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Hardship leads to progress

We’ve all had that moment where we wonder if our hard work will ever pay off. You know what I’m talking about; those moments when you wonder what else you can do and how much longer you’ll have to wait before you start to feel like you’re reaping the fruits of your labour. You wonder if it really has to be this hard.

Denzel Washington did his acceptance speech at the NAACP Awards and he said a line that has stuck with me since I heard it for the first time. Near the end of his speech he said: “ease is a greater threat to progress than hardship.” I think that this is an important reminder for anyone working towards a goal.

While it would be nice if our goals were easy to realize, it’s simply not the reality. If it was easy to make our hopes and dreams a reality, everyone would be doing it, and they aren’t. Life’s challenges force us to make a decision – maintain the status quo or do things differently.

Doing things differently means stepping outside your comfort zone. If you want to get different results, you have to do things in ways you never have before. The result is progress. It might be slow, but it will be worth it.

There’s a reason why Napoleon Hill dedicates an entire chapter to persistence in his timeless classic, Think and Grow Rich. The ability to persist even when it would be easier to quit, is one of the traits that successful people have. They refuse to give up because they believe that what they’re working towards is possible, regardless of what the present situation is.

I know that it may seem impossible at times, but you have to believe that the goal you’re working towards possible. It’s not about having a “Plan B”. It’s about putting your all into making your “Plan A” a reality.

Don’t let hardships discourage you. Like Denzel said, ease is the greater threat. Challenges provide the opportunity for progress. Stay focused on the end goal. Have faith that it is possible and believe that you are capable of enduring the rough patches. If you’re able to persist, there’ll be a time when you’ll look back at the struggles and laugh at how impossible it all once seemed!

Sandra Dawes is a certified life coach specializing in helping women who feel unfulfilled with their 9-5 follow their dreams and pursue their passions. She holds an Honours BA, an MBA as well as a certificate in Dispute Resolution. She has completed her first book,Embrace Your Destiny: 12 Steps to Living the Life You Deserve!

Connect:

www.embraceyourdestiny.ca

www.facebook.com/embraceyourdestiny

www.facebook.com/embraceyourdestinythebook

www.twitter.com/sandradawes

The Invisible Stone: Why We Sometimes Stumble In Seeing The Results We Want!

yvonne

In my life, as well as role as a business coach and change consultant, I often come across some ‘invisible stones’ and barriers; I face it sometimes, and I see clients facing it as well. I see situations whereby we are subconsciously not taking responsibility for our actions, and it becomes the invisible stone that causes us to stumble and prevents us from moving forward be it in our lives or businesses.

I was once part of a project that was not moving forward. The project manager and team blamed the leaders for lack of strong leadership and decision making; and the leaders blamed lack of strong project management and employee resistance to change. Standing on the outside, and looking in without any personal agenda, I was able to see things differently. And one thing that was very clear was the ‘lack of ownership and responsibility’. This scenario is very typical in not one, not two, but many organisations.

When we think we are in the right, and someone else is to blame, it makes it more difficult to achieve any goal individually or collectively.

If you are facing chaos on your tasks right now, or finding it difficult to move forward on a personal or business goal, stop for a second and reflect on the below questions.

Be it on a colleague, coworker, friend, partner, parent or the economy, ask yourself:

  • Am I laying the blame at someone else’s feet for why things are not going well?
  • Am I blaming someone else for why I’m not getting the results I want?
  • Am I taking ownership and responsibility for everything that pertains to me and my way of managing my business, or am I holding others responsible?

Consciously or even subconsciously, it is easy to lay the blame somewhere else. Are you blaming your past for lack of progress? Are you blaming a bad economy for your present situation? Are you blaming your parents for something they did or did not do? Are you blaming your race or gender for lack of opportunities?

While I would love to empathise with you, that will not change the situation. Empathy may help you feel good temporarily, but does not get to the crux of the matter or produce results. Whatever situation we are facing, someone else has faced it and is facing it, and yet has not let it hold them back.

We can choose to take ownership for the type of results we want, or fill our minds with why it is someone else’s fault why things are not moving forward as desired. When holding on to a Blame Mindset, which I talk about in my book, The Change You Want, it is difficult to move forward. There will always be that invisible barrier holding us back.

There will be many situations we face and encounter that are out of our control, but how we react, and our attitude is fully and well within our control!

Here are some suggested steps you can take.

  1. Refuse to allow the actions of others demobilise you, stop the blame.
  2. Reflect on your current situation and determine what is within your control and what you can empower yourself to do.
  3. Take ownership and responsibility for your current situation and open your mind for help and to various routes on how to move forward.
  4. Focus your energy on the positive, and on equipping yourself with the skills and resources to help you see the results you desire.

“When you blame others, you give up your power to change.” – Robert Anthony

To learn about Yvonne’s latest book on Changing your Mindset for greater results, visit http://www.oliveblue.com/changeyourmindset/

Yvonne is an Author, Speaker, Change Consultant & John Maxwell Leadership Coach who is passionate about working with Individuals, Entrepreneurs and Organisations to help implement change they want and achieve their goals.   

