Weight Loss = Professional Success?

Christi Hegstad November 5th, 2012

What does weight loss have to do with professional success?

During my recent free Go Big Or Go Home teleseminar, I described what I call a “keystone goal” – one goal that, if reached, would positively impact many other areas of your life as well.

One of this year’s ASPIRE Success Club members, Dianna, decided her keystone goal was to reach her ideal weight of 135 pounds. While this wasn’t a direct business or career growth goal, she knew that achieving this would impact those areas, too. She declared this as her ASPIRE Bold Goal and we supported her throughout the year

Last week, Dianna gleefully posted her goal success on our private ASPIRE discussion forum (see photo)! And as predicted, it’s not just the weight that’s got her (and the rest of the ASPIRE Success Club) doing her happy dance! “By achieving this Bold Goal I feel better, I have more energy, and it’s given me more confidence to boot!” she shares. She’s seeing the effects in her work, her activity, and even in a big remodeling project.

To uncover YOUR keystone goal, start by brainstorming a big list of things you’d like to see happen in 2013. Throw all your ideas onto a blank sheet of paper – no censoring or withholding or trying to figure out the “how” just yet.

Then, step away for a while. Go for a walk, take a nap, complete a project, pet the cat. Come back to your list with fresh eyes and ask yourself which one of your items would most significantly and positively impact your life. You’ve likely just found a keystone goal – and selected one of your Bold Goals for the coming year as well!

Making The Most Of Your Memberships

Christi Hegstad November 1st, 2012

Every year around this time, as I’m planning my goals and Success Calendar for the coming year, I take a good look at the associations, groups, and organizations in which I’m involved. (If you don’t currently do this, you may wish to start – you’ll likely find it easier to review them as a whole rather than individually as each renewal comes due.) As with your goals and calendar, you want to be intentional with the groups to which you dedicate time, money, and energy as well.

With your list of memberships handy, assess each organization by asking yourself the following four questions:

What am I gaining from this group? You should experience an identifiable benefit, whether it’s new clients, peer support, personal or professional development, or a stellar annual conference that reinvigorates you each year.
How am I contributing? You want to be more than simply a name on a roster. Do you attend meetings? Actively participate in events? Hold a leadership position that matches your strengths with the organization’s needs? The old adage holds: You’ll get out of it what you put into it.
Is this membership worth renewing? As one ASPIRE member recently told me, “I leave each ASPIRE meeting feeling energized and educated – the two things I most need each month!” With your goals for the next year handy, determine how/if each group will support you in reaching those goals. If “yes,” then…
How can I enhance my membership experience in the next year? In addition to your own brainstorming, look to your responses to #2 above for further ideas.

Keeping those goals handy, also consider what other groups – ones in which you’re not currently involved – might help you reach them. While you don’t want to spread yourself too thin, growing your business or career really does require involvement with energizing peers, high-quality resources, and continuing growth opportunities. Choose wisely and with intention, and you will reap the benefits for the entire year!

The 3% Mastermind – Q&A

Christi Hegstad October 29th, 2012

Last week we opened up registration for The 3% Mastermind Group, an exciting program designed to catapult women business owners into a new realm of success in 2013. Many of you have downloaded the Enrollment Packet and as the applications have started coming in, so have some terrific questions about the program, such as:

I’ve had coaching but have never participated in anything like this before. What’s the difference? Coaching is a big component of The 3% Mastermind Group and will help hold you accountable, keep you on track, and provide you with the resources and tools to ensure you’re moving forward – probably similar to coaching you’ve had in the past. One of the significant differences with this group comes with the group masterminding: you gain the benefit of several smart, successful, high-achieving women brainstorming solutions for your specific business issues, which leads to exceptionally rich outcomes. The power of this masterminding is phenomenal – something I couldn’t quite imagine until I experienced it myself!

I don’t really know what my goals are for next year but I do know I want them to be BIG. I’m tired of feeling like I can grow but not knowing how. Will The 3% Mastermind still work for me? Absolutely. In our Strategic Kickstart Session, which takes place before we even meet as a group, the two of us will work together to establish your Bold Goals in three specific areas. Most of my clients find that setting goals – big, bold ones – is quite easy and energizing when using my system. The main criteria is exactly what you’ve shared, though: the desire to GO BIG. The 3% Mastermind requires that mindset!

