The one action you must take before setting any goals is REFLECTION.

Reflecting on where you have been and where you are is important to determining where you are going to go. [Tweet This]

“Without reflection, we go blindly on our way, creating more unintended consequences, and failing to achieve anything useful.” ~Margaret J. Wheatley

Benefits of Reflection

  • Understand the why. Through reflection you can start to figure out why you want to set this particular goal. Knowing the why will give the goal a deeper purpose.  Because you know the true purpose you will be more likely to succeed.
  • Understand who you are. Reflecting on why goals are important and our purpose behind them will help you understand yourself better. Knowing who we are can give each of us a better idea of how we have come to be this way and where we want to go in the future.
  • Understand ways to change and improve. Goals are about change. Using reflection as a tool can empower each of us to see areas in our lives needing change or improvement.  Change is how we as humans grow, become better people, and accomplish great things!

How To Use Reflection in Goal Setting

1. Determine the goal you want to set.

Example: I will lose 10 pounds in the next 10 weeks.

2. Why is this goal important to you? What is driving you to complete this goal? Restate the goal from above and add “because” to the end of the sentence and answer the why?

Example: I will lose 10 pounds in the next 10 weeks BECAUSE I want to feel better about my body. have more energy and create healthy habits.

3. Ask yourself: What has stopped me from accomplishing this goal in the past?

Example: I didn’t have any idea how to lose 10 pounds or I wasn’t losing the weight as quickly as I thought I would.

4. What fears do I have about this goal?

Example: I am afraid I won’t lose the 10 pounds and accomplish my goal and be seen as a failure.

5. How do you think you will feel when you accomplish this goal?

Example: I will feel like I have more energy, feel better about myself, and feel like I am more active.

 By taking the time to reflect on a goal you want to set you will be  intentionally considering why this particular goal is important to you, why you want to accomplish it and the obstacles you may face that could deter you.

Spending time reflecting will increase the probably of following through and accomplishing your goal.

What other questions do you use to reflect and help establish your goals?

I believe everyone has heard of the term “Lifelong Learner.” But the question becomes: Are you a lifelong learner?

[featured-image single-newwindow=”true”]Photo Credit: Jeezny via Compfight cc [/featured-image]

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With Thanksgiving Day this week, I thought it was appropriate to provide some inspirational quotes about being thankful and grateful for what we have. No matter how big or how small being thankful/grateful could just change your perspective on life.

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Photo Credit: SnoShuu via Compfight cc

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I previously wrote a post about why you should limit your social media time, which then begs the question, HOW?

For me, social media is a way of life. It is how I catch up with friends, meet and connect with new people and provide  help to others.
But the time spent on social media can take on a life of its own and take over your life. So what are some options to set limits? [featured-image single-newwindow=”false”] Read more

While social media is in the virtual world it can really put a damper on your physical world.

 Photo Credit: Jason Howie (Creative Commons)

According to research released by Ipsos Open Thinking Exchange (OTX) Americans aged 18-64 who use social networks say they spend an average of 3.2 hours per day doing so. 3.2 HOURS PER DAY!!! I don’t know about you but that is a lot of time. Read more

QUESTION: What two days during the year are there no professional sports (i.e. hockey, football, baseball and basketball) being played?

[spoiler intro=”ANSWER (click show)”] The day before and the day after the Major League Baseball All-Star Game.
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On one of these days ESPN holds the ESPY Awards. I turned on this years ESPY Awards just in time to see Robin Roberts receive the Arthur Ashe Courage Award. Prior to her coming up to the stage ESPN showed a video about Robin’s journey and her life.

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While watching game 6 of the NBA Finals, I found myself getting caught up in the excitement of the game. Now I am not a fan of either team. I was just looking for an exciting game that came down to the wire…I got exactly what I wished for.

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Courtesy of Flickr by RMTip21

For those who do not watch basketball, game 6 was between the Miami Heat and the San Antonio Spurs. The importance of this game was if the Spurs won they would be crowned the NBA Champions. Miami was trying to hold them off and force a final game 7. Game 6 came down to the wire with Miami down by 75-65 at the end of the 3rd quarter. With 28 seconds left in the fourth quarter the Heat were down by 5 points and they went on a 6-1 run. In dramatic fashion, hitting two 3-point shoots, Miami tied the game at the end of regulation forcing overtime (click here to see highlights). In the end the Miami Heat won game 6, 103-100 in overtime.

What can we learn from what has been called “The Best Game Ever” or “The Game of the Millenium?” Here are 6 lessons I took from Game 6 of the NBA Finals:

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Well, it is finally here, 2013 has begun…so let the resolutions begin! Did you know that, according to the Journal of Clinical Psychology (Volume 58, Issue 4), “people who explicitly make resolutions are 10 times more likely to attain their goals than people who don’t explicitly make resolutions.”

According to the same study, here are the top 10 resolutions:

I don’t know about you but I get excited when I am getting ready to attend a conference. The opportunity to get out of the day-to-day work and enjoy the company of colleagues from different parts of the country. I know I attend conferences for professional development, to learn, to gain new skills, and to network. Why do you go to conferences or workshops?

Once I leave a conference or a workshop it is back to emails, meetings and emergencies but what about everything you just learned? In the post below I will go through – The What? So What? Now What? of attending a conference or presentation. Read more

Currently, I am attending the 2012 Association of Intermountain Housing Officers (AIMHO) Annual Conference in Billings, Montana. My personal belief is if you are going to take the time to attend a conference, you should also take the time submit a program session proposal. Well, I did just that and am presenting a few program sessions at the conference. Read more