Posts
Two weeks ago I wrote about reevaluating and recommitting to your goals as most of the nation “sprang forward” with Daylight Saving Time. Since then I have had multiple people question me on how to actually do that. So, I want to focus this week on how to set goals that are energizing and achievable.
There are many methods for establishing and working toward goals. I have found that setting CLEAR goals works best for me. CLEAR is an acronym that stands for:
Calculable
Limited time
Exact
Agreed upon
Realistic
Calculable – A goal must be easily broken down into smaller tasks and achievements that combine to create the larger objective. There have been many times in my life and career that I have established goals for myself that seemed unattainable until I broke them down into smaller, “bite-size” pieces. Broken down they are less daunting. This is achieved by taking the whole of the objective and dividing it by the time-frame you have established for achieving it. That way you create milestones for yourself annually, quarterly, monthly and weekly. If, for instance, you have a goal to achieve $100,000 in gross revenue in a year – that means you need to target roughly $8,333 per month. Breaking that down further (utilizing the IRS average of 4.4 weeks per month), you would need to target $1,894 per week. Furthermore, if you know what your average revenue per sales call is, then you could calculate how many sales calls you would need to make per week to achieve that revenue target. Break it down and make it calculable.
Limited time – A goal without a set time frame is just a dream. Determine a time by which you will achieve this objective, otherwise it is a “someday” goal, or a “get around to it” goal. I have yet to see “someday” on a calendar and “get around to it” goals rarely get gotten around to. Without a set target date there is no means by which to establish the milestones you need to make it measurable and less daunting. Often people hesitate to establish target dates for their goals for fear that if they miss the target they will have “failed.” Not so. A target is just that, a target. If you miss the target, the goal does not change – only the time frame does. Simply reset the target achievement date, recalculate the milestone dates and get back to work on the goal.
Exact – Vague goals are rarely attainable. Unless they are exact, there is nothing specific to break down into bite-size pieces. To establish a goal that you will be the “best widget salesman you can be” is setting yourself up for disappointment. There is no way to measure when you have achieved the goal. (Furthermore, I find that we never believe we are ever the best that we can be, so it is not an attainable goal.) Instead, utilizing this scenario, decide that you will exceed last year’s widget sales by X%. That is exact – something that can be measured and broken down. Look at the goals you have established for yourself and make sure they are unambiguous and clear-cut.
Agreed upon – Your goals must be in writing and shared with like-minded individuals or associates. Mary Kay Ash, the late Founder and Chairman Emeritus of Mary Kay Cosmetics often said, “the faintest ink is better than the most retentive memory.” A goal that is not in writing is too easily adjusted when the road to achieving it becomes rocky. Make sure they are written down (in ink!). You also need to share your goals with the balcony people in your life (those people who believe in you and encourage you forward to action), and give them permission to inquire about your progress. Doing so will make you more accountable for actually doing the work necessary to obtain your objective.
Realistic – I believe a goal that does not make you just a little nauseated about how you are going to get there is not a big enough goal. That having been said, your goal must be realistically obtainable with sufficient effort. If you have never been on ice skates before, to set a goal of achieving a world championship in figure skating this year is not a realistic goal. You set yourself up for failure and disappointment. The goal should not be easy, but it should be realistic. Establish a realistic goal that you feel comfortable in achieving – then stretch it to half again what you think you can achieve. That will make it obtainable and a little bit scary at the same time.
High Road challenge for the day: Examine the goals you have set for yourself. Are they calculable, limited time, exact, agreed upon, and realistic? If they fall short in any of these critical areas, tweak them to make them more attainable. Set time frames so you can break them down into measurable milestone achievements. Write them down and share them with the balcony people in your life.
“What the mind can conceive and truly believe, you can achieve.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
Monday, March 29, 2010
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
THIS is why they call it "March Madness!"
With an improbably 3-point shot Ali Farokhmanesh secured perhaps the greatest upset in recent NCAA basketball tournament history as Northern Iowa University defeated the number one seeded University of Kansas. Just that fast, 98 percent of the brackets in America were shattered, including the one projected by President Obama. Maybe this is why they call it “March Madness” – because anything can happen.
