success Archives - Page 9 of 14

Throwback Thursday: Shift And Move

Have you ever been in traffic and you see a sign that says “Traffic Delays Ahead”? For most people, it’s frustrating because it means construction delays and detours. Now they have to find another way to get to their destination and it will throw off their estimated time of arrival. I’m sure the construction people don’t mean to slow up your day (or weeks), but it has to be done for everyone’s safety and benefit. There’s no other way around it, but to dig in and start.

After they are finished repairing the road (days or weeks later), everyone’s happy that they did what needed to be done. The road drives better and traffic is more efficient.

This is what happens when you are on your way to achieving your goal and doing your work. Things you didn’t expect to happen will come up and you have to deal with it. Most people would stop and not take a second look at what needs to be done to get around the problem. There will be times when you have to take a look at what happened, figure out how to move forward, and continue on. What’s the worst that could happen? You may lose a little time and patience, but if it’s necessary to move forward, then do it. Challenges will arise, but you must have the attitude and confidence to handle it. Try not to get so caught up with the problem, but push for a solution. Sometimes, a pivot is needed in order to keep moving.

Don’t be discouraged if your plan isn’t going the way you thought it would go. One of the characteristics of a Goalden Lady is knowing when to shift and move. When you thought you were going left, you find out you need to turn right. It may cause a slight panic because it was unexpected, but making that turn and moving on shows that you’re flexible and can handle any challenge that presents itself. Sometimes, a change is needed to make things better.

When you look back on those obstacles that tried to derail you, you’ll be proud that you hung in there and faced it head on. You will come out on the other end a stronger person! Even if the outcome was bad, it’s a lesson learned and you won’t make that mistake again. Every obstacle has a lesson (good or bad), because you learn what to do and what NOT to do. Use it to your advantage to become better – it will benefit you in the long run.

The construction people don’t come up with excuses when they do their job – they get right to it, so they can finish and move on (because it is their job). When you come across a challenge, don’t make an excuse – figure it out, dig in, and keep moving (because it is your work).

#BeGoalden

How To Turn Procrastination Into Progress

Procrastination occurs in many ways. Some people put things off at the suggestion of others, while some are stuck being comfortable.

With the internet, most things have become easier to access. Today, you don’t need to wait for anything to happen. Delaying any type of progress is a choice that you consciously make.

With that being said, how can you stop being hesitant? Is it possible to pull yourself out of that negative vortex? When is the best time to go from procrastination to progress?

The Procrastination Trap

Change can be as difficult as you make it. Sometimes, we tend to make things harder than they really are, especially if it’s outside of our confort zone.

Instant gratification is a procrastination trap. You’re so used to having things happen instantly, you begin to think that everything should happen right now.

When you come across something that takes a little more time to come together, you become anxious. Then, you decide to leave it alone, because it’s not happening fast enough.

This leads to you procrastinating on many things, simply because it doesn’t happen right away. Realize that it takes time for some things to fall into place – all you have is time. Prepare yourself with patience and realize that everything doesn’t come about within a moment’s notice.

The Progressive Mindset

In order to make progress, it starts in your mind. Your mind is your first line of defense when it comes to obtaining information and processing it.

Your environment may be bad, your friends may be critical and your luck may not be going good, but you still have a choice. Don’t let the limitations around you affect your way of thinking.

When you think, think of positive things. Think about improving yourself, achieving that goal, having a good day, helping someone in need, or receiving good news. It may not turn out the way you think, but you learn to accept things the way they are and adjust, so you can make changes.

Progress happens when you’re able to shift your thinking and adapt to any outcome that may happen. Procrastination will hold you back from even making that first attempt, but a positive mindset will allow you to follow through and create a solution.

Procrastination Begins With Small Steps

Once you find a solution, you can begin to step into your life. As long as you don’t let procrastination stop you, you will eventually develop a productive habit.

When you get into the practice of actually starting, it’s not as hard as it seems. Begin with something small and easy to accomplish. This will have a snowball effect – the more you do it successfully, the better you can accommodate bigger tasks with confidence.

Taking small steps isn’t frightening. It’s small enough to begin, but big enough to get you going in the right direction, away from procrastination.

Outside factors can have an influence on how you move. Don’t let your environment intimidate you and don’t let small-minded people convince you to stay complacent. Starting small is better than not starting at all.

