Pick Four*

I recently fell in love with a goal-setting workbook called Pick Four*.  In Ron Dawson’s interview with us a few weeks ago, he mentioned this goal-setting strategy.  (Ron always has brilliant business insight.  I rushed to Amazon to learn more about this book.)

Seth Godin published the book based on Zig Ziglar‘s goal-setting techniques.  Seth asks readers to pick four goals, write out ‘the story’ of accomplishing these goals, and write a daily summary on the accomplishments (or non-accomplishments) in working towards the goal.  It’s easy-peasy, simple!

I’ve recently started charting out my goals for the first quarter of 2012 with Pick Four* and I’m finding it very helpful and FUN.  What I like about this tool (versus others that I’ve used) is the daily journaling involved.  Taking five minutes to reflect on my goals and accomplishments daily is helpful in achieving goals.  And, the idea of picking four goals ONLY goes nicely with my own goal-setting strategy where I never focus on more than three or four goals at one time.

I highly recommend Pick Four* for your goal-setting!

* Note: If you follow one of the links to Amazon to purchase the book, Sage Wedding Pros will receive a small affiliate commission.

Michelle’s 3 Intentions for 2011:

1. FOR ME:
   I want to continue my commitment to getting 8 hours of sleep each night.  Since I started this good habit, I’ve noticed so many positive changes to my life.  I intend to continue with this habit.
2. FOR THE PEOPLE IN MY LIFE:
   I want to give more of my time.  I do love working.  It’s something I know and I’m good at.  It also excites me.  Given this love that I have for work, I’m not always as exhilarated by the daily routine in my home: wake up the kid, have the breakfast, pick up the kid, play, cook dinner, etc.  I’m not very good at “playing”.  I do know that when I slow down, put all of my electronic gadgetry in a drawer, and detach, that I do enjoy playing.  My intention is to give more time to playing.  (The sleep thing is definitely helping with this too.  If I’m not tired, I’m more apt to play.)
3. FOR BUSINESS:
   I am committing myself to ongoing goal-setting in 2011.  I’m pretty good at setting goals.  And, I’m even better at dreaming up new projects.  But even as I write this, I look at my goal sheet taped to the wall and it says “due 9/30″.  WHOOPS!  I didn’t come back to the goals to reassess, evaluate, and maintain.  Goal-setting WORKS.  I intend to keep up with my goal-setting maintenance.

And… there you have it, folks!

An intention is a determination to do something or act a certain way.

An intention can be a goal or a plan.  It can be a big change or a small change.  It can be something personal or something business.  It can be the breaking of a bad habit and developing a good habit.  The key to making an intention and seeing it through is in visualizing the result.  Being able to identify the result is important in actualizing your intention.

What’s your Intention for 2011?

Share with us below in our comments section… I’ll share mine tomorrow!

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I bet you thought we’d never get here.  We are finally going to set some goals for our BUSINESSES!  On Tuesday, we set goals for ourselves (just us, no one or anything else).  Yesterday, we set goals for our relationships (the people we love).   These posts are all part of our month-long series focused on getting a FRESH START in 2011.  And, now… we turn to our businesses… what is it that you REALLY want to accomplish in the next 3 months, 6 months, 12 months?

If you are new to goal-setting, you’ll want to revisit our SMART strategy for goal-setting and our 10 tips for goal-setting success.  Today, I want you to think about your business from three angles: marketing, operations, finances.  What is it that you want to accomplish in each of these 3 areas?

WRITE DOWN 3 BUSINESS GOALS:

1. MARKETING
   What is your promotional goal this year?  Are you going to invest in a new advertising opportunity?  Are you going to commit yourself to do more networking?  Are you going to blog more?  Are you going to focus your blog on something new?  Are you going to have your branding identity redesigned?
2. OPERATIONS
   What is your operational goal this year?  Do you need to establish a better project management system?  Do you need to hire an assistant to help with some of your responsibilities?  Do you have a longer term goal of expanding your business?  Do you want to establish better business processes?
3. FINANCES
   What is your financial goal for 2011? How much money do you want to earn? How much are you going to spend?  In an ideal situation, you’d go thru all of our downloads and come up with a financial plan as a part of your goal-setting.  But, if you do nothing else, get yourself a cash flow plan.  Our cash flow template is a super-easy-peasy spreadsheet that allows you to plot the ins and outs of your cash for the next 12 months.  CASH is KING and you need to know what your cash is doing or you’ll be left with none.

If you’ve been following with us all week… this sheet will make your goal-setting easier.  Download it, fill it in, and stick it to your wall!