This is a big investment. How will I know it’s worth it? You’re absolutely right, this is a significant investment, and as you surely know, your success depends on YOU: we’ve got the structure, program, and resources to support exponential growth, but you are still the key factor! Here’s one basic way to consider the investment: take out a piece of paper and write down your projected revenue for 2012. Now, write down your ideal revenue for 2013. If the difference between the two amounts exceeds the investment in The 3% Mastermind Group, you can feel pretty confident that this is a worthwhile investment – one that will provide you with extraordinary returns.

Why is the program a full year? The length of the program is very intentionally set, and for a number of reasons: 1) We start with setting your Bold Goals, which by their very nature will likely require a year to fully attain. We want to make sure you have the support and guidance to see them through to their completion. One of the greatest frustrations I hear from potential clients is, “I start off great but lose steam.” The structure of this program ensures that you’ll continue re-energizing and moving forward to success! 2) We’ll be delving deep in many ways, addressing a variety of topics, and it’s going to take the year to truly experience this comprehensive program. 3) The relationships you develop will grow with each meeting, and I can almost guarantee you’ll be establishing professional connection – and friendship – that will last a lifetime.

Still wondering if The 3% Mastermind Group is right for you? If you haven’t already, download the Enrollment Packet and read through it. Pay special attention to my personal letter at the end of the packet that explains how I make decisions like this. Also, trust your energy. If you keep thinking about The 3% Mastermind, that’s a good sign that this would be a powerful group for you. For me, if I’m excited by a possibility and really believe it can help me grow, and I trust the leader, even if I’m scared I’ll know it’s what I need to do. See Friday’s blog post, Let Go Of The Ledge, for a few more tips. 🙂

We’re more than happy to answer your questions and help you make a decision that’s right for you, too. Just contact my office and we’ll be glad to help!

My hope – whether or not you decide to enroll in The 3% Mastermind Group, the ASPIRE Success Club, or any other MAP Inc. offerings – is that you set aside time to dream big, establish Bold Goals, and make 2013 your growth year. It’s time to GO BIG!

Letting Go Of The Ledge

Christi Hegstad October 26th, 2012

In a recent conversation with my coach, I shared a big idea I have for my company – an idea I’ve held for quite some time. “What’s holding you back?” she asked.

I mentally ran through my list of excuses before finally answering, “Fear. What if it doesn’t work?”

“Christi,” she said, “you can’t get to 2nd base with one foot still on 1st.”

It’s true. No matter how hard you try, you can’t move on to the 2nd base of your dreams while remaining firmly “safe” on 1st base. And you definitely can’t score a run unless you get out of your comfort zone and GO FOR IT.

In her book Secrets of Six-Figure Women, Barbara Stanny calls this “Letting Go of the Ledge.” I spoke with Barbara yesterday and she elaborated, saying that fear can actually be exciting – and greeted as such – because it means growth is just around the corner. “Get the support you need,” she advised our ASPIRE group, “then let go of that ledge. Something better is waiting, and you need to let go of what’s comfortable in order for those doors to open up to you.”

Here are 3 ideas to help you let go of your ledge – maybe even without kicking and screaming 😉 – in order to experience your next great change:

Be real. Really. What, honestly, do you need to let go of? A limiting belief, an unfulfilling obligation, a less than stellar attitude, clutter? For many, we need to let go of our story – “I can’t,” “I’ve never done that,” “I’m too old and set in my ways.” Start by letting go of those barriers.
Trust yourself. You’ve come this far in life with a track record of success. Focus on those successes while you strategize moving forward. You have greater power than you realize, and the fact is you’ve handled everything – every single thing – that’s come your way.
Decide and move forward. Once you’ve made your decision, take action immediately. Trust that you’ve made the right choice – don’t waffle over it indefinitely. Buyer’s remorse can be worse than difficulty making a decision in the first place! See #2 for help with this tip.

What ledge do you need to let go of in order to grow into who you’re meant to be?

And what are you waiting for?

Expand Your Possibilities

Christi Hegstad October 24th, 2012

This afternoon, I’ll be hosting my final no-cost teleseminar of 2012, Go Big Or Go Home: Secrets To Growth With Bold Goals! The number of people registered for this call truly affirms for me the importance of this topic! When we fully engage, set our sights high, and GO BIG, our world expands – and along with it our sense of possibility. (By the way, if you haven’t registered for the free call yet, do so quickly – just click here.)

