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How NOT to Achieve Your Goals Next Year

December 31, 2013 By Dave Ferguson 1 Comment

How NOT To Achieve Your Goals Next Year

Over the past few months, we’ve talked about how we are going to tackle our goals and dreams drastically differently in 2014. We’ve also talked about a process I call RPM to help you identify and build a plan to hit your goals. Now, let’s talk about why some people fail to achieve their goals (so it doesn’t happen to you).

I have found these 7 common reasons people fail to achieve their goals:

1. The goals are too many and too big. Yes, it is possible to set too lofty and too many goals for yourself! Some goals can take months and even years to achieve. If you have too many of these, you will probably stretch yourself too thin. Ideally, you should only have a few big lofty goals at one time. You need to ensure you have the time and energy to work on them, so don’t overdo it. A good suggestion is a few killer goals and a half-dozen small goals.

2. They fail to write the goals down. I am amazed at the number of people I ask to show me their goals and they can’t produce anything. Usually, they tell me the goals are in their head and that they don’t need to write them down. I usually answer with some statistics that show it’s much more effective to write your goals down. Folks, use the RPM process we discussed last week…write them down…on paper, in your journal, on a white board, or on your bathroom mirror…just get them down somewhere other than in your head. I carry mine with me all the time!

3. They don’t personalize their goals. Why do you want to accomplish the goal? How will you feel when you achieve the goal? What will it mean for you to achieve your goal? If you don’t have clear answers to these questions, chances are you don’t want to achieve the goal badly enough. You won’t be able to sustain the drive to achieve the goal. You need to be clear about the significance of your goals…crystal clear!

4. They don’t look at their goals often enough. We humans can be forgetful, can’t we? If you don’t physically write down and keep your goals in a place where you can see them every day, chances are you’ll forget about them. “Out of sight, out of mind.” I give my clients a neat little planner they can carry in their pocket or purse. They can carry it with them wherever they go…okay, not in the pool or lake, but it certainly can sit in the beach bag.

5. They don’t review and adjust the goals. Things change, people get off track, and sometimes people set goals way above their abilities. If you are checking in on your goals often enough, you can adjust and change them where necessary. It also gives you a chance to review your effort and plan. Are you really attacking the goals like you planned?

6. They keep the goals to themselves. These are the chickens. They are scared to share their goals with anyone as they fear failure and humiliation. How many times did Thomas Edison fail before he got the light bulb working? Once you have written down your goals, I highly recommend you publicize them. Yes, announce them to everyone you know; family, friends, enemies, co-workers, etc. Post them on your website and on Facebook. It may make you feel a bit uncomfortable but you know what I say about that. “To change, you have to get uncomfortable”. Put yourself out there this year…put it all on the line! You will get to read mine next week.

7. They don’t have a support network. While they are your goals, you don’t have to be out there on an island. This is where a good coach can really assist you. Accountability and follow-up is imperative in the goal process.

Now that you know the many pitfalls, it’s up to you to put yourself in the position to achieve them. Don’t fall victim to these seven common mistakes. If you’re reading this column, chances are you aren’t common. I challenge you to hit it out of the ballpark in 2014! Call me, and I will gladly help you.

Give Yourself the Gift of Good Health

December 26, 2013 By Dave Ferguson 1 Comment

Give Yourself The Gift of Good Health

I have one more gift for you this year! Each year, late in the month of December and over much of January, many people approach me and ask for advice on fitness, diet, and overall health. As we all know, many people start of each year with some health resolutions. While I am primarily a business coach, I do quite a bit of life coaching along the way. While today’s topic may appear to be a non-business subject, don’t be fooled. Just as business people read this column to assist in their business, there is no reason why health shouldn’t be just as important. Your health is absolutely critical to not only your personal success but also to the overall success of your business, whether you are a business owner, or not.

Today, record numbers of people are losing their lives to cancer, obesity, diabetes, heart disease, stress and more. The latest statistic I could find on diabetes is a staggering one. It states that, “one in three children born today will contract diabetes, primarily due to obesity, which is caused mainly by poor diet and lack of exercise.” In addition, the “highly acidic” lifestyles many of us live, which creates massive amounts of toxins in our bodies, is thought by many to be the leading cause of cancer. Can we effectively run a business when we are living lifestyles that destine us for these diseases?

Regardless of the physical or emotional shape we are in, we can always improve it. With good physical health comes energy, which is vital to our success. All the experts tell us that if we truly want to make a change in our life we should find a mentor to help us. In essence, we should find someone who has already made the changes we want to make and model them. Today, if you’ll let me, I’d like to be your mentor for physical health. Without going into too much detail (I save that for my one-on-one clients) I want you to know that this past year I let “things” get in the way, and I lost control of my diet and didn’t take good care of myself physically. I’m taking steps I will discuss with you today to get back on a healthy track. You will not believe the amount of energy and creativity you’ll gain by practicing these habits. I’m excited!

