CHRISTI HEGSTAD PH.D.

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Commitment – and Recommitment – To Your Goal

Christi Hegstad August 18th, 2019
“Goals give you a sense of meaning and purpose, a clear sense of direction. Every step you take toward your goals increases your belief that you can set and achieve even bigger goals in the future.”
Brian Tracy

One of the greatest myths in the professional world is that of the ‘overnight success’.

What may look like instant success on the outside doesn’t credit the behind-the-scenes truth: the thousands of hours mastering the craft, the countless failures transformed into learning lessons, the rejections, the losses, the ‘maybe next times’.

Success doesn’t appear overnight. It appears with discipline, consistency, and every small victory we make along the way!

This week, recommit to your most important goal.

As the year continues to fly by, you may find you’re not as far along on your goals as you’d hoped to be by now.

You might think, “Well, I guess this just isn’t the year.”

I challenge you to reconsider.

Reconnect with why the goal matters to you. Imagine how achieving it will make you feel, how your life will be different as a result, and/or how it will help others. Rededicate yourself to your purposeful pursuit.

You may need to redo your action plan, but not necessarily your goal. And  please reach out if I may help! As a recent conference leader said when introducing me as a speaker, “This is Christi, and helping people achieve bold and meaningful goals is her jam!” 🙂

Christi Hegstad, PhD, PCC is an executive coach helping leaders and professionals achieve Bold Goals with clarity, confidence, and meaningful action! Join our community: Click here and fill in the blue box or send us an email! 

 

Decide And Take Action

Christi Hegstad August 11th, 2019

Last week, I attended a fantastic conference – one that had me revisiting my purpose, goals, and business framework. (I will share takeaways from the event on my blog soon!)

A key word appearing multiple times in my notes: DECIDE.

You can find great power in simply making up your mind!

This week, make a decision.

What decision have you put off? Where have you been waffling? What’s something you know you need or want to do, but just aren’t doing?

Decide. Then take action in favor of that decision.

Decide that you will achieve your Bold Goal. Then map out the daily and weekly activities that will make that accomplishment inevitable.

Decide to foster a strong and confident mindset. Then block 20 minutes each day for reading, journaling, or visualizing.

Decide to make the remainder of 2019 outstanding. Then secure the support (class, coach, accountability partner, etc.) to help ensure your success.

Decide! Start today. Start now.

Christi Hegstad, PhD, PCC is an executive coach helping leaders and professionals achieve Bold Goals with clarity, confidence, and meaningful action! Join our community: Click here and fill in the blue box or send us an email! 

Mastering Focus, 30 Minutes At A Time

Christi Hegstad August 10th, 2019

“To produce at your peak level, you need to work for extended periods with full concentration on a single task free from distraction.” – Cal Newport

Easy enough, right?
Ok, since Newport has written multiple books to try to help us achieve this, maybe it’s not quite so easy after all.
It doesn’t have to be as difficult as we may make it, though.
This week, block one period of time for focused, undistracted work.
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If you already consider yourself a master focuser, you can up-level this suggestion to one or more blocks per day.
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But if you’re like many and feel continuously distracted, start small.
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Block a 30-minute segment on your calendar, head to a private conference room or the corner of a coffee shop or your back deck, and bring only the project you want to focus on.
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Consider what tends to distract you, and determine in advance how you can minimize or eliminate it for that period. For example, if you pick up your phone with every notification, leave the phone in your car during this time.
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Let me know how this goes for you! I have found that even brief periods of truly focused time works wonders – and often prompts a great sense of flow as well.
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Christi Hegstad, PhD, PCC is an executive coach helping you design your ideal vision and achieve it with clarity, confidence, and meaningful action! Join our community: Click here and fill in the blue box or send us an email! 