Many obstacles can get in the way of our goals, and I’ll share five biggies in today’s call. One of them is the fact that we limit ourselves. We start thinking about goals and ideas and things we’d love to do or be or experience, but then – before we even get the idea onto the list – we halt. “But how could this ever happen?” or “What is the likelihood of this?” swirls in our minds, and instead of generating our big Bold Goals, we limit ourselves to what we think we can do, or what we already know how to do, in order to play it safe.

At the end of today’s call, one of your assignments will be to brainstorm a list of goals and ideas you’d love to bring to life in 2013. Here’s a phrase I want you to keep in mind as you do this, one that I heard years ago and that really “set me free” when it comes to dreams and goals: The HOW is none of your business.

It’s true! At this stage – at the wild, flourishing brainstorm of ideas – the HOW does not matter at all. All that matters is the WHAT. The how – as well as the purpose, the action steps, and the other details – can come later, once you’ve defined where you want to start. But let that be your mantra as you generate your ideas: The HOW is none of your business.

Michelangelo said, “The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short, but in setting our aim too low and achieving our mark.” I couldn’t agree more. Commit today to start living a bold, engaged, rich life – one in which your sense of possibility expands right from the idea stage. I can almost guarantee your joy, success, and fulfillment will expand commensurately!

Clarity Kickstart: What’s Causing Your Procrastination?

Christi Hegstad October 22nd, 2012

“What looks like resistance is often a lack of clarity.”

~ Chip & Dan Heath

Coaching Tip for the Week:

What’s the missing link in your actions?

It’s so easy to become frustrated with ourselves when we don’t do what we intend to do.

This tension, also known as cognitive dissonance, can really play a number on our self-confidence, too. In many cases, however, it’s not a character flaw; we’re simply not crystal clear about what we’re supposed to do, which causes us to procrastinate.

This week, take one of your to-do’s that has been lingering for a while. Fine-tune it so you know exactly what you need to do, down to the penny, ounce, time, or whatever measurement makes sense. Also briefly answer the question, “What’s my reason for doing this?” to connect the action to your larger purpose. Chances are your lingering to-do will have a check mark by it sooner rather than later!

(If you don’t already, join the thousands who receive a Clarity Kickstart in their in-box, for free, every Monday morning! Simply click here to sign up.)

Takeaways From SWITCH by Dan & Chip Heath

Christi Hegstad October 19th, 2012

While flying to Kentucky a few years ago, the gentleman next to me took note of the book in my lap and, much to my delight, said he was a big reader, too. (Isn’t it wonderful when you meet someone who shares your passions?!) 🙂 He spoke so highly of the book Made To Stick by Chip & Dan Heath that I purchased it the following week – and immediately became one of the Heaths’ many fans.

Their latest release, Switch: How To Change When Change Is Hard, brings together their thorough research along with their light-hearted attitude to help us make the changes we need to make to enhance our work and lives. Using an analogy from Dr. Jonathan Haidt, they refer throughout the book as our emotional side being the Elephant and our rational side, the Rider. “Anytime the six-ton elephant and the Rider disagree about which direction to go, the Rider is going to lose,” they write. “He is completely overmatched.”

The same goes for change. Let’s say you, as the rational Rider, want start arriving to the office at 7:30a.m. When the alarm goes off early the next morning, however, your Elephant (emotional side) automatically hits the snooze button and makes some justification such as, “I’ll work late instead” or “I’ll get there early tomorrow.” That powerful Elephant will beat the Rider every time – unless we learn how to clear the path, steer the Elephant, and make the switch.

A few takeaways:

Remove ambiguity. Get crystal-clear about the change you want to make. I’d also add to connect with the purpose behind your change. Arriving to the office at 7:30 so you’ll be home in time to bond with your family over dinner each evening will connect your change to your bigger purpose. “What looks like resistance is often a lack of clarity,” Chip & Dan conclude.

Break down the task, or “shrink the change” in the Heaths’ words. Identify all the little steps that will lead to your overall change, then…

Start small. This is tough for us all-or-nothing personality types. 🙂 Rather than thinking we need to make a huge overhaul – which typically leads to procrastination or overwhelm – we usually need to just take small steps. “Big problems are rarely solved with commensurately big solutions,” Switch asserts, “but rather a sequence of small solutions, sometimes over months, sometimes over decades.”

Interestingly, the same strategies for creating change apply to setting goals. (If you haven’t yet registered for my free teleseminar taking place next week, by the way, click here to do so!)

So, what change do you need to make in order to elevate your success? Whether it’s arriving to the office early, growing your business, investing more time with your family, or sustaining an exercise routine, you’ll reap greater benefits by removing any ambiguity (and connecting to the purpose), breaking down the task, and starting small. With each step, you’ll find you can change – even when change is hard.

