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Mindset doesn’t matter…Or does it? 5 Ways to Be more Positive and Why it Matters.

Do you ever wonder…

Why does positive thinking matter?
Can my mindset, positive or negative, impact achieving my goals?
Can I become more positive?

Yes, mindset is maleable!

My Interest in Positive Thinking…How it All Began

Believe it or not, my interest in goals and affirmations began when I was in middle school.    Even then, I was always drawn to books on mindset.

“Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars.” ~Norman Vincent Peale

My grandmother’s collection of Norman Vincent Peale books and pamphlets created a small obsession with Peale’s message on the power of positive thinking.  Even now, I clearly remember pulling down the attic steps, climbing up into the attic, and reading some of the pamphlets that she kept upstairs.  (The attic was always a place of solitude and discovery for me; that is, until we found a bat in the attic…but that is another story for another time!)

“How you think about a problem is more important than the problem itself-so always think positively.” ~Norman Vincent Peale

While I am sure that many of you reading this have never heard of Norman Vincent Peale, he was quite well known.  A widely popular minister, Peale also authored 46 books.   He is most well-known for his book, The Power of Positive Thinking, which sold over seven million copies.  Even though Peale died in 1993, well before our cultural obsession with Amazon began, this bestselling book currently rates 4.5 (out of 5 possible) stars and has just under 1000 reviews of the book .

mindset quote

Peale’s message always emphasized the importance of overcoming self-doubt and believing in yourself.   He preached climbing above problems by visualizing solutions on attaining your goals.

Some of my favorite of Peale’s quotes, can be found in the quotes throughout this post.      (Feel free to print them and place them in locations where you will see them.  I like to place them in books, in drawers, on mirrors, in my wallet, etc.)“Believe in yourself! Have faith in your abilities! Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers you cannot be successful or happy.” ~Norman Vincent Peale

Research on the Power of Positive Thinking

Of course, everyone didn’t agree with Peale; they thought that positive thinking did have meaningful impact.

However, research has shown that positive thinking really can have an impact.  

For instance, Scheier and Carver’s (2013) research, cited several studies that showed that “optimists routinely maintain higher levels of subjective well-being during times of stress than do people who are less optimistic.”   They also cited research showing that optimism has also been shown to benefit physical well-being.   But WHY? Scheier and Carver (1993) found that optimists:

  • Cope with stress in more adaptive ways than pessimists
  • Are more likely to take direct action to solve their problems than pessimists
  • Have more focus when dealing with adversity than pessimists
  • Are more likely to rely on active coping techniques in dealing with stress than pessimists
  • Are less likely to avoid dealing with stressful situations than pessimists 

Of course, there is also the work of Japanese researcher Masaru Emoto on the impact of the positive thoughts and words on water.   What the Bleep Do We Know even featured Emoto’s work, which involved separating water into 100 petri dishes, each of which was frozen and then either praised or scolded.   Later, Emoto looked at the images under a microscope and discovered that the frozen water that was exposed to negative thoughts and words lacked symmetry and beauty.  In comparison, the water that was exposed to positive thoughts rearranged into beautiful crystalline structures.  (Disclaimer:  While Emoto’s The Hidden Messages in Water was a New York Times best seller, his work is often criticized for his lack of experimental controls when conducting his research, calling the validity of the results into question by some experts.)

So how do I Change my Thoughts and Become a More Positive Thinker?

“The biggest adventure you can take is to live the life of your dreams.” ~Oprah Winfrey Luckily, there are many resources to help you become more positive.    Experts such as Jack Canfield (of Chicken Soup for the Soul fame), Zig Ziglar (Although deceased, he is still revered.), Brian Tracy (motivational author and speaker), Oprah, Rhonda Bryne (author of The Secret), Wayne Dyer (another deceased but well-respected leader), etc. have books that can help you master your mindset.

There are also several simple ways to begin to limit negativity, and increase positive thinking.   Five ways to increase positivity include:

  • Meditation.

    Meditation helps you get clear.   It will help you to become more focused on what it really important and make you less likely to dwell on what isn’t so important.

1bYou will be more positive if you become more reflective, taking time to be quiet and focused in your own thoughts.  However, if your attempts at meditation only bring thoughts of your favorite snack, try using a guided meditation on positive thinking; it will really help steer you into a positive mindset.   The Insight Timer app, which I discussed in a previous blog post on meditation, has some great options for you to try.

  • Surround yourself with positive people.

““You are the average of the five people you spend your time with”  

I don’t know who the original source of the above statement is, but I know that Jon Lee Dumas of Entrepreneur on Fire uses it near the end of every episode of his podcast.   He says it to remind his listeners that they should constantly surround themselves with people who will inspire them to take action to meet their goals.

If you want to meet your goals, don’t surround yourself with negative people who will put or keep you in a negative mindset.  Instead, surround yourself with positive people who will help elevate your thoughts and inspire you to take positive steps towards achieving your goals.

  • Perform a Random Act of Kindness.

Nothing can change a negative attitude faster than knowing that you did something to help make someone else’s day (or life) better.   Plus, it makes the world a better place to be.

