Progress Archives - Page 53 of 63

You Call That A Plan?

Posted on January 5, 2021

I’ve seen more detail on a holiday itinerary. Plane tickets have more specifics than the plan you have for 2021. You call that a plan?

If you are serious about the plan you have, you should review it today. Set aside 15 – 30 minutes today and read what you have written down for your plan. Pretend this is your child’s plan. Would it past muster with you? If this was the plan of a random stranger, would you invest in it or bet they would achieve it?

It might be a good directional idea. You could call it a good first draft even. For that, you should give yourself a pat on the back. If you’ve written anything down, you’re way ahead of most people. But you are not most people. You want to look back on 2021, 12 months from now, and be delighted with your progress and growing success.

I know you can do it. I know you want to do it. My guess might be that you are a little hesitant. You might be procrastinating. There is something holding you back already. The crazy thing is that it is you.

It’s time to get uncomfortable for a bit. Accept that you are uncertain, and don’t want rejection, or to fail. That is ok. But you owe it to yourself to make a plan worth executing. Get specific with dates, times, milestones, weekly progress, metrics, measurements, celebrations and what you will need to give up or sacrifice to fit this new challenge in.

You call that a plan? Make it solid.

Action Progress Reframe your thoughts Time

Stick With It

Posted on January 3, 2021

Failure occurs when you stop trying. As long as you press forward, you have not failed, you are on the path to success. Stick with it!

Apart from ageing, change can be difficult, uncomfortable and time consuming. However, if you truly want to achieve anything, you need to set the course and stay the course. You will need perseverance and determination. Mental fortitude will be helpful, as will resolve.

If you can push through the challenges and see past the setbacks, you increase your probability of succeeding. It can get frustrating, embarrassing and even overwhelming at times. But these moments pass. Push through to the better times.

Accept you are not perfect and that setbacks occur. Realise some things won’t be easy for you, though other things will be. Enjoy the progress while you are making it. Double down on your resolve to succeed when the future looks bleak and uncertain.

Allow yourself to be uncomfortable in some situations. It’s natural. Accept that it might take longer, or stretch you further, both mentally and physically.

You will savour your progress, success or victory more if you have to endure challenges, uncertainty and hardship. It becomes less about the outcome and more about your ability to have weathered the storms.

Despite the gathering clouds and the anguish, stick with it.

Action Progress Time

Follow Up

Posted on January 2, 2021

What is the difference between done and pending? How do you shift a ‘no, not right now’, to a ‘yes, thank you‘? Often you just need to follow up.

This action does not always guarantee you will move something forward. However, in my experience, making an extra call, visit or effort, can move things closer to a resolution.

People are often not prepared to buy, or move forward with your request, until they feel comfortable of familiar with you or the situation. In addition, some studies note that you need seven, regularly frequent touch points before they will be ready to act.

So you need to be determined and persistent. ‘No’ can often mean not now or not yet. Sometimes it will be no, not now and not ever.

Often we see flyers come through the door and we do not act on them. We toss them in the recycling bin. But one day, our garden will need some work done or a room will need repainting. Then we will act and maybe call on the company we have seen drop flyers through our doors for the past several months.

Sometimes it is good timing that someone knocks on your door when you are in need of what they are offering. But sometimes they just need to follow up. Remember to do so too.

Action Observe Progress Reframe your thoughts

Everything Has A Process

Posted on December 29, 2020

If you want to achieve anything in life, you are well advised to find out how successful people before you have done it. Everything has a process and it is your job to find out, or figure out, what it is.

Every process fits along a spectrum. Some processes can be quite ineffective while others can be exceptionally useful. Your task is to find one for what you want to achieve. Ideally you will find one that is closer to the exceptional end of the continuum.

Regardless of where you start, you will then want to look for better processes to adopt and build into your life. Continual search and personal improvement would be a good personal mission to run with.

So take a look at the processes you are using, that have become habitual, and see if you can improve upon them. If you are looking for a new job, or a promotion, see what has worked for others in your field of interest. Look at the top 10 people in your field of interest and dissect their careers backward.

What schools did they go to? Did they apprentice or intern?

For others, how did they lose weight, improve fitness or gain muscle? Look for a book that helps you achieve anything you are interested in.

Everything has a process. Find it and use it.

Action Financial Progress Time

Start Making Plans

Posted on December 26, 2020

Get a jump on the new year. There is no time like the present. You have had a couple of days of celebrations and relaxation. Now start making plans.

There may only be one good time to start anything. That time is now. Don’t lose another day, hour or minute. You probably still can’t believe how quickly the last 12 months sailed by. In the moment, it might have seemed to be dragging on due to the challenges of 2020.

However, the clock keeps ticking. Whether you are happy with it or not. Whether you are lying in bed, lazing around, working away or spending time with friends and loved ones.

Time waits for no one. And if you keep doing the same thing as previous years, you will continue to get the same results. Little changes at the edges are a good start. Though you will need to make bigger changes to see really significant shifts in your reality.

Life is very exciting. Small steps completed daily will be compounded and will, in time, bring results you may not have imagined. Press on! Get going today. Write down 20 things you want to achieve this year. Select five from that list. Focus on these ones. Put a start date and completion date next to these five items. Then get going.