FREE DOWNLOAD: 2011 Goal Setting Sheet

Soooo… what are your business goals for 2011?  How are you going to achieve your marketing, operational, and financial goals?

Lili and me; Image courtesy of Barbie Hull Photography

WRITE DOWN 3 GOALS that focus on your RELATIONSHIPS

Think about 3 things that you want to focus on to strengthen the ties that you have with the people in your life.  Here are some thoughts to consider:

• Your KIDS
  I’m a social media junkie.  And, because I have a home office, work and technology are always a few short steps away.  But, kids need your face and eyeballs when the two of you communicate.  Doesn’t it annoy YOU when your friend is typing away on their blackberry while you are supposed to be sharing a meal at a restaurant?  So, why do this with your children?  Are you completely present when your kids want to talk with you?
• Your spouse, boyfriend/girlfriend, or partner
  Being a part of the wedding and event industry requires that most of us work nights and/or weekends.  If you’ve been in this business for a long time, your better half may not know another life.  But, if you started your business after you met your better half then chances are he or she is having to adjust to this schedule in addition to the long hours.  In your desire to take your business to the next level, are you making time for your better half?
• Your friends
  Your friends may also be wondering why you never come out on a Saturday night also.  For me, my friends are spread out all over the country so we don’t get to see each other as much as any of us would like.  When we all lived in California, we ALWAYS planned trips together.  But, then came the babies, the moves, the changes in jobs.  And, because most of us are already married, we don’t have weddings as the excuse that brings us together.  So, one of my goals for 2011/2012 is to plan a trip, just like the good ol’ days.  I think we are long overdue!
• Your parents, grandparents, siblings, and other family
  How are you going to work on these relationships?  How are you going to improve the quality of your time with your family?  For me, I need to work on patience.  Families can be quirky and I need to remind myself that they are just looking out for me, have my best interest in mind… and that I need to accept them as they are.

So… what are some of your goals for your personal relationships?  Write down 3 and come back tomorrow to set business goals.

• YOU
• Your relationships
• Your business

If you are HALF excited about this as I am, then you are jumping out of your skin.   Let’s get started!

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YOU RUN THE MACHINE(s)…

So often when we set goals we make the mistake of focusing on everything else and everyone else in our lives.  The mistake here is that we often neglect ourselves.  But, we run all of these machines.  We are the worker bees in our businesses and often the glue holding our families together.  If we don’t take time to oil the machine, the machine is going to break down.

WRITE DOWN 3 GOALS that focus on YOU

For today’s goal setting activity, I want you to think of 3 things that you are going to do for yourself over the next 12 months / eternity.  They can be health-related (exercising 3 times each week), soul-related (reconnecting with a lost hobby or passion), or totally frivolous (getting a pedicure weekly).  The purpose is that you need to do for you so that you can do all the other things you do.

This first step in goal setting is critical to the next two days of goal-setting.   So… whatcha waiting for? Start righting those goals!  The key to setting goals (and realizing them) is getting them down on paper and making them visible.

A couple weeks ago I shared that I’ve been trying to set a new habit of getting 8 hours of sleep consistently each night. Well, here’s an update:

• I have been averaging 6 out of 7 nights a week.  Not too bad for a nighttime junkie like me!
• I have so much more energy every day and I’m relieved to find that 35 is really not that old.

• I have a better ability at focusing on long projects and don’t need to get up every 10 minutes.
• There are days where I completely forget to drink diet Coke in the afternoon because I don’t need the caffeine to push me thru the end of the day.
• I have much more patience with my 3 year old – even when she’s having a full blown freak-out in Target.
• I am more excited about exercising and don’t have to drag my feet out the door as much.
• I am not as tired on the weekends and don’t need to wake up at noon on Saturday to make up for the long days during the week.
• I eat healthier and am more aware of what I’m eating.

So… I want to invite you to join me in my 8 Hours of Sleep Bandwagon!

I want you to start getting 8 hours of sleep if you don’t already do so.  Trust me, you’ll thank me for it!

And, we’re doing a giveaway in celebration of this new commitment by all!  Nashara Mitchell, owner of Ready to Blush, a beauty and wellness concierge, sent over some AWESOME goodies to help in your new-found sleep regimen.  We are giving away a little sleep routine bundle to:

• free your mind: a journal to get all your thoughts out
• free your soul: set of 6 wine charms to relax with a glass of good ol’ vino
• free your body: a lavender and chamomile sleep mask (that smells so divine I almost kept it for myself!)

