The Seed Of Purpose (day69/365)

In “Seeds Of Greatness” , Denis Waitley teaches that goal setting is the instrument to living with purpose.

If we fail to set goals, we fail to achieve any. It is not enough to say that someday we will be somewhere, somehow. We need to set specific goals in the following areas for 1 year, 2 years, 5 years, 10 years, 20 years:-

Spiritual, Mental, Financial, Physical, Social, Family, Professional, Community Support.

Once goals are set we need to say affirmations ie. … say in present tense what it is that we want to achieve as if we have already achieved it.

Ten Action Steps to achieve goals:-

Set short term goals.
Set goals just out of reach but not out of sight.
Get group reinforcement.
Establish a reward/celebration for when goal is met.
New Year – put goals in envelope. Open next New Year. Set new goals again.
Use calendar/diary to track goals.
Use calendar/diary to set time frames for upcoming goals.
Check master list of goals daily.
Don’t share goals with negative people. Look for encouragement.
Pay yourself each month and save some money for the future.

Sounds good to me.

Work (day48/365)

Probably not a favourite word in our vocabulary, but this word is essential to our success. Leo Hauser in his book “Five Steps To Success” leads us on in the process to becoming successful.

Step #4 Work

“Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence.
Talent will not; nothing is more common than people with talent.
Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb.
Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts.
Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.”

Success and work are synonymous. We need to identify with work, not avoid it. Work is the process part of success. Success is both the journey and the destination and work is the activity of succeeding.

If your goals don’t inspire you to work then you have picked the wrong goals. Think again and choose things that make you feel excited, warm, enthusiastic.

Inspired once more, you’ll find that the harder you work, the luckier you will get. Self respect and dignity will carry you to new heights.

Keep on succeeding with new goals, new plans. It is a trap to stop doing the things that made you successful once you feel you have achieved a certain level.

Something else worth noting is that the more you give to others what they want, the more you will receive what you want. So work in the right areas – giving to others.

Set Big Goals For Yourself (day47/365)

If you don’t know where you’re going, you’ll probably end up somewhere else. This quote from “Leo Hauser’s Five Steps To Success” highlights the importance of knowing where you are headed so you actually have a chance of arriving.

It is important that as we set our goals, we remain open to opportunity and surprise also. Reviewing and updating our goals regularly ensures we stay focused and refreshed.

Hauser recommends that we set BIG, EXCITING goals. It is also essential that we write down our goals. Set five year, one year, monthly, weekly, daily goals. When we have a written record of our intentions, we know that what we’re doing represents the best use of time. We do things faster, better and with more enthusiasm.

So let’s get practical. Take a piece of paper again and on it write five year goals for all areas of your life:- financial/professional, physical, mental, relational/personal, spiritual. Then write one year, one month, one week, one day goals for every area.

Really not that hard is it, but it is a discipline to actually stop and do the writing isn’t it? If you thought you would wait until tomorrow, don’t! Get your paper and do it now! You have a life to plan.

Set Goals – Think Like A Leader (day38/365)

Last day today reading “The Magic Of Thinking Big” by David J. Schwartz.

New year. What a great time to be reminded of the energy and purpose that setting goals gives to us. Can I encourage you to sit down and think and write the things you would like to achieve this year, over the next 5 years, 10 years. Write down everything you want to do, be, have.

As your mind thinks about the goals you have it will help you do what is required to reach them. Take action hour by hour, day by day, step by step; accept the discipline and progress.

As a leader (the one encouraging others to reach their potential) there are some things to keep in mind.

# Put yourself in others shoes. How do they feel, think, react to your ideas?
# Be Human. Put other people first.
# Think, believe and push for progress. High standards of your own will attract the same from your family, work colleagues, friends.
# “Alone” time. Essential to take time out to think. Give yourself space.

Well I pray for an abundance of good things in your life this year. I encourage you to take the time to evaluate where you are and plan where you want to be. Set the goals, take the action. Even amidst fear. Feel the fear and do it anyway! Do a workshop, read a book, whatever you need to do, do it!

Blessings for 2010.

Phases Of Faith (day26/365)

Like a plant faith grows. Robert H. Schuller in “Tough Times Never Last, But Tough People Do”, gives us 5 phases of how our faith grows.

Nesting Phase
Firstly, we need to believe that all people have creative potential.
When our pride and self-respect are intact we can free our mind to explore ideas. So the first thing we need to do is believe in the ideas that God sends us. Respect for these positive ideas that flow into our imagination is the beginning of greatness.

Testing Phase
Next, we need to ask ourselves, “Will this idea cause my life and my activity to be an inspiration to somebody else to become a better person or to achieve more in their life?” When we can think about and attract unselfish ideas, we are on the right track.

Investing Phase
This is a point of no return. Here we make the commitment to invest our time, energy, money, pride, prestige, emotions. Making the commitment public gives us overwhelming odds to succeed.

Arresting Phase
Another testing time. Problems loom. What do we do? We have the choice to hang on or give up; keep believing or quit. Besides our own fulfillment being on the line, we need to ask ourselves, “Which response will inspire the most people?”

Cresting Phase
When we’ve kept on keeping on, we make it! We are successful, we have achieved, we have overcome! How good does it feel? We are then also an inspiration to others to keep bravely fighting their battles too.

Schuller devotes a whole chapter to the power of prayer. Don’t underestimate the power that prayer to our divine master has to bring our dreams to fruition. God made us, he cares for us and wants the absolute best for us. Why not give it a go?

Living Passionately (day 17/365)

Blog one for a brand new book “One Month To Live, Thirty Days to a No Regrets Life” by Kerry and Chris Shook.

Here’s a good question to ask yourself. What would the priorities in my life be if I only had one month to live? Kerry and Chris believe we would be living more deliberately, passionately and purposefully.

Today’s entry is about living passionately. Here are a few things to think about.

Considering life is a dash (and over in a flash), do I live with clarity of purpose and passion for the things that really matter?

Do I operate on the basis of faith? (Relying on God to slay the giants, rather than being overwhelmed at the sight of the giants.)

Do I understand that when I waste time, I waste life?

Can I understand the importance of spending time with God, my maker, the one who knows me intimately, to draw strength from him?

Do I attempt to get my life in order so I can help others to succeed also? Do I realise that my past failures can be turned into good? What have I learned from my crashes?

Do I really know my dreams, my goals, what I really want in life?

Do I understand that when I look to God, he supplies all the power and strength I need to achieve my purpose?

I hope you agree that these are good questions to think about and find answers for.

Turn Fears, Problems, Excuses into Goals, Opportunities, Purpose (day 11/365)

Mark Victor Hansen in “Dare to Win” dives right into the midst of our problems. He states fear is the reason we settle for unwanted situations in our life. If we would confront the fears, then we could move on.

When facing problems, we have the opportunity to solve them, if we would only knock the fear out of our way. Have you considered that it may be our purpose to solve a problem and then help others to solve the same problem?

We really have no excuse for not trying to overcome. If Edison took thousands of attempts to invent the lightbulb, then surely I can persevere. The only failure is if I do not try.

It is important that we set goals so our conscious mind knows WHAT it is we are trying to achieve. Our subconscious mind then works out HOW to achieve it.

If we could really be, do and have anything we wanted, what would your choices be? Have you written down your “bucket list” yet? It should include all the things you want to achieve before you leave this earth; places to see, people to meet, charities to support, achievements to attain; who you want to be, what you want to do.

Can you find your purpose?