So make it a point to perform a random act of kindness whenever you can; buy a coffee for the stranger behind you in the drive-thru at the coffee shop, make a donation to your favorite charity, do something unexpected to help a loved one, send someone who has made a difference in your life a thank

“Put all excuses aside and remember this; YOU are capable.” ~Zig Ziglar

you card, send a card to someone you love for no reason, etc.

  • Read positive quotes.

There is something to that old adage that states “Seeing is believing.”  Try posting some positive quotes around your home, office, and auto.  Use the ones from this blog, or create your own favorite quote images at a website like Quozio.com; you will start to shift your mindset to a more positive paradigm.

  • Smile.  

Smiling can have a big impact on you; for instance, it can be a predictor of how long you’ll live and can even have a measurable effect on your overall well-being.   Want to learn more?  Watch Ron Gutman’s TED Talk on the Hidden Power of Smiling (below).


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On the power of positive thinking: The benefits of being optimistic.  Scheier, Michael F.; Carver, Charles S.  Current Directions in Psychological Science, Vol 2(1), Feb 1993, 26-30.  http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1467-8721.ep10770572

 

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5 Tips to Help You Stay Focused

What is your primary goal?

Do you want to finish school?   go back to school?  lose 10 pounds? buy a house?  vacation in the Caribbean?

Regardless of your goal, your pathway to meeting this goal is the same…Set your intention, and take consistent action to move closer to the results that you want.

Sounds simple, doesn’t it?   Then why is it so hard for some of us?  What is preventing your from getting it done?

FOCUS (or often the lack thereof)  

Maintaining focus is key.

Jon Lee Dumas, who produces the widely popular Entrepreneur on Fire podcast constantly tells his audience that to be successful, they must FOCUS…or FOLLOW ONE COURSE UNTIL SUCCESS.

But, in our world full of distractions….hundreds of cable stations, a seemingly infinite amount of websites, and social media platforms….it is easy to have ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder).

However, lack of focus often results in accomplishing very little of value or, even worse, accomplishing nothing at all.

Below, find tips to help you stay focused on what tasks that bring you closer to spending time on what you value and achieving what desire.

  • Get enough sleep.  This suggestion is “near and dear” to me because I am often guilty of failing to follow this first suggestion.   I get involved in a project once my kids have gone to sleep, when it is quiet, and I am working into the wee hours of the morning.  However, sleep is important.When you are tired, you lack energy and are unable to focus on what you want to accomplish.

Sleep Duration Recommendations

  • Get a calendar and block off time to do activities that align with your goals. Thanks to technology, we have many free calendar options that will allow us to view our schedule at a glance.    For the most part, I meet my needs with the calendar on my iPhone, that auto-updates with my work Outlook calendar. I also know that many people integrate the use of Google Calendar with their smartphone calendar.    

Whatever calendar option you choose, it is important to actually schedule time for actions that align to your goals.   Are you going to go through your house and find unneeded items to sell for money to go towards your dream of visiting the Caribbean this year? Or do you want start a regular exercise practice to better your health and reduce your stress?

Again, whatever your goal is, schedule time in your calendar so that you have a designated time to work on what is important to meeting your goals.

  • Limit your time on social media, watching TV, and mindless internet searching.  Let’s be real. We all love “peeking” into the lives of our friends and loved ones through their social media posts.   It’s great for staying in touch and often extremely entertaining.   But how much time do you spend on sites like Facebook everyday?  Have you ever tracked it?   I did it once along time ago, and I was horrified at the results.   If you added up all of the quick checks that I made, it was sometimes hours spent on Facebook!    Needless to say, I quickly set a daily time limit for visiting Facebook.   Now, I try to limit myself to no more than 15 minutes per day.     

While I don’t have any issues with my self-imposed time limit on social media, I have learned that many people are so tempted that they literally CANNOT STAY OFF!   Luckily, there are tools that help us stay off.   For instance, there is:

  • The StayFocused Chrome Extension that allows you to “lock” yourself out of any website that you want for any amount of time that you want.
Stay Focused Chrome Extension

Stay Focused Chrome Extension

  • Sometimes, we lack focus because we are going in too many directions.  Our world is distracting; Oftentimes hundreds of cable stations, a seemingly infinite amount of websites, and social media platforms are competing with for our attention.   You get distracted, and before you know it, minutes have turned into hours.
  • If you are really distracted by websites and apps, you could even consider a paid program like Freedom, which is more customizable and can be used across all devices.
  • Apps like Forest for your iPhone motivate you to stop constantly checking your phone.  (The app plants a seed, which you can see grow into a tree if you avoid checking your phone.  In fact, if you check it the tree with wither and die.  Then, at the end of the day, Forest will summarize how many minutes you were able to focus during that day.)
  • The FREE Self-Control program (for Macs) that lets you block websites or mail servers for any amount of time that you set.

 

  • Eat well and hydrate.  Sometimes, lack of focus is caused by failing to take care of ourselves. Whether or not we want to admit it, “we are what we eat.”  If we eat low quality foods and fail to drink enough water, we are more likely to have less energy than if we eat more “natural foods” and drink the daily recommended amount of water.
  • Reward yourself for accomplishing mini-goals.   Let’s face it, we all like rewards.  it is why we have so many plastic reward cards and love sales.   Achieving goals is the same way; you need to reward yourself for accomplishing milestones along the way.

