GOALS ensure GROWTH#AtoZChallenge

G is for GOALS

Our Success and growth in life is measured by our accomplishments which are represented by our goals. The forward momentum in life is an outcome of our action towards our goals. GOALS are like the checkpoints in our life which tell us whether we are moving in the direction of our identified purpose. GOALS hold importance in our lives as they act as the roadmaps for us . They are like the destination points in our lives. The absence of GOALS could be related to a rocking chair, which keeps moving but not achieving anything.     

Why GOALS are important ?

• They define purpose in our lives
• They give direction to our efforts
• They help us move forward
• They turn us into achievers
• They help us maintain work-life balance by helping us focus on all spheres of life
• They provide us confidence, raise our self-esteem, turn us into a go-getter.
• They make us dream big (and achieve it too !)

How to achieve GOALS ?

• Set realistic and achievable goals well aligned with our passion and purpose
• Ensure that goals are holistic in nature encompassing all major spheres of our life
• Break goals into short, medium and long-term to make them more achievable and manageable
• Get rid of distractions/ deterrents and build focus towards the goals
• Set Goals that are challenging (but achievable) and within our available resources
• Make a transition from goal-setting to goal-getting as mere planning would not ensure achievement/ completion of the tasks.
• Inculcate the habit of writing down goals. This would activate the RAS (Reticular Activating System) which would ensure that our brain start focusing on the goals.
• Internalising our goals through Creative Imagery. Imagining ourself as having already achieved the goal(s) through all our senses make it appear real to our subconscious which helps in taking positive actions.
• Reinforcing self with positive affirmations whenever we achieve a mini-goal will keep us focused on taking necessary actions for accomplishing major/ BIG goals.

So GET SET and GO for your GOALS !

FOCUS to move FORWARD#AtoZChallenge

F is for FOCUS

We live in an age where we are surrounded by irresistible distractions (internet, technology) resulting in reduced attention span. It’s a case of plenty resulting in empty ( in terms of achievement). The need of the hour is to develop FOCUS in us which in turn builds up the requisite qualities like concentration and attention span that helps us to survive in this dynamic world laden with information overload. FOCUS is all about paying attention to right things i.e. things that matter most in terms of importance in our  life. Daniel Goleman has very nicely established the importance of Focus in our lives and defined 3 types of Focus – 1. Inner (Self Awareness) , 2. Other (Empathy) and 3. Outer (Awareness of our environment). Let’s explore the other facets of FOCUS - http://tinyurl.com/lsay2hw

Why FOCUS is important ?

·         It defines purpose of our life and gives us a direction to move in

·         Establishes traction on our goals as focused approach ensures forward movement

·         Builds an eye for detail as when we focus on something we absorb it wholly

·         Gives us better control over our life in terms of time and attention

·         Makes us an achiever as focus keeps us sufficiently motivated to cross the finish line

·         Makes us more productive as we start accomplishing more

·         Saves us energy and effort as we do away with unfinished tasks

·         Builds up Positivity in us

How to build FOCUS ?

·         Limit the information we consume so that we have as many tasks as we can handle

·         Have a clearly defined agenda for the day/ week/ month so that energies could be directed on those

·         Practice doing one thing at a time. Interpret this statement to signify that finish what you start before you move to the next  task

·         Magnify what you want to focus on so that other irrelevancies are out of the frame

·         Chunk down goals/ tasks into smaller manageable pieces

·         Maintain a checklist/tracker/ journal to keep track of your progress

·         Track how you spend your time, whether on Important or Urgent tasks  

·         Don’t get overwhelmed with the tasks/ goals

·         Develop Listening skills as this will develop patience in us

·         Practice Minimalist living as this will teach us how to be satisfied with less 

Always remember that we give power to what we focus on so focus on the right things !

EMOTIONS demand Expressiveness#AtoZChallenge

E is for EMOTIONS

We (Humans) operate in a social context and our every interaction with others trigger a range of responses, some conducive and some not-so-conducive. Our reactions and over-reactions to these interactions/ situations gets manifested in the form of “EMOTIONS”. Simply defining, Emotion is an aspect of consciousness that results in generation of different types of feelings that lead to many physiological and mental changes. Emotions are an inseparable part of our personality as is evident from the presence of limbic system in our brain. Within this amygdala is the structure that deals with emotions.

