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Here Are The 3 Key Questions To Answer Before Setting Your Next #Goal

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People Planning Their Future

Where Will Your Next Goal Take You? Picture Credit Pexels.Com

The seasons are about to change and Spring is in the air. This is the time of year where plenty of us are thinking about what we want to happen next in our life and how satisfied we are with the status quo.

How Are Things With You?

Take a minute and be honest with yourself. How have you felt over the last year?

Congratulations if the last 12 months were ideal and gave you every chance to shine. You now have the choice of staying the same and still enjoying life without too much effort.

If the last 12 months were a struggle and you feel frustrated, unhappy or stuck in a rut you owe it to yourself to set a goal that will change your life. Here’s the key question to answer to get you started.

Where Will You Focus Your Attention?

It is very easy to get caught up in the business of being busy. If you have a job, lead a team, run a business, have a family and enjoy your social life your calendar is already full.

Do yourself a favour. Stop. Take a piece of paper and a pen then write down the key words that matter to you. This could look like a list, or it might be spread across the page. Either way you will have information from which you can pick the one area on which you can focus attention (the area you know in your heart / gut needs some work). That’s the one on which to build your next goal.

What Is Your Next Move?

The resources in the blog posts right here will give pointers to get going on your goal and change your situation for the better. Alternatively, if you are in London on 7 April you can book yourself a place at my next goal-setting workshop and get support to create the kind of powerful goal which will help you move forward over the coming months. Follow the link for more information and tickets (feel free to comment, like and share so others can also get the benefit of the opportunity).  https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/create-great-goals-tickets-41940471078

See You on 7 April – All the best

Roger

3 Reasons To Make #TimeToTalk About #Wellbeing

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Basket Ball Game

Time To Talk About Health And Wellbeing (Picture Credit Pexels dot com)

A new year means we can take stock and make time to change our lives. We can make time to pursue goals that improve our work performance and our life outside the 9 to 5. So, this is a great time to talk about improving our (mental and physical) health and well-being.

With life being a hectic mix of commitments and claims on our time, it is important we practice self-care. Doing that helps us care for customers, colleagues and community too. Here are 3 good reasons that show how time devoted to self-care helps us reduce the pressure that contributes to mental health difficulties:

Connection

No one achieves all their goals alone. We are social beings and when we help others we are keeping the door open to ask for help for ourselves. By being part of a healthy community or team, we are investing in our own well-being.

Protection

When we respect our own boundaries, we make self-care a priority. When we make time for ourselves we can be calmer than when we are overwhelmed by others’ requests for our time.

Reflection

The time we earmark for ourselves is the resource we can devote to reviewing our goals, forming support networks and sharing the benefits of our personal growth with loved ones and friends.

How Will You Use This Knowledge?

Thanks for reading this post. I hope it makes a difference to your performance this week. What is your secret for safeguarding your mental well-being during a busy time at work? Add your comment and deepen this conversation.

Feel free to add a Like too if this has been a useful discussion and please share this post with someone who could benefit from reading it.

 

Thanks Roger

Answer These 5 Questions To Help Choose Your Next #Goal

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Someone Writing Their Action Plan Down

Start Planning What You Want To Achieve

I hope January is treating you well. January can feel like a long month after the fun of Christmas and the New Year celebrations. Some of us even use this time for soul searching:

  • Where does my money go each month? (Personal Finance )
  • What job should I be doing? (Career)
  • How can I find my life’s purpose? (Wellbeing)
  • When will I meet someone I want to know better? (Relationships)
  • Who do I know that I can turn to for help? (Support)

It can feel overwhelming to start working out which area to focus on. It requires paper, pens and time, plus our full attention.

If we score the various areas in the brackets with marks out of 10 it is the 6s and the 5s we might want to focus on. The trick is to start listening to our inner voice and paying the proper attention to the goals that speak to us deeply.

Ready To Take Action And Change Your Life?

To start that ball rolling I’m offering a workshop on Saturday 27 January at The Mill, in the East End, to help streamline the process of identifying and working on our goals, so we are more likely to achieve success in our key areas.