All you need to do is:

1 – sign your name (or a username) on our Sleep Bandwagon Sheet.

2 – email me at michelle-at-sageweddingpros.com to be entered in the drawing.

Here are the rules of this contest:

1 – You must do both steps as mentioned above (sign the Sleep Bandwagon Sheet and email me.)

2 – You must do this before December 30, 2010 at 12pm EST.

3 – We will pick a winner at random at 5pm EST on December 30th.

4 – There is no requirement to keep up with the Sleep Bandwagon Sheet.  It’s up to you how involved you want to be.

5 – You must be 18 years or older to play.

6 – You must have fun!

I can do anything for a given amount of time.  But, it’s the maintenance that kills me.  I can clean my office ’til it’s spic-n-span… but, two weeks later, it’s a disaster again.  How does that happen?  And, this happens with any good habit: eating well, exercising, going to sleep early.  How do we maintain the good behavior we’ve fought so hard to get started?

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6 tips for MAINTAINING your GOOD HABITS

1 – CHECK IN periodically

I’ve found that I’m most diligent about maintenance on any project if I have a systematic “check-in” date.  For example, I always pay bills on Fridays.  This is ingrained in me and I can’t start my weekend until I do this.  It’s on my calendar and I can’t avoid it.  I input my accounting into quickbooks monthly.  (I will be completely honest here: I have it on my calendar to do this monthly.  I do sometimes get behind 2-3 months, but I don’t let it slip too far behind or else it gets insane to catch up.)  The point is… it’s important that once you set your habit, make sure you check in systematically on a date to ensure that you stick with it.

2 – WRITE it DOWN, make it VISIBLE

Visual reminders of your goals or good habits don’t let you ignore the task at hand.  Make it visible.  Visit our post on 5 WAYS to make your goals visible.  It’s hard to ignore when it’s in your face.

3 – GET a BUDDY

Find a buddy that is committed to the same goal as you.  Set up a time to check in with them, or work with them on your goal.  It’s soooo much easier and fun when you are trying to build good habits with someone else.  If you want to eat healthier, share that with your spouse and commit to it together.  Keep each other accountable.

4 – REFLECT on the POSITIVE changes

Early on, take time to reflect on the positive changes to your life as a result of your good habits.  Remind yourself of this often.  With my new sleep habit, I try to tell myself every morning that I achieve 8 hours of sleep: “I feel so rested and happy today!”  I’m sure this is partially a self-fulfilling prophecy.  I feel great in part because of the sleep, and in part because I am brain-washing myself to believe that sleep has something to do with it.  But, it works! You are a lot less likely to go back to a bad habit if you constantly reflect on positive changes in your life.

5 – REWARD yourself

Give yourself a prize!  Let’s face it: we are all about the gold stars on our projects.  So give yourself a gold star when you reach milestones in your new goal.  I have been working towards an iPad on one of my goals for the last several months.  Oh sure – it would be a hell of a lot easier to beg someone to gift me one for a birthday or holiday.  But, this has become an incredibly motivating lure for me.

6 – If you SLIP UP, START UP again

Once I fall off the horse, it’s REALLY hard for me to get back up.  I might exercise 3 times a week for 2 months religiously, but when I miss one time I lose all momentum.  I get really hard on myself, beat myself up.  And, then I’m just too annoyed with the whole thing to start up again.  This is the greatest challenge in maintaining a new habit for me.  I have learned that it’s OK to slip up… just get back up and keep going where you left off.

What do you think?  How do you stay motivated in order to maintain a new habit?

5 LESSONS for HABIT CORRECTION:

1 – You have to REALLY want to change

I don’t know how many times I’ve theoretically wanted to lose weight or become healthier.  I say “theoretically” because I liked the idea of being more fit, but deep down I didn’t really want to make this change.  There is a difference between having an idea of wanting something and really wanting something.  In order to correct a bad habit, you must really want it.  If you want to quit smoking, you have to REALLY want to quit.  If you want to lose 20 lbs, you have to REALLY want to become healthier.  If you want to get more sleep, you have to REALLY want it.  When you REALLY want to change, you’ll actually start to make changes to your life.  Otherwise, it’s just daydreaming.

2 – You have to MAKE a CHOICE

Ultimately, life is all about choices.  You can choose one habit or another.  And, that’s all there is.  I can choose to go to sleep at 11pm every night, or choose to go to sleep at 3am every night.  I can choose to eat a banana or a block of cheese.  A good habit is a daily choice.  A bad habit is a daily choice.  What do you choose daily?

