The reason most people never reach their goals is that they don't define them, learn about them, or even seriously consider them as believable or achievable. Winners can tell you where they are going, what they plan to do along the way, and who will be sharing the adventure with them. - Denis Waitley
Your goals may deal with self, community or others. They may deal with self improvement and/or spirit. They may deal with job and finances. They may deal with improving relationships, communication, attitude. Whatever your goals, write them down. Look at them. What are you willing to do or not do to achieve those goals?
Put it in writing and someplace where you are regularly reminded. Don't be so rigid that you can't modify the goals or steps to achieve those goals. What do you really want? Focus on that.
Friday, January 15, 2010
Affirmations
"When reciting affirmations, feel the words in your heart as you say them and know that what you feel you'll create." - Peggy McColl, Author of Relax Your Way to Wealth
Simple magic--must have energy, focus, and intention. You have to believe it before it becomes a reality. However, if it doesn't happen, then you need to reexamine what you requested (djinn's curse, check your wording) and look for obstacles that must be cleared before you can "see" your outcome/goal manifested.
Individuals do this in many ways. However, the reason many folks don't get that for which they wish is they didn't have a clear picture (focus) or enough energy built up for it. A passing fancy is less likely to manifest than a passion.
Also, what's your intention? Did you word it in the positive? I stopped using "no worries" because, although it's a positive message, the phrase is comprised of two "negative" words." "It's all good," although in passive verb form, the message and words are positive. Instead of saying "don't forget," say "always remember." the intention, energy, and focus are different.
If you are making New Year's resolutions, check your wording and fully feel and see what you want manifesting. You can write out the steps to accomplish that goal (break it into bite size pieces) and focus on the steps while envisioning the manifested end.
Try it. Talk to others. You don't have to do this alone. You have a support system here to help you solidify those goals or help you brainstorm ways to accomplish those goals.
Simple magic--must have energy, focus, and intention. You have to believe it before it becomes a reality. However, if it doesn't happen, then you need to reexamine what you requested (djinn's curse, check your wording) and look for obstacles that must be cleared before you can "see" your outcome/goal manifested.
Individuals do this in many ways. However, the reason many folks don't get that for which they wish is they didn't have a clear picture (focus) or enough energy built up for it. A passing fancy is less likely to manifest than a passion.
Also, what's your intention? Did you word it in the positive? I stopped using "no worries" because, although it's a positive message, the phrase is comprised of two "negative" words." "It's all good," although in passive verb form, the message and words are positive. Instead of saying "don't forget," say "always remember." the intention, energy, and focus are different.
If you are making New Year's resolutions, check your wording and fully feel and see what you want manifesting. You can write out the steps to accomplish that goal (break it into bite size pieces) and focus on the steps while envisioning the manifested end.
Try it. Talk to others. You don't have to do this alone. You have a support system here to help you solidify those goals or help you brainstorm ways to accomplish those goals.
Sparking thoughts
I post quotes and musings here to see if anything sparks for others and to get feedback to see if I'm seeing things clearly/completely.
Words, unfortunately, frequently fall short of expressing what we think, feel, believe. We can be misunderstood by the words we choose because the reader may have a different infliction/ slant/ meaning to the word we choose, so we must be willing to clarify and define for better communication.
The quotes I put here are because they strike a chord of truth for me. If they help others, then fabulous. I keep a Word doc full of them. When I'm feeling at a loss, like I'm swimming in the abyss, I scroll through them or flip through various books to find something to latch on to. The words are usually something I have a strong feeling about (love or hate), and so I explore why I am having such a strong reaction to them. This is how I do tarot readings for folks as well. They choose cards toward which they have strong reactions, and we explore those.
I feel we should do the same with the words and actions of the people around us. If we have a reaction to something a friend says to us or about us, we may have to explore that to see if we find truth there and what that may be.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Creativity
Are you tired of reading dry, dull, dusty writing? It may be a flyer, email, memo, advertisement, or other piece of writing that crosses your path. Certain things catch our eye--colors, movement, sounds. Words paint pictures that sell an image, an impression. In the business world, this is frequently called "branding." It's simply creating an image.
If you want to catch someone's attention, think about your intention. What do you want to be the lasting impression? What words will create that effect?
If it helps, work up a journal of comparable words and images so you'll have a resource for later.
