If you’re like me, you might be sitting there thinking, “oh boy, am I making enough traction on my goals so that I’ll be half-way there in just 3 months…?  I might need to step it up a bit.”  That’s the basic idea behind this 90 Days of Focus.  We want to help you get a surge of progress now, rather than wait until later in the year when it will be tougher to achieve everything you said was important for you to complete.

That’s the way goal setting works – because you have a due date attached, you’ve got incentive to get moving.  Why not get moving a little earlier this year?

Here’s how it works:

1. Review your goals for the year.  (You probably set them in January, right?  If not – now is a great time to consider what you’d like to achieve by the end of the year.)

2. Decide what your focus will be for the next 90 days.  Don’t try to do everything on all your goals now.  Pick a few goals and decide how far you’ll get in the next 90 days.  Hint: given you’ll be half-way through the year, why not set your objectives for the 90 Days of Focus to get you to at least the half-way point of your annual goal?

3. Get into Action!  Commit to a little every day, and report your progress on the i-saga Fan Page: http://tinyurl.com/i-sagafanpage

4. Enjoy the process – This is meant to be fun for you, and will help you achieve your goals for the year.  Go for it!

I’m excited because these goals are completely aligned with the life I want to create, and I know that I’m actively designing my results.

I’m apprehensive because:

1. Some of the goals are bigger than anything I’ve done before. I can’t yet rely on the familiarity of “been there done that” because it’s new territory for me. In some cases I don’t have a clue what the next (or first) step ought to be, never mind have the whole action plan drafted with steps, due dates, etc.
2. I have a lot on my plate. I’m testing my sanity by taking on as much as I have in the hopper right now.

Nonetheless, I’m confident that this will be a great year and I’ll maintain the “work/life” balance I want and still achieve the goals I’ve set. Why? Here’s what I know:

• I’m more bought-in to my vision than my current reality.
• I have capable resources on my team to help drive more progress faster than I could as a one-person company.
• There are a number of proven daily practices I follow that I trust will lead the way for me.

I’m particularly excited about the daily practices I’m following, so let me share some of them with you now.

• Start each day with gratitude. I write a couple lines in my “Gratitude Journal” each day to keep me grounded about all the good I already have.
• Meditate. I find that meditation quiets my often overactive mind and helps me focus on the things that will be the highest impact.
• Eat well, sleep well, and exercise. I have shifted my diet to include lots of fruits and vegetables and nothing that is (or will become) refined sugars. I monitor the hours I sleep to get at least eight hours more frequently than I used to. I lift weights, burst, or do other exercises every day. This has given me much greater mental focus and energy all day long.
• Visualize and affirm your goals as already complete. For each goal I have, I know exactly what success looks like. In fact, I’ve written out my “success criteria” in a Dear God Letter for each goal, and review what I’ve written. I’ve also written affirmations for each goal – a present tense statement about me enjoying the success of the goal – and say my affirmations out loud.
• Commit to 3-5 actions toward your goals. I have an accountability partner call where I share my steps I commit to take prior to the next call, and report my success from the previous day’s commitment.

Because I follow a set of daily routines, I am confident that I will figure out what needs to be done to achieve my goals and get great results this year. See why I’m thrilled this will be my best year ever?

* * *

Want to jump in with both feet? Do ALL the above daily practices. Not sure which one to try? Pick one of the daily practices above and do it every day this week, and continue until you’ve turned it into a habit.

To your highest success,

Pete Winiarski

How is a goal different from one of the “New Year’s Resolutions” many of us have set (and perhaps broken already)? For me, it’s the process around it. Let me illustrate the difference and share what I do in my annual goal-setting process.

At dinner on New Year’s Eve, I asked the 15 people in my kitchen, “So, what is your breakthrough goal for the year?” The answers that came back ranged from “um, I don’t know”, to “I will be nice to one co-worker this year”. (By the way, I asked for clarification – “is that one a day, or one for the whole year?” The person shared that it was for the whole year, as that way if they were nice to them this coming week then they would achieve their goal. I’m not sure this is a stretch for them, but at least they won’t likely miss their goal!)

This type of goal-setting isn’t really part of the success principles I teach that will launch you forward toward creating the life you want to live, but rather the frivolous “party games” you might play without having to put much thought or commitment into them.

Two elements that make goals at this time of year worth having are that …

1) they align with where you want to go, and
2) you are committed to their achievement.

You can see that these elements are missing from the examples above. “Um, I don’t know” shows lack of alignment, or even not knowing where to go in the first place. The boat adrift at sea without a rudder, as mentioned above.

“Be nice to one co-worker this year” (one for the entire year!) is not about committing to a change that will stretch who you are, but about low-balling to set a goal that is easy to achieve.

Here’s the process I follow. Notice how this helps align and focus me so that I am working on the most important things toward creating my future deliberately.

First, I invest some time to define what I want my life to look like in 3 (or more) years. I meditate, journal, talk to my wife, consider my wants and needs, and end up with a pretty good picture of what the near-term future holds. I do this across all areas of my life, not just the career and financial outlook like many of us do.

I’ll then set specific 3-year goals to describe this holistic picture. Generally this works best if they are big-picture goals, and there are only a few of them (e.g., 3 or 4 is ideal).

I then take each of these 3-year goals and define what would need to happen this year to define the goals for the year for me in order to feel that the progress toward my 3-year future picture is going to get me there.

Once my goals for the year are established, I brainstorm the different things I need to do and set monthly targets so I know during the year if I’m on track.

I’ll even create detailed action plans for each one so I know with clarity what I need to do to hit these goals. Now, it’s up to me to make the progress; but at least I know what I need to do to get where I’m going.

