The 100 Day Challenge
January 13, 2010 by · Leave a Comment
Change Your Life in 100 Days
Consider what would happen if I were to follow you with a camera crew 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for the next 100 days while you went for your goals?
I bet 3 things would happen….
1) You would START doing the things you say you need to do.
2) You would STOP doing the things you know you shouldn't be doing.
3) You would MAKE monumental performance gains and change your life.
This is ALL possible through the discipline of accountability. Accountability serves and protects your character, credibility and commitments. It ensures that what you want to accomplish gets accomplished.
Throughout every area of your life it's important to understand that ALL unfinished goals, projects and relationships are the result of broken promises, unfulfilled commitments, and lack of accountability.
With that reality in mind, I wanted to share with you an exciting opportunity to achieve every goal you set, to enforce ultimate accountability into your life, and show you how you can make monumental performance gains.
Gary Ryan Blair, otherwise know as The Goals Guy has put together what I believe to be the most comprehensive approach to goal setting and performance enhancement.
It's called the 100 Day Start Fast Challenge and it begins on January 11th to help you start the year strong.
=> Click here: The 100 Day Challenge
The 100 Day Start Fast Challenge is a structured 14-week performance improvement program where challengers compete against themselves to achieve a number of challenging goals and start the year strong.
Free Special Report and Video
Gary is offering a powerful special report and video for free which is titled: How to Create Your Own Big Bang!
=> Click here: The 100 Day Challenge
This report in my opinion is worth its weight in gold as it shows you how to create huge performance gains quickly. I encourage you to get your copy right now.
So what are you waiting for? The clock is ticking and if you want to seriously improve your life and corresponding results, I encourage you to check out the 100 Day Start Fast Challenge today as it will be one of the smartest decisions you'll make all year.
=> Click here: The 100 Day Challenge
Regards,
Matt
A New Year’s Resolution For Financial Planning
January 1, 2010 by · 2 Comments
The market is slowly recovering from the plight of last year. Small businesses are growing and even large corporations are beginning to gain back some momentum. Each individual has a greater respect for financial planning than they did five years ago, and for good reason.
Each and every person makes tons and tons of tiny decisions every year that affect their financial life. And yes, large purchases like homes, cars and vacations impact a person’s finances. However, the long term culmination of tiny purchases makes up the truest version of our financial selves.
We all have indulges. Some rent movies, some smoke cigarettes. Consider each of these tiny purchases like little specks of sand. Imagine having your pocket full of sand. And let’s think of each one of these habits a tiny tear in that pocket. So for the person who rents movies every week there is a tiny tear in that pocket. For each movie a speck or two of sand falls out the tear.
What if that person has a lot of tiny tears? Many tiny purchases like gourmet coffee or the gas for a weekend joyride. That’s a lot of sand. Financial planning is not a matter of sealing up those tears, it’s just a roadmap so you can trace where the tears came from.
Depending on your discretionary income, you might have a lot of sand to get through. Why not make a point to put aside some of that money so you can build a sandcastle?
There are three basic steps to financial planning:
- Check out where you have been – Look at your receipts, bank accounts, etc and look over how you spend your money. You might be very surprised with what you come up with.
- Figure out where you are – Write a simple budget. Take your expected income and decide how to spend it. Don't forget the necessities like mortgage, car payments, etc.
- Dream where you want to go – Choose a vacation spot, create a fantasy of where you want to be in five, ten or twenty years. Knowing your end goal will make a big difference in how you spend your money.
Financial planning works best when you combine short and long term goals. Putting aside a hundred dollars a week for a couple years might sound downright tragic until you consider that turns out to be over $10,000. What could you do with that money?
Maybe you can't afford 100 a week, what about fifty or even twenty bucks. Skipping a movie night or quitting smoking can quickly add up to some serious money. Would you rather be an expert movie goer or the owner of a brand new car?
The biggest secret to financial planning is interest. You could easily make a million dollars if you start early enough. Even a hundred bucks a month, if put away in your twenties, will grow exponentially by retirement.
Haven't you ever wondered how that blue collar worker can retire to the Bahamas? He might have only made minimum wage his entire life, but he knew early on the true value of saving. It won't happen overnight, but it also won't cost that much. The true cost is time. If you have that on your side than you are well on your way to accomplishing all your financial dreams.
Make it a New Year's Resolution for 2010 to make financial planning a priority in your life. You won't regret it.
How To Keep A New Year’s Resolution By Setting Realistic Goals
December 29, 2009 by · Leave a Comment
How many times have you set a massive new year's resolution while thinking, "This will be a breeze"? You imagine yourself effortlessly undertaking your action steps each day, moving toward your chosen outcome, and reaching it in record time. Unfortunately, that's not the way it usually happens.
Instead, you find yourself struggling almost from the get-go, feeling overwhelmed and frustrated when you don't seem to be progressing as quickly as you planned. Rather than acknowledging that you may have set your sights too high, you may be tempted to give up altogether. Talk about a recipe for disaster!
Unfortunately, we often fail to realize that it is far easier to think about doing something than it is to actually DO it – especially if we're trying to achieve something radically different than what we're currently used to – like a new year's resolution.
With every goal you set, understand that there is going to be a period of transition as you work toward it. You can't expect to make a giant leap from mailroom clerk to CEO in a matter of weeks, or lose 50 pounds in a month, or go from being a couch potato to a marathon runner without first undertaking months of training.
The solution for this challenge is obvious: start smaller! Not many people will enjoy hearing that, but it's necessary unless you have an iron will and LOTS of patience.
There's nothing wrong with setting a big new year's resolutiono, but you also want to set goals that are actually achievable. That means either: setting smaller goals to start with, or lowering your expectations of how and when your goal will come to fruition. Which one you choose will depend on your personal preferences.
