A goal almost complete!

This post is really an “all about me” post because I am so excited that this coming Saturday I will finally sit my final life coaching exam.

Even though I have been coaching for a while now, I will finally have my official life coaching qualification! Woo hoo!

My exam will go for around five hours (!) and by around lunch time on Saturday I will be one very happy lady!

It’s been four long years, and despite my many setbacks, I was determined to finish, so already I am feeling a sense of accomplishment. Passing will be the icing on the cake!

Sometimes just getting yourself to the point where you’re on the verge of achieving a goal is almost as rewarding as actually accomplishing it, as I am experiencing now. Have you ever experienced this?

Get out there and just do it!

It’s always difficult to take that first step towards a goal.

I have this habit of thinking I want to change something about myself, but I don’t often do anything about it.

For example, over the Christmas break I probably indulged more than I should have (I am positive I am not alone!) and I really do need to do something about the fact that I have put on some weight. I’ve not put on a lot but enough to drive me batty!

I injured my back just after Christmas and I know it is because I have not maintained my core muscle strength which I needed to do to help stabilise my already injured back.

This was the point when I decided that enough was enough. I was going to finally get off my butt and do something about it – but this time I am committed!!!

So today I joined a Transformation Challenge where I will follow a weight loss program for 12 weeks. I have taken some before photos and taken my measurements and at the end of 12 weeks, I will take some after photos and take my measurements again.

It is at this point that I plan to congratulate myself on my cleverness at sticking with it and making a difference to my health and fitness!

To enter the challenge, you need to purchase the Fit Yummy Mummy program HERE. I promise you, this program is worth a look.

Don’t be like I can be and wait until you suffer a painful injury before you take action – get out there and just do it now!!

The top 10 new year’s resolutions according to Amazon

One of my Facebook friends pointed me to a list which listed the top ten New Year’s resolutions, according to Amazon.

The list was as follows:

1. Lose Weight
2. Get finances in order
3. Go greener
4. Curb vices (smoking, drinking, gambling etc)
5. Get in shape
6. Relax more
7. Pursue a new career
8. Upgrade your technology
9. Organise and optimise (get things in order)
10. Start a new hobby

I wonder how many people will actually follow through on these resolutions too. All of the items listed above look reasonable and achievable, but of course having a resolution and actually going ahead and taking action are two different things!

Now think about what the people who chose these items hope to achieve by doing what is on this list.

Losing weight will obviously help them to feel better about themselves, both physically and mentally, as will getting into shape and curbing many vices.

Getting the finances in order, pursuing a new career and starting a new hobby would probably give them a sense of wellbeing and happiness.

Whenever making goals or New Year’s resolutions it is important to think about the reason behind why you want to achieve that goal. What do you hope to gain?

Are any of your new year’s resolutions on this list?

2009 New Year’s Resolutions

What are your goals for 2009?

I recently read some alarming statistics that stated that only 45% of Americans set a new year’s resolution, and sadly, only 8% actually achieve their goals.

Do you want to know how to achieve your goals for 2009?

This is because many people don’t have a proper plan in place to help us achieve our goals, or it could be because their goals are not compelling enough.

Follow the steps below and you will significantly improve your chances of success!

1. Goals must be S.M.A.R.T:

S – Your goal must be Specific. How will you know once you have achieved your goal?
M – Your goal must be Measurable. How can you measure your progress?
A – Your goal must be Appropriate to your values and current situation. If you want to lose weight, then having a goal to win a hot dog eating competition in June might not be appropriate.
R – Your goal must be Realistic. Wanting to lose 100 pounds in the next week is not realistic without surgery!
T – Your goal must have a Timeline attached to it. When is the day you want to achieve your goal by? Break your larger goals into smaller steps and set due dates on those.

2. You must write your goal/s down. This is extremely important if you want to achieve your goals!

3. You must remain focused on your goals, regardless of setbacks. We all have them. How many successful people do you know that had absolutely no challenges to face during their pursuit of success? I know many millionaires personally, and all of them had some challenge to face – but they continued on anyway – and they succeeded!

4. It is important you have a plan in place – what’s your first step? What will you do after that? Write this down!

5. You MUST take action! It’s great to have a list of goals written down, but until you take action (that first step) then you will not go anywhere.