Beating Procrastination

Overcoming the habit of procrastination won’t be easy. It’s not something you can expect to happen within 24 hours. The best time to start is always NOW.

Like anything else, making progress will take time and effort to establish and maintain. There are many distractions working against you already, but as long as you don’t expect things to happen instantly, have the right mindset and take small steps, it’ll all come together.

Procrastination comes in many different forms, but you can handle it. With the right outlook, you can defeat the battle of putting things off and become more productive and dynamic with your goals.

#BeGoalden

Confront Your Weakness And Conduct Your Goal

Confront Your Weakness, Conduct Your Goal

It can be difficult to realize your own weakness. When you’re busy following a plan to make your goals happen, chances are, you’ll hit roadblocks. These are placed in your way to build our tenacity and knowledge.

What happens when you come across a weakness that could slow the momentum of your process? If you don’t know how to do something, how do you continue to make improvements?

Think about who you know. Is there anyone else who can do the task better than you can? Could you possibly help them in any way?

Acknowledge Your Weakness

Knowing you have a weakness is smart. It doesn’t mean you are flawed or broken. We all have weaknesses that we need to actively recognize.

On the other hand, we brag about our strengths and what we do well, all day long. Everyone knows what we’re good at and we make sure they know it. Your strength is not the issue, but knowing your weakness, is.

Admitting your weakness is the first step. Putting your ego aside is the best thing to do, because that’s the only thing holding you back from moving forward. Remember not to get emotional – focus on what needs to be done to reach your desired results.

Make Your Weakness Into A Strength

If you know someone who is great at what you are lacking, use them to your advantage. Have them fill in the blanks to keep the ball rolling in your favor.

We’re all good at something. If you aren’t a good writer, have someone else to do the writing. Every part is important – there’s no need to neglect a certain part, just because you’re not good at it.

Sometimes, we get caught up in thinking we can do everything ourselves, but it becomes overwhelming. Instead of creating stress for yourself, allow someone else to shine their light into your darkness.

It doesn’t make you any less of a person to ask for help. Actually, you are ensuring that you provide solid and reliable results. When you can look at it that way, you’re on your way to another level.

The Conductor Of Your Success

Be the conductor of your goals. It’s not going to happen on it’s own. Build a team of strength around you to maintain and improve your outcome.

A conductor controls the orchestra. Everyone plays their instrument and they play their particular instrument well. The conductor doesn’t play all of the instruments by him/herself.

The conductor leads everyone to play loud, soft, long notes, short notes, and emphasizes dramatic moments within the music. Everyone plays their part and the result is beautiful music.

The flute doesn’t play the saxophone’s part and the tuba doesn’t play the bell’s part. Each instrument has it’s specific melody to play. Everyone has a strength to contribute.

Your Orchestra Of Tasks

Your goal will demand different tasks in order to make it all come together. It’s your job to be the conductor and to make sure that every part is as strong as you can make it.

Don’t be the weak link. Replace yourself with someone stronger and dependable. Attempting to do everything yourself is a recipe for disaster.

There will still be obstacles and challenges to address, but that shouldn’t stop you. By placing the right people with the right tasks, your goal will be accomplished with quality and satisfaction.

#BeGoalden

If You Settle Now, You’ll Regret It Later

Some people choose to settle for what they already have. It’s not such a bad thing, but know that you are capable of more.

As 2019 comes to a close, think about the goals you had in place to accomplish this year. All of the challenges and obstacles you faced have brought you to this point.

The end of the year is quickly approaching, but don’t let that stop you from making progress. It may be the end of the year, but as far as your goals are concerned, it’s not over.

Even if you’ve achieved way more than you thought you would, it’s no excuse to settle and coast these last few weeks – stay 5 steps ahead and finish strong.

What Happens If You Settle?

You may not have hit your target before the end of the year, but don’t beat yourself up over it. Take a look at where you are now, compared to this time last year.

There are new things you have learned on your journey. You may have even met some new people along the way. You’ve made it farther than you’ve imagined and that’s something to be proud of.

If you decide to settle and stop working towards your goal, nothing will happen. All of your hard work will have been for nothing. The most disappointing part is, you will live wondering what would have happened if you would’ve kept going.