Why Emotions are important ?

• Emotions are the building blocks of life and an essential component of our overall personality.
• They impact us at a physiological and mental level  and often is the cause of Stress in our lives
• They form the basis of human relationships in the different roles we play in our lives
• They help us relate at interpersonal and intrapersonal level which results in better self-awareness and also awareness about those whom we interact with.
• They help us assume better control of ourself and enable us to manage our reactions more appropriately.
• They help us release pent up energies by prompting us to react (take action)
• They directly impact inculcation of good qualities like gratitude, empathy and service-orientation   
• Gives an insight into our flip side by making us aware of non-productive emotions that we undergo

 How to build Emotional Strength ?

• Understand different emotions by practicing acceptance of every kind of emotions that occur in us. This build acceptance
• Understand the distinction between sympathy and empathy
• Develop Listening skills as this builds empathy skills which directly impact our emotional strength by helping us understand the other person’s view
• Become more aware about what all physiological changes emotions generate in us. This awareness would then help us understand the symptoms of being in an emotional state.  
• Identify the triggers of negative emotions and build a plan to deal with them in a constructive way.

To end this post, here’s a link to a nice article from Daniel Goleman on EI (Emotional Intelligence) - http://tinyurl.com/korzr9z. 

Link to my other post on Emotions - http://createyourbest.blogspot.in/2015/08/the-complicated-world-of-emotions.html

DETERMINATION breeds Drive and Discipline#AtoZChallenge

D is for DETERMINATION

Many a times when we reflect on our list of accomplishments in life we realise that we would have accomplished so much more had we looked inwards rather than blaming external factors/ reasons for the same. Self-brooding further will bring to focus those unfinished tasks/ goals that could have been accomplished had we maintained some discipline and kept alive our drive and passion. DETERMAINATION is that trait which not only encompass discipline, drive, passion but many other quality traits like will power. DETERMINATION refers to a resolve to finish the task, achieve the goals and provides the missing link between the goal and its accomplishment.

Why DETERMINATION is important ?

·         It provides the requisite motivation to accomplish goals and succeed in life

·         To be successful requires sustained and focused effort which is made possible through determination

·         It makes things happen as it builds the quality of resolve in us

·         Builds discipline which ensures that we take all the necessary measures needed to succeed

·         Gets rid of various distractions that act as impediments towards well directed/ focused intent and action.

How to build DETERMINATION ?

·         Identification of goals that we are most passionate about will always keep us excited and interested in taking action.

·         Breaking of goals into short, medium and long term to have better control

·         Regular review the goals. If need be, revise the goals or realign action  

·         Be proactive in foreseeing the challenges

·         Practice techniques that build focus and concentration which are the hallmark of a determined person

·         Accentuate commitment to ensure completion of tasks

·         Be judicious about the choices

·         Maintain positive self-esteem

·         Avoid distraction

So during times when you feel like giving up, just remind yourself that Determination could pull you through this time too !

CHOICE CREATES CHANGE#AtoZChallenge

C is for CHOICE

Many a time many of us attribute our failure to destiny, luck or fate without realising that these are nothing more than red herring and the real reason for our failure lies very much within our ambit. Each one of us have the power to design our best possible life and this power comes in the form of CHOICE which refers to the ability to CHOOSE. The power of CHOICE is a key determinant of our success in life. Growth or Redundancy; Forward or Backward; Positive or Negative; Success or Failure is all a matter of CHOICES we make. During every moment of our life we have the option to CHOOSE – either to make our life or break our life ! Nothing can demonstrate this power of CHOICE better than the story of Viktor Frankl, the Austrian neurologist/ psychiatrist who founded Logotherapy after surviving 3 years as a captive in Nazi concentration camp. More about Viktor Frankl here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viktor_Frankl 

Why CHOICE is important ?

• The power to CHOOSE is very empowering and enabling
• CHOICE gives us control over our life
• CHOICE presents us with an opportunity to change our life and create out best life
• CHOICE provides freedom to choose our own path
• CHOICE prepares us to be a decision-maker in life

How better CHOICES can be made ?

