Setting Goals

Needs vs. Wants

Needs vs. Wants

In my post on Saturday, I highlighted a Daily Boost Podcast titled How Bad Do You Want to Live Your Dreams.  During this podcast, the host challenges us to think about the things we want in life. Below is the quote that really struck me: “You will always do what you...

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The Long Run

The Long Run

When we think about our careers, we often don’t look beyond the next role or promotion we hope to achieve.  Exploration of opportunities involves looking at the roles of others in your company or occasionally pursuing LinkedIn to see what interesting roles may be...

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Who’s Really Holding You Back?

Who’s Really Holding You Back?

We all have goals.  Become a writer. Lose weight.  Get a promotion. Be more organized. Improve a relationship with a co-worker. The list is endless.  Most goals we set are within reach.  Yet, we struggle to make them happen. Why do we self-sabotage...

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Self-Help: Two Sides to Personal Development

Self-Help: Two Sides to Personal Development

I’ve spent a lot of time struggling with the fact that personal development tends to fall into the category of “self-help”.  Today, I did some research, dug under the surface, and came to some conclusions about the genre. Rooted in HELP The source of my challenge with...

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Turn a Dream into a Plan

Turn a Dream into a Plan

As January winds down, our resolutions may be starting to fade away as the year ramps into full swing. This is the perfect time to double down on a dream and turn it into a plan.  Our dreams live in our heads. The things we want to do “someday”. Making the dream...

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Seeds for What’s Next

Seeds for What’s Next

This morning I listened to a podcast by Laura Vanderkam titled “Plant Seeds to Enjoy the Harvest”.  The concept was that you need to intentionally plant seeds so that things have an opportunity for a harvest in the future.  I think this is an interesting concept...

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Achieving Goals

Achieving Goals

January is a time of setting goals, hopes, and aspirations for the year ahead.  The dreaming part is exciting and fun.  The doing part is where the fun can start to plummet. One of the best ways to improve your chances of meeting your goals is to increase...

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Considering Your New Years Resolutions

Considering Your New Years Resolutions

There are many people who set New Year’s resolutions and we hear that most abandon them by mid-February at the latest.  I wonder what’s the point of setting a resolution if you are going to give up 40 days into the 365? For those who do make resolutions, an...

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Don’t Wait for “When”

Don’t Wait for “When”

Life is full of moments when we say, "when this happens, I will (fill in the blank)". We wait for many reasons: When I get my first job. When I retire. When work is a bit less busy. When the kids go to college. When I move out of my parents’ house. When I get...

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Start by Starting

Start by Starting

This phrase came into being about a year ago in conversation with members of The Carbon Almanac community. We were talking about the tendency to postpone or avoid projects that are large, daunting, and don’t have a clear solution. The idea was that if you just did...

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A Different Kind of Resolution

A Different Kind of Resolution

When we think about the year ahead, many of the intentions we set focus on things in our lives that we want to improve in some way.  We may want to exercise more, improve relationships, or stop a bad habit.  The tendency is to make the resolutions around...

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Celebrate a Habit

Celebrate a Habit

Much is written this time of year about setting goals and changing habits. The focus is striving toward something that will make your life “better”. I am an advocate of personal development and join in the annual quest to embrace the year ahead. In fact, yesterday, I...

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20 Questions for Reflection at the End of 2022

20 Questions for Reflection at the End of 2022

As 2022 comes to a close, you may be asking yourself, "why should I do a year end review?". Even for those who spend time each year reflecting, sometimes it can be difficult at the end of the year to find the time and space to think about the year gone by. While I can...

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What Does it Feel Like to Emerge?

What Does it Feel Like to Emerge?

Each year, I select a word to guide my ambitions and goals for the year ahead.  December is a great time to reflect on what has been accomplished and evaluate how the word guided my year.  I consider the impact that it had and start to set the foundation for the next...

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Why Shift from New Year’s Resolutions to New Habits?

Why Shift from New Year’s Resolutions to New Habits?

Photo Credit - Lori Sullivan The New Year often brings with it resolutions. Webster's defines a resolution as "a firm decision to do or not to do something." And, many studies indicate that most of us will quit the resolution before the end of January. So, with the...

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5 Tips to Kick off a Great 2021

5 Tips to Kick off a Great 2021

Photo Credit - Lori Sullivan A new year starts full of possibility. While we are still social distancing and many businesses remain closed, the new year holds the promise of achieving anything you set out to do. I lot of people (myself included) spend some time at the...

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Small Steps Add Up Over Time

Small Steps Add Up Over Time

Photo Credit - Lori Sullivan In remembering the life of Ruth Bader Ginsburg this week, I saw the quote in the image above in many of my social media feeds. The quote struck me in relation to personal development. I've been thinking a lot lately about how consistent...

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Working ON Your Life vs. IN Your Life

Working ON Your Life vs. IN Your Life

Photo Credit - Lori Sullivan Photography Years ago, the concept of working on your business vs. in your business got a lot of attention and discussion. The concept was that we are all so busy working "in" the business that we don't spend enough time working "on" the...

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Investing in Yourself

Investing in Yourself

Over the years, I’ve been taught to put away a percent of your salary to “Invest in your future”.  I started my first post-college job back in 1991 and I started saving 6-10% of my income.  I was investing in the future.  When I got married, we both...

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Lessons from a Squirrel

Lessons from a Squirrel

Today, a squirrel was out on our birdfeeder – the tricky one that is supposed to keep squirrels away. This squirrel clearly did not have any clue that he wasn’t supposed to be able to eat the food from this feeder.  He balanced, he hung down by his feet, he...

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