I have found it intriguing to read the follow-up stories and see the sports broadcasts that have ensued from that upset. Here are some thoughts that have come to me through the miasma of press these past couple of days:
This "should have been" the title team.
Several sports writers have said that KU was a team all but assured of another title… Really? According to whom? I am sure that the teams still in the tournament would beg to differ. There has also been discussion of whether or not the Jayhawks were too cocky going in to this round. After the game senior Sherron Collins is quoted as saying, “We were the better team. This wasn’t supposed to happen.” Whereas an NIU forward said, “We came into the game looking at it like a basketball game. We were confident we could play our own game. There wasn’t really any special emphasis put on who we were playing.”
A title team is not a title team until they have actually earned the title. My father, “The Colonel” often said to me, “Coulda, woulda, shoulda… potential doesn’t mean a thing in the end. The only thing that matters is the score on the board when the clock ticks to zero.” NIU played better basketball, all the way to the final buzzer. It’s as simple as that.
How you deal with defeat is just as important as how you deal with success.
This team has been under an incredible microscope this week. Some of the players handled the defeat with grace, lifting their heads and giving the NIU Panthers credit for playing well and dominating the game. Others did not.
Upon being named Sportsman of the Year for 2003 by the NABC, professional bridge player Larry Cohen said in his address, “Being a good [team player] is a big part of sportsmanship. When top level players demonstrate [sportsmanship], the behavior becomes imitated by other players as well. Sportsmanship is also how you handle defeat.” He went on to close with humor, “Perhaps next year I can… give my opponents the opportunity to show how gracious and sportsmanlike they are in defeat!”
That is what the Jayhawks need to focus on right now. How are they going to get back to the tournament next year? How are they going give next year's opponents the opportunity to demonstrate sportsmanship in defeat?
If you think you’re cursed, you are.
Much has been made this week about the perceived Oklahoma City curse on the Jayhawks. Several of the past crushing and unexpected defeats KU has suffered have happened in Oklahoma City. Is it possible that there was that underlying thought running through Jayhawk brains as they played on Saturday? Henry Ford said, “Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right.” Maybe it will take a solid victory in Oklahoma City for this foolishness about a city curse to go away. The subconscious perception of such a curse could very well have played a factor in the way the KU team played.
It’s just a game. Keeping perspective is important.
The image of KU sophomore Marcus Morris curled up in tears on the court will become iconic, I am sure. It was a crushing and surprising defeat, and yet, let’s grab some perspective here. It is not a life threatening situation. No one suffered career ending injuries. No one will lose their home, a child or a limb because of the outcome of this game. For Morris it isn’t even the last year he’ll play at KU. There will be other shots at a title for him. It’s a game. Let’s keep it in perspective.
I have found it intriguing to read the follow-up stories and see the sports broadcasts that have ensued from that upset. Here are some thoughts that have come to me through the miasma of press these past couple of days:
This "should have been" the title team.
Several sports writers have said that KU was a team all but assured of another title… Really? According to whom? I am sure that the teams still in the tournament would beg to differ. There has also been discussion of whether or not the Jayhawks were too cocky going in to this round. After the game senior Sherron Collins is quoted as saying, “We were the better team. This wasn’t supposed to happen.” Whereas an NIU forward said, “We came into the game looking at it like a basketball game. We were confident we could play our own game. There wasn’t really any special emphasis put on who we were playing.”
A title team is not a title team until they have actually earned the title. My father, “The Colonel” often said to me, “Coulda, woulda, shoulda… potential doesn’t mean a thing in the end. The only thing that matters is the score on the board when the clock ticks to zero.” NIU played better basketball, all the way to the final buzzer. It’s as simple as that.
How you deal with defeat is just as important as how you deal with success.
This team has been under an incredible microscope this week. Some of the players handled the defeat with grace, lifting their heads and giving the NIU Panthers credit for playing well and dominating the game. Others did not.
Upon being named Sportsman of the Year for 2003 by the NABC, professional bridge player Larry Cohen said in his address, “Being a good [team player] is a big part of sportsmanship. When top level players demonstrate [sportsmanship], the behavior becomes imitated by other players as well. Sportsmanship is also how you handle defeat.” He went on to close with humor, “Perhaps next year I can… give my opponents the opportunity to show how gracious and sportsmanlike they are in defeat!”