• The realisation that we are the makers of our destiny will propel us to make positive and progressive choices
• Setting goals (short-term/ medium-term/ long-term) will ensure that we make better choices that push us closer to our ultimate goal(s) in life
• At times certain choices may not act in our favour but treating them as feedback would lead us to make better choices next time
• Not getting overwhelmed with the circumstances/ situations and focusing purely on our response will lead to better choice.

Whether you want to CREATE your best life or CHANGE for better, utilise the power of CHOICE.

Summing it up with a link to this short video on you tube. Hope you like it !  

  

Video link : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4XmrSkFnKI

BELIEF for a BETTER YOU#AtoZChallenge

B is for BELIEF

Challenges and Obstacles are an integral part of our existence and to be successful one needs to over-ride them. Coming out triumphant is not as much to do with the size of the problem (big or small) but

our ability to address the problem appropriately and to our advantage. This ability could very well be termed as BELIEF, a characteristic that determines whether we are a winner or loser in life. Simply defined, Self-Belief is the opinion we have of our self – whether we hold our self in high esteem or otherwise; whether we see our self as a capable being or otherwise.  Each one of us possess immense potential and capability but in the absence of self-belief all our assets are a waste.

Why Self-Belief is important ?

• Develops our attitude for life - the way we perceive things, people and circumstances.
• Builds confidence in us to face any adversity in life
• Helps us realise our strength areas
• Enable us to achieve our goals
• Gives us better control over our life
• Provides an opportunity to assess our life and take corrective action wherever and whenever needed
• Helps develop better relationships as our attitude breeds positivity and optimism

How to build/ ensure (positive) Self-Belief ?

• Positive self-talk – talking to self plays a crucial role in developing self-belief. So, the pep talk delivered to self should be positive and progressive. Repeat affirmations that help build confidence and esteem. A few examples are , “I am capable of achieving my goals”, “Every day I achieve more and get better”.  
• Visualise success regularly as it will help stay focused on goals
• Celebrate small successes as it will keep the confidence intact  
• Develop your strengths further as that is your USP to success but also be mindful of weak areas

To sum it up, Self-Belief is a tool to assess our self and a catalyst which spurs us for action and takes us closer to our goals and objectives in life. 

ACTION determines Accomplishment #AtoZChallenge

A is for ACTION

Life is a continuous and consistent series of events/ situations and our success or failure in life is determined by one of the following 2 states we deal with it, either active or passive. Let’s briefly explore each of the 2 mentioned states – Passive and Active

·        

      Passive state is a state of inertia where we just let the events happen to us and impact us. It is a stationary state which doesn’t yield much related to our growth in life whereas Active state is a state of motion where we seize control of the event/ situation and enable us to make things happen as we want them to. 

Each one of us seek success in life and want to achieve the most in our lives. To a large extent, our success in life is determined by our accomplishments which are characterised by our goals and dreams. Considering the fact that each one of us have immense potential lying dormant and waiting to be harnessed, what possibly could lead us to achieve our goals and dreams and do justice to our potential ? One of key ingredients that possibly would enable us to be more successful in life is “ACTION”. To achieve anything in life, both Planning and Doing are important but planning alone may not suffice unless appropriate ACTION supplements it and completes the success cycle. 

WHY taking ACTION is important ?

• ACTION is foundational key to all success
• ACTION always yields something  more and better
• ACTION turns Vision into Reality
• ACTION shows the way to get started
• ACTION puts you on path to greatness
• ACTION helps build skills like decision-making, self-esteem, confidence, focus, result oriented
• ACTION helps us step out of our comfort zone and move towards a better life

HOW to start taking ACTION ?

• Adopt Kaizen style - Begin small and take one step at a time
• Focus on one thing at a time as this will help being specific and let us concentrate all our energies on that specific task/ thing.
• Always have a GOAL to act towards as it will provide the direction to work towards. Additionally, pick up an attainable GOAL, something that can be reached/ achieved
• Always imbibe a positive and progressive intent towards what we want to achieve as this will always trigger the right kind of motivation in us.
• Making commitment to achieve our goals will help us own the task completely and also make us accountable for the same.   
• Visualise being successful as the law of attraction would ensure that even our ACTIONS start  aligning with our thoughts and beliefs

So, let’s start taking ACTION and assume control of our lives.