We all want to get from ‘here’ to ‘there’ – wherever ‘there’ is for us. … I love it when I realize I’m standing in a ‘here’ place that used to be a ‘there’ place. – Christine Caine
This week, I am leading a 2021 goal-setting session for achievers. One of my favorite components of this course: How to measure goals that seem unquantifiable.
It can be so easy to discredit growth when we can’t mark it on a spreadsheet, for example, or note it on a bank statement.
But does that make it any less worthwhile, any less significant?
Absolutely not.
In fact, I’d argue that the seemingly non-measurable types of growth typically lead to the greatest successes and transformations!
This week, examine your non-measured growth.
What can you do now that you couldn’t last year at this time?
What has become a habit that, at some point in the past, felt practically impossible to even get started?
What now feels easy – or easier – compared to three years ago?
You have grown in countless ways, even if you can’t always measure it with a number.
This week, acknowledge and celebrate your growth. Let it serve as a springboard for your future ‘from here to there’ experiences!
If you’d like a goal-setting session of your own, contact me ASAP!
Want to let the achievers in your life know you appreciate them?
Looking for new ways to treat yourself this holiday season?
Here are 5 gift ideas for achievers to get your thoughts flowing:
1. Enrollment into a group or course, like the ASPIRE Success Club – the gift that keeps on giving all year long!
2. A lovely journal and set of colorful pens, or perhaps a fountain pen.
3. A magazine subscription. Consider something in their field, a general growth-oriented magazine like Success or Harvard Business Review, or one related to a just-for-fun hobby or passion.
4. A personal / professional development book, or a gift card to your local bookstore. You can search my blog for dozens (maybe hundreds, at this point!) of recommendations.
5. A candle, bath salts, tea… because sometimes we achievers need reminders to rest. 🙂
What other gifts come to mind? Share your suggestions / wishes below! And remember to ‘shop small’ whenever possible – all of us small business owners thank you!
When we work to help others achieve success, we not only raise the performance of the group, we exponentially increase our own potential.
Shawn Achor
Is there anything more beautiful than a team of capable, supportive, high-intentioned people working together to achieve a purposeful result?
Individual success, such as setting and achieving a formidable goal, feels incredible and contributes significantly to our growth.
And that feeling increases tremendously when we are able to share the experience with, and for the benefit of, others.
This week, help someone achieve success.
Reach out to a team member who is struggling and offer to brainstorm solutions with them.
Ask your child about a project they’ve been working on and what they have learned so far.
Share your top takeaway from an enlightening book or TED Talk on your Facebook page.
Although ‘working together’ may look a bit different in this time of physical distancing, it’s very doable – and perhaps more important than ever. Consider whom you can help build up this week, and watch your own potential rise in the process!
Christi Hegstad, PhD, PCC is the Certified Executive + Personal Coach for Difference-Making Achievers! Clarify your vision, free up time, and confidently reach bold goals with meaning and purpose! Contact us today for coaching, speaking, and Mastermind opportunities, or click here and fill in the blue box to join our email community.
You probably know some of the foundational steps to help you achieve a goal: Put it in writing. Create an action plan. Block time for it in your calendar.
Important basics, for sure. I probably would never achieve a goal if I didn’t take those steps!
But I do a few other things as well – things you might not read about in goal-setting literature or in the myriad ‘change your life’ articles floating around the interwebs. I’m sharing five of those non-ordinary actions with you today in hopes that they help you achieve your bold and meaningful goals this year, too!
1. Conduct a mindset refresh.
Once I commit to a goal, I infuse my mind with inspiration and insight on the topic.
Before going for a walk or hopping in the car, for example, I’ll download a few podcasts related to my goal (or just motivational in general). I choose books, visit blogs, read magazines, and search for informative and inspiring Facebookand Instagram accounts that support my goal as well.
One of my Guiding Principles this year involves ‘creation over consumption;’ I am selective in what I choose to consume to ensure it helps me with what I strive to create.
2. Design an environment for success.
If your goal is to finish your book, setting up a writing area with the necessary tools of your trade (and without the distractions!) will prove useful.
If your goal involves healthy eating, you’ll benefit from removing unhealthy options from your pantry or making the healthy ones visible and convenient.
When embarking on a new goal, do what you can to set yourself – and your environment – up for success from the get-go. (Quickly, though; don’t let this serve as procrastination.) Not only can this accelerate your success, it can demonstrate an increased level of commitment.
3. Secure goal-specific support.
I love to learn, but if someone can shorten my learning curve when it comes to achieving big goals, I am ALL for it!
My goal-specific support often comes in the form of hiring a coach. I’ve hired marketing coaches to help me reach marketing goals, business coaches for business goals, life coaches, writing coaches, mentor coaches … you get the idea.
In addition to trained coaches and other professionals, also consider mastermind programs, accountability partners, and supportive groups. We’re better together!
4. Create a visual anchor.
Find or make something that – and this next part is key – is outside of your own head that reminds you of your goal.