If you are in London on 27 January and want to come along please follow the link below for information and tickets – it would be great to see you there!

Thanks for reading this post. Feel free to leave a Like or a comment about your goal planning strategy. Share this post too, if you think someone else would benefit from seeing it.

All the best

Roger

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/how-to-start-telling-your-story-to-achieve-your-goals-tickets-41940471078

4 Steps To Help You Reach Your New Year #Goals

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Runners In A Street Race

Get On The Road To Your Next Goal (Picture Credit Morguefile.Com)

Happy New Year!

You are not along if you feel daunted by the reality of more than 360 days in your 2018 planner.

It is possible to change the course of your life in that time. Here 4 steps to get you moving toward your next goal.

First, get specific about the area you are going to work on. Chances are, like the rest of us, you have a bunch of areas you would like to tackle. Many people think about setting goals regarding Health, Finances or Work for instance.

Why not write down all of the key themes running through your life at the moment. Score your satisfaction with each one out of 10. Whatever area scores 6 or less would be a good place for goal setting (if there are several tied in that group choose the one that feels most like it needs your attention).

Let’s suppose you want to enjoy a higher standard of health by running regularly, like a former coaching client of mine used to. He identified a positive benefit to following his goal (he could reconnect with running buddies and raise money for charity by taking part in an event later in the year).

Second, list the resources you can already access to tackle your goal. Resources include the people you know, the skills, you have, the wider knowledge you can tap into.

Set some boundaries / milestones up in your planner. Use it to show what you will do to work on your goal, with whose help and when. This visualisation will help you focus.

Third, run a reality check. Given the pressures on his average week it wasn’t  always practical for  my client to train more than once a week. This meant he had to adjust his plan so as to make the progress he wanted to achieve, without feeling his ultimate goal was unreachable.

Fourth, celebrate each improvement made along the way. We can sometimes care so much about crossing the finishing line that we downplay our improved performance at each stage.

Thank you for reading this initial 2018 post. Leave a comment, Like or Share if it has helped you so you can help others. I’m interested in what you have to say and others will be too.

Until next time, have a great day.

Roger

3 Steps Toward Successful Goal Setting

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People At An Outdoor Party

Who Will You Celebrate Your Success With? Photo by jens johnsson on Unsplash

Are you struggling to define your main 2018 goal? No worries if you are. We’ve all been there.

Knowing we can do better is the easy part. Setting a goal that leads to major life changes can feel overwhelming. Breaking the situation down into manageable chunks will help.

Here are 3 powerful steps to help achieve our goals

Defining the outcome we want to achieve 
There is power in writing down the results we will achieve, when we will achieve them and what our victory will feel like. Paying attention to our results helps us invest emotionally in the work to bring them about.
Identifying our first steps 
With the headline goal written down it is tempting to get going, without an action plan. Not a good idea. That’s like setting out on a journey without a preferred route.
Better results come from a plan which starts from point A and delivers some immediate gains. Those act as a confirmation that we are headed in the right direction. What would be your chosen point A? How will you know you are going in the right direction?
Lining up our support network 
There’s a limit to what we can achieve on our own. The way forward involves points B, C, D and so on. Having supporters’ help along the way brings 2 advantages. We can help other people do more and achieve more as they improve their lives. Plus we get to tap into a lively knowledge network when we get stuck on our path. That’s a win win situation.
Who is in your network and how can you help them?
What’s Your Next Move?
Thanks for your engagement this year. Use the reply option to comment on this post, if you found the information above helpful. Feel free to Like and Share too.
Good luck setting your next big goal and Merry Christmas if you are reading this in December.

How To Start Building #Rapport After #InternationalMensDay

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Rapport Without Conflict

There’s No Conflict In Meeting Your Goals & Building Rapport – Picture From Pexels.Com

Freshly minted World Heavyweight Champion Anthony Joshua said it best in a recent Tweet

You Can’t Buy Loyalty. It  Comes From The Heart

He knows it takes time to build the kind of rapport which comes from the heart and means people warm towards you. For guys that can be a challenge. We don’t always open up emotional conversations; tell our authentic story;or ask for support when we need it.

