January 2009

 

Dear Anne

I love the Christmas holidays. It's an opportunity to do things I enjoy like walking and skiing. However I also like it when Christmas is over and we can get on with a new year. So, unlike a lot of people I really love January!

That's why this month I've set myself the challenge to spread my new year's cheer and make sure everyone who reads Positive Energy has the most positive January on record! A new year is a good excuse for a new you, so let's start by setting ourselves some exciting goals to achieve in 2009.

I'd love to hear what goals you're going to reach and how you're progressing during the year. Why don't you start by sharing your goals with me and keep me updated as you go? You can email me or call me on 01697 747 821. We can track your progress together!

Best wishes,


The Positive Part – Top Tips for a New You this New Year!

A dream is just a dream. A goal is a dream with a plan and a deadline - Harvey Mackay

What does 2009 hold in store for you? It may be clichéd, but January really is a brilliant time of year to reassess your life and give yourself a kick start. You can't possibly know how the year will turn out, but you can do everything in your power to influence it and make sure it's a success!

The best place to start is to reassess last year. What would you change? What would you improve or do differently? It doesn't matter how big or small your goals are, it's important to acknowledge them. If you write them down or say them out loud, they become real. If you push them to the back of your mind it's unlikely that you'll do anything about them.

If you'd like to ring the changes in 2009, then it's up to you to do something about it. But remember, when you set yourself a new goal, it won't be easy. If it was simple to achieve then you'd have done it last year! A goal is another word for a challenge and challenges usually take you out of your comfort zone. The good news is challenges are also extremely rewarding. If you stick with it I can guarantee you'll enjoy some incredibly positive experiences along the way.


 
Positive Practice

A lot of people start the year with the best intentions, but become overwhelmed by the size of their goal and then give up. If you don't want your challenge to defeat you, then follow these three simple steps:

  • Firstly identify a goal - Choose something that you want to achieve in 2009.
  • Next, break your goal down into manageable tasks - For example, if your goal is to get a new job, you might start by researching how to write the best CV. Then you might find out which recruitment agencies specialise in your field. The third task might be to discover whether you're qualified or need to develop new skills – and so on.
  • Finally, make a start! – Set aside time each week to work on each task. Tick it off and give yourself a reward when it's completed. Then move on to the next step.

You'll be amazed how easy it is to reach your goal if you break it down into small steps. Not only does it give you a wonderful excuse to reward yourself regularly, but you'll reach your goal a lot quicker and with far more success than if you battle on without an action plan. Good luck!

There's a worksheet designed to help you work out the steps to your own goal on the DIY Motivation section of my website. You can download it here.

  

What Can You Do?

Abigail from Bedford wanted more time

Abi loved her job, but she had to commute into London 5 days a week. The 2 hour commute was eating into the time that she had for anything else in her life. She discussed this with her Spring Forward support group and they helped her work out that she really needed a job nearer to home.

This goal seemed impossible. She'd raised it with her boss before. However this time, feeling more confident, she worked out a number of steps that would take her closer to her goal. Initially she managed to get her time on the train to count towards her working time. Then she started to work four extended days and finally got agreement to be based at a local office. Each step gave her more time to do the things she enjoyed.

What Can You Read?

How to be Brilliant by Michael Heppell. I really enjoyed working with Michael on his Be Brilliant programme a couple of years ago. This book is a distillation of the course and has a great chapter on setting goals.

Ready for Anything by David Allen. We can struggle to achieve our goals when real life intervenes. This book has 52 very practical tips to help you be more productive at whatever you do.

Instant Creativity by Brian Clegg and Paul Birch. I often encounter people who have either got no idea what their goals should be or, having set them, don't know how to get started. This book has nearly 100 different ways to broaden your thinking and help you come up with masses of new ideas.

BlogPositive

Thinking big about goals

New Year resolutions

 
 
What’s Happening?

Free lunch (well, coffee anyway)

I'm running a taster for Fresh Steps in Manchester on the afternoon of 23rd February. Click here to come along and take away some positive development tips and find out why we should be doing something to help our growing older workforce.

Spring Forward in Perth

Perth, Australia that is. I'm running an intensive Spring Forward for Western Australia Police in Perth in the week commencing the 16th February. This has to be the ultimate treat - world class development for women in a world class tourist destination. Spaces are available, so if you'd like the rest of your life to be different, give me a call.

A Female Doctor!

It's really important for women to have inspiring role models in science, engineering and technology. Add weight to the campaign to get the next Doctor Who cast as a woman. Place your vote here.

Rural Awards

Women can be particularly disadvantaged in the rural environment. Are you or your company doing things that address issues faced by rural communities or helping to create and maintain a vibrant, sustainable rural economy? This work can be recognised and rewarded by the Rural Awards. Details here

Positive Praise

Thanks for these newsletters, they are great, and full of great energy. Thanks.

Karen, Canada

I enjoy your newsletters – keep them coming.

Mollie, England.

In next month's issue of Positive Energy I'm going to give you some powerful tips on how you can get what you want in life.


 
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