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Focus on Three

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 "You are free to choose, but the choices you make today will determine what you will have, be, and do in the tomorrow of your life."
— Zig  Ziglar

When I first meet with a client to begin our coaching, I always ask them for the three main areas they would like to focus on during the first three months of our partnership. You can do the same thing with your most important goals. For each focus area write a simple heading, and underneath, a description of how to achieve it.

Here is a sample of how this might look:

1. Be Financially Responsible
Have a system to track my spending and my income.  Reconcile my bank accounts each month. Create and follow a spending plan.



2. Improve My Fitness
Design and follow a workout program that will help me lower my body fat and improve my stamina. Eat nutritious, healthy meals on a regular schedule.

3. Have a More Romantic Relationship with My Husband
Plan a "date night" each week. Surprise him with loving things to let him know how much I care. Acknowledge him for all that he does and all that he is.



This simple, yet important, exercise can help you take action and stay focused on what is most important to you. Keep your list to no more than three major outcomes or goals. Trying to remember more than three can put the mind into overload. This is a proven way to help you stay clear on what you are currently working towards.



ACTION IDEA:

Write out your three primary focus areas and put the note (or several of them) somewhere where you will see it throughout the day.  Then notice the difference in your focus and effectiveness. To get the most out of this strategy, ask a friend or a coach to support you by holding you accountable to your plan.

 

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What Fires You Up?

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"Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there." -Will Rogers


Over the past couple of years I became very curious about why some folks seem to keep their momentum going while some allow it to slow down. Sometimes they even slow down to a complete stop. So I started to ask my coaching clients, people in my audiences, my friends, and colleagues, "What gets you going and what keeps you going?"

After listening to many responses I realized two major themes were coming up: a desired future outcome and contribution to others. Most of the time those two themes came together.

Yeah, there have been people who talked about being fired up to take action because they were so dissatisfied with the way things were. But when I asked the question, "How would you like things to be?" those same people would start to get fired up as they tapped into their fading dreams and desires and saw a vision of what really got them going.

Getting clear on the reason for the goal and on the emotion behind it is the best way to add fuel to your fire. It’s about finding out what makes you feel most alive and then using that desire to strengthen your intention.



ACTION IDEA:

What adds fuel to YOUR fire? Think about a time in your life when you just couldn’t wait to get going on something. What was it? Why was it important to you? Give that some thought for a moment.

Now, think about a time in your life when you felt like nothing could stop you. You were so fired up that you were moving along with focus, effectiveness, and joy. What were you doing? What motivated you to take the steps you needed to take?

Okay, let’s look at where you are right now…

What do you really want (your desired future outcome)?

Why does it fire you up?

Answering those two questions may help add courage, energy and momentum to get you going and keep you moving towards what really matters.
 

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