Posts Tagged ‘goals’

Determine your value and goals
“Life’s ups and downs provide windows of opportunity to determine your values and goals – Think of using all obstacles as stepping stones to build the life you want” – Marsha Sinetar


We all experience good and bad circumstances in our lives.

However, few people take the time to examine these experiences and really learn about themselves.

How about you?

CJ

PS – Need some help clarifying what’s really important in your life?   Check out this workshop.

Capacity

I’d like to fashion myself as an expert in human productivity. By that I mean, I think I am beginning to get my arms around what it takes to get the most out of my clients, my prospects and most importantly – myself.

As with the engine in a car or the hard drive on a computer, every person has certain amount of capacity.  We can only work so many hours, schedule so many meetings and respond to so many emails.

Despite this truth, most people think that the key to their success is pushing beyond their capacity. We tell ourselves that the more we work, the more we will achieve, and thus the greater happiness we will experience.

But, deep down we know that it really doesn’t work like that.

Think about it.

Do you remember the first year you hit the BIG number in sales and income?  Up to that point, you’d convinced yourself that as soon as you make “X” you will be happy.

How’s that number look to you today?  What’s your new target?

Does the number really matter?

Maybe reaching and even pushing past your maximum capacity shouldn’t be the end goal.

What if instead you focused your time on a worthy objective that filled you with joy and purpose?

The Tactics Don’t Matter

I am a tactical machine.  I love spreadsheets, project plans and making sure that everyone knows exactly what their supposed to do.  No project ever gets complete unless someone takes care of the tactics.

However, I have had a revelation in 2011.

The tactics don’t matter.

Let me clarify.

The most important component in all personal and professional achievement is that you begin with a goal or vision.  In addition, you need to have a powerful emotional connection to this goal.

For example, imagine that you are 40 years old with two young children.  At your annual physical, your doctor tells you that you need to lose 50lbs or you are at high risk of having a heart attack in the next 12 months.  The thought of missing your family creates an emotional connection to the goal of losing 50 lbs. As a result, you do whatever it takes to hit your target.  You don’t need the latest fad diet or fancy workout machine – you figure it out.

Conversely, imagine that instead a having a heart attack, your doctor tells you that you could stand to lose a few pounds. You have a moderate desire to look better at the swimming pool this summer so you go and purchase “Buns of Steel” at the bookstore and ask your wife to add more vegetables to the  weekly shopping list. Unfortunately, you never get past the first chapter and convince yourself that onion rings count as a vegetable.  You can always wear a shirt at the pool.

The tactics just don’t matter if you don’t really care about achieving the goal.

What really matters to you?  If you’re not sure – click here.

The power of goals
“If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up people together to collect wood and don’t assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea”

– Antoine de Saint-Exupery


Most people are obsessed with tactics and spend all of their time asking – How are we going to set up the room?  Who’s going to follow up?  What’s the best method to track our progress?

I believe that tactics are important.

However, if your goal is powerful enough the tactics will take care of themselves.  If your goal is weak, the tactics will seem overwhelming.

CJ

PS – Check out this link if you’re having trouble finding a powerful goal.

Life’s Tough
“Life’s ups and downs provide windows of opportunity to determine your values and goals – Think of using all obstacles as stepping stones to build the life you want” – Marsha Sinetar


I want life to be easy.  I never wake up first thing in the morning and think – “I really hope that today is filled with frustration and difficulties”.

You want life to be easy too.

Thank goodness for both of us life is tough, because tough times bring life’s most valuable lessons.

CJ

PS – Click here if you can’t name the most important goal you are striving to achieve by December 31, 2011.

Setting Goals & Completing Them
“The more intensely we feel about an idea or a goal, the more assuredly the idea, buried deep in our subconscious, will direct us along the path to its fulfillment.” - Earl Nightingdale


This famous quote illustrates an eternal truth - you will achieve whatever you focus on most of the time.

I have spent the last 8 years teaching individuals how to focus on their goals and have witnessed some amazing breakthroughs.

However, for every breakthrough, someone tells me that they lost focus after hearing me speak.  Frustrated, this led me to ask:

“Is there a way to help someone set breakthrough goals and stay focused through to their completion?”

8 years, hundreds of clients and dozens of workshops later I am excited to announce that the answer is YES!

Click here to learn more about a life changing experience that takes place on December 8th.

Also, interested in sponsoring this event – click here.

What’s Next…
“You won’t realize the distance you’ve walked until you take a look around and realize how far you’ve been.” – Anonymous


I have built a business helping executives focus their efforts on achieving a set of clear and powerful goals.

However, on a regular basis, I ask my clients to reflect on the past.

The last thing you want to do is to spend your entire life out achieving everyone else

and then realize you never enjoyed your experiences because of your constant focus on “what’s next”.

CJ McClanahan is the Founder of reachmore, which teaches small business owners how to build a business that runs without them.  For more resources on business leadership, please visit reachmore’s seminars.


Move the Needle

If your sales are down 15% you want an immediate increase in revenue of at least 15%.

If your 30 lbs overweight you want a pill or 10 minute exercise that eliminates at least 30 lbs.

If you have $25,000 in debt you want to win the lottery and eliminate the whole chunk with 1 payment.

Do you see where this is going?

The challenge with this very common pattern of thinking is that it always leads to failure. Always.

You ever hear a basketball coach whose is down by double digits tell his team to shoot a 10 point shot?  Of course not – it’s always 1 bucket at a time.

That’s the same with you.  What’s one thing you can do today to move the needle and make a little progress towards your goal?

CJ McClanahan is the Founder of reachmore, which teaches small business owners how to build a business that runs without them.  For more resources on business leadership, please visit reachmore’s seminars

Problems vs. Solutions

Last night at dinner, I placed a bunch of broccoli on my daughter’s plate.  Her immediate response, was the same as always – “That’s too much, I could never eat all that broccoli!”

I countered with my classic – “I have a lot of faith in you Corinne, you can do anything you chose.”

I’m OK with my daughter seeing a plate full of broccoli and seeing a problem with no possible solution – she’s 4 years old.  However, at some point ( I think I’ll wait until her 5th birthday) I want her to change the way she thinks and recognize that she is responsible for finding a solution to life’s challenges.

Unfortunately, most people still approach problems like my 4 year old. They see every difficulty as an insurmountable challenge and instead of looking for the solution they spend all of the energy putting together a list of excuses why they won’t be successful.

The simple truth is that there are two types of people in this world – those that find problems and those that find solutions.

Guess which one makes more money and has more success?

Which one are you?

CJ McClanahan is the Founder of reachmore, which teaches small business owners how to build a business that runs without them.  For more resources on business leadership, please visit reachmore’s seminars

Happiness, Contentment

“Be Content with what you have; rejoice in the way things are.
When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to
you.” – Lao Tzu

From 8 in the morning until 5 at at night, Monday through Friday, I coach professionals on how to reach their goals and achieve more in their lives.

About 4 years ago, I came across this quote and recognized that I needed to balance this push for achievement with an appreciation for present.

This balance is difficult because the world has convinced us that the only path to happiness is through achievement and acquisition.

This week, practice being grateful for all you have been given.

CJ McClanahan is the Founder of reachmore, which teaches small business owners how to build a business that runs without them. For more resources on business leadership, please visit reachmore’s seminars