1. Reduce the amount of these you put in your body:

  • Processed Fats and Oils: Cooking fats makes them unusable and toxic to the body, resulting in acidic and disease bearing conditions.
  • Animal Flesh: This is the leading source of saturated fat and cholesterol and a big cause of heart disease. Watch the red meat!
  • Dairy Products: These are also a leading source of saturated fat and cholesterol. They are extremely fatty and one of the most destructive things we can put in our systems. As a former cheese lover, I can tell you this was personally a very challenging change to make, until I really looked at the flip-side.

2. Drastically reduce or eliminate your dependence and consumption of these acid additions:

  • Sugar (there are 14 teaspoons of sugar in one can of soda)
  • Alcohol
  • Nicotine
  • Caffeine
  • Drugs

3. Eat a diet that consists of water rich foods:

  • This should be about 70% of what we put in our mouths.
  • We should also drink half our body weight in ounces of water per day.

4. Make Aerobic training a priority:

  • At a minimum of 30 minutes, 4 days per week.
  • Heart rate should be between 70 and 80% of your maximum heart rate.

5. Include supplements in your daily plan: I will gladly discuss the many options with anyone who contacts me.

6. Exercise daily.That’s right every day. All you need is 25 minutes per day. A mix of strength and cardio exercises is recommended.

While making these changes in your lifestyle are difficult, I can tell you from personal experience, that you will indulge in life much more when you have the energy, vibrancy, and clearness that these healthy habits afford you. You will think, act, and feel at a different level, and your business will follow. Join me! If you need any assistance or if I can answer any questions for you, please do not hesitate to email or call me.

I will close with a quote from the great Zig Ziglar: “Discipline yourself to do the things you need to do when you need to do them, and the day will come when you will be able to do the things you want to do when you want to do them!”

Happy Holidays, and Awesome Health!

Why Resolutions Don’t Work

December 4, 2013 By Dave Ferguson 2 Comments

Last week, I opened with a discussion around how in December many people start making resolutions for the upcoming year, and less than 1% of them are still attempting to execute these resolutions 30 days later. If you are reading this week, then you must be willing to try something different this year. Are you really? Remember, lists (or as most people call them in December, “resolutions”) are useless without proper focus and a deliberate mindset. Once you have those two things, you still need to develop action plans; but wait, you’re not done yet.  What about executing your plans?

As I mentioned last week, this coming year, I am challenging you to try something new. You’re reading again this week, so I’m assuming you’re on-board. You see, I don’t like seeing busy people waste their time and energy on activities that are fruitless. They may feel like they are being efficient, but are their activities effective?

This week, I’m going to share a few more reasons why I believe resolutions don’t work. My goal here is to get you to move over to a system of progress, not one of change. Wouldn’t you be much happier if you had plans that you continued to execute on because you consistently see progress?  Of course you would.

Let me tell you why I believe most people fail at this type of setting resolutions process.

First, let me recap the first four I gave you last week (if you missed last week, email me, and I will gladly forward them to you, in detail):

1. They get too greedy with their resolutions.

2. They don’t make their resolutions personal.

3. They actually don’t write them down.

4. They don’t make their resolutions visual.

Here are the three additions for this week.

5. They don’t review their resolutions often enough. If you’re serious about making changes and/or progress, you have to review them periodically to check your progress. Just as pilots have to check and adjust flight plans, so must we with our business and life plans. Makes sense doesn’t it?

6. They keep their resolutions to themselves. Why do you think people are afraid to make promises? I believe it’s because most people are afraid to put themselves on the line. It’s not different when we make these annual resolutions. We share them with few to no people. I suggest people tell everyone – and if you’re really serious, take out an ad in your local paper and post your goals for the year. Any takers on this one? Look for mine in the next few weeks.

7. They don’t have a support group. Why be out there on an island all by yourself? I believe you will stand a much better chance of success if you have a support team and/or group. That is one of the reasons I have started my “Synergy Circles” groups. What’s better than having a team of motivated business owners   around you, strategizing to grow each other’s businesses?  Not to mention, a coach leading the group.

I’m sure many of you have been setting New Year’s resolutions for years. While I’m sure some of you accomplished things through the years, think about how much you could accomplish with a proven process and system in place. Next week, we will get into these and I hope you’ll seriously consider giving them a shot in 2014. Of course, I’m always available to assist. Have a great week!

Believe YOU Can Make Progress in 2014

November 27, 2013 By Dave Ferguson 1 Comment

If you are one of those people who sit down in December and make a list of things you’re going to do differently in the next year, or how you’re going to change, or how you’re going to lead in business more…stop right now! Lists – or as most people call them in December, “resolutions” – are useless without proper focus and a deliberate mindset. Once you have those two things, you still need to develop action plans. But wait, you’re not done yet. What about executing your plans? Scary, isn’t it?