Lastly, as I execute my plans, I review my progress on a monthly basis so that I can be sure I’m on track or need to make course corrections.

You can see that after going through this process, I have a very clear picture of what I want to create in my life and what I would need to do to create it. This includes my fun time, so it’s not all work and no play.

Plus, I am much better prepared to answer the question about my most important goals at a party!

Note: this is a simplified version of a process called Strategic Goal Deployment™ that I use with corporate clients. Imagine an entire business aligned and focused on all the right activities to achieve their strategy!

* * *

Invest a few minutes this week in thinking about what you want to achieve by the end of 2010, and set a few goals right now.

Also, compare this approach to the one Robert MacPhee describes in the interview with him this month – I’m interested in your thoughts about how these two methods are similar and different.

To your highest success,

Pete Winiarski

Note: Some of the links above are my affiliate links, and I receive referral fees.  I’m sharing them with you because I believe in them and think you will benefit, too.

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE?

You can, as long as you include this complete statement with it:

Pete Winiarski is a Results Coach and Consultant, and the founder of the Institute of Success and Goal Achievement. If you want to enable more Fun, Fulfillment, and Freedom in your life, then get your F*REE silver membership at i-saga.net

For a quick exercise, let me encourage you to take a moment to list out all your accomplishments during 2009. No matter how small, list them out – this will build momentum for you as you launch into 2010 and think about your goals for this year.

With that context, I want to leave you with something to think about:
What are the true priorities in your life, and are you spending enough time on them?

Allow the answer to this question to guide you over the next 45 days.

With gratitude,
Pete Winiarski

For me, it’s remembering to say “I Love You” to the people who matter most to me. It’s giving a nice hug, and letting it linger for the true emotion of the embrace to penetrate our often thick exterior. It’s gazing into the eyes to indeed look at another person’s soul. This is how I will focus my energy this holiday season, starting right now, and maybe carrying on well beyond New Year’s Eve.

Love to you,

Pete Winiarski

He knew exactly what he wanted and didn’t settle for anything less than his dream. This is an example that we can all learn from. Enjoy!

Yes, there are some interesting dynamics in the global economy right now, but how can you change that into a positive? How can you guarantee that you will have a great year? Answer: Simply follow these 7 steps.

First, decide. It starts with a decision. You simply decide that it will be a great year for you. While many people have decided to be in a contraction mode and focus their energy on worrying about what bad things might happen to them, you can decide to have an abundance perspective.

For example, I know that there are an unlimited number of companies who need help with their businesses, or individuals who want to learn to get results in this environment. I can assist all of them to get the systems in place that will make achieving their goals easy.

Second, stay positive. It’s about maintaining a positive attitude in all situations. I’ve had my share of challenges in the recent past, but learning to keep stress and my attitude in check allowed me to have an optimistic outlook about tomorrow.

Start each day with some encouraging thoughts about what good you will create. Hopefully, you have goals that you review daily and visualize as complete, and you have affirmations that you repeat regularly for each of your goals. That is a step that you can begin today, which will help reprogram your brain to be on alert for opportunities that can accelerate your goal achievement.

Third, learn to manage your stress levels. There are a number of proven techniques to help reduce stress, and I’ve incorporated many of them into my regular routines. I have always exercised, but I’ve recently added meditation and journaling, which are proven to reduce the cortisol (stress hormone) levels in our bodies to help us manage stress. I recommend that you incorporate these things into your routines, as well.

Fourth, stay focused on your Action Plan. If you have a clear set of goals that you want to achieve during 2009, then have them act as a “North Star” for you. Remember, goals are not worth much unless you also get into action.

Many people set goals but don’t have the foggiest idea what to do next. Don’t get caught in the trap of confusion over too many choices. Instead, consider your most important goals for this year, and create an action plan of what you need to do to get there.

Fifth, work your plan. Your plan does not need to be perfect. You just have to take the first step and then respond to feedback. Think of getting into action similar to using the GPS in your car. You need to be in motion to get feedback. Once you’re in motion (taking action), you will eventually get to your destination (your goal).

Sixth, use proven tools and approaches. You don’t need to reinvent the wheel. With a steady focus on your goals and the action plan you’ve created, you are now taking steps toward achieving them. While you’re in action, you can also do some research to see what other successful people have done and follow their examples.

This is one of the greatest benefits of being part of the i-saga community. You have access each week to some fantastic interviews with successful people. Listen to them over and over, review your notes, and mark up the transcripts (which are part of the upcoming membership).

Seventh, enjoy the process! Life is meant to be a fun adventure, so enjoy it while you live it. If you’re taking some of the steps above to keep your stress level manageable, then you can use the positive stress – eustress – to your advantage while keeping the levels of negative stress – distress – to a minimum.

Remember, winning is fun. Achieving your goals is fun, too. If you believe you’re well on your way to the success levels you have dreamed about, then you will indeed enjoy the process.

* * *

I know that if you follow the steps I’ve outlined above, you will have an amazing year!

To your highest success,

Pete Winiarski

Note: This article is published concurrent to the newsletter as a blog posting on the i-saga.net blog, SuccessStoriesBlog.net. Please visit the blog, and post a comment to let us know your thoughts about this article.

For i-saga, we are very close to having the member section ready; which will be really cool for all the members who have been asking me how to get transcripts of these great interviews each week. I am queuing up some great guests this year that are aligned with what the community is asking for. And, I will soon have a group on Facebook for us to connect in a variety of ways.

As we are super close to getting this officially launched, I am delaying the interviews until we’re live – still come here to the blog … as if we don’t have the interview broadcasting, I will, in its place, have some great content in a blog posting for you.

To Your Highest Success!

Pete