We’re heading swiftly towards the last quarter of the year and it’s time now to start to assess the year thus far. Thinking back to January when you set you business goals and objectives, it’s now time to make sure you’re on track to achievement. You’ve heard us harp on all year about measurables and this is why. When you set goals for your business there has to be an accompanying action plan – without it you surely won’t succeed in reaching your targets – and more importantly a way to measure whether or not you are on track. Using revenue as an example, if you set a goal of grossing $200 000.00 in sales this year then you will know:

Quarterly Target – $50, 000

Monthly Target – $16, 666

Weekly Target – $3, 846

Daily Target – $769

Hourly Target (based on 8 hours) – $96.15

By breaking down your goal into these measurable chunks it’s easy to keep you finger on the pulse everyday as to whether or not your on track. Take a look through your 2009 goals and measure your progress against your goals. How are you doing? If you’re off target, think about your strategy for the last quarter. What can you do differently? What can you kick in to high gear to finish strong?

Everything you do in business has to be measurable. It’s the only way you can stay on track to reaping what you sow.

All the best,

Heather White, CEO 2020 Communications Inc.

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit – Aristotle

Human beings in and of themselves operate on autopilot for much of their day. We complete daily activities like, showering, brushing our teeth, drinking coffee, reading the paper, with little or almost no thought about what it is that we are actually doing. These habitual behaviours add up throughout the day and by the time we go to bed, somewhere between 75-80% of our activities were exactly the same as yesterday and will be exactly the same as tomorrow. This can’t be possible you think – take stock – I guarantee you’ll find what I’m saying to be true.

This month we’ve been writing on ways you can automate your business so that you don’t have to be the one doing all the work in order to be successful. Today, I want to draw your attention to your own personal autopilot mechanism, known as your ‘habits’, because, as positive as all the tools are that we’ve been sharing with you all month, your own personal habits can be equally as detrimental to your success.

For example…

Almost every person that I know, with the exception of a few, and especially entrepreneurs, complain that they don’t have enough time. It’s become somewhat of an epidemic. Stock answer to the question ‘how are you doing’ has become ‘busy!’. People are running around like mad men, always in a hurry and rushing. Not to mention what these raised levels of cortizol and adrenalin are doing to your body, how is this ‘habitual way of operating’ affecting the success of your business?

Being in a habitual state of ‘busyness’ is doing nothing for your health personally or professionally and if this describes you in any way, it’s time to take a step back and reevaluate. There is no way, at least that I’m aware of, to add hours to the day, so the 24 that you’re working with, is all you have. How you spend those 24 hours, however, is directly reflected in the results you are achieving in your life.

Go back to you goals for 2009 and read them over. Are you getting closer to accomplishing? If not, it’s time for you to take a look at your habits. What are you doing everyday and how is that contributing to the achievement of your goals? If you’re doing things that are not contributing, time to ditch those activities. Getting what YOU want in business and in life is 100% up to you, if you’re willing to take responsibility for your own success. The actions you take in your life are producing your current results. If you don’t like what you see, time to change your actions.

All the best,

Heather White, CEO 2020 Communications Inc.

“Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, the mind can achieve” – Napoleon Hill

We’ve talked a lot about taking full responsibility on this blog and in order to go all in, you must be able to first contemplate the end result you are looking to achieve. You have to be able to ’see’ yourself doing, or being, or having whatever it is that exemplifies your ‘all in’ position. Most people (admitting gross generalization here) contemplate all the things they don’t want, the things they are afraid might happen, they imagine results that deter them from going all in.  So, as a little exercise this week, try this:

1. Make a list of the things you want, to be, to do, to have.

2. Write out the excuses that you’ve made as to why the above list is not a reality in your life.

3. Ask yourself if your excuse is true?

4. Is it also possible for your excuse to not be true?

5. What would be the direct opposite of your excuse?

6. Is that true?

7. Is it possible for it not to be true?

*so if both your excuse, and the direct opposite of your excuse could both be true, why don’t we focus on the latter?  - Good question ehh?