For instance, if your goal is writing a book, reward yourself after you finish each chapter.   If you are trying to lose 10 pounds, reward yourself after you lose five.   If you are trying to pay off your credit card, reward yourself after you pay off a predetermined amount.

Of course, you have to ensure that your rewards also align to your goals.   If your goal was to cut expenses and pay off a high interest credit card, it is not advisable for you to go out an make an expensive purchase as a reward since that would be counterproductive.    If your goal was to lose weight, rewarding yourself with a nightly hot fudge sundae is inadvisable because it would most likely negate any progress that you made toward achieving your goal.

But, be creative!   There are many ways to stay focused and motivated towards achieving our goals without ruining your progress.    What about a hot bath?   a favorite cup of coffee or tea?   an evening out with friends or loved ones?   a weekend afternoon snuggled in a blanket watching your favorite movie?    Think about it, and determine what works best for you.

Lack of focus prevents us from living the life that we desire.   When we don’t take care of ourself because we are stressed, tired, or lack energy, we are unable to focus on what we want to accomplish.   As a result, nothing much gets done.  Don’t let that happen; use one of the action steps above to get focused and get results!

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Seeing is Believing! Why a vision board is important in achieving goals.

SUCCESSFUL CELEBRITIES USE VISION BOARDS

In the video below, Steve Harvey and Oprah discuss the use of vision boards.   Harvey discusses how it includes all of the things that he wants do and accomplish.   While Harvey says that he can’t share everything on his vision board because some of it is personal, he does share that his goal to provide 10,000 with scholarships to college is on his vision board.  (Interestingly, since the video below was taped, Harvey has teamed up with Coca-Cola’ Pay It Forward Scholarship Program, which provides programs to help minority students explore academic and career options where they are traditionally underrepresented.  Additionally, Harvey has also partnered with Disney Dreamers Academy, which also seeks to inspire teens to succeed.  You have to wonder if the relationship is coincidence, or a result of Harvey’s strong conviction to meet his goals of providing teens with mentoring opportunities.)

 

WHY VISION BOARDS CAN WORK

Personally, I agree with Harvey and Oprah; I believe that VISION BOARDS CAN HELP YOU TO ACHIEVE YOUR GOALS.

However, vision boards are not a panacea for all of your problems; VISION BOARDS ARE MERELY A TOOL which, If used appropriately, will ASSIST you in meeting your goals.

Vision boards are effective tools because they can be a reminder to help you STAY FOCUSED AND MOTIVATED!  They will serve as a daily reminder of what you want and hopefully inspire you to TAKE ACTION towards meeting your goals.  Visualizing your goals will remind you of your truest DESIRES and help MOTIVATE you to make it happen!

You have to have a vision and a plan to execute so that every step moves you in a direction in that vision.

 

MAKING A VISION BOARD

You can make a vision board in several different ways.   Undoubtedly, most people make a physical vision board with a cork board or poster board, and paste photos, magazine cutouts, etc. in a collage type format.  (If you haven’t seen vision boards in this format, you can view these Google Images.)

If creating a physical vision board is your style, then you can purchase a cork board at almost any retail store.    And, if you lack magazines, you could ask a local medical office or hair salon if they could give you some of their old magazines.

Me, I am more of a digital person.   I find CREATING A DIGIAL VISION BOARD CAN SAVE YOU TIME.  Plus a digital vision board can be more visible; you can save it as your desktop, you can set it as your homepage, etc.   Or, if you prefer, you can print the digital vision boards and place them in strategic locations that will serve as a constant reminder of your goals.

pinterestYou can use several different tools to create a digital vision board.  Some people use Pinterest.   Others simply use a free collage program likerealtime time board Picture2Life.  You could also use Padlet, which I wrote a blog post on in the past.

Personally, one of my favorite tools for digital vision board creation is RealTimeBoard, a white board that allows you to post pictures, texts, etc. just like you were attaching them to a real white board.   (RealTimeBoard lets you make three boards with their free version.  You can also add three collaborators for free if you want to make a collaborative vision board.  (See below for more details on collaborative vision board.)

Once you create your vision board, IT IS IMPORTANT FOR THE VISION BOARD TO BE SOMEWHERE YOU CAN SEE IT.    But you can’t just look at the vision board, believing that your fairy godmother will magically help you achieve your goals because YOU HAVE TO CHART YOUR COURSE; you have to choose ACTIONS THAT MOVE YOU IN THE DIRECTION OF ATTAINING YOUR GOALS.    (As a side note, one of my all time FAVORITE BOOKS is The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy.   It discusses the ability to reach your goals through little, everyday actions or the ability to create a life opposite of what you really want through little, everyday actions.   I HIGHLY RECOMMEND READING IT, or listening to it thought Audible like I did.)

 

MORE ON CREATING VISION BOARDS: TIMETABLE

Before creating your vision board, you have to decide on a time table for it.   In other words, what is a realistic timetable to complete your goals?

I like to create vision boards for the next year or so.   Of course, you can choose a shorter or longer time frame, depending on your goals.  Or, you can make multiple vision boards, one for short-term goals and another for long-term goals.