Settling Is Comfortable

It’s easy to settle. You don’t have to spend any extra time and energy with all the thinking and being productive anymore. It feels rather comfortable and nice.

Some people are glad you stopped going so hard – now, you’ve made them feel comfortable, too. They don’t feel threatened by your ambition anymore and everyone is on the same level again.

This isn’t what really needs to happen. Actually, you should probably just take a break and then get back to taking action. Don’t be so quick to give up. Taking the easy way out may be convenient at the time, but don’t settle, just continue to be persistent. You’ll be glad you did in the end.

Your Potential Is Greater Than Fear

Many things will make you want to give up. It seems like nothing is working out and you’re just tired and ready to tap out. Distractions will present themselves as opportunities to quit.

You begin to think it’ll never happen. It may take longer than you thought. Maybe it’s time to cut your losses.

Actually, who knows how much longer it will be until you succeed? What if it happens tomorrow? How will you know?

The key is to keep going until you find out what happens. Allow your potential to light your path to the end. Remain positive and ignore the comforts of complacency.

Never Cheat Yourself

Other people’s success always looks simple. The fact is, you didn’t see them when they were going through the same struggle as you. You only see the results.

They wouldn’t have arrived at that outcome, had they settled. If they listened to their friends and family, they never would’ve seen those results.

Discipline, focus, a strong mindset and the ability to overlook the naysayers will give you the ability to finish strong. Whatever others say about you should not dictate how you feel or how you move. Realize that you’re more than that!

Never cheat yourself by settling. Keep going and see what’s in store. Work through your fear and the negative talk in your head. No matter how long it takes, it’s better than giving up and settling for nothing.

#BeGoalden

Using Your Time Wisely

Time management is not a ‘one size fits all’ type of thing. Everyone is different, so we have to figure out what works best for each of us.

Everyone doesn’t do their best work in the morning. Everyone doesn’t work well after a full meal. Weekends are precious to some because that‘s their family time. Others see the weekend as a time to do uninterrupted, quality work.

As you can see, time management plays a role in how efficiently you do your work. How do you know what works best for you?

Self Awareness

You must know who you are and how you work best. This means you need to know your strengths and weaknesses. It will take trial and error to figure out the best times to do certain things.

When is the best time for you to tinker with your invention? Is it when the kids are up or when they are asleep? Is it early evening or late evening? Do you generate your best ideas while driving to work or in the shower? The most important thing is to be honest with yourself because you are aiming for the best results for productivity.

I find it hard to write early in the morning. When I write early in the morning, I struggle. My mind is chasing what I need to do throughout the day and I have no focus. Some writers do their best work early in the morning.

By paying attention to how my body and mind responds to different environments and time, I can determine what works

best for me. My best time to write is mid-afternoon. I don’t know why, but that’s when my focus is strong and my words flow.

Knowing that my best time to be productive is mid-afternoon, I’m able to use my time wisely and schedule everything else around it. We can’t control time, but we can create a plan and use every minute to our benefit.

Being able to make the best use of your time will take some effort. People waste time when they don’t know exactly what they’re doing. Some people think they have all the time in the world, so they don’t plan – they play everything by ear. Everyone has a different perspective.

To use time to your advantage, become self aware – know what you do and when you do it. This could possibly take weeks, maybe even months to discover, but it’s worth the effort. When you’re self aware, you end up doing more constructive and intentional work.

Once you figure out what works best for you, your plan can move forward. You’ve mastered the time of day, now, you have to do the work.

Dedication

What does dedication have to do with time management you ask?

At this point, you’ve figured out the best time of day (or night) to do your best work. Now, you have to align your dedication with that time of day.

Doing your work at the same time, everyday (or whatever your schedule calls for) is dedication. You are bringing the same energy and motivation to the table to give your highest effort.

Progress ensues and you’re making improvement that you can see. You keep going nonstop for days and months because you’re dedicated.

That should be easy – normally, whatever time of day that works well for you is the same time you have the energy and willingness to do your best work. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case.

An excerpt from Book 3 of the “Help! I’m Stuck” series.

#BeGoalden

When Motivation Becomes A Distraction

I know you’re thinking, “How can motivation become a distraction?” It sounds impossible, but there are ways people allow motivation to interfere with their goals.

Motivation is inspiring. It is the catalyst that creates motion. It gives us that mental push we need to move forward and accomplish our dreams. Without it, the world would move a lot slower.

