Goals

The Next Indicated Step

Goals

Sheri Here,

Choosing the next indicated step – all too often we have so many things to choose from that just leave us confused, spinning and overwhelmed.

How do you choose what’s next?

Often there is a clear path to our objective if we listen carefully to our heart, intuition, or inner self.

Maybe there is a clear path and it’s easy – just take the first step.  Sometimes it’s not easy.  Sometimes the options are limited, and we are stuck with one or two choices.

So, what is the next indicated step in that circumstance?

Stop and look at your primary objective…

And decide what will move the objective the quickest or logically the next step.

That is where you go! Simple, eh? Choosing the step might be simple or hard and so might the action.

The action itself might take tenacity to perform – just go for it! Screw up your courage and move one step, one small step for you.

It will change your life.

Sometimes we are stopped from taking the step…

And then we berate ourselves for being wimps or cowards.  We lose faith in ourselves.

This is the time for self-compassion.  To be loving and kind to our sensitive self.  To give ourselves permission to be human.

Take a step back and consider an alternative that is palatable to reduce that sense of procrastination and inaction. A little step, another little step and another add up over time.

Slow and steady wins the race.  Remember the fable about the tortoise and the hare!

If you are still stuck, hit reply, and fill me in or schedule a call here.

‘til the next time.

Ciao,

Sheri

What’s on Your Bucket List?

Goals

Sheri Here,

Spring is the season of new beginnings, a clean house and creative projects. Those fabulous projects from your bucket list.

How do you start that bucket list?

That list of things that you want to do – that your psyche craves doing.  Not that to do list of things that you have to do daily.

That creative list could be taking a class, a project around the house like painting or a vacation to an exotic or fun spot. Yes, it is verrrry different than a “to do” list.

That bucket list is a list of dreams that you have, some of them could have been on the list for a while, and that’s ok.

I’ve had “visit all seven continents” on my list for decades – it takes time to fulfill that kind of dream. They are certainly bigger than just today’s agenda; however, some tasks toward getting there could be on that to do list.  I’ve got renew my passport on mine.

But long before they can become today’s focus, they are a figment of our imagination.

Where does the bucket list come from?

Creating it requires giving ourselves space in the course of the day to free our mind from the daily tasks.  It could be in your meditation, walking or morning pages.  It might even be a thought as you are spring cleaning, such as getting a housekeeper to do your cleaning for you.

If you write morning pages, the three daily pages suggested by Julia Cameron in the Artist Way, maybe the thought popped onto the page larger than life.

If you are not currently giving yourself space to clear your mind for a time and maybe daydream or imagine a bit, it is time you do that.  Mental space for yourself doesn’t have to take long, you just need to do it. It will help save your sanity.

Have you ever created a vision board?

A vision board is a visual picture of some of the elements in your bucket list.  If you don’t have one and want to find out more about creating a personal vision – pop over to my blog I Can See for Miles – Visioning  to discover a little more.

A vision or a vision board could be another way of generating your bucket list.  No matter how you do it, it is an important tool to creating a future for yourself that pulls you forward.

Why do a bucket list?

When the days are filled with the activities of the must do to do list, you can look past it to a future that will move you through the tough or ho hum times.  We all need something to get through those “I don’t want to” times.

I’ve been working on my TEDx speech about how people spend more time planning their vacations than they spend planning their lives.  This activity has been an element on my bucket list.  It’s been work and daydreaming.  As I picture how it will be, I know I need to do the work to make it become reality.

That’s how a bucket list works: first a dream, then the action: persistence to make the dream real.  But without the vision, you don’t know where you are going, let alone where to start.

How’s Your Bucket List?

What about you?  How’s your bucket list, your vision, or the board with it posted in front of you?  Is it alive and well or is it a bit hazy, tattered, neglected or non-existent? Time to refresh it, take it out and dust it off or maybe create one.  You are never too old to have dreams.  If you have accomplished all of them, then it is time to replenish the supply!

Need help to prime the pump and get started?  Drop me a note by hitting reply or give me a call here.

‘til the next time.

Ciao,

Sheri

P.S. You can get my book Everything I Learned About Life I Learned on Vacation here.

Re-evaluate Your SMARTER Life Plan

Goals

Sheri here,

Now that we are well into September, the last month of the Third Quarter of 2022, how are you doing with your SMARTER goals for the year? Notice I didn’t say New Year’s Resolution – see my blog: Resolutions – Not! Make Goals Instead, for my thoughts on these pesky items.

No Goals?

Oh, you don’t have any goals either? It is never too late or too early to start a plan, a vision plan for a quarter, a year or a lifetime.

They never go out of style. I always have something I’m working toward. It keeps my attitude and outlook fresh and flowing.

This year, I had several major focuses : 1. Publish my book; 2. Re-ignite my spiritual program; and 3. Declutter.

With all three, I’ve made great progress. On my book, it is ready for pre-sale – check it out here. So excited! I also have done some great work on my spiritual program. The declutter project is sometimes more difficult to measure, as there is less around; but my life feels lighter as I see more space and feel more spaciousness in my home, office, and garage.

How about you? How are you doing? Any great news? Leave a comment and let me know.