If you’re able to set compelling goals for yourself, and you follow the steps outlined above, then you will gradually tick off that list of 2009 resolutions!

Here’s to a wonderful 2009!

Please share your 2009 new year’s resolutions at http://selfconfidence101.com/forum – I can’t wait to see what you’re up to!

My new year’s resolutions

Every new year it’s tradition to make at least one new year’s resolution – something you will achieve over the next year, and this year is no different for me, although my resolutions have changed a little, as you will see!

1. Finally sit my final life coaching exam before the end of February 2009

2. Make my marriage even better – communicate more with my husband, go out on “dates” at least once a month with just the two of us (since having our youngest daughter, this is a rarity these days) and go away with him on occasion – just the two of us!

3. Sponsor another disadvantaged child by the end of December 2009

4. Finally get my body in shape – by the end of March 2009, following the Fit Yummy Mummy program

5. Build the Self Confidence 101 online community to over 500 members by December 2009

6. Create at least three new products to help people improve their confidence by June 2009

7. Get involved in at least one of my older daughter’s passtimes – helping out or donating items and also sit down with her more to help her with her homework

8. Continue to give my younger daughter lots of love and kisses!

9. Pamper myself more than once a year!

10. Spend more time outdoors – we have beautiful weather here and should make the most of it!

Ok, so my goals are written and I will now have to commit by writing them down and working out what I am going to do to achieve them.

I need an action plan and that’s what I will now go and put together. I will post again once it’s done, to give you an idea of what you could do for your resolutions.

Do you want to lose weight in 2009?

With such a large percentage of the population overweight, it is no surprise that the majority of New Year’s resolutions will include losing weight, getting fit or improving our eating habits.

Successfully losing weight can be a huge boost to your confidence and self esteem. Firstly, you feel a sense of accomplishment. People will begin to notice the changes in you and will compliment you on how great you look. You will feel fitter and more energetic which alone brings you a sense of wellbeing, and lastly, you will feel great and look fabulous!

I have been a member of a weight loss (more like fat loss) club for women (mothers in particular) for a while now. An eating guide and exercise plan is provided and via the online community we can share our stories and experiences, and inspire and support other women who are on a quest to lose weight.

January 2009 signifies the next Fit Yummy Mummy 12 Week Transformation Challenge.

All entrants will post their “before shots” and after 12 weeks they post their “after shots”. The winners will be chosen and prizes given (they are great prizes too!).

Entrants into the challenge will get:

- Free 12 months access to an online menu planner (it’s really good – I’ve used it!)

- 20% off Prograde orders (supplements)

- Access to weight loss expert interviews

- A ton of additional audio and video resources

- Coaching calls with Holly Rigsby

Not only that, but the additional support you will get from the other members is unbelievable!

To join the challenge, all you need to do is purchase the Fit Yummy Mummy program (click HERE for details) and visit http://clubfym.com to join the Club Fit Yummy Mummy to join the challenge.

You need to be quick though! Entries close January 9, 2009!

Ok guys, unfortunately this is for girls only, but of course you can set your own challenge by clicking HERE, purchasing the ebook and following the eating and exercise guidelines.

Both of these programs are the best I have seen. They both encourage healthy eating and only around 30 minutes a day, 3 times a week for exercise. No more will you have to spend countless hours at the gym!

Coping during the holidays

Christmas time is a wonderful time for many people because it signifies a time where families and friends get together and gifts are given and received and is generally a happy and uplifting experience!

For others it’s not so good. Some don’t have friends or family they can get together with. Others are struggling financially.

If you’re reading this, then you have the means to access the internet, whether it be via your own computer or one that belongs to someone else.

With this in mind, it’s obvious that you have a lot more resources at your hands than say someone living in poverty in a third world country.

Now is the time to be grateful for all that you have and forget the fact that the world may have done you wrong. You’re alive, you’re able to access this information and most of all, you have the world at your feet – you just need to believe that!

I know of a guy who once lived on the streets. He even has a bullet wound on his leg! He is now a multi millionaire internet marketer. All he had was the idea and the belief he could do it.

That is the first step towards achieving success and doing great things – having the belief you can do it. Next is the commitment to take action!