Here’s one of my examples:

1. I want to write a best-selling book

2. One major excuse I’ve used is that ‘I don’t have time’

3. Yes, this is perceptually true.

4. Yes, it’s possible for it not to be true.

5. The opposite would be: I have more than enough time in the world to write a book.

6. Yes, this could also be true.

So, starting tomorrow, the new thought I will contemplate is the ‘completion of my manuscript’.  Then I will ask myself “how can I build time into my schedule to work on the book?”

Take the first action step in the achievement of your goals by focussing your thinking on what you do want, not, what you don’t.

All the best,

Heather White, CEO 2020 Communications Inc.

Earlier this month I blogged about the barriers to going “all in” and the limited results when we don’t. Now let’s talk about the potential for success that commitment brings.

When I met with client “Donald” he wanted help marketing a new product in a mature industry, but as senior partner with one foot out the door of the business, he wasn’t willing to embrace much change. He wanted big results, but resisted recommendations on how to achieve those results when they entailed too much deviation from how the company had done business in the past.

Donald wanted to cherry pick what he would and wouldn’t do, rather than embrace the full process. In the end we didn’t work together because I knew my ability to get results would be limited by the lack of commitment to the game plan. (I’m a big fan of getting results.)

Client “Myla” came to me with a clear, long term vision of what she wanted her company to become. She’d made quite a lot of progress already, but was stuck on how to get to the next level in a few key areas. In our initial session together, we identified how she could prioritize her initiatives to make them each a reality by building one on the other.

Myla epitomizes the concept of “all in” in every venture she engages in. As we’ve continued to work together and tackle objective after objective, she’s done her homework, come to our discussions with questions and ideas, and followed through on the action plans we develop.

Not only has her company become an award winner, she is reaching the goals she originally set out in a 5 year plan, in less than 2 years!

Commitment and going all in are absolutely delicious when you reach your big, audacious goals.

- Liz Gaige
Market Navigators Consulting

With the theme of New Beginnings and the spirit of the New Year in the air there’s no question that this is a time of change. The local gym that I go to is always a total gong show in January as everyone who’s ever thought about working out is there trying to start fresh and give themselves the healthy body they desire. What so many people miss however is that whenever you make change in your life, it’s not like flicking a light switch. You will not wake up, having not exercised for the past 5, 10, 15 years and begin a five day a week work-out regime from now to forever. You will be enthused and energetic in the short term, and then something will inevitably happen and you’ll miss a day, then you’ll miss two, then three, then you’ll think – ahh, screw this work out thing – I’m too busy to keep this up.

What I see happening too often when women try to make healthy change in their life is they take the ‘all or nothing approach’. You’re either leading the aerobics class, or, you never go to the gym. You have great intentions of a healthy diet, have two oreo cookies, beat yourself up, figure you’ve lost the battle and eat the whole box. This ‘all or nothing” b.s. doesn’t work. Here’s some tips on ensuring success for whatever changes you want to make this year.

1. Be gentle and kind to yourself as you attempt to change. You are going to fall off the wagon – it’s a given – and when you do, don’t beat yourself up, see it for what it is, a slip up, and get right back on the wagon. Don’t use a blip on the radar to give up all together.

2. Keep a record of your progress. It’s too easy for your ego to get you all wrapped up in keeping you dissatisfied with your progress. By keeping a record you can silence your ego and it’s ridiculous banter by looking back to how far you’ve come.

3. Get an accountability partner. If you can’t afford to hire a personal coach, business coach, personal trainer, wellness facilitator (depending on what changes you are making this year) get yourself an accountability partner.- click here to read an extended post on how to get a great partner.

4. Set a goal. It’s important for your sub-conscious mind, your ego and your motivation to ensure you know exactly what you’re working towards. Click here to read more about how to set effective goals.

Wishing you a successful, healthy 2009!

Heather White, CEO, 2020 Communications Inc.