We all have those things in our lives that help us take action, but what happens when that thing holds you back and causes inaction?

Motivation Is Like A Drug

For the most part, drugs are addictive. People become slaves to a substance that controls their minds and eventually, their actions.

Motivation is like a drug. Everyday, you consume motivational content, in one form or another, and it becomes addictive. It becomes hard to put it down because you want more and more.

Like drugs, motivation gives you a high. Although it’s not fatal, it can stop you from taking the action needed in order to get to your destination.

Social Media

If motivation is like a drug, who’s the pusher? Social media.

It’s great when you discover new content on social media that inspires and invigorates you, but in the end, that’s all you end up doing – scrolling through content.

Motivation feels good. You can picture yourself being successful, just like the person in the post. When you wake up in the morning and you start scrolling down your timeline, it feeds you with more and more. It gets you pumped up to take action. You’re ready to go, but then, you crash before you even start.

How many times have you (or someone you know) attended a seminar and you leave fired up and ready to take on the world, only to get home and follow up by doing nothing? The motivation is there, but you feel like you need more in order to move on.

The Distraction

This is when motivation becomes distracting. Your energy is there as long as you’re reading or looking at the content, but you never actually get around to putting one foot in front of the other and making it happen.

You become stuck and figure you need more motivation. Back to social media you go and consume more content. The more encouragement you can get, the harder you think you’ll work towards your goals. Day by day, it steals your attention and you become more sluggish.

Yes, your intention is to grind and hustle like the content says, but you only put in a little work and you’re back to needing more motivation. How can you turn this around?

Action Over Motivation

Like a drug addict, you have to go cold turkey when it comes to consumption. Yes, that means taking a break from social media and other forms of inspiring content.

Let’s not make the mistake of thinking that personal development is bad, because it’s not. Personal development has given people a positive way out of negative situations. It has transformed many destructive mindsets into thinking of productive possibilities.

At some point, you have to put in the work and take more action. Yes, it helps get you on your way, but nothing will happen unless you get to work!

Less Is More

Flip the script. Put a time limit on how you consume content. Put that extra attention towards taking action and making progress with your daily plan. Use that motivation to push you forward – it doesn’t take much.

It will be difficult, but make it simple: less consumption, more action. Create your own encouraging ideas to post for others to become motivated. Be the example.

But it won’t get done unless you put down the device and start taking action.

#BeGoalden

There’s Always An Excuse

We’ve been used to using an excuse to get out of just about anything we don’t feel like doing. Sometimes, we use them so consistently, it seems like it’s not a big deal and it turns into a worthless routine and a waste of energy.

Actually, excuses over a long period of time will cause you to miss out on your own life. How do you even begin to create a habit of avoiding excuses?

Understand What An Excuse Is

Excuses are lazy reasons we give ourselves, or others, to not follow through with what needs to be done, or a responsibility.

Some may say, “…but it’s a valid reason…”. If it’s a valid reason, then it’s not an excuse. Don’t get caught up in thinking that every excuse is a valid reason.

Deep down inside, we know when we give in to those ‘valid’ reasons. Later, we begin to feel some sort of guilt because we dodged what we could’ve done.

Excuses are disguised as reasonable explanations, when they’re really not. Don’t let it fool you into being lazy and unproductive. Also, beware of others who try to give you excuses to use.

Recognize What Your Excuse Sounds Like

Everyone has a certain word or phrase they use when confronted with a request or responsibility. It usually sounds something like:

“I don’t want to.”

“I’m tired.”

“Why can’t she do it?”

“I did it yesterday.”

“If he would’ve done it the right way in the first place…”

All of these are the beginnings of a whiny excuse. When you recognize what your excuse sounds like, you can make the attempt to avoid going down that road.

Start by knowing you can do whatever it is that needs to be done. You can make it happen and move on with your day. Handle your responsibilities with confidence and be accountable for what you do.

Just Do It!

What should you do if you hear yourself about to create an excuse? Just do it!

How do you overcome a life full of excuses? You conquer it by dealing with it head on. Be honest with yourself and lean into it. Yes, it’s hard, but there’s no other way to rid yourself of this ugly, unfulfilling habit.

It’s easier said than done, but it is very possible. Free yourself and become the excellent person you want to be. Nothing comes easy – it starts with eliminating those useless thoughts and words and taking action towards becoming more responsible.