Taking In Information vs. Taking Action

Christi Hegstad July 29th, 2019
If you looked at my bookshelves and podcast subscriptions, you might guess that I consume a great deal of content.
You’d be right. I loooooove to learn.
But I read/listen with a highlighter or journal nearby. I always challenge myself to take at least one point and put it into action, try out a new perspective or behavior, and/or share what I’ve learned with you all!
I don’t want to consume just for the sake of consuming; I want to turn that knowledge into purposeful action. As Ryan Michler wrote, “If information was all we needed, we’d all be millionaires with chiseled six-pack abs.”
This week, I challenge you to take your knowledge, thinking, or learning a step further.
This week, take a specific, significant action. Click “Submit” on the article you’ve been writing. Call the potential client you know you can serve. Hire the coach. Upgrade the software.
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Give thanks for the knowledge – then take the action!
Christi Hegstad, PhD, PCC is an executive coach helping you design your ideal vision and achieve it with clarity, confidence, and meaningful action! Join our community: Click here and fill in the blue box or send us an email! 

Maybe You Should Talk To Someone {Book Takeaways}

Christi Hegstad July 25th, 2019

I recently received Lori Gottlieb’s new book, Maybe You Should Talk To Someone. As soon as I started reading, I predicted I would have a tough time putting it down.

That prediction (which I promptly posted on Instagram) turned out to be 100% accurate.

What an incredible read! Gottlieb, a therapist also in therapy herself, provides a beautiful look into the power of the human spirit. Insightful, witty, relatable, and real, she honestly had me laughing out loud one minute and wiping away tears the next.

If I could capture the book’s essence in a few words, these come to mind immediately:

Humanity.

Perspective.

Compassion.

Resilience.

Courage.

This is one of the best books I’ve read all year, offering a powerful reminder that regardless of appearances, we all deal with challenges we may hesitate to share. Her stories demonstrate what a life-changing difference compassion and empathy – both for others *and* for ourselves – can make.

This one will stay with me for a long time – I highly recommend it!

What other books have reminded you of the inspiring power of the human spirit?

Christi Hegstad, PhD, PCC is an executive coach helping you design your ideal vision and achieve it with clarity, confidence, and meaningful action! Join our community: Click here and fill in the blue box or send us an email! 

A Quick Mid-Summer Motivation Boost

Christi Hegstad July 21st, 2019

Hardly anyone I know experiences the so-called ‘lazy, hazy days of summer.’ A few have, however, mentioned feeling a bit less motivated toward their goals lately.

Whether due to vacation, increasingly warm days, or for no recognizable reason, experiencing a bit of a lull at this time of year is certainly not uncommon.

It may be that you’ve diligently worked toward your goals all year and need a little break.

Or it may be that you simply need a motivation boost.

This week, remember why you started.

What excited you about the goal when you initially set it?

How will achievement of the goal impact your quality of life? How will it impact others’ lives?

What will be different when you accomplish your goal? What will you be able to say about / to yourself that you cannot currently say?

What is the purpose of the goal?

Returning to your ‘why’ is one of the greatest motivators I know. Take a few quiet moments this week to reconnect with yours!

Christi Hegstad, PhD, PCC is an executive coach helping you design your ideal vision and achieve it with clarity, confidence, and meaningful action! Join our community: Click here and fill in the blue box or send us an email! 

 

 

Leveraging Quiet Times In Your Business Cycle

Christi Hegstad July 18th, 2019

Depending on your industry, you may find work a bit quieter in July. How will you make the most of this time?

This quiet time (or any other that occurs in your business cycle) can be a fantastic opportunity to focus on your personal and professional development. For example, you could utilize the time to:

* Read books

* Enroll in a class or conference

* Work with a coach

* Journal

* Listen to growth-oriented podcasts

* Schedule ‘thinking time’ (check out Bill Gates’ example)

* Plan for an outstanding remainder of 2019

* Mastermind with peers and colleagues

* Watch a few TED Talks

* Go for walks without headphones

Of course, rest, relaxation, and vacations can be rejuvenating as well!

What other ideas for personal growth would you add to this list?

Christi Hegstad, PhD, PCC is an executive coach helping leaders achieve boldly with clarity, confidence, and meaningful action! Join our community: Click here and fill in the blue box or send us an email! 