That is what the Jayhawks need to focus on right now. How are they going to get back to the tournament next year? How are they going give next year's opponents the opportunity to demonstrate sportsmanship in defeat?
If you think you’re cursed, you are.
Much has been made this week about the perceived Oklahoma City curse on the Jayhawks. Several of the past crushing and unexpected defeats KU has suffered have happened in Oklahoma City. Is it possible that there was that underlying thought running through Jayhawk brains as they played on Saturday? Henry Ford said, “Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right.” Maybe it will take a solid victory in Oklahoma City for this foolishness about a city curse to go away. The subconscious perception of such a curse could very well have played a factor in the way the KU team played.
It’s just a game. Keeping perspective is important.
The image of KU sophomore Marcus Morris curled up in tears on the court will become iconic, I am sure. It was a crushing and surprising defeat, and yet, let’s grab some perspective here. It is not a life threatening situation. No one suffered career ending injuries. No one will lose their home, a child or a limb because of the outcome of this game. For Morris it isn’t even the last year he’ll play at KU. There will be other shots at a title for him. It’s a game. Let’s keep it in perspective.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Two Die In Bizarre, Fiery Accident - Choices Equal Results
"Two die in bizarre, fiery accident." That is what the headline said.
On Tuesday of this week, our community was rocked by news of a horrific single car crash involving three high school seniors. Two of the boys perished in the accident. The driver was pulled from the wreckage and is hospitalized with life threatening injuries. His prognosis is hit or miss. That young man is the youngest son of a family that has lived next door to me for six years.
I am thunderstruck and have been all but paralyzed this week with the hopelessness of a simple question, “What can I do?” The answer thus far has been to pray. That is all that can be done at this point. I will go visit the family at the hospital today and provide some meals for them so they don’t have to think about what they are going to eat. Such gestures though, seem so small and insignificant in the face of such a life changing calamity.
Over the past 48 hours there has been a great deal of conjecture in this tight-knit community, and on the web, about what happened. Was alcohol involved? (The police have yet to make a judgment on that.) Why were they going so fast? (Police have specified, based upon skid marks and other factors that excessive speed was a factor.) How could this happen? How can we honor their memory in any meaningful way?
Impromptu vigils have popped up and memorial Facebook pages have been created by well-meaning friends.
For the families of these three young men, recovery from this will be long and hard fought. Two of those families have lost a son. The other’s life hangs in the balance and if he recovers he will then have to deal with the emotional trauma of having been the one at the wheel when it happened. None of these lives will ever be the same.
At Tuesday evening’s vigil one mourner said, "It's hard, thinking ‘that could have been me.’ I know teens do crazy things. It's an eye-opener for everyone." I certainly hope so.
As I mention in Road Signs on the High Road of Life, choices equal results. While it will take weeks for the authorities to sort out exactly what happened, each of these boys made a choice. There will be intense investigation of, repercussions for and potential criminal charges resulting from the driver’s choices – and yet both of the passengers made choices as well. They made a choice to get into the car and a choice to stay in the car and not call the driver out on his excessive speed.
Each of us has the opportunity to, and the responsibility for, making good choices in our lives. We have to reap the results of the choices that we make. One of the truly tragic factors in this whole situation is the butterfly effect (that is the chaos theory that a butterfly flapping its wings on one side of the globe can create a ripple in the air sufficient to create a tsunami on the other side of the globe). The choices made by these three boys early Tuesday morning have the potential to destroy three families and will affect much of the community for years to come.
I can only hope that it IS an eye opener, as that one mourner said – and perhaps there can be a rare positive result from poor choices. I hope the 150 some odd youth that gathered for the vigil and others who were not there will remember this for a very long time and utilize that memory to make good choices in the future.
That is the very best way to honor their memory.
On Tuesday of this week, our community was rocked by news of a horrific single car crash involving three high school seniors. Two of the boys perished in the accident. The driver was pulled from the wreckage and is hospitalized with life threatening injuries. His prognosis is hit or miss. That young man is the youngest son of a family that has lived next door to me for six years.