If You Want To Be Excellent…

It all begins in the mind. If you want to be excellent, don’t wish for it, be it.

Being the example holds you to a higher standard. People who play on a different level never consider using excuses. When something needs to be done, it gets done.

No matter how tired you may be, or how late it is, you can always do a little more. When you practice being ambitious, it gets easier with time. You’ll become a beast at getting things done. There’s no room for being average in your journey to success.

Understand the power you have. Many people have done great things before you and you possess the ability to do great things, also. As long as you keep moving forward and stay focused, committed and resilient, you can make all the dreams in your heart come true.

#BeGoalden

How Emotions Can Prevent Your Journey To Success

Everyone has their emotions. Some days, we feel happy and some days we feel sad. Most of the time, we don’t really know why, we just know that we feel that way.

Your emotions play a huge part in the outcome of your goals. Results aren’t based on emotions, they are mostly based on logic. It goes back to your mindset – if you believe you can, then you can. The opposite also holds true.

Do you make decisions based off of your emotions? When was the last time you put your feelings aside in order to make things happen?

Emotions Can Get In The Way

Have you ever had to make a choice, whether to go with your head or your heart? You may go with your heart, but when it comes to results, technically, your head should win every time.

Emotions can cloud your best judgment. When you think with your feelings, you expect others to think that way, as well. You think that maybe they’ll like you more or things will go the way you want them to go. That’s not always true.

That’s because business has nothing to do with emotions. Remember, you can control your emotions – you don’t have to react to everything. No one cares how you were feeling at the time. Feelings don’t create results.

Things Just Need To Get Done

Guiding your decisions with your emotions will end up leading you down a path you didn’t want to be on. Save your feelings for baby showers and cute pets.

When it’s time to get things done, your emotions can cause you to procrastinate. You’ll sit there and contemplate on which scenario will work out better. If it doesn’t work out, then you feel even worse for not making a better, fact-based decision.

If you allow your brain to lead you, the outcome will be more solid and stable. There’s no emotions in figuring out solutions – it will either work, or it won’t. There’s no need to feel sad or angry about it. Make the adjustment and move forward. This is how things get done.

Remove Emotions, Remove Drama

When you lead with your heart, especially concerning goals and business, it almost never ends well. Basing decisions off of your emotions will lead to more drama and your feelings will get hurt (because you’re emotional).

Removing your feelings is the best way to handle things. You’re able to think clearly and be more reliable. The results will make logical sense and everything will flow more smoothly.

Also, you won’t get involved on a personal level. Once you put your feelings into a project, it becomes personal. It creates drama and friction with others. Everyone doesn’t feel the same way about everything, so just come with the facts and not your feelings.

Time Management And Emotions

Being emotional can take up so much of your time and effort. It often delays the process of taking action.

Make an attempt to simplify things. Overthinking and injecting your feelings will only waste more time. If you want things to get done, your focus should never be on how something makes you feel.

Concentrate on the results, which come from a direct mind, not an emotional mind. If you want the best outcome, don’t give in to your feelings.

Move Forward, But Without Your Feelings

If we did things whenever we felt like it, nothing would get done. We tend to get caught up in how certain things make us feel and we don’t follow through as efficiently as we should.

You’ll never lose weight if you feel like eating junk food. You’ll never be a chess champion if you feel like looking at social media all day. You’ll never be a success at anything, if you never feel like it. Stop waiting to ‘feel like it’ and just do it!

Discipline wins over emotions, every time. Think about where you want to be, put your feelings aside and put in the work. If you always operate from an emotional standpoint, you’re making things harder than they have to be.

Let’s get in the habit of making decisions from a sensible place. Don’t let your emotions prevent your success.

#BeGoalden

Even At A Turtle’s Pace, You Can Still Make Progress

Everyone makes progress with their goals in their own time. We don’t achieve success together, not unless we’re on the same team. Developing the habit of progress is important to your goals.

It may take some people five years to write a book, while it may take others only three months. Time is always of the essence, but when it comes to making progress with our dreams, everyone is different.

A Turtle Still Makes Progress

A turtle is one of the slowest animals on earth. We could learn a lot from them about being persistent. Slow action is better than no action.