A SMARTER Plan

Oh, you don’t have any plans at this time – that is easy enough to fix. Pick something, or 2, or 3 somethings. Write out your specific objectives, make certain you have a way to measure progress, and pick a date to be done by. You’ve got the first elements of a SMARTER plan. See my blog, Making Change – SMARTER Goals for more information on SMARTER goals.

Why a SMARTER plan? First what is a SMARTER plan? It is made up of a handful of smarter goals:

S – Specific
M – Measurable
A – Achievable
R – Realistic
T – Time-Bound
E – Evaluate
R – Readjust

My favorite part is how we evaluate them periodically and readjust them as necessary – this is one of those logical and periodic times for evaluation. A quarter end is a good time to take stock of progress on your collection of goals – your SMARTER plan.

Around Town

My book Everything I Learned About Life I Learned on Vacation, is now in the pre-sale stage. You can go here and pre-order one copy or add a second for only $5.00 more!! Can’t wait to hold a copy in my hands. Would love your help to make this a smashing success just click here!

Have a blessed week.
Ciao,
Sheri

Let’s Finish the Year STRONG

Goals

Sheri here –

There is still time to finish STRONG for the year!

If you set goals, now is the time to review your progress against them and tweak them to make 2020 amazing, unusual but still amazing!

Not Too Late to Set Goals

Ok, so the year turned out unlike anything you planned or even could have imagined!!

Were you able to do a course correction and do something extraordinary in these crazy times?

Not too late – reviewing your goals or setting new ones can be an excellent support tool for you.

While goals are frequently considered start of the year activities, you can make and begin goals anytime. I wrote a couple of blogs (here) and (here) if you’d like more information on the “HOW to” part of goal setting.

It’s never too late or too early to set goals.

And once they are set, you can readjust them, even deliberately put them on the shelf. The important thing is to keep working goals that align with your dreams.

Review Your Progress on Your Goals

The beginning of a quarter is a great time to review progress on your goals.

Generally, at least quarterly I go back and relook at my goals and see how I’m doing. If I’m making great progress, then I put a little stretch into it. If I’m lagging behind, I may reset the goal to keep myself motivated.

No matter what, I keep working on them.

One of the goals that I’ve made every year for about the last 5 years has been to lose weight. And over the last 5 years, I’ve probably lost and kept off about 35 pounds, including during this crazy covid year.

When I decided 5 years ago to set a weight loss goal rather than be disappointed in myself AGAIN. I decided to do it differently.

This wasn’t going to be one of those “I’ll just write it down and do nothing about it” goals. This is one, where I made a plan that requires daily action: good nutrition, counting calories, keeping a food journal, doing SOME exercise daily and getting adequate sleep.

While I can’t do 10 pounds at a time, I can do daily actions, that as I measure activity, I see progress. Dropping and keeping off 35 pounds, for me, is huge progress!

So I don’t do it perfectly, somedays I’m better than other days; but it is the consistency over time that has worked.

How do you use goals to help you? Leave a comment below.

Do you see how this same technique could be used for any business or personal goal? The consistent small daily actions really make a difference. It works on everything.

Finish Strong

This is the time of year to start looking at your accomplishments for the year and what you still want to do to make this year great – to finish STRONG.

What do you need to do starting now, to make this a great year? It’s not too late to set a goal and make a plan to get great things done before 2020 ends.

The key is to decide and start!

Baffled by goals? But still want to get things done this year? Book a call here and let’s discuss a strategy to get it done!

Ciao,
Sheri

Hit Your Goal Reset Button

Goals

Sheri here –

Ok, 2020 has already been a year or two long with everything that has happened. Most of it wasn’t in our plan!

The good news is that you can reset your plans. You can start where you are and redefine your goals to still make major headway on your goals and plans – your dreams.

Create SMARTER Goals

New Years resolutions are always low on my list because they almost always get abandoned early in the year.

Earlier this year, I posted a blog about creating SMARTER goals, instead of resolutions. You can check it out here.

When I’m having a bad day, I will frequently start the day over. That’s right, start the day over, even if it is late afternoon! Have you ever tried that?

You can do the same thing with your goals!

What do you want to do by the end of the year?

  • Lose 5 pounds? Maybe 10?
  • Pay off some debt?
  • Write a book?
  • Find a new job?
  • Heck, kick start your own business – live the “Laptop Lifestyle”?

Each of the goals you define, have their own first steps. Some may be more obvious than others.

One Step at a Time

These are all possible, but wishin’ don’t make it so. It takes a series of repeated action on your part.

Possible some new habits, new focus, new learning.

Small steps done regularly will take you a long way to reaching your goal.

Once you’ve set yourself some SMARTER goals (see blog here), then its up to you to take that first step.

For instance, if you want to lose 10 pounds, do one thing today toward that goal. That could include things like replacing that cookie with a piece of fruit, a walk around the block, finding a food plan and/or a health coach. (Need one, I know a couple I could recommend…)

Just one thing today, another one thing tomorrow. One foot in front of the other!

Celebrate, Celebrate, Celebrate!

Celebrate yourself – nooooo, not with food. Find something else, maybe a bouquet of flowers or a good book, or scented bath salts.

