Failed at your New Year's Resolution.

Do you consistently fail at your New Years Resolution?  

 A recent article written by Forbes Magazine reports that of the 40% of Americans who set New Years Goals only about 8% actually achieve their goals.
Why is that?  Is it that many set the goal to high, such as quit smoking cold turkey.  Or could it be that often we are caught up in the moment of celebration and feel ambitious so we set more than one goal such as to eat healthier, smaller portions and exercise every day.  What tends to makes either of those goals barely unachievable is the lack of preplanning, New Years resolutions are generally spontaneous and set on New Years Eve.
Please don't be discouraged, there is a way to make your goals attainable.  

First there has to be a why.  What is your "why" for quitting?  Is it financial, emotional or just spontaneous?  Your why must having meaning to you.

Second you must have a start and end date.  Well so for this example we have a start date.  Lets say for argument sake you decide to ween yourself from smoking a pack a day to nothing.  Analyze and collect data of your smoking habit, when, where and why you smoke.  With the information collected decide if there is times when you smoke that you can just eliminate or if you feel you must smoke all the times that you do.  

Third, determine how many times of the day you can or are willing to give up your smoke break and make a commitment.

Next, make an incremental time line to cut back a cigarette in blocks of time.  Be sure to have a support in place for when you feel the urge to smoke, whether it be a person or an activity to take your attention off your urge to smoke.
Finally, acknowledge and celebrate your milestones as you accomplish them.
The success or failure of your goals are determined by being clear of the goal and why you want to achieve the goal, knowing what you can handle, committing to a beginning and end date, creating a plan of steps you are going to take to reach your goal, finally taking the time to appreciate the steps you are taking to achieve your goal.
Call or email me and we will make this New Years Resolution your last failure!

Virginia Ann Griffiths

Parent Time & Stress Management

We Leap Coaching 

weleapcoaching@gmail.com

(860) 485-8341

7 Simple Questions for a Healthy Business

Have you asked yourself this question lately?

What do I really want out of my business? 

Most of us forged out a business plan when we started our entrepreneurial venture, but what have we done lately? Our plan seemed to work years ago, but things change and today is moving faster than yesterday. Every December, I make it a habit to review my current year BEFORE January comes around. This gives me an opportunity to jump start my new goals for the new year. It also allows me time to reflect and review the things that worked and the things that didn’t work. Let’s walk through the process of asking the right questions, so we can make room for clarity in 2015.

Here are 7 simple questions I ask myself every December:

1. What worked?

2. How can I build on what worked?

3. What didn’t work?

4. What did I learn?

5. Where did I spend the most time?

6. How should I spend my time going forward?

7. What are my BIG ideas for next year and when will I implement them?

Doing this exercise gives you a clear snapshot of your business right now. It gives you a launching pad for your goals moving forward. It also allows you the opportunity to get rid of the clutter that gets in your way. The end result is a relevant business plan that makes you feel better, because you know what you need to do to get positive results. No one is going to tell you what to do or hold your hand along the way, so you need to step up and adjust your game plan.

How long will this exercise take? One option is to spend 20 minutes and get a quick snapshot. A more valuable way is to enjoy the process and think for a good 2-3 hours and really explore the possibilities of what’s possible over the next year. This is called working “on” your business and it is essential to your business growth. So grab a cup of coffee, pull up a chair and ask “What do I really want for my business?

As a Professional Organizer, Speaker, Author, Podcast Producer & Host, Rick Woods helps residents and businesses make room for clarity, by getting rid of the clutter that gets in their way.

Rick’s newly released book “Make Room for Clarity” is a step by step guide to getting rid of the clutter that gets in your way. Available on Amazon. Listen to Rick's free weekly podcast "Make Room For Clarity", which focuses on interviewing business & health experts by visiting www.makeroomforclarity.com.

Inquire about Rick's professional organizing business, "The Functional Organizer, LLC.", which focuses on decluttering, organizing, paper filing and time management by visiting www.tforganizer.com.