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Saturday, September 20, 2008

Dream Big and Set Big Goals - Who Do You Want to Be? - Decide

It's your life. And life is precious, though today, many people don't revere the blessing of actually being alive. Now, you can dream big dreams, you can set big goals, and become who you want to be. Success means different things for different people. For some it means a million dollars in savings, for others it means creating a happy home, fulfilling relationships, being with a partner to diamond anniversaries, etc. Your success like any other persons is determined by having that goal. Now, we find that success is not just about goals, but looking at an interesting equation. This equation is your potential verses your actual success. The closer you can get your actual achievements to your potential, the closer you are to be truly successful. You see, many people do set goals, even though I have found only 7% approximately set goals.

People do set goals, but it is the few who actually set goals, using a pen and paper, etc. And we find that bridge between potential and gross achievement happens only when fundamentals of goal setting are learned. Now is the time, and now is the time to dream big. Many people aim in life, and actually hit the destination, but so few people utilize such opportunities as right now to dream big dreams. Dream big dreams and realize that aiming for the Moon and missing is not a bad thing, because it means you have landed amongst the stars! Take time to dream big dreams.

Amplify them, and believe in them. A vision, an ideal, a big dream is something that must resonate with the core of your being. No, the riches wanted for the reason of boasting will not make success. It is the true vision of a life which benefits not just you, but others around you - that is a positive big dream, and one which every resource in the universe will be put to. So, who do you want to be? So be. Take your dream, and fashion it, work with it, be it. Let your dream take over you, and work to make it reality.

Most people will never go through the process from vision to reality, because the vision is not compelling. A man or woman who deeply desires a desire, a desire of a vision, an ideal, will attain it. Look at Microsoft, look at any success story that had a positive desire behind it, and you will see a big dream, and a big achievement. Decide, and so it will be with you too.

Visit these links to discover how your vision turns to reality and the goal setting system I use, and get your free eBook worth $7.

How to Set Work Goals

How do you set work goals? Work goals can be very different from a goal to go on a world cruise. A work goal can be mundane, it can be for small things, and it can be for big things. It can even mean totally different things than that, and we could find ourselves confused before long! End the confusion, and learn how to set work goals and move forward.

The reason for the confusion can be our definition. For example, an entrepreneur may have totally different types of work goals than an employee working in a day job - with work goals. They each could ask how to set work goals and have different aims and objectives.

One thing that unites the two is that they both have that desire for a certain achievement, and the work to get there. So now we have something to work with, and can utilize it to increase our performance and achieve more success whether we ask how to set work goals to increase our business or get us up the career ladder.

In essence whether you run the business or simply work there, the work goals you set will be similar. Most of the type of goals you set will usually be with tasks that are repetitive and can be simple.

This is the domain of systematization. You go from one task to the next. And here is where a goal setting strategy can go out the window, especially with all the repetition.

The solution then becomes to first stand back and look at what is trying to be achieved. This is why many coaches, including myself often ask whether you know your ultimate outcome.

Your ultimate outcome will be unique to you. For example, if it is your own business, then the outcome will likely be the reason why you got into business, in the first place. If you work for someone, and are setting these goals, then the ultimate outcome for you will be the pay rise, climbing up the career ladder or even being able to sustain or build on your lifestyle.

Having this ultimate outcome is essential, because it allows you to get maximum benefit whenever you ask yourself how to set work goals. Now you can look at what needs to be done in a new light.

For the most part, these mundane tasks we find on a day to day level are those tasks that need systematization. This is the domain of creating a process for the business. And even if you are an employee, you can still perform this task within your own job.

Finding the most important outcomes first and working to achieve them is the surest way to reach your ultimate outcomes. After all, when you perform 120% here, then your business increases, thus making your ultimate outcome reality. And it still works as an employee because 120% here means you have done the work to justify the pay rise.

Does this make sense? Visit the link to discover the full system I use to make 90% of my goals reality! Discover how to set work goals right now!

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Creativity is A lot More Important Than You Think

Creativity has often been thought of the domain of the artists and the musicians of this world. What Daniel Pink has to tell us though in his book "A Whole New Mind", is that creativity is about to affect all of us.

Mr. Pink talks about the scary phenomenon of outsourcing that has been taking away lots of jobs from us here in the States and that's where the whole new mind comes in. The old mind "the left brain" will not service us as well as it did for so many years.

All of our leaders up until now have been knowledge workers as Peter Drucker famous management guru says they have "The ability to acquire and to apply theoretical and analytic knowledge".