I am thunderstruck and have been all but paralyzed this week with the hopelessness of a simple question, “What can I do?” The answer thus far has been to pray. That is all that can be done at this point. I will go visit the family at the hospital today and provide some meals for them so they don’t have to think about what they are going to eat. Such gestures though, seem so small and insignificant in the face of such a life changing calamity.
Over the past 48 hours there has been a great deal of conjecture in this tight-knit community, and on the web, about what happened. Was alcohol involved? (The police have yet to make a judgment on that.) Why were they going so fast? (Police have specified, based upon skid marks and other factors that excessive speed was a factor.) How could this happen? How can we honor their memory in any meaningful way?
Impromptu vigils have popped up and memorial Facebook pages have been created by well-meaning friends.
For the families of these three young men, recovery from this will be long and hard fought. Two of those families have lost a son. The other’s life hangs in the balance and if he recovers he will then have to deal with the emotional trauma of having been the one at the wheel when it happened. None of these lives will ever be the same.
At Tuesday evening’s vigil one mourner said, "It's hard, thinking ‘that could have been me.’ I know teens do crazy things. It's an eye-opener for everyone." I certainly hope so.
As I mention in Road Signs on the High Road of Life, choices equal results. While it will take weeks for the authorities to sort out exactly what happened, each of these boys made a choice. There will be intense investigation of, repercussions for and potential criminal charges resulting from the driver’s choices – and yet both of the passengers made choices as well. They made a choice to get into the car and a choice to stay in the car and not call the driver out on his excessive speed.
Each of us has the opportunity to, and the responsibility for, making good choices in our lives. We have to reap the results of the choices that we make. One of the truly tragic factors in this whole situation is the butterfly effect (that is the chaos theory that a butterfly flapping its wings on one side of the globe can create a ripple in the air sufficient to create a tsunami on the other side of the globe). The choices made by these three boys early Tuesday morning have the potential to destroy three families and will affect much of the community for years to come.
I can only hope that it IS an eye opener, as that one mourner said – and perhaps there can be a rare positive result from poor choices. I hope the 150 some odd youth that gathered for the vigil and others who were not there will remember this for a very long time and utilize that memory to make good choices in the future.
That is the very best way to honor their memory.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Spring Forward
“Oh my gosh, get up! Get UP! We over-slept. I forgot to set our clocks forward last night,” my husband confessed. This is how I was roused awake this morning and why I looked just a little disheveled and out of sorts as I headed off to church this morning.
Today most of the nation “sprang forward” into Daylight Saving Time, some more gracefully than others.
The original brainchild of Benjamin Franklin, Daylight Saving Time (DST) was originally intended to “save daylight” for the evenings when people were out and working. This was a tough concept in its inception, as there was no uniformity at that time in how the nation set its clocks.
On March 19, 1918, an “Act to preserve daylight and provide standard time for the United States” was enacted by the U.S. Congress. It both established standard time zones and set summer DST to begin on March 31, 1918. It was observed for seven months in 1918 and 1919. It’s had a bumpy ride since, with each state and local government being able to establish its own standard for time and adoption of DST. Indeed, in the mid-1960s while traveling the 35 mile stretch on Route 2 between Moundsville, W.V. and Steubenville, OH, one would endure seven time changes!
In1966, Congress decided to step in once again and end the confusion. The Uniform Time Act of 1966 was signed into federal law by President Lyndon Johnson. It established DST to begin on the last Sunday of April and to end on the last Sunday in October. This act also created broader and more uniform time zones as well as a standard system of DST within each time zone throughout the U.S. and its possessions. Any state that wanted to remain exempt could do so by passing a state law. Most recently, with the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (which took effect in 2007), DST was adjusted to begin at 2:00 a.m. local time on the second Sunday in March and end at 2:00 a.m. on the first Sunday of November, which is why most of us "sprang forward" last night.
