Archive for January, 2006

It’s called Focus

Friday, January 27th, 2006

John DalyHow would you respond if the day before a really big day at work your spouse, who is hundreds of miles away, is unexpectedly taken off to jail…and you’ve got young children at home…and you just can’t walk away from your commitment?

Would you be a little distracted?

That scenario actually happened to PGA Golfer John Daly several days ago. How did he respond? He went out and shot a 69 (if you’re not a golfer, that’s very good!) on a very tough course. He was, as Fox Sports described him, “seemingly without a care in the world.”

Did the incident bother Daly? Sure it did — he’s human like the rest of us. But when Daly, who has had his share of personal problems over the years, is on his game, he’s one of the very best golfers in the world. He knew at the moment that he couldn’t change his wife’s situation but he could change his own situation at hand. He FOCUSED on his game despite an incredible distraction. “Asked how he put his personal life aside, Daly offered a wry grin. “You don’t,” he said. “I’m just out here.”

What distraction in your life is beyond your ability to change it? Why not put it aside for the moment and FOCUS on what you can change.

Read the Fox Sports story here…

The World’s #1 Goal Achiever

Friday, January 20th, 2006

John Goddard We’ve blogged earlier about the amazing feats of the “real-life Indiana Jones,” so it was an extremely gratifying experience to actually get to spend some time with the “World’s #1 Goal Achiever.” Lisa and I had the great fortune to spend the morning of January 4th with John and his gracious wife Carol and we were not disappointed. He’s the real deal and getting ready to achieve another of the great goals he laid out almost 65 years ago.

Learn more about John Goddard here and see his amazing Life List of Goals here

How to stay on track

Sunday, January 15th, 2006

So how do we stay on track? How do we remain motivated and focused toward our highest and best?

Allow me to share with you a few things that have worked for me. Perhaps they can help you stay on track.

Three Most Important Goals
I have many goals. I always have a few dozen I’m working toward. But I keep three first and foremost in my mind. Every day, I know I must do something that will help me make progress toward their achievement. I look at these goals every day. They’re rarely out of my consciousness. And I usually do take action every day on each of these three goals.

What’s Next?
Martin Sheen’s character in the hit TV series “The West Wing” is President Jeb Bartlett. His way of saying that he’s done with something and ready to move on is to ask the question, “What’s next?”

It’s a good question to ask ourselves. Not only what’s next, but what’s the most important thing we can do today to move us closer to our most important objectives.

Keep Your Goals in Front of You
Put pictures of your goals up so you see them often. Review them regularly. And most importantly, review the REASONS why you want to accomplish these goals. It’s the reasons that will make the difference.

Talk About Your Goals with Supportive People
Having a mastermind group is ideal, but even if you don’t have one, you can still share your goals with people who will encourage and support you. And you can do the same for them.

By talking about your goals, you make them more real. You’ll also get ideas from others on how you can better achieve them. People can’t help you if they don’t know what you want.

Forgive Yourself and Move On
Way too much emotional energy and thinking is wasted because we keep reviewing past behaviors. The past is gone. Today is all we have. Don’t squander time and energy thinking about what you should have done, could have done, what you did or might have done.

Today is a new day. Move on. The point of power is in the present.

Affirmation and Visualization
Affirmative statements and visualizing the achievement of our goals help us to “feel” our way to success. Anything we can do to elevate our emotional connection with our objectives will help us stay on track.

It’s well worth developing strategies that work to keep us consistently moving toward our goals. As we do so we build a track record of success, and setting and achieving bigger goals becomes even easier.

Michael Angier is the founder of SuccessNet, which is celebrating ten years of helping people empower themselves to be their best.

Money Poll: Top 10 Goals

Tuesday, January 10th, 2006

Money Magazine’s January issue has an interesting survey of American’s goals for 2006. They noted that traditional goals for health and money are taking a back seat this year to the desire to spend more time with the people we love.


Top Overall Goal

30% Spend more time with family and friends
19% Get healthier
18% Manage money better
17% Pursue enjoyable activities
12% Improve career.

Just as revealing, the top financial goal chosen by 33% was to save more money this year. Here’s a tip that Loral Langemeier, the Wealth Diva, shared during one of our tele-seminars: Open an Orange Savings Account and set up an automatic investment every week (or every month) to be taken out of your checking account. Start with a modest amount and gradually increase it. You’re not likely to miss the money and you’ll have the beginnings of a real investment account.


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