Tag Archives: Goals

Quotes of the Week | Nothing is Impossible

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If what you’re doing is not your passion, you have nothing to lose.
– Anonymous

The person who says something is impossible should not interrupt the person who is doing it.
– Anonymous

It is never too late to be what you might have been.
– George Eliot

All our dreams can come true – if we have the courage to pursue them.
– Walt Disney

What the mind can conceive, it can achieve.
– Napoleon Hill

If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door.
-Milton Berle

The sky has never been the limit. We are our own limits. It’s then about breaking our personal limits and outgrowing ourselves to live our best lives.
– Anonymous

Don’t say you don’t have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michaelangelo, Mother Teresea, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein.
– Life’s Little Instruction Book, compiled by H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

Everything you want should be yours: the type of work you want; the relationships you need; the social, mental, and aesthetic stimulation that will make you happy and fulfilled; the money you require for the lifestyle that is appropriate to you; and any requirement that you may (or may not) have for achievement or service to others. If you don’t aim for it all, you’ll never get it all. To aim for it requires that you know what you want.
-Richard Koch

Your time is limited, don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma, which is living the result of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinion drowned your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition, they somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.
– Steve Jobs

Quotes of the Week: Do It Now!

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“What you are planning to do tomorrow, do today;
what you are going to do today, do right now.”
-Indian Proverb

“The world needs dreamers and the world needs doers.
But above all, the world needs dreamers who do.”
-Sarah Ban Breathnach

This week I encourage you:
Don’t procrastinate. Don’t wait. Don’t fear. Don’t doubt.
Take the risk. Do it now. Seize the moment. Dream BIG.
And take positive steps towards it.
-susie lee

Have a great surprised filled week!

Setting Goals Can Be Life Changing or Paralyzing

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“That which matters the least should never give way to that which matters the most.”

‘That which matters the most’ looks different for each person.  How we choose to spend our time, days, resources and energy usually reflects what we value in life.  That’s why goal setting is personal.  If you’re one of those people who have difficulty setting goals, it maybe helpful to ask these questions:  What are my core values? What is important to me?  What do I want out of life?  Where do I want to be in 10 years?  How can I contribute to the world?  For some people, this process of self-reflection and self-realization is life changing and liberating and for others, it’s a challenging and frustrating endeavor that paralyzes them.

Whether your goals are to contribute to the greater good of mankind or lose a few pounds, one thing to keep in mind when setting goals is to set S.M.A.R.T goals.  There’s a saying ‘If you aim for nothing, you’ll hit it every time.’ That’s why it’s important to set Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely goals.

For example:
I will get in shape this year.  NOT SMART.
I am running 2 times a week for 45 minutes and hiking 2 times a month for 3 hours.  SMART.

Another important aspect in setting SMART goals is to write them in the present tense, this triggers your brain to subconsciously get you moving towards your goals.  Write them on a poster board and hang it up where you’ll see it as a daily reminder.  Placing pictures of your goals will, also help you visualize them better.

If you really want to keep goal setting simple then pick one word to live by this year.  For example, my word for 2012 is strength.  It’s easy to remember yet powerful because it will guide me in my actions and decisions.  And at the end of the year I can ask myself, ‘Did I have strength this year?’

The purpose of goals is to enrich our lives, not a burden of rules to keep.  It stretches us to our fullest potential, not serve as a reminder of our limitations.  It builds character, strength, and skill that cannot be stolen or destroyed.  This confidence creates beauty within which then reflects itself in the work of our hands.  Continue to dream and pursue!

Conversations welcome!  I would love to hear any comments, goals or questions you may have from this article.

Small Decisions Contribute to Long-Term Goals

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As I set long-term goals for the New Year, I do not want to underestimate the impact of small decisions I make everyday. These positive or negative choices will either contribute to or hinder my goals. The daily choices I make will eventually form into a habit, which will then turn into a lifestyle. I want my goals to be more than just for this year but for the many years to come. To have an effective long-term goal, it must be coupled with positive short-term decisions I make in the moment. I want to share an excerpt from this book I read over the holidays that describes it so well:

“We also need to make better choices in the moment. As Nobel Prize-winning economist Thomas Schelling described, we behave as if we’re two different people: one who wants a lean body and another who wants dessert.

Even small short-term differences in how we allocate our time can result in better days. An extra half-hour of sleep or an extra hour of social time can be the difference between a great day and a mediocre day. Changing our daily routine a little can have a big impact on the quality of each day.

On a given day, we might sit around and respond to problems at work instead of initiating. We might passively watch TV rather than getting out and exercising. Or maybe we spend on something now that creates stress in a few weeks or months. We might even think about doing something to give back to our community, but decide we’ll do it later and never get around to it. Days like this start a vicious cycle.

Just one day when we eat poorly, skip exercising, are stressed at work, don’t get enough social time, and worry about money leads to a host of negative outcomes. On days like this, we have less energy, we look worse, we don’t treat people well, and we get a lousy night’s sleep. As a result, we miss the reset provided by a sound night of sleep, and the cycle continues.

When we break this downward spiral and get a good night’s sleep, we’re off to the right start. This allows us to wake up refreshed and increases our chances of exercising in the morning. If we can use our strengths at our job every day, this connects our daily activities to a much higher purpose and allows us to get more done. Between work and time with our friends and family, if we can get in six hours of social time, chances are, we’ll have 10 times as many good moments as stressful ones.

One of the best ways to create more good days is by setting positive defaults. Any time you help your short-term self work with your long-term self, you have an opportunity. You can intentionally choose to spend more time with the people you enjoy most and engage your strengths as much as possible. You can structure your finances to minimize the worry caused by debt. You can make exercise a standard part of your routine. You can make healthier decisions in the supermarket so you don’t have to trust yourself when you have a craving a few days later. And you can make commitments to community, religious, or volunteer groups, knowing that you will follow through once you’ve signed up in advance. Through these daily choices, you create stronger friendships, families, workplaces, and communities.”

-Well Being The Five Essential Elements by Tom Rath & Jim Harter (pgs. 110-112)