Now that we have spent our day bemoaning our missed hour of sleep and adjusting to a confused body clock, I recommend a different take on “springing forward.” Let’s take this opportunity to look forward as we spring forward. Take this time to re-evaluate the goals you established for yourself at the start of 2010. Are they still viable? Do they still make sense for your life and work’s purpose? Where are you at with them? If you are not where you want to be, or had planned on being – I recommend that you recommit to them. If they need to be adjusted or sidelined for new ones, determine what the new ones should be and put together a new plan. Rather than looking back at what you haven't accomplished since January, focus forward on corrective actions you can take.
High Road challenge for the day: Now that most of the nation has more “daylight,” refocus that daylight on your plans and take positive steps toward achieving them. Visualize the successful result of reaching those goals. Break them down into monthly, weekly and daily accomplishments necessary to get there. Write them down (again, if you already wrote them down) in ink so they are on permanent record, and share them with the balcony people (those people who believe in you and encourage you forward to action) in your life. Utilize this “spring forward” opportunity to take a quantum leap toward your goals.
And for my friends in Arizona, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, American Samoa and the Hopi Nation – I challenge you to do the same, even though you do not observe this biannual ritual of adjusting your clocks. :-)
Today most of the nation “sprang forward” into Daylight Saving Time, some more gracefully than others.
The original brainchild of Benjamin Franklin, Daylight Saving Time (DST) was originally intended to “save daylight” for the evenings when people were out and working. This was a tough concept in its inception, as there was no uniformity at that time in how the nation set its clocks.
On March 19, 1918, an “Act to preserve daylight and provide standard time for the United States” was enacted by the U.S. Congress. It both established standard time zones and set summer DST to begin on March 31, 1918. It was observed for seven months in 1918 and 1919. It’s had a bumpy ride since, with each state and local government being able to establish its own standard for time and adoption of DST. Indeed, in the mid-1960s while traveling the 35 mile stretch on Route 2 between Moundsville, W.V. and Steubenville, OH, one would endure seven time changes!
In1966, Congress decided to step in once again and end the confusion. The Uniform Time Act of 1966 was signed into federal law by President Lyndon Johnson. It established DST to begin on the last Sunday of April and to end on the last Sunday in October. This act also created broader and more uniform time zones as well as a standard system of DST within each time zone throughout the U.S. and its possessions. Any state that wanted to remain exempt could do so by passing a state law. Most recently, with the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (which took effect in 2007), DST was adjusted to begin at 2:00 a.m. local time on the second Sunday in March and end at 2:00 a.m. on the first Sunday of November, which is why most of us "sprang forward" last night.
Now that we have spent our day bemoaning our missed hour of sleep and adjusting to a confused body clock, I recommend a different take on “springing forward.” Let’s take this opportunity to look forward as we spring forward. Take this time to re-evaluate the goals you established for yourself at the start of 2010. Are they still viable? Do they still make sense for your life and work’s purpose? Where are you at with them? If you are not where you want to be, or had planned on being – I recommend that you recommit to them. If they need to be adjusted or sidelined for new ones, determine what the new ones should be and put together a new plan. Rather than looking back at what you haven't accomplished since January, focus forward on corrective actions you can take.
High Road challenge for the day: Now that most of the nation has more “daylight,” refocus that daylight on your plans and take positive steps toward achieving them. Visualize the successful result of reaching those goals. Break them down into monthly, weekly and daily accomplishments necessary to get there. Write them down (again, if you already wrote them down) in ink so they are on permanent record, and share them with the balcony people (those people who believe in you and encourage you forward to action) in your life. Utilize this “spring forward” opportunity to take a quantum leap toward your goals.
And for my friends in Arizona, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, American Samoa and the Hopi Nation – I challenge you to do the same, even though you do not observe this biannual ritual of adjusting your clocks. :-)
Monday, March 8, 2010
Open Your Parachute
I had a very interesting “small world” encounter this week as I was traveling and presenting. In Temple, TX I was approached by a woman during a break late in the afternoon. This gal had been a real spark plug in the room. She had solid eye contact, was often nodding in agreement, laughing out-loud and asking insightful questions. We appeared to be on a similar wave length. She wanted to share with me a texting exchange she had that day.
After the opening session she had sent a text to a co-worker that read, “learning lots - feel smarter already!” The response she received back read, “w/e (whatever) you had a lot to learn.”
