I woke up this morning with two questions on my mind: (and no, one was not, “Do I have time to run to the local coffee shop before my family wakes up?”) “Is what I’m doing in alignment with where I want to go in my life both personally and professionally?” and “What are the things I can do now to move my Big ideas, dreams, and goals forward at a faster pace?” These are two essential questions that all smart women should be asking themselves on a regular basis.
Have you ever been in a situation in your business or personal life where you are frustrated with the process or outcome? Do you ever find yourself asking, “How did I get here?” or “How did this happen?” This is why it is so important to make sure that your actions and decisions are in alignment with where you want to go.
An example would be taking on a client or project that you know is not a good fit because you don’t want to say no to the work. Or maybe you commit to an outing with friends or family because you don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings. We, as women, tend to say “Yes!” too often and become frustrated with the outcome because we are “nurturers by nature” and we tend to the needs of others before our own.
Is your current action plan moving you forward at a faster pace toward your goals? I exercise in Santa Monica in an area where a few of the running clubs meet to train for the LA Marathon. If you are training for the Marathon, you can choose to do this on your own or you can train with a running club, which appears to move everyone forward at a faster, healthier, injury-free pace.
Are you making decisions that will move you in the direction you want to go in the time frame that you desire? Are the decisions you make keeping you where you are, or moving you toward where you want to be in the future? Big difference in the thinking process. Big difference in the outcome as well.
Have you taken the time to reflect on how you want your business life and personal life to unfold? In my work with women, this is essential to the process. The Women’s Success Circles are an effective tool that women use to create the time and peaceful space to think about how they want to craft their lives moving forward. Whether it’s starting a new venture, taking a business to the next level, or determining what’s next in your life, it’s important that you create the time and space to align your goals with the correct action steps.
This morning when I awoke with these two questions, I jumped out of bed, ran up to my office and jotted them down on an oversized piece of white paper. I’m a big fan of oversized, unlined, white paper. It really sparks creativity for me. You might want to try this as well. I then took some time to diagram what I really want to happen in my business and my personal life. And guess where this oversized piece of paper sits? Right where I can see it in my office at all times. I let this serve as a reminder when requests are made of me and also when opportunities arise. Another tool that I use for myself and in the Women’s Success Circles is a Vision Board process. Vision boards are created with pictures, photographs, and any visual effects that will serve as a reminder to women about making decisions that are aligned with their future goals.
I invite you to jot those two questions down somewhere in a place where you will see them often. Reflect on where you are going and where you want to be. Ensure that the decisions you make each day are ones that are in alignment with your desired goals.
© 2008 Joy Chudacoff
WANT TO SEE MORE ARTICLES LIKE THIS ONE?
See Joy's website Smart Women Smart Solutions.
WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Joy Chudacoff is the founder of Smart Women Smart Solutions, a Certified Professional Coach and Motivational Speaker. To read more articles by Joy and learn more about her Success Circle workshops, teleseminars or keynote topics, please visit her website, www.SmartWomenSolutions.com or contact Joy at Joy@SmartWomenSolutions.com.
Thanks for the great article, I couldn’t have said it better myself! I will not print names, but a certain man that I partnered with in a business venture told me that I was crazy when I started using glyphius for my marketing, now he swears that he introduced me to it. Whatever, if it makes him happy, so be it!