What is the point of making new year’s resolutions, intentions, or ambitions for you?
Are they to achieve something important? To acquire new accolades? Or simply to gain material things that add to the joy of life?
As an avid goal setter for 10 years now (…in fact, the date of my first entry in the notebook where I write my goals is January 2, 2002. Exactly ten years ago), I’ve set my share of grand ambitions and planned for smaller pleasures.
I’ve covered the range from traveling to far away places, experiencing some of the world’s most fascinating events, and learning new skills to advance my career, health, finances and relationships.
When I look back on my list, there is a strong theme of ‘accomplishment’. I wanted to accomplish things and experience stuff and by-and-large, I did just that.
It may be arbitrary but the turn of a new year is a perfect opportunity to set a plan for what you want to experience, create, have and do over the next 12 months.
Part of what spurns us on to thinking about our future is the middle of December to early January, for most, is a time where we have time less time at work and spend more time with friends and family. This end of year cycle is a perfect catalyst for reconnecting with what matters most.
But knowing what matters (or what you want to achieve) and making it so are wildly different things.
Having spent a huge portion of my adult life investigating what makes the difference between ‘those who achieve what they want’ and ‘those who try but don’t, or don’t really try at all’, I’ve learnt that 99% of the time it comes down to five factors. Read more of this article »
You know the feeling, you start out on a new path to better health, being more organised or some other goal that you know is really important to you.
At the beginning you feel like you’ve thought everything through and you’re really motivated to get going. Everything seems to be going great! Your plans have paid off and your journey towards your goal couldn’t seem easier.
So… why do you begin to slip?
Unless something happens to get you back on track, your goals seem to fade into obscurity.
You find yourself missing the odd gym session, and not being quite as organised. Whatever it is, you can feel yourself slipping back into your old ways. Unless something happens to get you back on track, your goals seem to fade into obscurity and before you know it, weeks have passed since you did anything you initially planned so hard for.
Do you find yourself getting constantly distracted?
Unable to complete tasks due to outside forces?
Chris and Gina discuss ways in which we invite distractions (often without realising it) into our lives and the impact this has personally and professionally.
Find out how you can acknowledge your distractions and take practical steps to minimise their impact.
We had a great question in from one of our listeners to the podcast.
“Do you think that the more formal process of goal setting works better for everybody, and everyone should use it to achieve more?”
Sam and Paul consider the options and situations where structured goal setting is really required, but admit themselves that they don’t always have to follow a rigid process to move towards their dreams.
As a subscriber of ActionPodcast updates you’ll be familiar with our often-cited strategy of taking small steps of everyday action towards your dreams and goals.
When we started ActionPodcast in 2008 we didn’t know what it would lead to, we didn’t know if it would resonate with you, we didn’t know how long it would last. So we just got started, took small steps, and watched as it unfolded.
But we knew with absolute certainty that we needed to share our messages.
And today we achieved a major milestone of our 100,000th podcast download, now listened to by people in over 25 countries.
Our experiences as coaches — in helping people find their passions, breakthrough fears and old habits, reconnect with their authentic purpose, create compelling goals and dreams for their future – has taught us many lessons about generating confidence, pride and conviction to keep moving forward. And it’s given universal insights into how to successfully navigate through Read more of this article »
How often have you excitedly started a new project, signed up at a new gym, told yourself this is the year you will write the book, get in shape, move house, leave your job? Yes, we can all relate to lack of momentum…
In this podcast Paul and Gina discuss ways you can actually start getting motivated, what you can focus on to maintain momentum – and reach your intended goals. As both coaches have recently started back at the gym themselves, they will be posting weekly accountability blogs on our Action Podcast Facebook page – in an effort to keep their own momentum going!
You may not have noticed, it probably passed like a ship in the night, but this week included a milestone day for all of us. That’s right…Monday February 7th was the 37th day of the year. An ordinary day by any standards but one that also marked the end of the first 10% of this year.
One-tenth of 2011 is now gone. How was it for you?
Are you off to a flying start like an Olympic sprinter? Are you really making an effort to do what you want to do? Having more fun, checking off your to-do list with a steady flow of energy and optimism?
Or are you still stuck in the starting blocks? Putting off what really matters to you or perhaps waiting for some issues to clear before starting on your goals for the year? Maybe just postponing real action until Read more of this article »
If you ever find yourself overloaded or confused by the number of goals clambering for your attention, then this time of year can be critical in determining how the rest of your year will continue.
The January focus on resolutions and new goals almost comes with a sense that if we want to change anything, we’ve got this narrow window of the 1st month of the year in which to make it happen. We might decide to lose weight, clean-out our house, get the garden ready for spring and take on more responsibility at work. We pick a handful of big goals for different areas of our lives that we want to improve, and think we’ll be able to tackle them all at once…
Aside from putting a lot of unnecessary pressure on ourselves, this approach is also ineffectual! Read more of this article »
The turn of the year is an arbitrary but helpful moment in time to think about the next 365 days of your life. At ActionPodcast we certainly know that you can design and live the life you want, you can achieve more than you think you can, and have greater happiness than you did last year. But how will you make that happen? I know you’re wiser than hoping to win the national lottery, and of course, more money isn’t going to magically take care of all your problems.
It’s that time of year where I can’t help but start looking forward to the next calendar year. So many hopes and dreams, and a chance to begin anew. A time to reignite my passion and recalibrate my direction. And where do I always start? By looking backwards.
Of all the self-growth practices, perhaps none is more vital than taking the best lessons from the past and using them to design your future.
So as we come of the end of yet another year, here are eight simple yet extremely powerful questions to ensure you capture the most empowering learning from the past year and use those insights and discoveries to propel you into an even more rewarding 2011.
In the past three weeks, I have seen a lot of airports. Nine to be precise. Which means I found myself wandering through the arrivals or departures area on 18 different occasions, to fly in and out of the country. That leaves a lot of time to browse the book shops where the business and self-help sections usually get all my attention. My obsessive curiosity to learn from great thinkers and doers continually fuels my mind and deepens my insights on how to master our potential.
It’s no surprise that a common theme amongst books today is ‘Leadership in Tough Times’. It’s an interesting topic, and one that applies to the business world as much as it does to our own personal lives.
All of it actually, as I was born in 1970, October 5th to be precise. So
those of you quick off the mark will realise that very, very soon I’ll
be hitting the big 4-0.
Are you moving towards your main goals, dreams or priorities? Or does it feel like there is just so much going on in your life at the moment, that it’s hard to tell whether you are coming or going! By using just two magic words you can cut through all the fluff and really focus on what’s important. During this episode Gina and Paul talk about how to help you get really clear on what actions you should be taking on issues that are truly important to you.
It occurred to me recently, that I have spent more than half my life learning about human potential, studying success and gaining insight from the world’s greatest teachers, all to feed my own curiousity about what really matters and what it really takes to create a deeply fulfilling life. A life of your choosing (for the most part), a life on your terms (for the most part), a life filled with more laughter, happiness, health and success.
I’ve learned that we – the average, everyday person – are capable of changing our lives in numerous ways, dramatic ways (!) and faster than most might believe. Many people are wanting or hoping to improve their situation in some way: to lose weight, save more money, develop more meaningful relationships, take on more interesting or engaging hobbies, travel more, give back more, and the list goes on. Many just want to feel alive again. Read more of this article »
ActionPodcast is your weekly source of inspiration and motivation for taking consistent action in your life.
From managing stress to managing time, gaining confidence to getting rid of excuses, the experienced team of ActionPodcast coaches provides practical insights and actionable ideas for making consistent progress in the important areas of your life. Read more...
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