Terri's Tuesday Tip of the Week - March 28th

Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there. - Will Rogers

You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream. - Les Brown

Arise! Awake! and stop not until the goal is reached. - Swami Vivekananda

WE HAVE MADE IT THROUGH THE FIRST QUARTER OF 2017…WOOOHOOOO!!!!  

How are your dreams and goals progressing?

As I daily speak my goals aloud (see blog post from January 3, 2017), I have the opportunity to ponder how I am progressing.  One morning as I was reviewing, I said, “Wow, I definitely did not create a S.M.A.R.T. goal for that idea!”  Looking back, I remember that I was not sure how I was going to learn about this specific topic in 2017 so I simply stated I wanted to do it.  Now I do not recommend this goal setting method because you will not know when you have TRULY accomplished the goal.  However, I was talking to someone the other day and explaining the topic and I can see I have learned about the subject this year.  Going forward in 2017 and the coming years, I will take this experience and will create a S.M.A.R.T. goal to help me focus my attention in the right direction on this topic.

Taking time to reflect on your goals is important because it gives you the opportunity to see how you are advancing and provides guidance on areas you need to refocus your life to help you accomplish your lifelong dreams and goals. 

While doing my quarterly goal review, I actually created a new goal within a goal for myself.  By March 31^st, I will be very close to reaching my reading goal for the year.  (Cold, snowy weekends in D.C. have provided me time to sit on the couch under a warm blanket and read!)  As I reviewed the books I have read, I saw that I do read for enjoyment and improvement, but I decided I need to start reading more history and learning about how the country was established.  I am living in an area rich in history and I need to experience many of these locations.  Based on my job and geographical location, I decided to start reading five (5) books a year about our Presidents.  As I have been reading my first presidential book about George Washington, I have learned so much about him and it is helping me understand the development of our country and our history so much better!

Challenge: Take time to write down your goal progression so far in 2017.  Then think about:

·          

1. What areas do I need to focus on for the second quarter to help me accomplish my 2017 goals?
2. Are there any changes to my goals that I need to make such as remove a goal because it does not help me focus on the direction 2017 is taking me?
3. As the first quarter is accomplished, are there any new goals I should think about adding to my list to help me accomplish my dreams?
4. What habits do I need to continue or remove from my life to help me accomplish my 2017 goals and my lifelong dreams?

Remember that goals are for your benefit to help you ultimately accomplish your dreams.  You can tweak them as your year evolves and new opportunities arise. 

To succeed in your mission, you must have single-minded devotion to your goal. - A. P. J. Abdul Kalam

A dream becomes a goal when action is taken toward its achievement. - Bo Bennett

Terri's Tuesday Tip of the Week - March 21st

You will never reach your destination if you stop and throw stones at every dog that barks. – Winston Churchill

Focus is more important than intelligence. – Picturequotes.com

Always remember, your focus determines your reality. – George Lucas

When you stop chasing the wrong things you give the right things a chance to catch you. – Lolly Daskal

At the end of January, I was asked to take on a leadership position for a club I participate in.  My decision was not easy.  The person that asked me to take on the leadership role is a friend, but I did not believe the position was the “best fit” to help develop me to accomplish my dreams and goals.  On a cold, rainy day when I had laryngitis, I called my mom and she listened very carefully as I explained the opportunity and then I explained my reasoning for my decision.  After listening to my raspy voice, she agreed that this was not the best opportunity for me at the time.  

A couple weeks after making that decision, I attended an event through my church where I heard business professionals speak.  As my normal SOP (standard operating procedure), I wrote thank you notes to the speakers and emailed the organizer for their names.  Through that communication, other communications occurred and I was asked to assist with this group.  This opportunity provides me more leadership, public speaking and writing opportunities, which will help me accomplish my 2017 goals and long-term dreams.  However, I did not immediately accept this opportunity.  Just as I did with the other leadership opportunity, I took time to review the situation and mentally processed through the pros and cons.  Again, I called my mom, we discussed and she agreed that it was a good opportunity for many reasons.  

You may ask “Why did you discuss these decisions with your mom?”  As I have said in previous blog posts, it is important to have someone that knows your dreams and goals and can challenge you to help you think through decisions.  My mom is that person for me at this time. 

People think focus means saying yes to the thing you've got to focus on.  But that's not what it means at all.  It means saying no to the hundred other good ideas that there are. You have to pick carefully.  I'm actually as proud of the things we haven't done as the things I have done.  Innovation is saying ‘no’ to 1,000 things. – Steve Jobs

CHALLENGE:   Next week’s blog post will focus on the progress of our 2017 goals.  As you start reviewing your goals that are posted prominently so you can review them daily, think about your progress.  How is your focus?  Are you “in focus” to accomplish your goals this year or are you “out of focus” (referencing blog post from March 14^th)?  If you are “out of focus”, what do you need to help get back “in focus”?

My mind is clear. I’m focused. – Dennys Reyes

The successful warrior is the average man, with laser-like focus. – Bruce Lee

Resources

http://lifehacker.com/deciding-what-not-to-do-is-as-important-as-deciding-wh-1792723773

http://lifehacker.com/steve-jobs-best-productivity-tricks-1632476352

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20140707144749-8353952-the-one-word-answer-to-why-bill-gates-and-warren-buffett-have-been-so-successful

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/james-clear/warren-buffetts-two-list-strategy-how-to-maximize-your-focus-_b_6041584.html

Terri's Tuesday Tip of the Week - March 14th

The key to success is to focus our conscious mind on things we desire not things we fear. - Brian Tracy

I just trust in God, work hard, and focus on executing. - Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce

My greatest asset now is my focus. - Josh McDowell

As we are nearing the completion of the first quarter of 2017, how’s your focus?

According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, focus is:

a: a center of activity, attraction, or attention, b :  a point of concentration. 

Our dreams and goals are what we should be focusing on.  However, it is very easy to get distracted by people asking us to take on new responsibilities or new opportunities may come along that may look like they would be beneficial to help us accomplish our dreams and goals.  

 Zdravko Cvijetic (also known as Z) states in The Ultimate Productivity Cheat Sheet:

Goals work like a lens of a camera. If you set the lens and focus correctly, you will be able to take a clear picture. If it is out of focus, your picture will be blurry.

                           

                   

To accomplish our dreams and goals, staying focused is an absolute necessity.  Early this year, I had situations arise where I had to decide if the request asked of me would keep me “in focus” or if taking on the new responsibility would take me “out of focus”.  

Deciding what not to do is as important as deciding what to do. – Steve Jobs

Next week, I will describe different situations I encountered and how I handled them.    

CHALLENGE: Are you “in focus” to accomplish your dreams and goals?  Below are a few resources to read to see how successful people including Warren Buffet and Steve Jobs maintain their focus.

Resources

https://gallery.mailchimp.com/14627f6e729514ac5a1036939/files/98ff767e-45ee-46e9-8603-a63f63b52da6/The_Ultimate_Cheat_Sheet_Revised_Edition_.02.pdf?mc_cid=3f3e8856cc&mc_eid=3a5bd40225

http://lifehacker.com/deciding-what-not-to-do-is-as-important-as-deciding-wh-1792723773

http://lifehacker.com/steve-jobs-best-productivity-tricks-1632476352

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20140707144749-8353952-the-one-word-answer-to-why-bill-gates-and-warren-buffett-have-been-so-successful

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/james-clear/warren-buffetts-two-list-strategy-how-to-maximize-your-focus-_b_6041584.html