8 Steps to Complete Before You Begin Journaling

In order to improve life in any way it’s important to be intentional and set attainable goals. To make these goals come to life, create a daily action plan. This action plan is best maintained in a daily journal. Journals are a big part of many people’s lives and journaling can be done in several ways. Some people use journals as a way to jot down thoughts, ideas or write about things they would like to manifest. I find that journaling is most useful to me when I have: Goals, an Action Plan, and a way to Assess the daily goals that I set for myself.

I really like the outline of “The 100-Day Goal Journal” by John Lee Dumas. The journal is set up with a place to express gratitude, write a short term goal, a way to achieve the goal, an action plan and a daily assessment.

But how do you establish GOALS? Ask yourself these 4 questions. Answer the questions truthfully.

Life Makeover: 8 Steps

What do you really want?
1. Clarity leads to power, power leads to action.
2. Most people are looking for financial freedom. Financial Freedom Now.

What do you want today based on this stage in your life?

Be as specific as possible in your want (ask)
1. Ex: higher investment returns
  1. Stocks (buy some)
  2. Increase Net Profits
  3. Lose 15 pounds
  4. Eat Healthier
  5. Join a Mastermind Group
  6. Get a Coach
  7. Pray/Meditate
  8. Give to Charity
  9. Get More politically Active
Choose 1 life makeover category to work on from these categories:

Money/ Finance

Business/ Career

Relationships

Health/Wellness

Personal/Spiritual/Professional Development

Recreation/Play

Personal Environment

Contribution

Financial; have higher investment returns using stocks TDA- buy more stocks. Buy Apple stocks through Vanguard.

Why do you want this? (Examples of possible reasons below)
1. To free myself and my family. We can take trips, have experiences that are priceless, and help others.
2. The pain of going on without seeing your full potential.
3. When it comes to fruition, it will feel great to help others and ourselves see the world and experience it without boundaries.
Why not? Why don’t you already have it? (Examples of responses below)
1. Not actively working on it.
2. Not focusing on it enough and not taking risks that can help bring these goals to fruition. What you focus on grows.
How am I going to do this?
1. Be active and buy 2 Apple stocks per month.
2. Find a financial advisor to look over my finances and make recommendations to help improve my investments.
First Action:
1. This is where most plans fall apart. It takes mental strength to make change.
2. Most people think more than they do.
3. Success in the physical world means doing more.
4. THINK LESS, DO MORE
5. The first step is critical because of the power of momentum.
6. After the 1st step everything changes.
7. First step: Buy 3 shares of Apple stocks.
8. Call a financial planner.
9. Make it easy so you can win.
Write a mantra:
1. “I Tamara Simpson commit to buying 3 shares of Apple stock no matter what, before this time tomorrow.”
Reward, immediate gratification through short term rewards
1. Positive reinforcements
2. Reward the behavior you want
3. Ex: dinner, a massage, a bottle of good wine, a sicilian square slice
4. Choose a reward that excites you
5. Don’t be afraid to give yourself a big reward
The Accelerator- USe this to make things move faster!
1. Accountability. What is accountability + why is it important? Def: to explain what you’ve done. Being responsible for your actions or your results.
2. Being accountable to others, not self, reaps more rewards.
  1. Other people can motivate, support, consult and advise
  2. They may be where you want to go, can guide you to success
  3. Outside coach can see what you can’t see
  4. When someone else is watching we try harder, we do better
Plan: 16 Weeks of Action
1. 3 Easy Actions Per Week
2. Give Each Area Attention.
3. **8 weeks of journaling action plans for 3 categories that need attention.
4. 8 weeks of prioritizing the categories
5. Actions:

Money/ Finance

Business/ Career

Relationships

Health/Wellness

Personal/Spiritual/Professional Development

Recreation/Play

Personal Environment

Contribution

3 x 16 weeks = 48 easy actions in one simple cycle

January 3, 2022 0

Making Better Decisions In Life and At Work.

The book “Decisive” by Chip Heath and Dan Heath is technically a business self help book but in it is a decision making Strategy that is golden and one that can be applied in most areas of life be it work or home.

Chip and Dan uses a strategy that they’ve concisely made in the acronym “WRAP”.

W- Widen Your Options

R- Reality Test Your Assumpsions

A- Attain Distance Before Deciding

P- Prepare to Be Wrong

It’s easy to remember the “how to” in the decision making process by remembering this acronym. The word WRAP also gives me the feeling to “wrap up” important decisions when I’m faced with them versus avoiding or floundering . Wrap it up! Let’s get into the details of WRAP:

1) Widen your options when you encounter a choice. Do all that you can to expand your set of options. Ask questions or looks at decisions from another perspective. Narrow framing of decisions makes you miss options.

2) Realuty test your assumptions. It’s important to look at decisions from other perspectiv. Get outside of your own head and collect valid and trustworthy information. Ask qualifier questions. Understand and know your biases and put them aside.

3) Attain distance before deciding. Short term biased emotions can cause us to make ill choices so it’s important to overcome those conflicted feelings in order to make the best choice.

4) Prepare to be wrong. Who wants to be wrong? No one, but the truth is there are times we make wrong decisions not because we want to but because they happen. Our day to day decisions like where to eat lunch are often effortless but the tough decisions can take a toll. If decisions are wrong we want to minimize collateral damage like anger or hurt when a new direction is being taken. We want a sense of fairness (within a group that the decision affects).

The WRAP process, if used routinely, will contribute to a sense of fairness, because it allows people to understand how the decision is being made, and it provides comfort that decisions will be made in a consistent manner. We all strive off of consistency.

www.heathbrothers.com

January 1, 2018 0

New Year, New You or Same Old You?

2016 is upon us and plenty of resolutions are being made or goals being hashed but are you one of the people making new plans or are you steady on the path that you have already forged in 2015? There is something to be said for starting fresh but there are plenty of people who are on track and working towards accomplishing and building on the goals from 2015. If you are on track, there are methods that can be used to accomplish bigger and better goals. It is the time to make some plans that scare you. They say if your dreams don’t scare you then they aren’t big enough.

If you find that you are stuck and not on track then these are some ways that you can release your inner “Go Getter“:

Have No Fear. Fear is the top reason why we don’t pursuit the things that we want to do whether it be business or pleasure. Be freaking fearless. I know, easier said than done. The truth is you are going to fail and you are going to succeed but many times we will experience more failure than success. Failing is perfectly fine. The key to failing is learning from our failures. Failure can teach us our greatest lessons.
Belong to a Tribe. You have to belong to a group of people who are like minded and are also aspiring to similar goals. A support system is nice but the system may not know how to advise you or help you get to next steps. Your tribe, or people who are pursuing similar goals will also be in the process. Some people will be behind you (you can mentor them) and some will me miles ahead of you (they will mentor you).
Educate Yourself. This really is the information age and you can find several ways in order to educate yourself. There are free podcasts, websites and several inspirational folks to follow on social media. You can splurge on webinars and seminars where you get more individualized attention and might have specific concerns and questions answered by industry leaders. Whatever field you are in requires you staying on top of your game and that only comes through staying abreast of the information required for you to win.
Nourish Your Body. Stay healthy with a proper diet and exercise. You cannot accomplish very much if you are not at your optimal best and this is both mental and physical. Every successful person devotes time to bettering their well being and so should you. Your income does not have to determine your health.

So, where are you in the process? Are you starting fresh or forging ahead on the accomplishments from 2015?

January 5, 2016 0