Investing In Yourself

Christi Hegstad October 16th, 2012

Last week, I wrote a check for my next professional development opportunity. Not just any check, but a makes-me-gasp, “Can I *really* do this?” kind of check. Have you had that experience recently? It’s scary – and transformational.

When you invest in yourself – whether through money, time, or energy – you’re actually doing many things at once: you’re boosting your confidence, “upping” your game, and laying the foundation for a stronger, brighter future. You experience this type of investment when you purchase a book or product that will help you serve your clients, hire a professional to help you reach a goal, or block a Thursday afternoon to take a long walk and visit an art museum. With these investments, you’ll reap the benefits long after the check has been cashed or the request for time off forgotten.

Compare this to ways we “spend” our precious resources: perhaps on frivolous purchases that we soon regret, or channel-surfing while our unfinished novel sits on the desk, or constantly running around with our to-do list until we feel depleted. We leave the experience feeling unfulfilled, with the added whammy that – at least in the case of time and energy – we can’t earn that back.

Two ways you can choose wisely:

Pause before you purchase. While spontaneity has its benefits, and overanalyzing has its drawbacks, we can often find the happy medium in just taking a deep breath before tossing an item in our cart or saying “yes” to a request for time. Give yourself a time-out – even just a few moments – to check in with your gut and make a conscious decision.
Welcome the “gasp” factor. I used to fear this and misinterpret it to mean, “It’s too much.” What I’ve come to learn, though, is every single time I’ve invested more than what seemed “realistic,” it’s caused me to stretch myself in exponential ways. I’ve always earned back those hefty investments in terms of revenue, time, service, or sense of fulfillment. Every single time.

When it comes to investing in your development, do your homework and then ask yourself: What is the purpose behind this investment? What is my ideal outcome? How will my business, my family, my clients or my community benefit? Always pause for a moment to check in with yourself and determine if it’s an investment or an expense.

Then, in the words of L’Oreal, remember: You’re Worth It. If you decide it’s an investment and one that’s going to push you to your next level of success, embrace the gasp. You’ll start to see transformations before you even receive the product or start the program!

Why 3%?

Christi Hegstad October 9th, 2012

Perhaps you’ve noticed the title of this blog is The 3% Difference; in just a couple of weeks, I’ll open a new program for 2013 that also has the 3% notation in its title. So, what’s the deal with 3%?

Social scientists and psychologists have studied goal-setting for decades. And while setting clear, specific goals is often linked to greater success in all measures, very few of us actually create written goals and action plans – perhaps as few as 3% of us.

I see this in seminars all the time. When I ask a group of 100 how many create goals or resolutions, only a few hands go up. When I probe for the reasons behind the low number, a few significant ones arise, and I’ll address those in future blog posts.

That 3% that DO set specific goals and action plans, however, experience so many positive benefits: wealth, career satisfaction, happiness, feelings of accomplishment. Recent research by experts like Dr. Heidi Grant Halvorson & Dr. Carol Dweck expand on the traditional goal-setting knowledge by showing how to enhance your success even more through your planning, your mindset, even knowing when to let go of a goal. We’ll get into all of this here!

My intention with this blog is to share the best practices for setting goals, to inspire you with success stories, and to encourage you to become (or stay) part of the 3% who reap the joyful benefits of reaching meaningful, purposeful goals. I hope that, as we go, you’ll share your success stories, questions, and suggestions as well – our own little goal-addicted community. 🙂

Welcome to the 3%!

Welcome to The 3% Difference!

Christi Hegstad October 5th, 2012

If you’ve followed MAP Inc. over the past 10 years, you know that we’re all about meaningful work, extraordinary success, making a difference, and achieving Bold Goals while doing what you love. With this blog, you’ll find tips, strategies, and resources to help you successfully do just that!

Through this blog, I’ll share things like:

* Ways to increase your success in streamlined, positive ways;

* Tips for setting and achieving purposeful Bold Goals;

* Success stories highlighting people making a difference through their work;

* Takeaways from excellent books;

* Fun quotes, facts, and happiness hints;

and other ideas to help you create a meaningful career and purposeful life! Feel free to connect, share, add, and implement as we go.

And what does the title, “The 3% Difference,” actually mean? I’ll share the reasons behind this in our next blog post – stay tuned! Until then, keep in mind:

Happiness comes when we test our skills towards some meaningful purpose. ~ John Stossel

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