What Limitations Have You Set For Yourself?

Christi Hegstad April 12th, 2021

Imagine if you and every person you know began actualizing his or her full potential, if each of us were to discover how to overcome our self-imposed limitations and begin creating everything we want for our lives while making a profound impact in the world. – Hal Elrod

Elrod packed a lot into that one sentence, and different points stand out to me at different times.

Currently, it’s this:

“Our self-imposed limitations.”

This week, step beyond a self-imposed limitation.

Where do you hold yourself back?

Maybe you don’t feel knowledgeable enough to state your thoughts in a meeting.

Maybe you doubt your abilities and therefore won’t apply for the leadership position.

Maybe you allow the “But I’ve never done that before” thought to keep you from trying something new or different.

Consider where you might be holding yourself back. Then challenge yourself to take a step – even just one step – beyond!

Want to achieve something bold and meaningful? Contact me today about coaching!

Inviting Clarity

Christi Hegstad April 5th, 2021

That would be like looking for a needle in a haystack made entirely of needles. – R. Osman

Have you ever experienced an ‘aha moment’ – a time when the answer you’d almost given up on suddenly appeared?

While we can’t necessarily force those lightning bolts of clarity to arrive, we cantake actions to encourage them.

This week, invite clarity.

If you’ve had that aha experience, examine it for a moment. Can you identify any factors leading up to it?

A few that come to mind for me:

Change of scenery. A brief walk, a quick shower, even just stepping into a different room.

New perspective. How would a child, or a world leader, or someone in a different industry view the situation?

Different questions. And lots of them, if necessary.

Here’s hoping we all enjoy some exciting moments of clarity this week!

I’m here to help you achieve bold and meaningful goals! Contact me today!

Monthly Review – March Lessons Learned

Christi Hegstad April 1st, 2021

Ten lessons I learned or was reminded of in March:

1. Sometimes you don’t realize how much you needed the break until you’re in the midst of it.

2. You can take a step forward even if you don’t have steps 2 – 167 exactly figured out yet.

3. Not everything needs to lead to some big outcome. Doing something simply for the joy of doing it can be reason enough.

4. Don’t take the story in your head as absolute truth. As the saying goes, change your story, change your life.

5. Dogs may be the most delighted beings on the planet.

6. Ultimately, it’s easier to face the difficult thing than to (over)think about it for ages.

7. You attract what you track – so make sure you’re tracking progress on your most important goals.

8. When you are intentional with your time, it feels like you have more of it!

9. Your experience rises and falls with your mindset. Choose the better thought.

10. Little compares to receiving (or sending!) a thoughtful, handwritten letter in the mail.

Do any of these resonate with you? What other lessons did March bring you?

I’m here to help you achieve what matters most, with meaning and purpose. Contact me today!

Keeping Score

Christi Hegstad March 29th, 2021

People play differently when they are keeping score. – McChesney, Covey, & Huling

Imagine playing a game of softball where the winning team receives $100,000 to donate to their charity of choice.

Do you think you might show up differently for that game than, say, a pick-up game at a relaxing backyard family picnic?

This week, start keeping score of your Bold Goal.

As I review the first three months of the year, I clearly see that the goals where I am actively tracking progress are much farther along than ones where I am not. This pattern informs how I will proceed going forward.

A new quarter begins this week. What do you most want to say on June 30th?

What actions will you take to help ensure that outcome?

How will you keep score?

Create a chart, tracker, or scorecard that motivates and encourages you to take inspired action. Then, delight in your progress every step of the way!

I’m here to help you achieve bold and meaningful goals! Contact me today!

When You Plant Seeds But Don’t See Growth

Christi Hegstad March 24th, 2021

Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant. – Robert Louis Stevenson

I recently wrote a LinkedIn post about different ways of viewing success and failure. It seemed to strike a chord with many achievers. (You can read it here.)

Success doesn’t always look like we think it will.

And if we limit our view of success to only one possible outcome, we may miss the nuances that could actually prove more meaningful and momentum-building.

This week, focus on taking the right actions – regardless of immediate outcomes.

With my coaching clients, I often refer to the early stages of a goal as ‘seed-planting.’

We take the necessary actions – just like we water and nurture the soil – but we may not see any signs of growth for a while.

Does that mean we stop? Give up?

On the contrary.

Keep taking your purposeful actions. Seek out a coach and/or mentor for support and accountability. Trust that what’s happening ‘beneath the soil’ will result in a beautiful and bountiful harvest – even if it doesn’t look like it today!

If you’re an achiever ready to experience meaningful growth, let’s talk!

Motivated By Purpose

Christi Hegstad March 7th, 2021

We won’t be distracted by comparison if we are captivated by purpose. – Bob Goff

We often compare ourselves more than we realize, perhaps to:

* Peers

* Expectations of where we ‘should’ be by now

* What we think everyone else is doing

* Others’ highlight reels

* Our past selves

* Our future selves

* Strangers on the internet

I am all for being inspired by others and the possibilities of what could be.

But I learned a long time ago that comparison will nearly always leave me feeling like I’ve missed the mark.

This week, be motivated by purpose.

This may involve asking yourself new questions:

What makes me feel fulfilled? How could I bring that to life today?

What’s one thing I could do today that will make me smile thinking about it tonight?