Craft a vision board. Print a photo. Locate a pendant, bookmark, or figurine that represents your goal. I recently had a client who created a mock bank statement showing a balance in the amount they wished to earn; another who designed a cover – complete with endorsements and reviews – for the book they were writing.
A visual reminder, displayed in a space you see frequently, can serve you both consciously and subconsciously.
5. Ask ‘why’ multiple times, in multiple ways.
If you’ve known me for a minute, you know I’m going to encourage you to filter your goal through your values and your Purpose Statement. 🙂
In addition, get crystal clear on your ‘why’ for this particular goal. Some questions I ask myself: Why does the goal matter to me? How will my life, and others’ lives, be transformed by the goal? What emotional connection do I feel with the goal?
Take the example of a client whose goal involved getting more streamlined and organized in his business: Why? To feel more on top of his days. Why? To run the business instead of the business running him. Why? To free up time and mental energy. Why? To become more involved and fully present with his family and friends. Why? Because when he thinks about his values, purpose, and legacy, his relationships top the list; when he imagines himself at his 90th birthday party, he wants his family and friends celebrating the meaningful and loving role he played in their lives.
Now that’s a powerful why.
What helps you make a strong start with a new goal? Which of these items resonates with you? Share your insights with me on Facebook or Instagram!
Christi Hegstad, PhD, PCC is the Certified Executive + Personal Coach for difference-making achievers! Clarify your vision, free up time, and confidently reach bold goals with meaning and purpose! Contact us today for coaching, speaking, and Mastermind opportunities, or click here and fill in the blue box to join our email community.
Last month, I joined thousands of others at the 2019 Mastermind Summit in San Diego, put on by Buffini & Company. After hearing about the event for years from a few of my clients, I was excited to see that the dates would work in my calendar this summer.
Brian Buffini is well known in the real estate world and has been for over two decades. Since I am an executive and personal coach, I wasn’t certain when I first learned of the event if the content would apply to my work and life. But after learning more about the company, which holds core values like “Live what we teach” and “Practice servant leadership,” I felt confident it would resonate. It seems the company has delved deep into personal and professional development over the years.
I am now 100% certain that the content applies!
The event was fantastic, and the timing could not have been better: With numerous transitions occurring both personally and professionally, I arrived at the Summit with an open mind and heart. I left rejuvenated, inspired, and with pages of notes, ideas, and tips. Below are five of my big takeaways that may speak to you, as well as a coaching question for each that you can ask yourself.
1. DECIDE to succeed.
The ‘wait and wish’ approach to achieving a goal, building a thriving relationship, or creating a successful business does not typically lead to outstanding results. Decide to achieve. Decide to succeed.
Making the decision – and removing ‘maybe’ and ‘sort of’ and ‘I’ll try but…’ – makes a powerful difference!
Where do you need to decide to succeed rather than waiting and/or wishing?
2. FOCUS.
I took this in two forms: First, focus on what matters. Pay attention to the details but don’t get lost in them, even though they can be easy, satisfying, and fun to check off.
Second, focus on the task at hand. “Opportunity knocks,” Buffini stated, “but distraction leans on the doorbell.”
What helps you focus in this distraction-filled world?
3. Give your BEST.
“Never perform any task less than your best,” Buffini suggested. At first blush, this might sound exhausting. But it might also serve as an important reminder to be selective about what actually goes on your to-do list, and to strive for excellence in those things deemed worthy.
As the saying goes, how we do anything is how we do everything!
How can you give your best – even in areas no one else might see or care about?
Reflecting on my conference takeaways with a delicious coffee in Little Italy, San Diego!
4. Embrace your HEALTHY AMBITION.
Many of my clients, who are typically achievers, feel uncertain about their drive and desire to succeed. ‘Can’t I just be satisfied with the way things are?’ they sometimes ask themselves or, perhaps more often, are asked by those around them who don’t share the same level of ambition.
As an achiever myself, I can relate. I appreciated Buffini’s reminder that ambition, when pursued in service and “with an open hand,” is a good thing.
What aspect of your personality could you leverage to improve lives (including your own)?
5. ACT.
Thinking, dreaming, and planning are important – but only take us so far. We can’t change the world without putting those ideas into action – even if it means failing forward again and again!
“Be an action taker,” Buffini reminded us, “not just someone with good intentions.”
Where do you need to start putting all those plans and ideas into action?
My Clarity Kickstart newsletter later this month will share another impactful statement from the event that I wrote, underlined, highlighted and starred, and have had on my mind ever since. (Click here or email here if you are not yet subscribed!)
In the meantime, let me reiterate the value in attending conferences, hiring coaches, and investing in your growth. The benefits are countless and have a ripple effect that extends far and wide! Thank you to Buffini & Company for such a powerful, purposeful event!
Christi Hegstad, PhD, PCC is The Certified Executive + Personal Coach for difference-making achievers! Clarify your vision, free up time, and confidently reach bold, compelling goals that matter! Contact us today for coaching, speaking, and Mastermind opportunities, or click here and fill in the blue box to join our email community.