 

How To Be CEO Of Your Own Life

Christi Hegstad July 16th, 2019

Earlier this year, I began working with a client who had reached extraordinary success in her business but had begun feeling like an underperformer in life. She sought coaching in order to get a better handle on her time, relationships, health, and other key areas – while still keeping the business top-notch.

I suggested that the strategies and skills she utilized to elevate her business could, with just a bit of shifting, also elevate her life. We took some of her greatest strengths and mindset practices from her CEO role and applied them to other areas of her life, leading to both immediate and lasting results.

You might be surprised how transferable your skills are – whether between jobs, between home and work, between parenting and leadership. Below you’ll discover 5 concepts I have found especially helpful both in leading my company and in leading my life!

 

1. Be a visionary.

Where do you see yourself, your family, your department or business a year from now? How about 5 years from now? Crafting a compelling and magnetic vision clears the path and makes designing the action plan so much easier. Hold your vision high to avoid getting lost in the weeds.

 

2. Set – and track – meaningful goals.

Once you have that clear and compelling vision, make sure you’re moving toward it by regularly assessing progress on your big-picture goals. A Weekly Review + Planning Session, coupled with a daily reminder of your vision and goals, can be instrumental in this.

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3. Surround yourself with brilliance.

When I was 6 years old, I cut my own hair and learned a very valuable lesson: Some things are best left to the experts! 🙂 Whether it’s the people you hire or those you go to for advice and encouragement, surround yourself with inspiration and brilliance.

 

4. Coach vs. dictate.

In business, family life, even when talking to yourself, you can greatly impact action and a sense of ownership with the words you choose. I bet you’ll see a difference, for example, between ‘How would doing this positively impact your life?’ and ‘Because I said so.’

 

5. Have some FUN already!

It’s easy to get caught up in the tasks that keep everything afloat, but doing so to the extreme is also a good way to hit burnout. Periodically change your scenery. Turn up the music. Bring a 96-pack of crayons and a stack of paper into the kitchen or break room. Schedule fun if you need to!

 

How else can you embody the role of CEO in your own life? Share your ideas on Instagram, Facebook, or below!

I’m here to help you clarify your vision and achieve it with confidence!  Contact me to discuss coaching possibilities.

 

Your Excellent Daily Habit

Christi Hegstad July 14th, 2019

If I asked what habits you’ve developed that you’d like to change, I imagine a few would come to mind.

But what if I asked about the habits you’ve developed that you want to make sure you sustain? The ones that support your continuous growth, positive mindset, and purposeful success?

This week, commit to starting – or continuing – one excellent daily habit.

A few ideas to prompt your thoughts:

What daily habit will you start or continue this week? Inspire us all by sharing on Instagram or Facebook!

Receive coaching tips, special offers, and proven strategies for succeeding with clarity and confidence! Click here and fill in the blue box or send us an email! 

 

Taming The Massive To-Do List With One Simple Practice

Christi Hegstad July 7th, 2019

What strategies help you achieve a sense of fulfillment each day?

One of my favorites is what I call the Daily Top 3.

Instead of becoming overwhelmed by a massive to-do list or continually checking little things off but not making headway on important goals, the Daily Top 3 can help you stay focused on the big picture while addressing current necessities.

This week, implement the Daily Top 3.

As soon as possible in the morning (or even the night before), look at your goals for the week, appointments for the day, deadlines, and to-do’s.

Taking all of those into account, select your 3 most important tasks for the day – the 3 that, even if the rest of the day goes haywire, will allow you to go to bed with a sense of accomplishment.

Then (and this is important!), separate those 3 items from the rest of your to-do list. Write them on a sticky note or your office white board. When those high-proirity items are complete, feel free to wander back to the massive list and see what else you can address.

This may require some experimentation, and yes, other things may arise throughout the day that need your attention. But by developing a habit of prioritization, you’ll begin to more naturally discern between urgent and important, and will likely see an improvement in your focus as well. Let me know how it goes!

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