What word(s) do I most want to describe me today?

If you have your written Purpose Statement, give it some extra attention this week.

Let go of the comparisons, and focus on who + how you wish to be in the world today instead!

Want to write your Purpose Statement in four steps? I can guide you – contact me today for a Purpose Statement coaching session!

What Will You Look Back And Say?

Christi Hegstad March 1st, 2021

Think about what you want to look back and say. Then choose your mindset. – Carol Dweck, PhD

The above line comes from Dweck’s outstanding and frequently-cited book, Mindset.

You can apply this idea of thinking about what you want to say when you look back in the context of your lifetime, your week, or even the meeting you’re about to enter.

This week, choose your mindset.

We can’t always control the outcome.

We can’t always determine whether or not something will go as planned.

We can choose our mindset.

Practice being intentional about the mindset you choose throughout your activities this week.

Ask yourself, “What do I want to look back and say?”

Then choose, think, and act accordingly.

Interested in my takeaways from books like Mindset, Shoe Dog, Wintering, and more? Be sure to connect on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn!

The Glorious Season You’re In

Christi Hegstad February 8th, 2021

Once we stop wishing it were summer, winter can be a glorious season. – Katherine May

It is six degrees below zero, with snow falling wildly, as I type this message for you.

Having grown up in northern Minnesota, you’d think I’d be used to cold and snow – especially now that I live in ‘balmy’ Iowa.

I’m not. 🙂

But I also know that wishing it away won’t bring me any closer to sunshine and tank tops and iced tea on the deck.

This week, embrace the here and now.

We might have any number of issues we wish were different.

And being a huge vision and goal gal, I believe in envisioning where we want to be and taking consistent action to move us there.

But along with that comes a willingness to embrace – or perhaps at least accept – where we are right now.

I fully admit I am not the best at this. But I am continually learning. After I publish this blog, for example, I will put on my 23 layers of clothing and head outside for my walk.

There’s a meme floating around the internet (attribution unknown) about being both a masterpiece and a work in progress at the same time.

What will help you embrace the here and now while continuing to move toward a better, brighter tomorrow?

Next week marks 18 years in business! Be sure you’re on our email list for a special subscriber-only opportunity!

How To Keep On Keepin’ On

Christi Hegstad January 31st, 2021

When you study achievement, one of the first things you learn is that innate ability (to the extent that there is such a thing) has surprisingly little to do with success. Persistence, on the other hand, has a lot to do with it.

Heidi Grant Halvorson, PhD

Discipline. Consistency. Resilience. Persistence.

Not the most exciting or glamorous words in the world, I suppose. But definitely ones I am placing a high priority on this year.

How about you? When you look back at some of your highlight moments, did they stem solely from talent? Or did your persistence and never-give-up mindset play a key role?

This week, decide what will help you persist.

When things get tough, what helps you keep on keepin’ on?

A few things that work for me:

* Remembering my why – the purpose behind what I’m doing.

* Tracking my actions + how far I’ve come.

* Meeting with my coach.

* Asking for help.

* Helping someone else.

Identifying in advance what will help when the going gets tough can open up your options tremendously if you start to feel stuck!

Ready to achieve some Big Dreams and Bold Goals? Click here to start with my complimentary workbook!

What Is Your Most Exciting Goal Right Now?

Christi Hegstad January 26th, 2021

What is your most exciting goal right now?

Like many, you may be feeling some ongoing effects – monotony, low motivation, or a low-level hum of concern, for example – from all that we’re experiencing these days.

Add to that a lack of sunshine or an ever-present chill of winter and it’s no wonder our mojo may have taken a dip.

So the last thing you might be thinking about right now is adding to – or diving into – your goals. Wouldn’t that just increase the stress?

Not necessarily.

Science has repeatedly shown us the importance of moving toward meaningful goals for our overall well-being. Look to the work of Dr. Martin Seligman and Dr. Sonya Lyubomirsky for starters; their research shows we are more likely to flourish when taking action toward goals and projects that feel purposeful, energizing, and challenging in a helpful way.

So if you find yourself in a hum-drum state, ask yourself:

What is my most exciting goal right now? What feels most meaningful? What sounds fun, engaging, delightfully challenging, or purposeful?

If something comes to mind immediately, excellent! You can begin creating a plan and taking actions – even teeny, tiny ones – to advance it.

If nothing rises to the surface right away, don’t worry. Play with the question for a while. Jot down any and all ideas that come to mind, without committing to any at the moment. Imagine what you’d love to say about yourself in three months or a year and see what appears.

Whether your goal involves learning or deepening a skill, completing a business project, enhancing your parenting, or something else entirely, select something that feels meaningful, purposeful, energizing, and perhaps even a bit scary. And if the word ‘should’ shows up with your goal at all, I recommend heading back to the drawing board.

Decades ago, Earl Nightingale defined success as “the progressive realization of a worthy ideal or goal.” Notice he doesn’t focus on the achievement of the goal, but rather the ongoing movement towards said achievement. As the saying goes, the joy is in the journey.

So I’ll ask it once again, and would love to hear your response below or on LinkedIn: What’s your most exciting goal right now?

If you need help setting and/or achieving an exciting, meaningful, ridiculously awesome goal, I’d love to help! Click here to contact me today.

Tag Archives: coach