She can be reached at: www.oliveblue.com . www.facebook.com/oliveblueinc . www.twitter.com/oliveblueinc.www.youtube.com/ChangeYouWantTV

Are we there yet?

sandra

We all have goals.  Some are more concrete than others.  Do you track your progress?  Do you set benchmarks that help you to know when the finish line is approaching?  Or are you just stumbling through, hoping that you will be guided somehow towards the path to accomplishing your goals?

I know that I get more done when I have concrete targets established for any goal I’m pursuing.  When I was writing my book, the goal was a minimum of 4 pages a day.  The target wasn’t always met, sometimes I fell short, other times I surpassed the daily goal.  Not only did I have daily targets, but I had also set a deadline for when I wanted to have the first draft of my book complete.  The daily targets and checking in to see where I was at the end of each week, kept me motivated and focused.

We hear so much about success factors to making our goals a reality.  Accountability partners, writing them down, and setting targets are all things we are told will help us to make our dreams come true.  But what happens when we put all these things in place and then never review the plan to make sure it still makes sense?  What if we get so caught up in being “busy” that we forget to measure if our business is translating into productivity?

Everyone’s talking about how busy they are, but shouldn’t we be talking about how productive we are?  I don’t know about you, but I can be busy all day and not have anything meaningful to show for it!  If you’re busyness isn’t get you closer to achieving your goals, then you might as well be spending your time sleeping or watching television.  If the journey to achieving your goals was a road trip, you may be stuck always taking the scenic route, stopping at every fruit stand and antique shop along the way rather than taking the quick bathroom break and getting back in the car.  If you’re not in any hurry to achieve your goals, there’s nothing wrong with the scenic route.  If the achievement of your goals is just a means to something bigger, then enjoy the ride, but remember to stay focused on the destination.

You may be thinking that it’s too late to get your goals back on track and make them happen this year, but it isn’t!  You just have to get clear on what you want to get done by the end of the year and break it down into monthly, weekly and even daily targets!  Once you know your numbers, you’ll have a clearer idea of what you need to do to make it happen!  If you’re not clear on where to start, I can help!

Clarity on the checkpoints makes the journey more enjoyable.  Regardless of how ineffective you may feel like you’re being at times, you have tangible evidence that illustrates just how far you’ve come!  Sometimes, that is just the motivation we need to keep the momentum going, even when it feels like we’re running on fumes.  The good news is, at least you’ll know when you’re next service stop is coming so you can refuel 🙂

Sandra Dawes is a certified life coach specializing in helping women who feel unfulfilled with their 9-5 follow their dreams and pursue their passions. She holds an Honours BA, an MBA as well as a certificate in Dispute Resolution.She has completed her first book,Embrace Your Destiny: 12 Steps to Living the Life You Deserve!

Connect: 
www.embraceyourdestiny.ca
www.facebook.com/embraceyourdestiny

www.facebook.com/embraceyourdestinythebook
www.twitter.com/sandradawes

Time To Take Inventory

sandra

When we think of inventory, we often think of a storage room or warehouse full of merchandise to be sold.  The inventory I want talk about today is our personal inventory.  It’s January – the time for New Year’s resolutions, revised business plans and targets, and a fresh start!

I did an exercise with the youth at the shelter I volunteer at and wanted to share it with you:

  1. Make a list of your habits.
  2. Divide them into two categories, those that serve you (aka good habits) and those that hinder your progress (aka bad habits).

It’s helpful to look at this exercise from a personal and business standpoint.  Often the two overlap for entrepreneurs anyway!  This exercise should be done as part of your “what’s working/what isn’t” review that should be a part of your 2013 recap.  Whether it’s spending too much time on Facebook or not enough time getting leads and referrals, we have to be honest with ourselves about the things we’re doing (or not doing) that are hindering our progress.

We all know that habits are hard to break, but when those habits are hindering your personal and professional/business growth, it’s time to take notice and take action!  It’s said that it takes 21 days to develop a new habit.  That’s it.  21 days of consistent effort will get you closer to opening up the channels that contain all the good stuff that’s going to help you be a better entrepreneur, mate, friend or parent.  There are going to be challenges.  Don’t beat yourself up if you fall back into old habits.  Acknowledge the slip up and why it happened and move on.

The habits we want to release took time to become a part of our daily routine.  It’s going to take time and commitment to let them go and develop new ones that will help you to take your life to the next level.  Try not to overwhelm yourself.  When we’re making the list of our habits, it can be easy to get carried away focusing on all of our negative habits.  We’re not going to change all of them at once.  Focus on one or two that you feel are manageable and work your way up to the bigger ones.  Remember that small successes will build momentum.

If you need help, ask for it.  An accountability partner is a great help when you’re working on making changes in your life.  Surround yourself with positive people.  We all have changes we want to make; we might as well support one another to ensure that we all achieve success!

 

Sandra Dawes is a certified life coach specializing in helping women who feel unfulfilled with their 9-5 follow their dreams and pursue their passions. She holds an Honours BA, an MBA as well as a certificate in Dispute Resolution.She has completed her first book,Embrace Your Destiny: 12 Steps to Living the Life You Deserve!

Connect: 
www.embraceyourdestiny.ca
www.facebook.com/embraceyourdestiny

www.facebook.com/embraceyourdestinythebook
www.twitter.com/sandradawes

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