There are people who can set a large goal and diligently work toward it for years until they achieve it. They never lose sight of what they're working toward, and they're willing to wait patiently until they get where they want to be.
Personally, that has never worked for me. I like to see results – and I want those results to come as quickly as possible! I'd rather see small and steady progress now instead of waiting for a payoff years from now. Maybe you're the same way. If so, you'll probably be happier setting smaller goals and enjoying moderate results as you go along.
Remember, you can expand your goal as you go along too! If your ultimate goal is to be earning $100,000 a year with your own business but you feel too overwhelmed to try it, start with a smaller goal of $20,000 and then raise the amount when you reach that first benchmark. If you want to lose 50 pounds, try focusing on 10 pounds at a time. Fifty pounds sounds like a lot, but when you consider that it's only 5 sets of 10 pounds, it seems a lot more achievable.
Nearly any large goal can be broken down into smaller pieces – and when you focus on achieving those smaller goals they eventually add up to big success… and that's how you can keep a new year's resolution.
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Matt Peters |
Failure Is A Perception
October 10, 2009 by · Leave a Comment
Have you ever held back on doing something because you were afraid of failure? Most people have! I can count on my hands the number of times I took advantage of an opportunity and went for it, but I lost track of the number of times I held back. Let’s face it; no one likes to fail. You want to achieve your goals in life. None of us likes to feel like we’re ineffective, weak or lacking in any way, and that’s exactly how failure makes us feel. However, you may be surprised to know that failure doesn’t exist – until YOU say it does. In the dictionary, failure has several definitions:
1) a failing to do or perform
2) a state of inability to perform a normal function adequately
3) a fracturing or giving way under stress
4) a lack of success.
Look carefully at those definitions and you’ll probably realize they have one thing in common when it comes to goal achievement: failure is a PERCEPTION. If you believe you have failed, then you have. If you believe you don’t have the ability to succeed, then you don’t. If you believe you can’t handle the pressure of achieving your goals, you can’t. If you believe you’re not successful, you aren’t. Failure only exists in your own mind! The moment you decide to give up or stop working toward your goals, failure is born. But what if you never do that? What if you continue working toward your goals, one step at a time for as long as it takes? There’s no failure then, is there? Achieve Your Goals This insight should be very encouraging if you’ve been working toward goals and not yet seeing positive results. Simply keep going and you cannot fail! Here are three tips to help you stay strong and focused on your goals:
- Never give yourself an out. Most people do this without even realizing it. They are willing to work hard on achieving their goals, until the going gets too rough or their motivation dwindles. Don’t do that! Commit to making your goals happen, no matter what! Never quit, never contemplate admitting failure, and never lose your inner determination.
- Don’t get hooked on a specific timeframe for completion. It’s okay to set a general timeline, but be aware that some circumstances will be beyond your control, so you can’t say for sure when your goal will be achieved. If you do that, you’re just setting yourself up for failure! Instead, get a general idea of when you’d like your goal to be completed, but then take it a day at a time and focus on making progress, not reaching the finish line in as little time as possible.
- Finally, be sure that you don’t view obstacles and setbacks as failures. The two are completely different. An obstacle, setback or delay means only one thing: it’s not time for your goal to be completed yet. That’s it! It doesn’t mean you failed; it doesn’t mean you’re weak; it doesn’t mean you’ll never achieve your goals . It simply means you’re not done yet. You’ve got to keep moving forward and find a way around or through the obstacle.
Now go out, achieve your goals, and Finish Strong.
Finding a Better Work Life Balance through Goal Setting
September 27, 2009 by · Leave a Comment
Finding a good balance between work and the rest of life can feel like standing in the middle of a teeter-totter. Sometimes one end is up, but before long that end is on the ground with the other in the air. Trying to make this work life balance happen can be frustrating, overwhelming, and exhausting.
Fortunately, God has given us some ways to achieve this balance. One of these ways is through the Holy Spirit and human will, which we use to choose where we put our time and energy. To focus our wills, we have a specific tool: goal setting.
What is a Goal?
A goal is anything we invest time and energy into attaining, whether we make it explicit or not. When we make it through a workday by telling ourselves that lunch is just around the corner, that next meal is our goal.
As a Christian, it’s important that you make sure your goals are in line with what God desires for your life.
Philippians 4:8 tells us, “whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”
Thus, if any of your goals focus on something untrue or unjust, they are not taking you towards God.
Goals and the Work Life Balance
Goal setting is the key to achieving a healthy work life balance. Since God calls most of us to many things, this is an important balance to attain. Setting goals helps us decide what is considered a priority and how those priorities stack up against one another. Achieve your goals and you will become more and more the person God created you to be.
It’s important that your goals are realistic. If they aren’t, you won’t be able to achieve your goals and they will only frustrate you. So look at the things you believe God is calling you towards. This can include, but is not limited to, work, family, church, and various ministries where you serve others.
Once you have these priorities, look to the future. Ask yourself where you want to be in your work life balance in 1 month, 6 months, 1 year, and 5 years. Set a goal for each priority and within each time period. Examine these to make sure you can really achieve your goals in the time you’ve given yourself, particularly in light of each of the other goals. Change any goals that seem unrealistic in light of reality.
With your list of goals in hand, think of some solid steps you can take toward each one and note these next to the goal. These steps are your daily or weekly goals. When you achieve each of the smaller stages along the way, you’re one step closer to achieving your longer term goals.
After you go through this goal setting process several times, you will have a refined list of goals and steps to get there. Stick to them, and you will be able to not only achieve your goals, but find a solid work life balance as well.
Finish Strong.
