Jessica set a goal at the beginning of the year to eat right and exercise more. She joined a gym and started a new exercise program. Jessica was motivated to lose those excess pounds she had gained over the holidays. She exercised four times a week and made healthy eating choices. Then just eight weeks into the New Year she was lucky to make it to the gym just once a week. Work kept her so busy that she often ate on the run — gobbling down donuts and coffee for breakfast and fast food for lunch. What happened to her motivation and determination to improve her health?
Jessica’s story is not uncommon. Oftentimes we start out “gung ho” about our goals, but then lose momentum and motivation along the way. How can you stay focused on your goals and priorities, whether they involve growing your business, strengthening your marriage or improving your health? Here are tips to help you focus on your goals.
Visualize Success
Visualize the desired end result. If, like Jessica, you want to lose weight, imagine yourself 20 pounds lighter. Imagine how good you’ll look and feel in a bikini this summer. If you want to earn a promotion to management, imagine yourself as a manager of employees. Imagine yourself leading your team to success.
Review your Goals
Review your goals on a regular basis. Ask yourself, “Is what I’m doing right now helping me to achieve my goals?” Always keep your goals in the forefront of your mind. Review your progress. What steps are you taking to achieve your goals? Give yourself a pat on the back for making progress.
Work with an Accountability Partner or Coach
If you know you need to report your progress to someone else, you’re more likely to follow through. By having an “accountability partner” you can help keep each other on track. Choose someone who is also striving toward a goal. Meet once a week to check in. Share what you’ve accomplished in the past week and what step(s) you plan to take in the coming week to achieve your goal.
Better yet, hire a professional coach. Coaches are trained to help you succeed. They not only help you stay accountable, but also help you see the bigger picture, overcome obstacles by exploring different ways of doing things, and give encouragement and motivation to succeed.
Reward Yourself
Choose a reward for attaining your goal. Be sure to choose a reward that is motivating and commensurate with the effort required to achieve the goal. What is rewarding to you? For one person it may be an elegant dinner out or a weekend getaway. For another it may be a shopping spree at Nordstrom’s or a full-body massage. Choose something that you’ll really look forward to, which will increase your motivation to succeed.
By visualizing success, reviewing your goals, working with a partner or coach, and rewarding yourself, you’ll stay motivated and focused on your goals. Only by focusing on your goals will you actually attain them. So keep on keeping on!
For more information on goal achievement, listen to my CD on How to Set and Attain Your Goals.
Does your life lack meaning and direction? By defining your life purpose, you can gain clarity, focus, and direction in your life. Our purpose is our reason for being – it’s why we’re here on this earth. Each of us has a unique purpose in life. It’s up to us to uncover our purpose and fulfill it.
We all search for significance. We want to know that our life counts. We want to make a difference in this world. Each of us has been given different gifts, talents and skills that we can use for the good of others. If you use your talents to benefit others, and become the person you were intended to be, you will be blessed beyond all measure. Your life will take on meaning and significance. You will be fulfilled.
How do you identify your unique, life purpose? Follow this 5-step process.
1) Determine your values and priorities
What do you hold most dear to you? Your values are deeply held beliefs that govern and guide your behavior. Examples include honesty & integrity, faith, family, and love. They are what matter most to us, and are at the core of our being. They’re extremely important, because we make important decisions based upon values. Our behavior, decisions and actions flow from values. In order to uncover your values, just ask yourself, “What is most important to me?” and brainstorm a list.
2) Uncover your passions
What excites you? What brings you joy? Being out in nature, building things, caring for your children? Our passions are our desires or purposes that bring us joy. Passionate people have greater exuberance, zest and zeal for life. Passion gives us that internal fire to succeed. It acts as a motivating force to help us do truly great things.
How do you find your passion? Ask yourself, “What excites and energizes me?” “When does time seem to fly by? What am I typically doing?” and “What problem or issue was I born to address?”