 

MORE ON CREATING VISION BOARDS: CONTENT

Content on a vision board is significant.   Since this is a visual representation of your goals, your vision board should be reflective of your goals.

So take a look at your goals.  (If you haven’t written your goals, check my previous blog posts on Setting Goals, What Goals are Most Important to You?, Writing SMART Goals,  and Achieving Goals) to help you get started.

Then, select, the media that will best “visually speak” your goal to you, and place them on your board.  This could be:

  • Pictures
  • Inspirational quotes
  • Words
  • Etc.

Arrange the media in an aesthetically appealing way.   Remember, you want to MAKE A VISION BOARD THAT HELPS YOU TO TAKE INSPIRED ACTION TOWARDS MEETING YOUR GOALS!

 

SET JOINT GOALS WITH COLLABORATIVE VISION BOARDS

Vision boards don’t have to be individual.   You can also collaborate to make a vision board with your significant other and put mutual goals on it.   It could be a mutual attempt to improve your relationship by stating your desires and expectations.

Or, you can make a collaborative board with your child/children to give you both/all something to work towards.   Or, if you own a business or manage a team, you could make a vision board with your employees/colleagues to serve as a constant reminder of the collaborative goals.

 

IN CONCLUSION

When contemplating creating your vision board, keep these words from Oprah in mind.   _Create the highest, grandest vision for your life, because you become what you believe_

PS.  If this post inspired you to create a vision board, please consider posting a picture or comment on our Facebook Community Page.

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Sometimes you should ride the horse…{Achieving Your Goals}

I was fortunate to be able to take my children to Rocking Horse Ranch in Highland, New York on a mini-vacation this past week.

We did so much in the three days that we were there.  We rode horses, used paddleboats, went fishing, went mountain tubing, and ate a whole lot of food!   It was a great time!   I was able to focus on my kids and relax.

My short get-away gave me the time and space to focus on my goals, and reemphasized how important it is to align your actions to your goals.

Below, I discuss my two important take-aways.

Lesson 1: FOCUS ON THE PRESENT MOMENT

I was reminded of the importance of making time to spend uninterrupted time with those that we love.  As anyone over 35 will attest, time goes by too quickly; you blink, and somehow a year or more has passed.

In the busy time that we live in, we are easily distracted, and it is very challenging for most of us to stay FOCUSED.  Even when we take time off, we are distracted; we are on our digital devices or we are engaged in something other than our companion.   We are thinking about what is coming next instead of enjoying the present moment.

Personally, my yoga practice has helped me practice and understand the “gift” of staying in the present moment.

When you practice asana (the physical poses) in yoga, you generally have to be “in the moment” because many of the poses are challenging.   Your mind is not able to wander because you must keep attention to the detail of the poses.     For instance, when you are focusing on getting and staying in a pose that is challenging to you, you are not thinking about running errands or paying bills.

Thanks to yoga’s ability to help us to become more aware and present,  I am better able to remind myself that the I only have control over the present moment when I start to get anxious about an upcoming event or situation.   As a result of this awareness, I have found that most of the potentially anxiety causing future events aren’t as nerve wracking as I could have “worked them up” to be.

Its-being-here-now-thatsHowever, really being present does have other benefits.   You get to notice things that you would otherwise miss if you were distracted.  You get to see the beauty of the flowers and trees, you get to enjoy a nice breeze on a warm day, or (in my case) you get to observe the love and wonder in the eyes of your children.

This week, I was able to align my actions with one of my goals of spending truly quality time with my children and creating positive life-long memories for all of us.  It re-emphasized the importance of family in my goal categories (See my post on setting goals.) and directly aligned to my goal of always ensuring that I am as present as possible when spending time with loved ones.

Lesson 2:  STEP OUTSIDE OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE

I have never been much of a risk taker.   Instead, I tend to make the err on the caution.    However, I know that I will never be able to achieve many of my goals if don’t sometimes step out of my comfort zone.

IMG_2682

My seven year old did make it to the top to ring the bell.

This week, at Rocking Horse Ranch, I was reminded that children are natural risk-takers. My seven year old daughter didn’t hesitate to climb to the top of the rock wall, catch a fish, or ride a horse much bigger than her.  Both of my daughters, both under ten years old, went out together on a kayak without hesitation.

Me, on the other hand, was full of hesitation for some of the week’s activities.   For instance, my fear of heights and tendency to avoid activities where I lack control almost caused me to miss out on mountain tubing with my children.   Also, when I found out that my first horse riding experience in fifteen or more years would be on one of the biggest horses at the ranch, I almost decided to “bow out.”

However, my daughters’ pleas to participate with them, along with messages from my “rational brain” that reminded be that the facility wouldn’t endorse the activities if it was likely they would be harmful, helped me to leave my comfort zone and enjoy the activities.

My decision was reinforced when I witnessed a older man, looking to be in his eighties, mountain tube.  You could tell he was hesitant, but he inevitably decided to leave his comfort zone too.

If-were-growing-wereBut as we get older and learn to fear failure, we start holding ourselves back and attempting fewer new things.  As a result, we end up limiting our growth.

