Daily Inspiration - January 5, 2012

"If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader." ~ John Quincy Adams 

Daily Inspiration - January 4, 2012

"There go the people. I must follow them for I am their leader." ~ Alexandre Ledru-Rollin

Daily Inspiration - January 3, 2012 - One Little Happy Thing!!!

Many times, it is the little things in life that make you the most happiest.  They happen around us everyday and throughout our day.  Today, while riding the subway train and standing at the door, I felt the urge of a three year old - to press my face against the glass - nose, lips and all.  I am sure it would have made the people waiting to get on the train either smile or be scared.  Smile at my silliness or fear that I was some crazed person that was about to unload.  Well just the thought of the act of making a silly face against the window made me smile and I felt very lighthearted before arriving for a very intense weekly meeting.  And at lunch time today, just when I though all the fries were gone, I found a pile that had spilled over in the bottom of the bag!  Yes, it is the little things that make you really appreciate just how good life really is and how fortunate we are to be able to rejoice and be happy in it. This year, I am committed to intentionally taking note and being mindful of the little things in my life that bring me great joy.

What one little thing brought a smile to your spirit today? Will you commit to recognizing at least "one little happy thing" each day in 2012?

Goal Setting with S.M.A.R.T. Goals

Creating S.M.A.R.T. Goals

Specific. Measurable.  Attainable. Realistic. Timely.

Specific: A specific goal has a much greater chance of being accomplished than a general goal. To set a specific goal you must answer the six “W” questions:

*Who:      Who is involved?

*What:     What do I want to accomplish?

*Where:    Identify a location.

*When:     Establish a time frame.

*Which:    Identify requirements and constraints.

*Why:      Specific reasons, purpose or benefits of accomplishing the goal.

EXAMPLE:  A general goal would be, “Get in shape.” But a specific goal would say, “Join a health club and workout 3 days a week.”

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Measurable - Establish concrete criteria for measuring progress toward the attainment of each goal you set.

When you measure your progress, you stay on track, reach your target dates, and experience the exhilaration of achievement that spurs you on to continued effort required to reach your goal.

To determine if your goal is measurable, ask questions such as……

How much? How many? How will I know when it is accomplished?

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Attainable – When you identify goals that are most important to you, you begin to figure out ways you can make them come true. You develop the attitudes, abilities, skills, and financial capacity to reach them. You begin seeing previously overlooked opportunities to bring yourself closer to the achievement of your goals.

You can attain most any goal you set when you plan your steps wisely and establish a time frame that allows you to carry out those steps. Goals that may have seemed far away and out of reach eventually move closer and become attainable, not because your goals shrink, but because you grow and expand to match them. When you list your goals you build your self-image. You see yourself as worthy of these goals, and develop the traits and personality that allow you to possess them.

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Realistic- To be realistic, a goal must represent an objective toward which you are both willing and able to work. A goal can be both high and realistic; you are the only one who can decide just how high your goal should be. But be sure that every goal represents substantial progress.

A high goal is frequently easier to reach than a low one because a low goal exerts low motivational force. Some of the hardest jobs you ever accomplished actually seem easy simply because they were a labor of love.

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Timely – A goal should be grounded within a time frame. With no time frame tied to it there’s no sense of urgency. If you want to lose 10 lbs, when do you want to lose it by? “Someday” won’t work. But if you anchor it within a timeframe, “by May 1st”, then you’ve set your unconscious mind into motion to begin working on the goal.
Your goal is probably realistic if you truly believe that it can be accomplished. Additional ways to know if your goal is realistic is to determine if you have accomplished anything similar in the past or ask yourself what conditions would have to exist to accomplish this goal.

T can also stand for Tangible – A goal is tangible when you can experience it with one of the senses, that is, taste, touch, smell, sight or hearing. When your goal is tangible you have a better chance of making it specific and measurable and thus attainable.

Daily Inspiration - January 2, 2012

"Yesterday is not ours to recover, but tomorrow is ours to win or lose." ~ President Lyndon B. Johnson

Daily Inspiration - January 1, 2012

"We spend January 1 walking through our lives, room by room, drawing up a list of work to be done, cracks to be patched. Maybe this year, to balance the list, we ought to walk through the rooms of our lives ... not looking for flaws, but for potential." - Ellen Goodman

Daily Inspiration - January 1, 2012

 "The thing about new beginnings is that they require something else to end." ~ Unknown