In our society test takers have always been rewarded. You need an SAT to get into college, a LSAT for Law school and GMAT for medical school. Of course the higher you score, the more likely you are to get accepted.

However, it's not enough anymore, outsourcing has ruined it for our society of left brainers. A salary of $75,000 can now be outsourced for a fraction of the cost, $15,000. To overseas workers that are overjoyed to get the work.

As a result our society now needs a new set of aptitudes and they have been turning to right brain activities to define those aptitudes.

There is new an emphasis on relationships, problem solving and yes, creativity.

As Tom Peters says "Any job that depends on routines, that can be reduced to a set of rules or broken down into a set of repeatable skill, is at risk"

As Mr Pink says 'We've moved from an economy built on peoples backs to an economy built on peoples left brains to what is emerging today as am economy and society built more on peoples right brains"

To prove this point Yale school of Medicine has been sending their students to an art museum to hone their powers of observation. They claim that students who study paintings, will notice more subtle differences and details in a patients condition.

Even those dyed in the wool left brainers, the Japanese, are remaking their educational system to include greater creativity, artistry and play.

As an educator, I feel that this has tremendous ramifications for young children. As my expertise is in art for young children , I have been launching a crusade against the traditional crafts for kids that is done is so many preschool classrooms and art programs.

If we are to listen to the voice of Mr. Pink don't you think we would be better served if we started giving our children real educational arts and crafts that really brings out the child's creativity as opposed to having them copy our copycat models.

If we start the children's creativity young, we will have a lot less to worry about when they face the big world out there as they grow into adulthood.

Faige Kobre a former preschool teacher and director for many years is a graduate of Bank Street College Of Education probably the foremost graduate school in the area of progressive education. Aside from her teaching and directing experience she also runs workshops for teachers specializing in non crafts art for the preschool classroom. She is also the creator of Creative Art Solutions for kids, teaching parents and teachers how to empower their children through art . (She is also the proud mother of 6 and grandmother of 1) To download FREE report on a wonderful non crafts art activity called "Tray Painting" go to http://www.educationalartsandcrafts.com she also has a blog specifically for preschool teachers at http://www.preschoolmusings.com

Creating Resilience

My friend and colleague, Sandy Davis, who lives in the northern reaches of the state of Maine, is an executive leadership coach. Among other things, he teaches people how to be resilient. He has a simple, effective formula that includes spending fifteen minutes each day in three different practices: a centering practice, an aerobic practice, and a creative practice. According to Sandy, along with some other basics like eating and sleeping well, if you consistently practice fifteen minutes daily in each of the three areas, you will develop and sustain a resilient mind, body and spirit.

I don't have difficulty with the centering or the aerobic practices. I make time for these easily every morning. I have always known that of the three resilience practices, my creative practice is the one I am most prone to let fall by the wayside.

While I am very creative in my work life, Sandy says that being creative at work (writing articles and creating workshops, for example) is not the same thing as a separate creative practice, like weaving, painting, or writing poetry. By the same token, if you are a poet and make your living that way, you would need a different creative practice that takes you out of the work arena.

Singing is my true creative practice, and sadly, I am not consistent.

In the past month, however, I've needed to sing nearly every day in preparation for a concert. As I practiced and rehearsed by myself and with my trio, I noticed that my energy was higher, my spirits lighter, and my attitude happier - not just during rehearsals but all the time. And this increased resilience seemed to radiate out into other domains of life. Singing always buoys me, but the songs I sang in this concert were particularly uplifting: "On A Wonderful Day Like Today," "Put On A Happy Face," and "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah" to name a few.

This experience was a needed reminder of the benefits of a separate creative practice and has inspired me to sing at least fifteen minutes a day. How hard can that be?! What has kept me from it in the past is the interior dialogue: "I don't have time to practice; it takes too long to warm up and get ready to sing," -- stuff like that. What I noticed this time is that the warm-up IS singing and IS fun. So ...

I will sing fifteen minutes a day. Promise to myself.

What is your creative practice? Have you actually practiced it lately?

About the Author: Judy Ringer is the author of Unlikely Teachers: Finding the Hidden Gifts in Daily Conflict and the award-winning e-zine, Ki Moments, containing stories and practices on turning life's challenges into life teachers. Judy is a black belt in aikido and nationally known presenter, specializing in unique workshops on conflict, communication, and creating a positive work environment. She is the founder of Power & Presence Training and chief instructor of Portsmouth Aikido, Portsmouth, NH, USA. To sign up for more free tips and articles like these, visit http://www.JudyRinger.com