Start making plans.

Progress Think About It

So Now What?

Posted on December 25, 2020

When you get through a big event, or reach a big milestone or a significant goal, there is often a big sigh of relief. Then comes a feeling of, ‘So now what?’

We often need a moment or two to relax and recharge. Not just physically, but emotionally and mentally too. That can be part of the celebration of having completed. Some people will go all quiet and others will jump up and down and be very vocal.

Regardless of how you celebrate and recharge, there will be a requirement to fix your mind on a new goal or event. Without a new focus for your days, you may start to drift. As you drift, you can lose your way. Your good habits may dwindle and poor ones may develop in their place.

So switch your focus onto the next big event. Lock it in and start taking the next steps required. Start building momentum toward your next big adventure and victory.

The time between Boxing Day and New Year’s Eve is an excellent time to reflect on your next moves. There is a lull in the universe. It allows you to gather your thoughts and prepare for the challenges ahead.

So now what?

Observe Progress Time

Plans Change

Posted on December 21, 2020

Hello 2021!! I can see you over there in the corner. Don’t be shy. It’s time to start making a name for yourself. Plans change as life goes on so you need to quickly prepare for alternatives.

It’s almost inevitable that people start thinking about next year in December. We start to think about a fresh new year with a clean slate. It will be full of promise, excitement and opportunity. New goals and objectives with ambitions to achieve anything we can dream of.

2020 wasn’t quite the year many had expected. Some people did very well and some did not. Some people had to change their plans for schooling, work, travel arrangements, family visits and all manner of things.

Interruptions occur in life as do distractions. We need to practice being nimble and flexible. Rolling with the punches is a good skill to have. Developing different talents, income, career paths and relationships can be helpful.

Many things you thought you would do in 2020 might have been postponed until 2021. Hopefully that will now work out. However, if things don’t go as you expect, you will need to make other arrangements.

With just under two weeks to go until the new year, you best get your goals and targets locked in for 2021, 2026 and 2031.

However, prepare for alternative options, because, plans change.

Gratitude Observe Progress Think About It

Who Guides You?

Posted on December 18, 2020

We have all followed someone else’s advice at one point in our lives. Sometimes it will have turned out well and other times not. Who guides you?

There are many traditional people that give advice that people have listened to over the years. Examples range from the head of your local or national government or religion. In addition, it might be the senior member of the armed forces or your royal family.

You might also have chosen to consider the words in the book of your religion, your local or national media outlet, or perhaps an influential magazine or book. There can be many people putting these printed items together. Though the key pieces will be influenced most by the author and senior editor.

Then, of course, there are friends and family, neighbours, teachers, professors, doctors, and other members of the community. Finally, there is also the voice inside your head. Sometimes this intuition or inner voice will be the most influential or powerful. Other times, we bury it, subordinate it or completely ignore it.

All of the above have their own angle, bias, desired outcome and experience in life, through which everything is filtered. Be conscious of that. In the end, it is your life. The voices you let steer your ship will have a significant impact on the joy, pain, challenges, success and gratitude in your life.

Who guides you?

Progress Time

Ready To Go!

Posted on December 12, 2020

Hopeful but misplaced optimism. Sometimes this phrase is warranted and other times it is not. Sometimes people are actually ready to go!

It is a funny phrase at times, especially if preceded by, ”just one more thing and then we’re”… Lot’s of times people will say they are ready only to find out that they aren’t really. We do a little bit of that before we head off on a camping trip. There always seems to be a dozen last minute things that need checking or that we haven’t got in the car. A lot of running in and out of the house then ensues.

However, when used as it is intended, as a rallying cry, it can be brilliant. if it is true and said with enthusiasm, it is a great way to start an adventure. It is such a positive and robust sounding phrase. I love it!

A friend and I were laughing recently at how loosely this phrase was being used with respect to a property deal. It gave the illusion that everything was done and just signing was required. However, it still had a long way to go. Many twists and turns and additional requests, challenges and issues were to come.

Thankfully, these seem to have been juggled adeptly.

Now it does seem they are actually, ready to go!

Action Progress Reframe your thoughts

You’re On Track

Posted on December 9, 2020

You are where you should be based on those things that have come before. You may prefer to be somewhere else, but you’re on track at the moment.

Everything you have done in life has lead you to this moment. Decisions you have made, and the decisions of others, have all contributed to getting you here. It’s a strange concept to consider sometimes. It can invoke different feelings about the control you have over your life and circumstances.

If you like where you are, you may feel confident and happy. If you do not, you may feel anxious, frustrated or concerned. Either way, you are where you are.

The great news is that you can change things. The quickest way to make a change is to look at things anew with fresh eyes and an open perspective. Gratitude will help quite a bit here. Right now may not be perfect but it is probably better than a Guatemalan jail cell.

You can also look five years ahead and decide that you will be at a different destination at that time. Write the story of what your life will be like then. Note down your age, your relationships, your occupation, wealth, fitness, health and lifestyle. Then decide what you will start to do differently from today to get there in time.

It’s ok. You’re on track.