What great things do you want to do with your life??

Are you going to set new year’s resolutions?

I always make a point of setting new year’s resolutions and I am going to reflect today on the resolutions I set almost a year ago.

I had resolutions relating to both my career, my personal life (including my family) and my business, so I think I covered all of them!

Now, how did I go?

1. Create a business income which is more than sufficient to allow me to continue working from home so I can spend quality time with my children.

Ok, well this didn’t happen because I let my job get in the way, although I enjoy my job, so it’s not all bad, although I think I will put a variation of this resolution down for next year!

2. Complete my Life Coaching qualification

Apart from my final exam, I am finished! Yay!

3. Improve my stock market trading ability

I did do this, although didn’t do a lot with it. I am currently more focused on my coaching, so I doubt I will add anything like this to next year.

4. Sponsor another disadvantaged child

I didn’t sponsor another child, although I did donate additional money to charity, but I do plan on adding this one again to my list for next year!

5. Pamper myself more often!

Does ONE massage this year count???

6. Hire a house cleaner (I hate housework!)

I am planning on hiring my parent’s house cleaner, although she doesn’t know it yet. There were some events during the year that meant it wasn’t appropriate to talk to her about it. Will add this to next year’s list.

7. Drink more water

Definitely doing that!

8. Exercise more

Even though I’m not exercising as much as I should, I am definitely doing more than last year!

9. Take baby for more walks

This ties in with number 1 I think, although pushing her around on her bike yesterday kind of counts. I will add this to next year’s list too.

10. Show more affection to my husband and children

I am doing this too!

Ok, so that’s not the best result overall, but I did complete some.

What I did write was make the resolutions and write them down. But I didn’t plan out exactly what I was going to do and how I was going to do it!

Setting goals is great, but for things like I have listed here, I really should have planned the steps I needed to take in order to achieve them. This would have made the goal a little more “achievable”.

I’m going now to work on my list for next year! Are you working on your new year’s resolutions?

What do I do if I get off track?

I am the worst offender when it comes to flitting from one project to another.

I know what I want to achieve, and I know what I need to do to get there. But I am only human.

And like most humans, I get off track sometimes.

So what should you do if you are working towards achieving a goal and for some reason, things just head in another direction altogether?

The first thing is to stop beating yourself up (if that’s what you’re prone to do!) and know that these things will happen from time to time.

Remain focused on your goal, maybe sit down and write down what achieving your goal will mean to you. What do you hope to gain by achieving that goal? Why do you think you’ve drifted in another direction? Be honest with yourself.

Next, decide what your next step should be – write it down. Then make a plan to follow the next step, and the one after, and so on….

For me, it usually takes a conversation with one of my mentors, or watching or reading something inspirational that gets me back on track again, and full of enthusiasm and ideas!

Whatever works for you, just do it! You owe it to yourself to achieve your dreams!

Identify your passion by writing yourself a letter

Through my life coaching studies I was introduced to the "Letter from the Future".  I had already come across this concept before, and this was just another way of presenting this to a potential coaching client to help them identify what they’re passionate about – what makes their heart sing.

This exercise really helps you to create a clear picture in your mind about how you want your life to be, and is therefore a very powerful step towards achieving the kind of life you want.  Without the clear picture of where you want to be, then how can you know you’re heading in the right direction? 

Having clear goals is a great way to help you build confidence and self esteem.  Working towards a goal gives you purpose, and as you get closer to your goal, you will find that your confidence and self esteem improves.

To write a letter from the future, here’s what you do:

1.  Choose a date several months or years into the future.  It should be a date that means something to you, such as an anniversary or birthday.

2.  Imagine your life has progressed very well – so well in fact that things are just as you wanted them to be.

3.  Write a letter to someone (it doesn’t matter who), telling them of the developments in your life, in great detail, from the moment you wake up each day in your ideal life, to when you go to bed.

4.  As you write, visualise how it would feel if this really was your life and you were happy, successful and fulfilled.  Do whatever you can to muster up those feelings. 

Keep your letter from the future in a safe place, and refer to it regularly – at least once a month.  Combine this with a well-defined goal achievement plan, and you will be well on your way to improving your confidence and achieving your goals!

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