If you end up looking at your goals, you will most likely realize that you MUST step outside of your comfort zone to achieve the goals that you set for yourself.   As leading self-development expert Brian Tracy said, “Move out of your comfort zone.  You can only grow if you are willing to feel awkward and uncomfortable when you try something new.”

Therefore, if given the opportunity, allow yourself to experience growth and move toward achieving your goals.  In other words, ride the horse!

IMG_2706

This horse was my second day of horse riding. This horse was an average size. 😉

 

 

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Get More Productive; Set SMART Goals!

poster

I have this poster hanging in my house to serve as a daily reminder.

So I’ve convinced you that goal writing has benefits?   So you are going to take action and write them down.  But, how do you write them down?  

Make your goals SMART.   

S-specific

M-measurable

A-attainable

R-relevant

T-timely

For instance, if one of your goals is to make more money, you should not simply write “I want to make more money.”   Written that way, your goal is not specific, measurable, or timely.

And-when-you-want If you want the universe help you, you need to clearly state your desires.   For instance, a better way to quantify “more money” from the same example above would be “By the beginning of 2017, I will be making at least $100,000.”

In this above example, you followed the SMART format.  That is:

  • You have a specific goal, in that you want to make specifically make at least $100,000 by the beginning of 2017.    
  • Your goal is measurable; you will be able to determine if you are actually earning $100,000 at the beginning of 2017.  
  • Your goal is attainable; as if you are willing to work hard and have in demand skill or sell an in demand product, the six figure goal should be possible.   
  • Your goal is relevant if you ranked financial security as important.
  • You were timely when you gave the beginning of 2017 as a specific timetable.   

When I have written goals, I find that SMART goals are more valuable than non SMART goals.  

In the seminal book, Think and Grow Rich, Napoleon Hill discusses the importance of being specific when trying to manifest money.    (SIDE NOTE:  If you haven’t read this book yet, READ IT!   It contains important information regarding personal finance and mindset.)   In fact, he suggests making a specific and detailed goal just as I did above.

But, Hill makes realistic and effective suggestions that go beyond writing the goal.  That is, once you determine your SMART goal, you must then devise a plan to attain it.

That is, the goal is not the end game.    While you need to specifically tell the universe what you want, you can’t realistically think that Ed McMann will show up at your door with a Publisher’s Clearinghouse check, can you?   Of course, not!

And-when-you-wantAs Paula Coehlo said in The Alchemist, “When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.”    However, the keyword here is helping.  You must specifically ask for what you want, and then you must devise a strategy to get it.

Finally, you must keep the goal in the forefront of your mind.  In Think and Grow Rich, Hill said that you must read your written goal aloud twice a day, one in the morning when you wake up and once at night before you go to sleep.  The rationale for this, Hill explained, is that when you hear and see the goal, you should start to believe that it is attainable.    In other words, a lot of what we achieve is based on our mindset related to what we can achieve.  Believe you can, and it is likely that you will.   Believe that you can’t, and it is almost guaranteed that you won’t.

It doesn’t matter if you don’t have a strong financial goal.   This same strategy will work for any goal.

Please try writing some SMART, and comment in our Facebook group as to how it worked for you.  I would love to hear your successes, and help you work through your struggles.   

Stay tuned, our next post in this series will discuss tools to help keep you focused on your goals.   

 

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Setting Goals: What is most important to you? (2nd post in a series of posts on goals)

our lives are a giftIn last week’s post, I discussed the importance of taking the time to write goals.

But do you know exactly how to go about writing goals?  If you are like most people, you are struggling to define meaningful, tangible goals for your life.  Luckily, I can share some easy-to-implement strategies and some tips and custom made resources to help you.

First, you need to determine what the most important life categories are in YOUR LIFE.  What makes you…want to get up every day?  Look toward the future with a smile?   Motivate you to do better?

In other words, WHAT MEANS THE MOST TO YOU?

Screenshot 2016-06-04 00.39.33I encourage you to go beyond simply thinking about what is important to you and writing down the categories that are important to you.  To help you start to think about this, I created a list of some of the more common areas of focus.   The list can be found here.

Feel free to print out the above link, and write all over your printout because the objective for the activity is meant to help you begin to reflect and prioritize.  Going through the act of writing down all the areas that are important to you, and referencing the list frequently, will help you to remember ALL of the important areas in you life instead of only focusing on the area that happens to be at the forefront of your attention at the moment.   (Let’s face it…Sometimes, we do temporarily forget some things that are truly important to us.)   This way, you will act in ways that will allow you to move closer to attaining what you want in these areas.

For instance, when I selected the most significant areas of focus in my own life I selected family, friends, career, finance, spirituality, self, and health/fitness.  They are all important to me, and I must remember to prioritize all of them, even when one category is trying to monopolize my time and energy.    In other words, when your are trying to get ahead in your career, you need not and SHOULD NOT, stop moving yourself forward spiritually or physically.   You need to find a balance!

Yet, although you need to find a balance, you do not have to balance everything equally.   You can prioritize what is most important without leaving other areas behind.    For example, in his book best selling book Living Forward, Michael Hyatt explains that, like your bank accounts, some of your life “accounts” may not have equal “balances.” Some accounts may have small balances and be a lower priority; you may only check in on their performance periodically.   On the other hand, others accounts are essential in your day-to-day life and have the “lion’s share” of your assets; they are a priority, you spend a lot of time focusing on them, and you check in on your progress in these areas frequently.