For instance, look around you. How many shades of blue do you see? Can you describe them al distinctly so another person will know which one you're referencing. Is it clear sky blue? Close to the shore sea blue? Brand new denim blue? Worn in faded blue jeans blue?
The words you use paint a picture in the reader's mind. Even if you're writing a memo or technical manual, be mindful of the words you choose and the image they convey because the words will influence your reader.
Next time you have to write something, take a moment. Take a deep breath. Picture what you want as the outcome. Write this down so you have a clearly defined goal in mind. Then brainstorm on words that will help convey that image.
Unexpected and familiar images will pop in the reader's mind--what image do you want to convey? What words will paint the impression. Do you want broad, sweeping strokes or precise lines? Play with the words until you create the impression you want. Try writing up the piece using different images. After you've written up a coupld different forms, read them out loud. How does the piece make you feel? Is this the impression you want to convey to the reader? Why?
Be creative. Don't be afraid to put words on paper. It's not wrong or right so long as you write. Let your imagination play. Creative, fun, thought-provoking images stick in our minds. We carry them around and review them from time to time. If you want the reader to think about you or your product, make sure the image sticks, so be creative with the images and words.
Take time to play with the words and build up your journal reference of images and words. Then the next time you have soemthing to write and you want the writing to catch the reader's attention, you'll have had some practice and some words as back up.
Keep your variations. You never know when a writing or impression will work. What you write may not work for the current target audience, but that audience may change. Keep your various drafts for later reference.
Start now keeping this journal reference. The more you practice, the easier this process will be for you . . . and this process will take less time with each successive attempt.
Regardless of what you're writing, why, or for whom, the better the picture you draw, the more likely the reader will listen to your point of view. Now you've got their attention.
If you want to catch someone's attention, think about your intention. What do you want to be the lasting impression? What words will create that effect?
If it helps, work up a journal of comparable words and images so you'll have a resource for later.
For instance, look around you. How many shades of blue do you see? Can you describe them al distinctly so another person will know which one you're referencing. Is it clear sky blue? Close to the shore sea blue? Brand new denim blue? Worn in faded blue jeans blue?
The words you use paint a picture in the reader's mind. Even if you're writing a memo or technical manual, be mindful of the words you choose and the image they convey because the words will influence your reader.
Next time you have to write something, take a moment. Take a deep breath. Picture what you want as the outcome. Write this down so you have a clearly defined goal in mind. Then brainstorm on words that will help convey that image.
Unexpected and familiar images will pop in the reader's mind--what image do you want to convey? What words will paint the impression. Do you want broad, sweeping strokes or precise lines? Play with the words until you create the impression you want. Try writing up the piece using different images. After you've written up a coupld different forms, read them out loud. How does the piece make you feel? Is this the impression you want to convey to the reader? Why?
Be creative. Don't be afraid to put words on paper. It's not wrong or right so long as you write. Let your imagination play. Creative, fun, thought-provoking images stick in our minds. We carry them around and review them from time to time. If you want the reader to think about you or your product, make sure the image sticks, so be creative with the images and words.
Take time to play with the words and build up your journal reference of images and words. Then the next time you have soemthing to write and you want the writing to catch the reader's attention, you'll have had some practice and some words as back up.
Keep your variations. You never know when a writing or impression will work. What you write may not work for the current target audience, but that audience may change. Keep your various drafts for later reference.
Start now keeping this journal reference. The more you practice, the easier this process will be for you . . . and this process will take less time with each successive attempt.
Regardless of what you're writing, why, or for whom, the better the picture you draw, the more likely the reader will listen to your point of view. Now you've got their attention.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Organizing tasks
I’ve been reading some interesting information on people wasting time at work. Since I also teach writing classes, I'm frequently reminding students to follow the process: brainstorm, rough outline, rough draft, and then revision. Too many people jump to the end trying to have a completed paper/project without any preparation, which wastes a lot of time in the revision phase that would have been eradicated if they took a few minutes to work up a rough outline organizing ideas.
Brian Tracy writes about how to prioritize tasks in several of his business books. Taking a few minutes to list out tasks and prioritize them, especially putting the biggest or most difficult task first, allows an individual to be the most productive with one's time and energy. Minor tasks can be picked up any time during the day or put off until later, but difficult task need to be approached and finished first. I find a list of tasks makes frequent interruptions while I’m working (phone calls, kids, clients, whatever) less of an annoyance since I can go to the list and pick up the next task.
