“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.

Thanks Matt for a brilliant question!

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.

But first, a word of caution and suggestion:  the answers to these questions can be life changing and should not be taken lightly. These questions should not be casually scanned over, with passive thoughts and weak conclusions. These questions are meant to be actively explored, investigated and participated in.  That said, let’s go for it!

Think back to this time last year. Where were you? Who were you spending time with? What were the stresses and joys in your life? What was the theme and major events of your winter, spring, summer and autumn? Where were you hoping you’d be today? Spend 5-10 minutes reminding yourself of what you experienced, created and contributed in 2010.

Take out your notepad or journal and write your answers to the questions below in some detail. Got your pen in hand? Great, here we go…

1. What did you love about your 2010? What were the special moments? What were your most significant achievements? What did you do that you didn’t think you could?

2. How does that make you feel on reflection? Happy? Proud? What are the emotions you remember from those moments? What do you feel as you relive those experiences?

3. What would you like to duplicate in 2011? Which activities, adventures, projects or events would you like to repeat? What would you like to create or share even more of? Where, or with whom, do you want to ensure you spend your time?

4. What did you hate about your 2010? What were you disappointed in? What were your biggest challenges? Where did you struggle the most or under-achieve versus your expectations?

5. What do you not want to happen again in 2011? Put emphasis and focus on things that you can control or can influence instead of unnecessarily worrying about things beyond your power.

6. What did you learn by going through these experiences? Despite the challenges or painful times, what did you learn, how were these experiences incredibly valuable or how did they positively serve you?

7. What decisions did you make in 2010 that were empowering for you? What were some of the most important decisions of the year for you?

8. With that insight, what decisions will you make in 2011 as a result, to make it an extra rewarding and fulfilling year? Building off your insights from the previous questions, what will you continue to do, where do you need to get extra help, what will you stop doing?

If you haven’t written your answers down yet, I really encourage you to do so this week. Set aside 30 minutes to really immerse yourself in this experience. You might just uncover the key to making 2011 an amazing year.

What special lessons are you going to take into 2011? Please leave a comment below, we’d love to hear what you learned from these questions.

Research shows that people that are stressed and overwhelmed spend less than 25% of their time on things that are fulfilling to them. This can be at work and at home and at play. Are you being distracted from the important? Under demand from other people’s requests? Under delusion that the majority of your time on certain tasks is the best or fastest way to achieve your desired outcome? Of course, we all spend time in these phases, and indeed we need to spend time on the not-so-urgent-or-important duties during our days and weeks.

But every once in a while we need to take a step back. When is the last time you stopped? Took stock of where your time and attention is going, and should go? What is working for you (i.e. when are you at your best, where are you most productive and/or fulfilled, how are you managing your time and attention, where are you not coping as well as you’d like to)?

By the way, this doesn’t need to be a deep, soul-searching exercise. It can be a simple health check or audit of what’s happening right now in your life and what you could do to improve and increase your happiness or zest for life, work, family, friends, community, spirituality, and so on.

It’s a simple exercise of looking back on recent times and asking yourself the questions above. In just a few minutes of honest reflection your 20/20 hindsight will provide great foresight on how to easily and effortlessly take steps towards improvement and progress.

Do this without harsh judgment or beating yourself up for things that aren’t quite where you want them to be, just the process of this simple task will take you that much closer to everything you want to achieve. Even if you’ve struggled for a while or know you’ve procrastinated on making a change – that’s life, you’re human just like me. So if your initial reaction is self-blame or doubt, change it instead to one of gratitude that you care enough about yourself and are willing to live life more on your terms. Take the time to stop, acknowledge where you’d like to improve, and simply turn your attention to helpful and easy ways to take immediate steps in the right direction.

Here’s a simple guide (and secret of highly productive and consistent producers of excellence) on how and when to do this:

One minute per day: Before you lay your head on your pillow, reflect on the day and ask, ‘What was great about today?’ How can I make tomorrow even better?’ Be specific in your answers. Simple, easy, wonderfully rewarding.

One hour per week: Schedule and commit to one hour per week to reflect back on the previous week. How did you do? Did you complete what you wanted to? Did you get the outcomes you were hoping for? What can you do differently to effectively and efficiently manage your days/time/attention/energy this upcoming week? What are your priorities and outcomes for next week? Personally, I find first thing Saturday morning a great time to do this.