Celebrating yourself sends your subconscious mind a positive message. This allows you to acknowledge yourself. To give yourself positive reinforcement. Allows you to experience and express the gratitude that you have for the blessings in your life.

Ciao and hugs,

Sheri

P.S. Drop a comment below and let me know about your goals and how I can help!

Making Change – SMARTER Goals!

Goals

Sheri here –

Well here we are, well into the new year and a new decade. 

Did you decide where you were going to start?

Write SMARTER Goals

Did you write any SMARTER goals?  As I mentioned last week SMARTER is an acronym, which sets out the actions for goal setting:
S – Specific
M – Measurable
A – Achievable
R – Realistic
T – Time-Bound
E – Evaluate
R – Readjust

These have a higher success rate than New Year’s resolutions. 

Where to begin?  Frequently losing weight and reducing debt are two that are high on the list.

These both have a lot in common.  They require focus, intentionality, and tracking.

Goal Success Requires Focus; Maybe New Habits

With food, some of the best success rates that I’ve experienced have come with daily food tracking – either in an app such as My Fitness Pal or the old fashion, manual diary. 

The most important thing is to keep track of what you are eating, then followed by PLANNING what your food consumption will look like.

Oh my, does that sound like a lot of work or what.  Well, if you are just starting, yes, it is work, because you are changing patterns – creating a new habit.  Changing habits is frequently at the heart of weight loss and fitness.

Even the commitment to do exercise daily or 5 days a week may be a change in pattern for you.  I know it is for me.  It starts with desire and intentionality.  Being committed to achieving your goals, whether it is weight loss or just to feel better.

It does take effort.

Changing your spending patterns are much the same.  It takes a written plan (aka budget) and tracking your actual spending daily.
This can also be done using an app, manually on paper or even using a spreadsheet.  It takes a commitment to do the work to make a change.

As you track your daily spending, you get a LOT of information about how you spend money.  You may begin to see ways you could reduce what you spend – either in cash or on credit – and make real differences in your life.

Adopting new habits, no matter what they are – changes in eating, exercise or spending requires some dedicated focus.  It might also require a coach, a trainer or an accountability buddy. 

Change Requires Action

Many of our goals requires change. Wishin’ don’t make it so – changes require action.

Are you committed to change, thinking about it? 

What changes are you focused on making?  Share with us in the Facebook Group Reinventing You, just click here! 

Nothing changes until something changes.  It can be a dream, that becomes a goal, that becomes an action.  It can be one small step on a journey that will, over time, change your life.

Need some help – all you need to do is ask…

Ciao and hugs,

Sheri

P.S.   If you really want to change and you know you need some help, let’s talk, you can schedule some time to chat right here with this link.   

Resolutions – Not! Make Goals Instead!

Goals

Sheri here – 

Are you making New Year’s resolutions?  Don’t waste your time! 

What you say?  Don’t try to change?  Don’t try to improve yourself?
Only 8% of the people who make resolutions are successful – that is a pretty sad success rate!  Many don’t even survive the WEEK, let alone the month.

Make a Plan

I am not advocating that you don’t strive for personal growth or improvement.  But use a method that WORKS!

There are studies (well, purportedly, there are studies) that say 3% of Harvard grads that made written goals WITH A PLAN, made 10 times the money their fellow grads made who either had no goals or had goals with no plans.

Create Goals

So, as I said, don’t make New Years’ resolutions – make written goals with a plan!

I remember years ago when someone had told me about goals, I decided that I would write a set of goals that I wanted to achieve during my lifetime.

I spent quite a bit of time working on them.  I wrote them out.  I wrote out STRETCH goals, the kind that seemed possible but really stretched me. Life got busy.  The piece of paper with my goals got buried in the clutter of everyday life.

One day when I was moving, several years later, I came across the piece of paper and was stunned to see that I had already achieved a number of those goals.

Once again they got buried in the move and resurfaced again, years later.

This time, I realized that I had achieved every single one of those goals that I had written down.  They had been acting as a rudder for my actions over the years.

Make Them SMARTER Goals

I’ve become an advocate of goal setting.  But…I have discovered, there is a method to assuring greater success with your goals.

That method is setting SMARTER written goals.  What you say – SMARTER written goals?  What on earth is that?

It is an acronym, which sets out the actions.  Here ya go:
S – Specific
M – Measurable
A – Achievable
R – Realistic
T – Time-Bound
E – Evaluate
R – Readjust

So get a piece of paper and write out your SMARTER goals – not New Year’s resolutions!

Try it.  It might make the difference you have been looking for.

I’d love to hear your top 3 SMARTER goals for the year.  Share it with us in the Facebook Group Reinventing You, just click here!

Whether you write goals or not, spend a little time reflecting on the year, even the decade that is ending and dream a little about how you want next year to be.  Then, maybe write some goals!!

Have a safe, wonderful New Year’s celebration.

Sheri

P.S.  Ok, so you like the idea of written goals and how they could make your dreams more realizable, but you are still BAFFLED by SMARTER goals.  If you’d like some help, let’s talk, you can schedule some time to chat right here with this link.

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