No matter how slow a turtle is, it always gets to it’s destination. It may not get there the same time as a dog, but nevertheless, it will get there.

A turtle probably doesn’t know it, but it has what we humans call persistence. No matter what happens, all it knows is to keep going (even in traffic).

It doesn’t matter how slow you think you’re going. The main point is that you don’t quit. Continue to make progress, even in the face of adversity.

Mistakes Are Proof Of Progress

Some of us stop ourselves before we even begin. We have a fear of making mistakes and having to deal with obstacles.

A mistake isn’t a hint that you should give up. A mistake is simply feedback. It will let you know what kind of adjustments that need to be made in order to improve what you’re doing.

Most people stop at mistakes. They think of it as a dead end. How else would you figure out how to do anything, without making mistakes?

A mistake will help you more than it will hurt you. It may seem painful in the beginning, but overall, it’s there to let you know that there’s a better way and you can make progress and create quality work.

Problems Promote Progress

Like mistakes, problems are there to help us towards a path of improvement. It’s hard to see it that way when your mindset is constantly set on ‘victim’ mode.

If you look at a problem as a challenge (because that’s what a problem really is), your mind will switch to finding solutions, as opposed to playing the victim.

When you play the victim, everything is everyone else’s fault. You take no responsibility for what happens and you complain to make it go away.

Problems won’t go away until you see them as challenges and become a solution-oriented person. Instead of accepting what happens, turn it around and create a strategy to overcome it. It may take time, but it’s still progress.

Follow Through

Be intentional by following through with your goals. The time will pass anyway, so you should go ahead and just start.

What if you would have started when you first thought about it? How far along would you be if you hadn’t procrastinated? Following through is a strategy that is often forgotten, once a mistake or ‘problem’ occurs.

Fast or slow, progress can be made as long as you continue to follow through. Whether it takes two years or two months, just keep moving forward. By putting it off, you’re making a promise that it’ll never happen.

#BeGoalden

How To Achieve Big Dreams With Small Steps

Having goals and dreams are an important part of success. How would you know where to go or what to do without some sort of plan in place?

Having a strategy will give you direction, but what else do you need? When we’re asked what our dreams and goals are, we normally respond with our hopes and wishes. That’s great, but that won’t be enough to get you there.

“What Are Your Dreams And Goals?”

“I hope I can make lots of money! I hope I can work for a top 10 company!” This is how we look at our goals. We know the results we want, but we don’t think about the details and how we’re going to get there.

Everyone wants to make a lot of money, but the most important thing is how will you make it happen? Exactly, what do you need to do? Do you need to go to school for training? Are you able to work as an apprentice? Could you read a couple of books and get started right away?

Seeing the big picture is the blueprint of your goals. The other aspect you must focus on are the details.

Details Create Results

Everyone wants a chocolate cake, but no one wants to go through the process of making it. Sometimes, it’s enough to make some people not want it at all.

If you want your dream bad enough, you’ll work through the small details. Hoping and wishing will not get you the results you’re looking for. Yes, it’s important to have faith and believe in yourself, but you must back that up with action and the action is in the details.

Don’t be afraid to tackle the process – it’ll be well worth your time and effort. Being lazy about it won’t bring it to life.

The details are what make your dreams come true. It doesn’t happen overnight – you have to continue to move forward, even in the face of adversity.

Obstacles And Challenges

Working through the process also comes with hurdles that you must solve and get over.

Obstacles and challenges can occur at any moment. Remember, this is not permission to stop, but to figure it out, become smarter and move on. These inconvenient mishaps are what teaches you lessons and make you stronger.

Also, you will make mistakes. No one has ever achieved their goals without getting things wrong. Making a mistake simply gives you feedback and allows you to create a better way of going about your strategy.

Dreams Aren’t Easy

People on social media make achieving their dreams look so easy and stress-free. No one posts about their failures and setbacks. All you get to see is the pretty side of success.

We know the end result of what we want, but let’s not forget to do the hard part and fill in the details. The details are where you actually build your dreams.

No, it’s not easy and you won’t get it all done today. What you can do is start today by being productive and intentional by working on your plan. Write down the little things you need to do on a daily basis to see the big picture.

The results are the byproduct of your journey. If you concentrate on the details while keeping the dream in mind, you will accomplish what you set out to do and possibly more.

#BeGoalden