3) Identify Your Contributions
The next step is to identify your interests, talents, gifts and potential contributions to society. What interests you? Think about which activities you most enjoy – in your personal life and your professional life. What sports or hobbies do you enjoy? What work activities do you most enjoy? Do you most enjoy working with people, things, ideas, or numbers and data?
What are your talents and skills? What do people say you’re good at? Has anyone said, “You’re a natural born leader, sales person, athlete (or something else)?”
Given your interests, talents, skills, and gifts, how can you contribute to others? In what small way can you make this world a better place? What difference can you make? Just think of the possibilities!
4) Describe Your Legacy
What kind of legacy do you want to leave? How do you want to be remembered? What qualities and characteristics will people remember you for? What outstanding accomplishments will you have made? Susan B. Anthony is known for having made strides in women’s rights. What difference can you make in the lives of others?
5) Put it all Together
Contemplate your life purpose. Take a look at your answers to the questions above and ask, “What does this reveal about me?” Ask yourself, “What is my purpose for being here on earth?” Take quiet time to reflect and listen.
By uncovering your life purpose, you will gain clarity, focus, and direction. Ultimately, it will give more meaning and significance to life.
For more in-depth information, review my workbook on “Finding Your Purpose and Passion in Life”.
This month Working Mother magazine published their list of 100 Best Companies for working mothers. Not surprisingly, all offer flexibility, including flextime and telecommuting. Other benefits offered by all 100 companies include: Employee Assistance program, paid maternity leave, on-site lactation room, and medical flexible spending accounts. Ninety-nine percent also offer child-care resource & referral service and health screening programs.
The 10 Best Companies for working mothers are listed below. Click here for the full listing of the 100 Best Companies.
- Bank of America
- Deloitte
- Discovery Communications
- Ernst & Young
- General Mills
- KPMG
- Prudential Financial
- PwC
- TriHealth
- WellStar Health System
What makes these companies so great? Besides the benefits and services listed above, all ten of the top ten companies have an active work-life committee or task force. They also grant flexibility requests on a reason-neutral basis.
Beyond the basics, it’s interesting to note the wide array of services some of these companies offer to make it easier for employees to juggle work and personal life. At Bank of America, employees can take two paid hours off per week to volunteer in the community. At Discovery Communications, anyone who pays for an exercise class may be reimbursed for 50% of the cost (up to $50 a month). Prudential Financial not only offers career counseling, but also life coaching programs for its employees. At PwC, moms who work just 20 hours per week still earn full benefits.
If you’re fortunate enough to work for one of the best companies for working mothers, chances are you’re taking advantage of these great benefits and services!
Do you have more to do on the job than you can possibly get done? Is your heavy workload causing you to feel stressed, overwhelmed and exhausted? If you don’t address the issue, then your long work hours can lead to burnout. Burnout can be detrimental to your job and your physical and emotional health.
If you find that your workload has increased beyond your capacity, then it’s time to meet with your boss to address the issue. Here are key points to cover in your meeting.
- Assure your Boss of your Commitment to Work – Explain to your boss that your work is important. You’re feeling overloaded with work, and you want to continue to be productive and perform at a high level rather than burn out.
- Clarify Job Expectations and Priorities – The first step is to make sure you’re clear on your job expectations and priorities. Make a list of your most important work projects. Review this list with your manager, and together prioritize your work priorities. You’ll need to focus most of your time and attention on these priorities.
- Cut out any Non-Value-Added Activities – Review your job description. Make a note of any tasks you perform that are not part of your job description. Your boss may not even be aware of the extra duties you’ve been saddled with. Then determine if there are any tasks that can be eliminated. Maybe you’re expected to write a weekly report, but you know that no one ever reads the report. If it’s not adding value, then get rid of it.
If, after implementing these changes, you find that your workload still requires countless hours a week to complete, then schedule another meeting with your manager to explore other options, such as hiring an assistant or intern, or balancing the workload by assigning it to someone else.
By addressing your heavy workload, you’ll be able to meet your work commitments and deadlines without burning out!