Archive for the ‘PMI’ Category

The comfort zone is a warm, safe place where things don’t go wrong. It’s also a place where no progress is made and no growth is achieved. In order to be successful you have to get outside your comfort zone, push the envelope, try new things, and other tired (yet still true) cliches.

Here are some things that may help you take that next step:

• A big part of success is people – who you know and who you work with. If things don’t seem to be going well, try finding a new partner, a new client, or a new mentor.
• Find passion and enthusiasm in what you do. It’s okay to rely on those tactics that pump you up, even if they’re not directly related to what you’re doing.
• Is there something you’re worried about or afraid of? Get out of your comfort zone by tackling your fears.
• Even though the goal is to improve your business, trying something totally unrelated – even something weird – can help put you in the right mindset moving forward.
• Get some courage elsewhere, then channel that energy to your business. Do something you’re good at, build up the confidence, and then attack your business head on.
• Put more structure and form into your environment or make it more chaotic. In other words, shake things up a bit to see what happens.

It can be overwhelming to think about the unknown or the potential for failure. The comfort zone is comfortable, but it doesn’t bring success. Don’t ignore the fear or the frustration, but overcome it by breaking out.

Setting goals is good, but reaching them is even better. Goals help you achieve greatness and leave you better than you were when you set them. Reaching goals brings a sense of accomplishment that is reward enough for the effort involved.

Accomplish your goals by doing one thing every day that will bring you closer to them. Some days, that might mean taking a large portion of time and making good progress. Other times it might only involve a few minutes of Internet research. But whatever you have to do, be sure to set aside time every day for your goals. Here are some ways you can spend that time:

1. Work on the goal directly. If you are training for a marathon, for example, this would include running. Most days, this is the type of work you will be doing on your goal – the sometimes mundane tasks that you need to be consistent in if you are serious about reaching your goals. As you begin to make progress and show improvements, this part of the process can be the most rewarding.
2. Take care of logistics. This type of work takes less time and is a good way to work on your goals on particularly busy days. If you have a goal to write a book, you’ll need to look into possible publishers and find an editor. Getting these things taken care of is an important part of reaching your goals and allows you to work toward your goals even when you’re not doing so directly.
3. Evaluate and adjust. In order for you to be productive in your efforts, your work needs to be well-planned. Take some time every once in a while to evaluate your progress and make adjustments. See if you’ve reached milestones and determine if you need to speed up or slow down. Maybe you need to set your sights a bit higher or give yourself more time. Periodically re-evaluating your goals helps you stay on track and ensure you’re making progress.

May this New Year bring you many opportunities to explore the joys of life. And may your resolutions for the days ahead stay firm, turning your efforts into achievements and your dreams into reality.

Most people, myself included, base too much of their happiness on getting and having. My Dad always used to comment on my childhood moments of greediness with a cryptic statement, “arrows in”. Arrows are his diagram-able symbol for thoughts and “arrows pointing in” meant that we thought of ourselves more than we thought about others. I remember the first time I earned the comment “arrows out” from my Dad – a day when, after ditching my adoring (and annoying) little sisters to go to a movie that they desperately wanted to see, I turned around and came home and invited them to a later showing with me. This gesture was pathetically small, but it felt good to make someone else happy for a change.

If you ever feel overwhelmed by your own problems or just stuck in a rut, try helping a friend with one of their issues or volunteering your time to a charity. You’d be surprised what a little perspective can do for your mood.