This year, I am challenging you to try something new. If you’re willing to do that, continue on with me. If you’re not, good luck with your lottery ticket! You see, I don’t like seeing busy people waste their time and energy on activities that are fruitless. Do you realize that less than 1% of the people that make New Year’s Resolutions execute on them.

This week, I’m going to share a few reasons why resolutions don’t work, and the following week, I’ll share a few more. I will then introduce you to a system and process that really work. My goal here is to get you to move over to a system of progress, not one of change. Wouldn’t you be much happier if you had plans that you continued to execute on because you consistently see progress? Of course, you would.

Let me tell you why I believe most people fail at this type of setting resolutions process:

1. They get too greedy with their resolutions.
Don’t take on too many big ticket resolutions. What most people end up doing is stretching themselves too thin, and they end up making no progress at all. I have found that the best approach is to pick a few biggies and a few smaller resolutions; then, spread the execution of these throughout the year. Don’t start them all on January 1st!

2. They don’t make their resolutions personal.
Get personal! What will it mean to you if you can achieve these goals? How will you feel when you achieve them?  If you can’t give clear answers to these questions, chances are you don’t want them badly enough to execute on them all year. Get clear about the significance of your resolutions…crystal clear!

3. They actually don’t write them down.
Can you believe this? How can you be crystal clear if you don’t even write down your goals for the year? If you don’t write them down, they will always remain vague ideas and plans. Normally, that equals poor to no results at all. Write them down, and your chances of succeeding are much higher.

4. They don’t make their resolutions visual.
Even people who write them down rarely create an environment where they are less likely to forget about their goals. Put your resolutions in a place where you will be able to see them frequently. Put them in several places. I keep mine in my portfolio, in my computer, on my desk, and in my kitchen. I also carry a handy little planner that I supply to each person who attends my quarterly strategy sessions. Everybody loves them because they can fit in a guy’s pocket or a gal’s purse. Often, I see clients out and about, and they always flash their little planner at me.
 
Next week, we will continue on the same path.

Share your comments below about what absolute progress and success you will commit to in 2014. Thanks and have a great week!

Commit to Progress and Start Now!

November 6, 2013 By Dave Ferguson Leave a Comment

Commit to Progress Start Now
Photo by JakeandLindsay @ Flickr

It’s that time of year again. Mother Nature is acting strangely, the holidays are just around the corner, and the end of the year is creeping up on us. This is the time of year that many businesses and business owners create their forecasts and budgets for the following year. I have heard from many of you recently that it’s become extremely hard, if not impossible, to forecast in the current economic climate, so many of you are moving ahead with little to no guidance. Let me give you some. If you’re not a planner and strategist, this is one time in your life you cannot afford to roll the dice.

Between now and the end of the year, I am going to be writing primarily about strategies, goals, action plans, and execution. Now more than ever, you need a system and process around your business and personal plans. But first, I am challenging each and every one of you to take some time and evaluate where in your life and business you truly want and need to make PROGRESS, not change. You see, I believe that most change is automatic, and that progress is not! Change happens, progress takes momentum. Let’s build some!

If we are honest with ourselves, then we all should agree we have “gaps” in our business and personal lives. Think about where you currently are in your business and personal life. Then think about where you want to be in each. Are there “gaps”? Of course, there are. I have them and work with a coach to help me narrow some and close many. I’ve done so for years. Let me help you!

If you are like most, you make lists of things you “should” do. Some may call them “to do” lists and others may actually call them a plan. How many people do you know that go around saying, “I should do this, and I should do that.” Most of the lists go like this:  I should develop a marketing strategy; I should take some leadership courses; I should hire more effective sales people; I should lose weight; I should exercise more; I should spend more time with loved ones; I should listen more to my employees; I should cut the fat at work; I should pay off my debts; I should eat healthier. Do any of these sound familiar? Unfortunately what most people do is create list like this and they do what I call “should all over themselves.” Let’s all stop doing that now and commit to developing and creating effective plans that include things we “must” execute on.

So here is your homework assignment, to be completed by next week. Take some time and evaluate your business and personal lives for “gaps”. Document those “gaps” and categorize them if possible. Then write out exactly where you want to be and visualize being there. Over the next month or so, we will discuss simple ways to develop strategies and action plans to get you there. We’ll talk about some common roadblocks that stop many from progressing; we’ll discuss the differences between the truly successful and the truly unsuccessful; we’ll hopefully put an end to the annual “New Year’s Resolutions” game many of us play, and, if you’re willing to work hard and commit to progress, we’ll see some great strides being made.

I understand that only a wet baby likes change. I also understand a driven adult needs to make progress!

Have a great week and PLEASE call me if I can assist you in any way.

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