It shouldn’t like a fight to achieve a goal if we are being authentic. Barriers like age, class, disability, ethnicity, faith, gender, politics and sexuality fall away.  

When people truly ‘get’ where we are coming from, it feels great. We can help them and draw on their support.

How Can We Start To Build Rapport?

Once we develop the skills and confidence to apply for our next role, or offer our services to the world, the challenge is to let others know we are ready to grow into bigger roles.

First, identify the way you want to introduce yourself to the group of people you would like to join. What parts of your life story chime with theirs? How will sharing your true self help to build rapport and what are the benefits, to them, of your world feeding into theirs?

How will you know they like what they see? 

Once you know who you are engaging with you can regularly use the social media channel they rely on. Show up, Comment, Like and Share too.

Where possible you can also take the plunge and meet your community in real life. Yes, there is the potential for falling flat on your backside. There is also the (greater) possibility that you will meet really interesting people, with whom you can share your wisdom. They become part of your world and you can be a loyal part of theirs.

Remember, when you finally ‘click’ with people it becomes a lot easier to offer support, ask for help and reach your goals. 

What’s Your Next Step?

There are people who need what you have to offer in the year ahead. There are also people who can support you, if and when you need it. Let them get to know you. Once they like and trust you their world and yours will become a much more progressive place.

Why not add your comment here and share your strategy for connecting to people on social media, or in real life. You can always Like and Share too.

Thanks for reading. Have a great week.

Roger

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3 Steps To Achieve Your #Goal of Greater #Job Satisfaction

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A Firework Display

A Firework Display – Picture Credit Morguefile

This is the time of year for fireworks. Ideally every day we spend at work would be the kind of day to celebrate with them.

Is your work exciting, challenging and fun? If it isn’t your next goal could be changing that situation.

The Facts

According to May 2016 employee-outlook research by the CIPD* nearly a quarter of UK employees are dissatisfied with their role and ready to go elsewhere:

Job satisfaction in the UK has dropped to its lowest level in over two years and job seeking intentions have risen to almost a quarter (24%) of employees – a two and half year high.

What Options Do We Have If Work Is Dissatisfying?

Here are 3 steps to take if you want to move past the stuck-in-a-rut feeling

Achievements – List them. Take stock of what you have accomplished in the last 12 months and write down how these wins tell your story. How does the learning you have completed make you attractive as a member of a new team? Where could the new skills you have displayed add value to a new project? When have you stood out as a leader and what can you contribute beyond your day job?

Bravery – Practice it. Successful job changers spend time in uncomfortable situations. It is uncomfortable to plan how to plug gaps in your resume /CV. Getting feedback from practice interviews can be tough. Having your job applications go nowhere can be demoralizing. Keep trying.

Choices – Make smart ones. Is there a local project you can volunteer for which allows you to use your existing skills and gain new ones? Which network can you become active in to connect to people you can help? How can you use social media to show others what you are capable of?

What Is Your Next Step?

Rather than wait for the New Year why not use the ideas above to start making changes to your story. If you are inspired to take action use the comment section to tell others what you are going to do. You can Like and Share too

All the best. Roger

You can find out more about UK employees’ outlook at http://www.cipd.co.uk )

How Do Our True Stories Help Us Achieve #Success With Our #Goals ?

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People Looking Choosing Colleagues Photo From Pexels.com

So, I went to a funeral last week.

It was an emotional ceremony of course. It was also a celebration of the life of someone whose 89 years were well spent.

As well as the tears there were tons of stories about the difference this much loved grandparent made in raising a family; holding down a career; being a fantastic cook.

These anecdotes reminded me that our true stories are very important.

Knowing our true stories and sharing them helps others see the gifts we have to offer. If you have ever had to frame your life experience for an interviewer or college admissions officer you know what I mean.

What Does It Take To Tell Your Story?

For some people it is very easy to describe what they have done, what they have learned and the value they contribute to their customers.

For some of us it can take time and effort to organise our story so it does us justice. Does preparing for an interview feel overwhelming? Are you a bit shy to talk about your achievements? Have you ever thought you are just not ready to take the next step to achieve your goal?