What should you do? Write a list of tasks to do for the day, week, and month. Prioritize them; find the biggest, ugliest, most time-consuming one and put it first. Is it necessary? Do it first. Break it into manageable pieces. How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. Do the same with your list of tasks. Give a deadline for each task. Are any time sensitive? Note that. Put it on your calendar. Better yet, back up a few days and put the task there, too, so you have “wiggle” room to complete the task.
Why list out and prioritize tasks? More work completed earlier and faster. This leads to less frustration and less stress. That means more time for you and better mental and physical health.
Take a few minutes every day to create your list. Later during the day, check where you are in your list. Re-prioritize if necessary. You’ll find you’re getting more work done faster.
Then you can really breathe easy.
Brian Tracy writes about how to prioritize tasks in several of his business books. Taking a few minutes to list out tasks and prioritize them, especially putting the biggest or most difficult task first, allows an individual to be the most productive with one's time and energy. Minor tasks can be picked up any time during the day or put off until later, but difficult task need to be approached and finished first. I find a list of tasks makes frequent interruptions while I’m working (phone calls, kids, clients, whatever) less of an annoyance since I can go to the list and pick up the next task.
What should you do? Write a list of tasks to do for the day, week, and month. Prioritize them; find the biggest, ugliest, most time-consuming one and put it first. Is it necessary? Do it first. Break it into manageable pieces. How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. Do the same with your list of tasks. Give a deadline for each task. Are any time sensitive? Note that. Put it on your calendar. Better yet, back up a few days and put the task there, too, so you have “wiggle” room to complete the task.
Why list out and prioritize tasks? More work completed earlier and faster. This leads to less frustration and less stress. That means more time for you and better mental and physical health.
Take a few minutes every day to create your list. Later during the day, check where you are in your list. Re-prioritize if necessary. You’ll find you’re getting more work done faster.
Then you can really breathe easy.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Ghostwriting for CEOs
Ghostwriting someone's blog seems to be stirring up some interesting discussions. I have a question for you. How is having a ghostwriter for a blog any different than a secretary cleaning up a boss's letters, emails, or other communications? As long as there have been businesses, secretaries have been fixing errors in letters and other communications. Some bosses would simple tell the secretary to pen a letter to a particular individual and leave the specific wording to his/her discretion; meanwhile, the boss would simply read the letter before signing and make any revisions at that time. Isn't ghostwriting a CEO's blog similar? If the CEO talks to the ghostwriter about potential topics, the ghostwriter has some direction and focus for the postings, making sure to run the copies by the CEO for any necessary revision and the final copy for approval. Smart, effective CEOs hire smart, effective administrative assistants, so why not hire a creative, well-spoken ghostwriter?
Monday, March 31, 2008
How to grow success
Unfortunately we live in the fast-fix world . . . fast food, overnight delivery, etc. We want “it” now. Our society has become one of instant gratification, which means we have become increasingly impatient. Email gets us updates now instead of waiting for a response in a letter.
How does that translate to personal and business growth? We read a book and hope that through osmosis we will learn and assimilate the information. We need to keep a journal/diary with a list of goals and steps to achieve those goals. If we see the information written down as a checklist, we’re more likely to follow through and achieve those goals. Otherwise, time gets away from us.
At least with the First Friday Book Synopsis (http://www.karlkrayer.com/), folks get a monthly reminder to do better now. For personal growth, it would be better if folks walked out of the FFBS meeting with a list of action items–things to do at work or in their personal life based on the information presented that morning. Then folks could effectively use the material rather than think “one day, maybe, I should.”
We can't grow a garden overnight. We must first plant seeds, nurture and weed, and then reap the fruits of our labor. This takes time and focused intentions.
How does that translate to personal and business growth? We read a book and hope that through osmosis we will learn and assimilate the information. We need to keep a journal/diary with a list of goals and steps to achieve those goals. If we see the information written down as a checklist, we’re more likely to follow through and achieve those goals. Otherwise, time gets away from us.
At least with the First Friday Book Synopsis (http://www.karlkrayer.com/), folks get a monthly reminder to do better now. For personal growth, it would be better if folks walked out of the FFBS meeting with a list of action items–things to do at work or in their personal life based on the information presented that morning. Then folks could effectively use the material rather than think “one day, maybe, I should.”
We can't grow a garden overnight. We must first plant seeds, nurture and weed, and then reap the fruits of our labor. This takes time and focused intentions.
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