She thought this was hysterical, coming as it was from someone who had been in my session the day before in a different city and had found the day to be a “waste of her time.”
“One of your co-workers was in my session yesterday?” I asked. “Wow, what a small world. The fact that she didn’t get anything out of it is not a good sign… What’s her name? Maybe I remember her.”
She shared the co-worker’s name with me, and I did indeed remember her. This person had sat, stone-faced all day - it almost seemed she was working aggressively to not show any expression. She made no eye contact with me, took no notes and offered no input on the brainstorming exercises. Sensing that I wasn't reaching her, I approached her at break and asked if there was anything specific that I could cover in more depth for her. “No. I’m fine,” was the response.
“Oooh, I DO remember her,” I told my Temple participant. “I don’t think she 'got' me at all. I hope the content will be helpful for her even if she didn’t care for my delivery style.”
"She doesn't ‘get’ ANYONE. She could be listening to Oprah Winfrey or Mahatma Gandhi and still not 'get' anything - so don't take it personally. I think you're great and I'm learning a lot."
It’s very possible that my delivery style was not her cup of tea - and yet, based upon the return text (“you had a lot to learn.”), it's more probable that the co-worker did not believe she had anything yet to learn. The material content and the delivery were the same in each city. The only thing that changed was the willingness of the participant to learn. One was open to growth and expanded ideas, the other was not.
I think it is Frank Zappa who originally said, “The mind is like a parachute. It doesn’t work if it’s not open.”
Once we stop learning we start dying. Don't find yourself in the same position as my energetic participant's co-worker. Make sure that your mind is always open to new thoughts, new ideas and new ways of doing something or viewing something.
High Road challenge for the day: Learn something new today. Ask a mentor an open-ended question about a recent news item that has you confused. Read a section of the newspaper you have never looked at before. Pick up a non-fiction book about someone you admire. Every day there is something new to learn and someone new to learn from. An open parachute could save your life in the right circumstances. An open mind just may do the same.
After the opening session she had sent a text to a co-worker that read, “learning lots - feel smarter already!” The response she received back read, “w/e (whatever) you had a lot to learn.”
She thought this was hysterical, coming as it was from someone who had been in my session the day before in a different city and had found the day to be a “waste of her time.”
“One of your co-workers was in my session yesterday?” I asked. “Wow, what a small world. The fact that she didn’t get anything out of it is not a good sign… What’s her name? Maybe I remember her.”
She shared the co-worker’s name with me, and I did indeed remember her. This person had sat, stone-faced all day - it almost seemed she was working aggressively to not show any expression. She made no eye contact with me, took no notes and offered no input on the brainstorming exercises. Sensing that I wasn't reaching her, I approached her at break and asked if there was anything specific that I could cover in more depth for her. “No. I’m fine,” was the response.
“Oooh, I DO remember her,” I told my Temple participant. “I don’t think she 'got' me at all. I hope the content will be helpful for her even if she didn’t care for my delivery style.”
"She doesn't ‘get’ ANYONE. She could be listening to Oprah Winfrey or Mahatma Gandhi and still not 'get' anything - so don't take it personally. I think you're great and I'm learning a lot."
It’s very possible that my delivery style was not her cup of tea - and yet, based upon the return text (“you had a lot to learn.”), it's more probable that the co-worker did not believe she had anything yet to learn. The material content and the delivery were the same in each city. The only thing that changed was the willingness of the participant to learn. One was open to growth and expanded ideas, the other was not.
I think it is Frank Zappa who originally said, “The mind is like a parachute. It doesn’t work if it’s not open.”
Once we stop learning we start dying. Don't find yourself in the same position as my energetic participant's co-worker. Make sure that your mind is always open to new thoughts, new ideas and new ways of doing something or viewing something.
High Road challenge for the day: Learn something new today. Ask a mentor an open-ended question about a recent news item that has you confused. Read a section of the newspaper you have never looked at before. Pick up a non-fiction book about someone you admire. Every day there is something new to learn and someone new to learn from. An open parachute could save your life in the right circumstances. An open mind just may do the same.
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