3 – You have to TAKE the FIRST step

Once you have that burning desire to make a change in your life, it’s hard to ignore it.  That deep desire is what propels you in forward motion to make a change.  DOING is equally important to REALLY wanting.  The first step, even if it’s small, is pivotal in correcting your habit.  For me, being in bed at 10pm is the first step in making sure that I am asleep by 11pm.  And, the first night I did it was a critical step in turning a bad habit into a good habit.  Determine what the FIRST STEP is and when you will make that first step.

4 – DO

DO IT.  It sounds so simple, but we all know it’s not.  It’s so hard to make that first step.  It’s soooo hard to put on my gym clothes in order to go for a walk.  It’s sooooo hard to turn off Twitter in order to go to bed.  We have a thousand excuses.  But, ultimately, we must just DO.  Good habits stem from actions.

5 – BE

We must BE what we want to be.  Being is a state of mind and we must believe in what we want for ourselves.  We trick ourselves into thinking that we are our bad habits, “Oh – I’m a night owl!”  “Oh – I just love cheese!”  “Oh – I’m not athletic!”  (These are all things I tell myself ALL the time.)  But, we have to reverse our thoughts on our habits.  We must BE our good habits.  It may not be as exciting to be virtuous and describe myself as “I’m someone who sleeps 8 hours every night.”  (WOW – that sounds soooo boring!)  But, if we want to develop good habits that carry on into our personal and professional lives, we need to BE the people with good habits.  I am rested.  I am healthy.  I am smart.  What are you?

Be kind to yourself…

Don’t be hard on yourself if this is challenging.  Overcoming a bad habit is NOT easy.  Just take each day as it comes.

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Ahhhh… December!  I love December.  I love the holidays, the chill in the air (50 degrees here in Miami), and the traditions with family.  I also LOVE the freshness of the New Year just around the corner.  In celebration of all these wonderful things, we are going to devote the month of December to a FRESH START!

Over the course of the month we are going to set ourselves up for a fresh start in the new year.  We are going to establishing good habits, get ourselves organized, and set some goals. Let’s start 2011 on the right foot!

Today, let’s reflect on our bad habits… I want you each to reflect on a habit you’d like to correct.

Ask yourself: What excuses do I tell myself that prolong this bad habit?

Last week I shared with you a bad habit that I am trying to correct: not getting enough sleep.  It’s something that I have known about for a long time.  But, I always seem to make excuses for myself: “I have too much to do.”  “I’m just a night owl.”  “I have a kid.”  I am a firm believer that if you want to do something, you do it.  I’m also a believer that if you can’t initially do it 100%, you work for 80%, then 90%, with eventually having a goal of 100%.  And, when you fail, you try again.  I was up wayyyy too late on Friday night and lost my 8 hour sleep streak that night.  At first, it bummed me out.  But, then I realized, “Oh well, let’s just get 8 hours tonight!”

Ask yourself: What other habits feed into this bad habit?

When I decided that I needed to break this bad habit of not sleeping enough, I started taking inventory of other habits that fed into this.  I am usually on some sort of technology too late into the night.  I’m not always working, sometimes it’s Twitter, my social media addiction of choice.  I know that the energy I get from talking to my Twitter friends each night is enough to keep me up until dawn.  I had to commit myself to turning off the gadgetry before dinner.  Dinner is a good time for me to shift gears.  I always use that time to talk with my family.  Why would I turn on the gadgetry after dinner?  Bad habit.

I also realized that I need time to wind down each night.  I need to start the “going to bed process” an hour before I need to sleep.  I prefer to read business books over fiction, but this is wayyyy to stimulating.  I cannot shut off my mind.  So, I’ve committed myself to a compromise: no business books at bed, but other non-fiction is OK.  (Fortunately, I’ve gotten sucked into Steig Larsson‘s trilogy and that is some great fiction that has been a great escape for my busy mind.)

Ask yourself: What do I want to achieve by correcting this bad habit?

Having a visual of the end result is very powerful.  I generally have a very hard time doing this.  But, with my sleep habit, I visualized myself working more efficiently each day.  If I’m working more efficiently, then I’m not working as hard or as long.  And, if I’m not working as long then I have more time for other things that I enjoy doing.  And, there are things that I’m not doing enough of: exercising, going to the movies, reading, etc.  I have linked my poor sleep patterns with my not having time for these things.  This is great motivation for me.

Spend a few minutes today thinking about this… tomorrow, we’ll come back to correct these bad habits.