Personally, when establishing goals to help chart my course for the future, I do not place equal importance on the seven categories; some are undoubtedly more important than others.     For instance, while finance is important to me, it is not as important as my relationships with my family.   Similarly, my career does not carry the same level of importance as my health/fitness.

To help you visualize the values of your important life areas, I created a Google sheets spreadsheet with a built-in pie chart.   All you have to do is type in the category names and percentages, and you will get a visual representation of significance of each area.   (An example is shown below.)

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When you complete your spreadsheet, I encourage you to print out your completed weights along with the pie chart, just as you did when brainstorming the categories themselves.   Then, be sure to look at your printout at least once EVERY DAY this week, and see if your actions actually align with the categories.  For example, if you selected family as your most important category, are the actions that you take each day aligned with keeping your family as top priority?   (If not, this is a key indicator that you need to take conscious action to align your priorities with your goals and subsequent actions. After all, if your actions don’t reflect your most important categories, you are living out of alignment.)

The best way to live a life where your actions reflect your pie chart is to create specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and timely (SMART) goals that relate to each of your categories.  In the next post in this series of goals, I will discuss techniques to write SMART goals and provide you with resources to help you write your goals in this format.

 

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Setting Goals (1st post in a series of posts on goals)

 

Memorial Day_The Unoffical Start of SummerMemorial Day, and the unofficial start of summer in New England is this coming weekend!  To start off a this new season, I will be writing a series of posts on writing goals.   The series starts with the post, on the importance and rationale of goal writing.   Later, I will give specific tips and methods to help you achieve your goals.  (Of course, some of these tips will use technology aimed at helping you improve your life.)

Personally, I whole heartedly believe that writing goals can help you to set your course and create the life that you want.

Without goals, life is like a boat without a chartered course.  That is, while boats without a chartered course do move, they don’t necessarily have a specific destination and are much more likely to go adrift.   Without well-defined goals, you are like an unchartered boat; you will move, but you could look back and find that you traveled in a circle, back at the same place that you started.

I don’t know about you, but I WANT A SAY IN MY DESTINATION.
IMG_2535My first experience with formal goal writing occurred when I took a class with women’s business coach, Ali Brown.   She strongly encouraged us to write goals for different aspects of our life, and place them in a prominent place in our wallet.  These goals were written on nice paper, in our best penmanship, with our favorite pen.    We were also encouraged to purchase a brand new wallet, and make sure that it was organized.

I wasn’t sure why this exercise was necessary.  I knew what I wanted, and I generally try to achieve what I want in life.  Overall, I have always been a structured, goal oriented person.   So why did I have to specifically tell the universe what I wanted?

Well, not so long after I asked the question regarding the importance of be specific regarding what you want, I got my answer….although my answer had nothing to do with the goals that I had written.

Unrelated to anything to do with goals, I asked people at my fitness studio (Auburn Yoga & Pilates) if any of them had a MagicBullet, a fancy blender.   I basically wanted to know if it was worth buying one, or if it did the same thing as my regular blender.   The AYPC members convinced me that the MagicBullet was a great investment, and that I should buy one.    Convinced, I told the AYPC members that I would be buying the new blender on their suggestion. IMG_2563

Then, the very next day, out of the blue, my mother called me to ask “if I had any interest in a magic bullet”…My sister-in-law had upgraded her MagicBullet to a NutriBullet and had one to give away.

The universe works in mysterious ways!

I had never spoken to my mother, or any member of my family, about wanting a MagicBullet.  But, I told the universe, with certainty, that I wanted this new gadget…and the universe helped to get it.

1stgoalsOf course, it could have been a coincidence, but it is a strange coincidence.    It made me think, and it made me realize that this had happened to me before.   In the past, I have said, “I think that I think that I might like to…” and had the opportunity afforded to me at some point in the future.

Does this mean that you can have unrealistic expectations and expect them to come true?   Of course not!   I will never play professional basketball, even if I write it on pretty paper and place it in a prominent place!    Your goals have to be realistic and attainable.

This doesn’t mean that your goals are unrealistic if they are “a little bit of a stretch.”   I personally believe that they should be a little bit of a stretch.    We need to stretch ourselves.  We need to believe in our divine potential.   We need to know that it is possible to attain many of our goals with persistent, consistent effort.

Edwin Locke did seminal work on goal setting.  His research found that hard goals produce higher performance (Locke, 1968).   He also found that specific, hard goals produce a higher level of output than a generic goal of “do your best” (Locke, 1968).

In other words, YOU ARE MORE LIKELY TO ACHIEVE YOUR GOALS WHEN YOUR GOALS ARE WELL DEFINED.

I took the Ali Brown class back in 2014.   I wrote one professional goal, on relationship goal, and one financial.

I wrote that I would achieve the goals that I wrote before the spring of 2015.

I didn’t reach the three goals by the spring of 2015.

But, I am happy to report that I DID MEET ALL THREE GOALS by the beginning of 2016.