One day per quarter: Schedule and commit to one full day every three months to reflect back on the previous 90 days. Where have you seen great results and progress? What are the trends in how or where you under-delivered against your expectations? What can you start doing, or better yet, what will you commit to changing during the next 90 days. Be sure to look at all major areas of your life: health & vitality, finances & wealth creation, relationships with your partner & friends (separate out your partner from other friends or family), hobbies & interests, spirituality & community. You can also expand this to include your relevant professional categories. Make it a fun exercise and engage others in the hindsight and foresight exercise where appropriate. One full day might seem like a lot…but how much will you gain over the next 90 days from a 6-8 hour investment in planning ahead. (Hint: far more than you can imagine!). Personally, the last Friday or Saturday of March, June, September, December are great triggers to remind me to do this. You can also use the first day of Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter.

One weekend per year: A lot can happen in your life (and a lot can be delayed) in a year so it — and living the life that you want and deserve (!) — demands quality reflection and projection forward. Schedule and commit to two days at the end of the year to reflect on your previous goals and desires for the past year, the victories and defeats, the joys and sorrows. Where are you versus where you expected to be? What is going to make the next year different? Who are you becoming? How can you change or grow to become the person you want to be? What 20/20 hindsight can you use as foresight for an extraordinary year ahead? How much could you set yourself on an exciting and rewarding path with two full days of stopping, reflecting and planning ahead? (Hint: far more than you can imagine!)

20/20 hindsight is always there. So is your ability to reflect on these insights and turn them into powerful and empowering foresight for designing and living the life you’ve always imagined.

Start treating yourself to this gift today.

Chris

Some ‘tools’ may require an investment up front, but having the right ones could save you a lot of time, hassle and money, giving you a better quality result with greater efficiency, and may even be the difference between you loving and hating what you are doing.

Paul and Sam discuss some of their DIY learnings, and explore other areas that this insight can be applied to – from serious tasks to fun ones! Afterall, would you try writing an essay with a lipstick?

If you are the owner of a small business that has grown over a few years to something greater, and would like to understand more about how the Right Tools and related concepts could ensure your business continues to grow effectively, and allow you to love what you created once more, then please contact Sam for more information.

Sometimes it feels like we’re swinging from one extreme to the other – one moment careening towards a crash, and a moment later, struggling up the mountain without a clear view of when (or if) we’ll reach the top.

Life can feel like a rollercoaster ride of heady peaks and stomach-churning troughs, and whilst we would all be terribly bored if it was just a flat track to the horizon… wouldn’t it be great if we could learn to balance out those pendulum-swings just a little? Even-it-up a bit so that it flowed more smoothly, and we could actually start to enjoy the ride?

Sam joins Paul on his train-journey of discovery into how we can keep the momentum and motivation flowing when we need it most!

We’ve just had our 5,000th motivational podcast download and are celebrating by giving away 4 free telephone coaching sessions. All you have to do is post a comment on our site (Comment on this post!) before 15 May and you may be the lucky winner. Click here for more details and leave a comment to win. Take that action now!

I call it the 9 week window.

It’s incredibly simple to grasp the concept but it may take a while to put things in to place and reap the benefits. We’ll roughly 9 weeks actually!

• Week 1 (four weeks ago)
• Week 2
• Week 3
• Week 4
• WEEK 5 (You are here! Imagine those maps with a big red arrow)
• Week 6
• Week 7
• Week 8
• Week 9 (four weeks into the future)

The idea is to limit the distance you plan ahead and encourage you to take regular and constant action. As you move from one week to the next fill in the previous week with what you actually did do. Often you’ll find that it’s not until you make a conscious record of your actions that you realize how busy you really have been!

We spend so much time fretting over the future or commiserating the past we can end up finding ourselves a little consumed in that one area. This system will help you to balance your focus evenly and more productively on the future, present and past. Allowing you to plan, take action and enjoy the results all in one.

Start today and put this simple plan in place. To make sure you retain committed and motivated post your plan in the comments section below.

GOOD LUCK!

What you do in the first 20 minutes can set you up for a great day…or an unfulfilled day. Are you aware of your morning habits?

In this podcast Paul and Chris discuss how to create powerful morning habits and ways to overcome the negative habits that you no longer want. Both of which can have a dramatic influence on your daily success.

With a little forethought from you – and support from your coach – you can still have a great time, without spending the New Year trying to repair the damage.

So by this New Year you will already be working towards the new you that you promised yourself last year!