Happy new year!

I’ve talked to several people who’ve set goals for 2016 and several who haven’t. There are a lot of benefits to setting goals. They give you something positive to focus on as well as permission to say “no” to other things. They also tell you when to act and when you are making progress – and when to celebrate!

If you don’t like a structured process to goal setting, I would still encourage you to create a little space for your thoughts about what you want in 2016. Because everything gets created twice; first it’s a thought and then it’s a thing. So set aside 30 minutes by yourself to have a cup of coffee and ask yourself one simple, but powerful question: “what would I do in 2016 if I really, completely loved myself?”

Ponder away!

p.s. Your comments/likes are most welcome on this post at https://www.facebook.com/jenfrankcoaching

p.p.s. If your goal for 2016 is career or job related and you are in the Memphis area, I’m running a three-month group career coaching program beginning January 25 – and there is one space left! If you are interested, contact me now. Details can be found at https://jenfrankcoaching.com/career-group-jan-2016/

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’Tis the season to set goals for the new year. Unfortunately, statistics from the University of Scranton show that only about 8% of people successfully achieve their New Year’s resolutions.

But not setting goals isn’t a good alternative. However, you might be surprised to know that you already have a plan — and the results are your current life. If you don’t like the results you’re getting, then it’s time to change your plan. It’s time to set intentional, conscious goals for what you want more of in your life in 2016.

Why bother? Your goals will provide clarity, provoke action, and help you say “no” to other things; they’ll give you something positive to focus on; and they’ll illuminate your progress as well as show you when to celebrate.

Here are a few tips for setting your 2016 goals:
–  Put your goal in writing. Find a specific goal you feel excited about and have energy behind. Then write it down and put it where you’ll see it often. Writing your goal down increases your chances of success by 40% (so says a goal-setting study from the Dominican University in California).
–  Get a vision of what success. Imagine achieving your goal. What does that look like? How does that feel? Connect with those feelings; that’s where real, lasting motivation comes from.
–  Take action. Do the next thing you can from where you are with what you have. If you are having trouble getting started, make the action smaller.
–  Rinse and repeat. Spend time with your vision (and the associated feelings) as often as possible, and keep taking the next step from where you are with what you have.
–  Be kind. Expect a setback or two, and celebrate your successes along the way — both big and small.

Yes, this is the simplified version for setting and working towards a goal, but it is the general formula for success. The real secret? Getting the support you need — and that will look different for each person.

So what’s the goal you want to dedicate yourself to in 2016? What can you imagine achieving?

Start now!

p.s. Your comments/likes are most welcome on this post at https://www.facebook.com/jenfrankcoaching

p.p.s. If your goal for 2016 is career or job related and you are in the Memphis area, I’m running a three-month group career coaching program beginning in January. Come explore, discover, and begin taking action — all in a supportive environment. The deadline to register is December 23 and more details can be found at https://jenfrankcoaching.com/career-group-jan-2016/

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Last month I was working with a career coaching client in her twenties. We were doing an exercise designed to uncover what she really wanted from a job. Lots of great clues and requirements were coming up that we recorded. As I encouraged my client, she said, “aren’t you supposed to tell me that I shouldn’t expect to get all of this?” Hmm.

I explained to her that we wanted to capture everything that was important to her in a job. From there, she could continue her search, consider her options and then make compromises, if needed. But we always want to aim for “awesome” — and then come back to “great,” if necessary. We don’t want to set our sights on “adequate” and then compromise our way to “misery.”

Is there an area of your life where you’ve set the bar a little too low? Do you need to aim higher so you “land among the stars?”

Shoot for awesome!

p.s.  Your comments/likes are most welcome on this post at https://www.facebook.com/jenfrankcoaching

p.p.s.  If you are in the Memphis area, I’m running a three-month group career coaching program beginning in January. Come explore, discover, and begin taking action — all in a supportive environment. More details can be found at https://jenfrankcoaching.com/career-group-jan-2016/.

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If you’d like a little gospel music accompaniment while you read this, here’s Hezekiah Walker’s “Grateful”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yE0W-kQyz6A Read slowly though; “Grateful” doesn’t really kick in until after the 3 minute mark!

This year has been full of blessings and challenges. Like many people, I am pretty good about pausing and saying a silent “thank you” to the universe when positive things happen.

In tough times, I can still point to the many wonderful people and things in my life. Gratitude is a terrific practice to ground us in the present and remind us that our lives are full of joy and abundance – regardless of our present circumstances.

Where gratitude gets harder for me is being grateful for the challenges themselves. There are lessons and growth – even goodness – in our difficulties, but can we allow gratitude to exist alongside our sadness, fear or anger?

During the past year, the best I was able to do at times was to bless my challenges, knowing that I would be grateful for them later – even if I couldn’t connect to that gratitude at the time.

This Thanksgiving, I am grateful to be a work in progress. I am grateful for the challenges that help me grow and become more than I am today. And, as always, I am grateful for the many blessings in my life – including you!

What blessings and challenges are you grateful for this holiday season?

Happy Thanksgiving!

p.s.  Your comments/likes are most welcome on this post at https://www.facebook.com/jenfrankcoaching

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