If so help is at hand. Next month I’ll be publishing a resource to help you tell your story. Be sure to check back in November to find out more.

Meanwhile feel free to share your secret to interview success by leaving a comment and to Like and Share this post if it has been useful.

All the best

Roger

5 Principles You Can Use To Boost Your #Success Today

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Inspiration For Success

Inspiration For Success – Picture Courtesy of Pexels dot com

Blimey. There are only 122 days left in 2017.

That is still enough time to make progress on a goal which is important to you. So, here are 5 inspiring principles you can start using today, if you are motivated to take action and achieve more freedom and success by:

  • Gaining a quick qualification
  • Making an important contribution to your network
  • Applying for and starting a new job
  • Bringing creativity into your work
  • Prioritising your needs as equally important to others’ requests

5 Principles You Can Use To Boost Your Success

Be Ambitious

A Man’s Reach Should Exceed His Grasp (Robert Browning)

Have A Clear End Goal

Start With The End In Mind (Stephen R Covey)

Embrace Change 

Change Is The Law of Life (John F Kennedy)

Share Your Success

It Is Literally True That You Can Succeed Best And Quickest By Helping Others To Succeed (Napoleon Hill)

Build Powerful Relationships

A Friend Is Someone Who Gives You Total Freedom To Be Yourself (Jim Morrison)

Thanks for reading this post. Feel free to feedback about the other principles that work for you by commenting below. You can always Like and Share this post if it helps you during the days ahead.

Speak to you soon.

Roger

3 Steps To Your #Goal Of Giving A Great Job Interview

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An Interview Can Bring You Closer To Your Goal – Picture Credit Pexels Dot Com

It’s that time of year. The time when you start thinking about your next goal.

Maybe your heart is set on getting a new job, or starting a college course. Assuming your initial application has been successful and you have been chosen for interview the tricky part is ahead. 30 minutes marketing yourself to someone else.

So, your interview clothes are pressed.

Your shoes are clean.

You’ve practised smiling and shaking hands at the same time.

What’s your next step toward your goal?

How Do You Market Yourself?

Just recently I helped some interviewees practice their self-marketing skills. The candidates turned up looking like they wanted to impress (professionally dressed, heads up, smiling).

They were prepared, as they knew how the interview helped them toward their ultimate goal.

Each candidate brought a different set of skills and experiences to their interview too. They told their stories well. The ability to respond thoughtfully to three basic questions really let some interviewees shine

Preparing Your Answers

Here are the questions. What answers would you give? Feel free to Leave A Reply, Like and Share

First, What Attracted You To Apply For This Job / Course?

This open question allows you to start showing the interviewer why they should consider you an ideal fit for their opportunity.

You can use examples which show the strengths you have which make you perfectly suited to be a good performer if you join the organisation quite quickly and a great one in the longer term.

When you are presenting your examples use the STAR method to explain your Situation the Task you tackled, the Action you took and the great Results you produced. Extra credit if you describe the obstacles you overcame and the lessons you learned.

2. What Qualities Do You Bring To The Team?

More often than not you will be involved with other people in a business-as-usual or project team. How have you worked with others to solve problems? What skills do you bring to a team? If you have led a team, how have you motivated others? Use the STAR process to tell your story.

3. What Is The First Thing You Do When Your Plans Don’t Work Out?

Here’s your chance to shine. Everyone knows that plans don’t always work out. If you have a good example of how you handled a problem which came up out of the blue, use it. It is important to spotlight what you did in the situation though, even if others were involved. The interviewer will want to know about the difference you made to the end result.

Your Preparation, Evidence And Answers Matter

If you have thoughtful answers to these questions (and you tell your story well) you will stand out in the interviewers mind. If she or he has seen five or six candidates you want to be the first person they think about when they imagine selecting a new team member. Good preparation and presentation will help you stand out.

What Is Your Next Move? 

So, good luck if you are a starting out, or moving on in your career. Use the comment section to say how you prepare for interviews where you are marketing yourself to strangers. You can be sure others will appreciate what you have to say.

Finally, thanks for reading. Feel free to Like and Share these ideas if you found them helpful.