuming omega-3 fats. Recent
studies suggest that omega-3 fatty acids which are abundant in flax seed can
help protect you from coronary artery disease, stroke, high blood pressure,
autoimmune and inflammatory disorders. Studies on the effects of flax seed
on breast cancer are now under way. Omega-3s can also help boost your
metabolism, helping your body to burn calories faster.

Flax is available as raw seed, ground seed and also as an oil which is made
by cold pressing flax seeds. You can purchase raw flax seed, ground flax
seed and flax seed oil at most health food stores. The easiest way to
incorporate flax seed into your diet is to buy ground flax seed meal and add
it to your food.

· Substitute for cooking oil or shortening in baked goods.
· Add ground flax seed to pancakes, waffles and cereals.
· Put ground flax seed on salads.

Here is a great recipe for a super health shake. Make a protein shake with 8
ounces of your favorite juice such as apple or orange, add 2 tablespoons of
flax seed oil, 2 tablespoons of soy powder, 1 tablespoon of lecithin, fresh
fruit such as bananas, papayas or blueberries. Blend with a hand blender or
an electric blender. This power shake will provide you with the health
benefits of soy; omega-3‚s, fiber, antioxidants, and enzymes from the fruit,
and the fat loss benefits of lecithin.

Want more Positive Habits?

Dan Robey is having a special promotion to launch the new version of "The
Power of Positive Habits." which has dozens and dozens of scientifically researched
positive habits that will change your life and the lives of your children.

Order by Midnight July 17th and Dan will give you over $1,750 dollars in
life changing bonus gifts at no cost to you.
All these amazing bonus products are listed on the web site below,
(there are over 40 bonuses including fantastic e-books, e-courses,
audio programs and more..check it out)

Just click on the link below:

http://girlshrink.habits.hop.clickbank.net

By Dan Robey

Determining Your Self Worth

Determining your self-worth is something that you do everyday.

Asking for a specific salary.
Asking the grocery store to stock better produce.
Requesting the waiter to bring back your entree HOT next time.

All these scenarios are examples of defining boundaries and determining self-worth.

If you feel only grateful to have gotten the interview and are afraid to ask for a competitive salary...you probably don't believe you are worthy of the job or the best salary.

If you are upset about the quality of your produce and hope for a better selection next time - what message are you sending? That it's fine for the store to sell you wilted lettuce and mushy tomatoes? Probably.

If your server brings you a cold entree and you rather not make waves by complaining - will you really feel satisfied with the meal you just ate? Don't you deserve to be pleased with a meal that you paid for?

People will only treat you, or pay you, or give you what you set your self-worth at.

If you find that you are having trouble raising the bar of your standards...you could use some self-esteem building exercises.

Once your self confidence grows it will be much easier for you to ask for what you are worth.

Self-esteem/confidence building resources:
The Self Esteem Workbook is a fantastic skills building resource.

Self Esteem For Women is a website completely dedicated to building a woman's self-esteem.

Hypnosis for Self-Confidence and Self-Esteem is like a professional hypnosis session on CD. No fluff or flowers!

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Lisa Angelettie, M.S.W., is a psychotherapist, writer, and speaker. She has been helping clients with all types of life issues since 1998. She is the Founder and Director of www.GirlShrink.com , a site that offers expert online advice, counseling and coaching for women on a variety of issues such as relationships, mental health and more. Get information about our free advice & other services by Clicking Here.

To subscribe to the self-help GirlShrink newsletter "Better Choices", please go to:The Free GirlShrink Newsletter