You need to say what you want, to get what you want.   You need to be reminded of your goals on a daily (or almost daily) basis so that you will be reminded to direct your actions in ways that will bring you closer to achieving your goals.

If you are interested in writing your own goals, like my Facebook page to be notified of the next post, “How to Write a Goal”

 

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4 Apps to Save You Money

I am always looking to get a good deal whenever I can. But, who isn’t interested in saving money? To help you spend less on your next shopping trip, I have listed 4 apps that I use to save me money when I shop.

1. Cartwheel (for shopping at Target)

noosaAs the mother of two young daughters, I do a lot of shopping at Target.   I guess that I like the fact that I can buy food, clothing, toiletries, cosmetics, home goods, etc. all in one place for a reasonable price.  Plus, unlike the Stop & Shop near my house, they carry my absolute favorite brand of yogurt (Noosa).

IMG_2498I have saved a lot of money using Target’s cartwheel app.   For instance, on my shopping trip to Target last month, 31% of the items that I bought were discounted because I used the Cartwheel app (9 out of 29 items).   I actually saved $20.29, which will feed my Starbucks ice tea habit for most of the week!

The discount on eachIMG_2499 of the qualified items ranged from 5% from 20%.   The departments for the items varied too, as some of the discounted items included plastic spoons and mini muffins.

While I was in line at the checkout, the man in line behind me questioned what the cashier was scanning on my phone.   I explained that I was using the Cartwheel app.  He didn’t have any idea what I was talking about so, of course, I paid it forward, and let him know how it all worked.

While I wish that Target would just give me the sale price without having me exert any extra effort when shopping, the Cartwheel apIMG_2500p is easy to use.  Just download the app from iTunes or the Google Play store (It’s free!) and sign up for a free account.  Then, you can browsIMG_2501e the “secret deals” at Target or simply scan the items as you put them in your cart.  (After you scan the item, it will show if there is an offer, or if there are no offers for that item at this time.  If there is an offer, you add it to your cart.  It will create a barcode on your phone that you ask the cashier to scan when you are checking out.)

 

2. Savings Catcher (for shopping at Walmart)

I will admIMG_2505it two things. First, I like Target better than Walmart.  Second, I same more money with Cartwheel from Target than I do with Savings Catcher from Walmart.  With that being said, I do save money with Savings Catcher, and I like saving money even when it isn’t that substantial.  (For example, in the interest of full disclosure, I should announce that I only saved$0.88 on my last Walmart purchase using Savings Catcher.)

Savings Catcher will search for the items on your grocery list with the intent of trying to find a lower price on the item.  If the lower price is found, then the difference can be awarded to the consumer in the form of a Walmart credit through the use of the Savings Catcher app.

IMG_2506IMG_2507Savings Catcher is easy to use, once you know it exists.  (Like Cartwheel from Target, I feel like these two savings options are not as well publicized as they could/should be.)

You can access Savings Catcher in two ways; you can either visit the website or use the Walmart app (iPhone or Droid) from your mobile phone.  Any of these interfaces allow you enter the barcode at the bottom of the receipt manually or by scan.  If I difference is found, you will be able to add the savings onto your Savings Catcher credit.

3. Easily Compare Prices on Amazon

Admittedly, I have an Amazon addiction.   After all, who doesn’t love free two day shipping with a Prime Membership?

While many of us check Amazon to compare prices when shopping at brick and mortar, or other e-commerce websites, most people don’t realize how easy it is to search for something on Amazon.   If you install the Amazon app (iTunes, Google Play), you can scan a bar code by selecting the camera icon near the search bar and, voila, the product will appear if Amazon sells it.  I find this to be a time saver because I can almost always do it more quickly than typing in the entire item name. unnamed

Selecting the same icon will also allow you to use image recognition to find a product.  In other words, select the icon, and position the camera feature of your phone at the object and Amazon’s image recognition, dubbed “Flow,” will (hopefully) show search results for the object.

I know people who appreciate the image recognition feature, and while it has saved me time searching for items in the past, I don’t “love it.”   The products that result are usually accurate, but not always as specific as I would like.  For instance, when I scanned the keyboard on my Macbook Pro, I received results for keyboards, computer keyboards, etc.    It is great when you aren’t sure of the exact name of a product; otherwise, I prefer to use the bar code scanner.

4. Retail Me Not

IMG_2509Once upon a time, I used to click coupons to save money.  These day, working multiple jobs and raising two daughters, I find that I don’t have the time or desire to clip coupons.  In fact, thanks to Twitter’s  ability to deliver news in timely and succinct chunks, I no longer subscribe to the traditional newspaper.

However, you can learn to save money using coupons without spending a lot of time.   In fact, since most coupons that I use are found quickly and easily, you should get in the habit of looking for money saving coupons if you are shopping online or in-store.

There are many coupon apps these days.   Sometimes, even a general Google search using something likunnamed (1)e “Kohls coupon May 2016” will yield available coupons.  However, sometimes general searches do yield expired or otherwise faulty coupons, which can be frustrating!

One app that does offer a variety of coupons is Retail Me Not (iTunes, Google Play).  Of course, some will be helpful to you and some will not be helpful.

For instance, I searched for Starbucks in RetIMG_2510ail Me Not.   I didn’t find any coupons that would apply to me, although there were two coupons for online store purchases features.

Then I searched for Kohls, which yielded me results that would be helpful to me.   As you can see from the attached screenshot, a number of in-store and online options appeared.

 

 

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Meet Jennifer

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Professional Bio

Jennifer’s has known that her calling was teaching since she was old enough to answer the question “What do you want to be when you grow up?”.   Some of her favorite childhood memories are of the times when she was just a little girl, she would line up dolls at their desks and teach them them “the three Rs.”

When she got just a little older, it became apparent to everyone that Jennifer was meant to teach.  In middle school, her love of fitness, along with her background in dance, led to lead a group exercise club for her peers at school.   (Yup, that’s her on the right in the picture below, leading an exercise class of her middle school peers.)

aerobicsAs a teenager, her first job as a waitress at Newport Creamery quickly led to her role as the “Store Trainer” at the restaurant.   In fact, before she even graduated college, she was awarded a gold name tag and the company’s “Trainer of the Year” award two different years for her exceptional success training new employees, an accomplishment that no other trainer had attained up to that point.  

Later in her teen years, soon after she graduated from high school, her high school physical education teacher encouraged her to obtain a certification to teach group exercise.   At nineteen, Jennifer began her lifelong love of motivating others to move and be healthy when she started teaching group fitness classes.    More than twenty years later, Jennifer still shares her love of fitness when she teaches at Auburn Yoga & Pilates Studio, the fitness studio she owned and grew for eighteen years.  

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Jennifer was always a good student and wanted to learn the most effective teaching methods. Believing that investing in yourself can make you more skilled and better able to share your passion with others, Jennifer is always learning from well-established experts.

She obtained a bachelor’s in education from Rhode Island College and began her career teaching math, science, and computers at the middle and high schools levels.    Then, after obtaining a Master’s Degree in Education from Worcester State University, she transitioned to a position as a Director of Curriculum and Technology for a school district spanning preschool through twelfth grade.   Later, after obtaining her second Master’s Degree in Education from the University of Massachusetts, Lowell, she began teaching at the college level.   Hoping to inspire fellow entrepreneurs to pursue their passion, she led the Entrepren50279681_00101_0049_XLargeeurship Certificate Program at Nichols College from 2016-2020.

In 2016, Jennifer received a Doctor of Education degree from Northeastern University in curriculum leadership, becoming “Dr. J.”

To help build and grow her brick and mortar business in order to make a bigger impact in the world, Jennifer continued to invest in herself.  She has been blessed to train under award winning business coaches like Ali Brown, Lisa Sasevich, Jenny Fenig, and Vasavi Kumar.

Clearly, Jennifer has a unique combination of “books smarts” and real-world experience.  She  knows how to succeed in school and business.

When you work with Jennifer, you are not working with someone who talks the talk; you are working with someone who “walks the walk”….a scholar and a teacher and entrepreneur who has done what she teaches.

Through her blog, online courses, and individual coaching, Jennifer is now sharing what she has learned “along the way.”   

She wants to help you accomplish goals that get results, to help you and your organization be more successful and productive; she can help you accomplish more, so that you can spend more time doing what you love with who you love.

 

Personal Bio

Jennifer was born and raised in New England, something you will immediately know if you listen to her speak; her “accent” is a strange mix of Boston and Providence “speak.”   She lives within five miles of where she grew up, and she has never lived more than twenty miles from where she was raised.   

She is the oldest of three children and a Virgo.   As you can imagine, these traits make her sensitive, self-disciplined, responsible, motivated, analytical, and a type-A rule follower!

She has always had a very close family who always finds a reason to get together.

Jennifer was raised as a in a very religious family and attended Catholic School for 10 years.  Her time in Catholic school taught her a lot about the importance of community and helping others.  She still have many life-long friendships with the people that she went to school with more than twenty years ago.   She is still a practicing Christian and considers herself very spiritual.

Jennifer has always believed that we should work hard and do our best to make the world a better place.   She is a firm believer that changing your corner of the world will make the world a better place.

Jennifer is the epitome of a life-long learner; not only does she hold two Master’s Degrees and a Doctoral degree, she is constantly absorbing information as often as she can.  She invests in courses, workshops, and book.

However, she is not a fan of reading print books as she has never been able to sit still for long;   instead, she is a voracious consumer of audiobooks and podcasts.  Some of her favorite books (so far) are:

Some of her favorite podcasts (so far) are:   

Even though she is a New Englander, Jennifer has always loved country music.   Her first concerts were artists like Alabama and Randy Travis.  Today, her favorite artists are Hal Ketchum, Alabama (her long-time favorite), Sammy Kershaw, Blake Shelton, and Luke Bryan

Jennifer’s favorite times are spent with her two daughters.   

She cherishes all moments with them but especially enjoys going bike riding, shopping (What girl doesn’t?), local eateries, amusement parks, fairs, and local attractions. 

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After her friends and family, fitness is Jennifer’s biggest passion.  She began teaching group exercise classes soon after graduating high school.  Her passion led her to own and operate Auburn Yoga & Pilates Center in Auburn, MA for eighteen years. While in business, AYPC became a community that embodied “so much more than fitness.”