New Year Rituals- kickstart 2013

What are your new year rituals?  

Do you set resolutions?  Do you call them something different?

 I enjoy hearing how other people kickstart their new year and celebrate the one coming to a close. 

Recently I read a newsletter by an author and transformational speaker I greatly respect, Marci Shimoff.  She has a new year ritual that was most intriguing. Whether done alone or with your partner, best friend, a mastermind group or a circle of closest friends, Marci's ritual sounds to be quite powerful. The first step is to share aloud the things from the year that you want to let go of (that could be habits, fears, challenges, incidents, etc.). The next step that Marci outlined was to then share aloud what you are grateful for from the past year. This could be accomplishments and successes, your own personal growth, and people. Then say aloud everything that you would like to bring into and welcome with this new year. Your goals. Your visions. Your plans, habits, and actions that you want to allow. 

What do you need to let go of in 2013?

What do you need to welcome this year?

What are your next steps?

You can listen to an interview I did with Marci here:  http://www.blogtalkradio.com/charmainehammond/2012/05/30/guests-victoria-labalme-and-marci-shimoff

She offers fantastic tips about happiness, how to let go and about forgiveness.

Every step taken towards your goal, an action a day, is 365 steps towards what you want to achieve.  Each step matters.

Wishing you a great year !

               

5 Keys for Setting Intentions for 2013

Happy New Year!

 

Today I introduce my friend Pragito Dove to share her perspectives and blog on setting intentions for the new year.

 

By Pragito Dove

The first thing about setting intentions is that you have to really, really want them to happen. You might be amongst the fortunate  whose dreams come true quickly. For most people, however, there are ups and downs along the path. The more you really want your dream, the more likely it is to happen.

KEY# 1: GET CLEAR ON WHAT YOU WANT AND HOW MUCH YOU WANT IT

Many of us still do not know what we are seeking. Sit silently and get a  clear idea of what you want to happen in 2013. It’s important to have an emotional connection to what you want because your emotions root you into a deeper level of participation in life.

We are vibrational frequencies of energy.

Everything we are creating is exactly as we intend it to be. If you think negative thoughts, you attract negative outcomes. Positive thoughts attract positive outcomes.

Your subconscious mind (approximately 90% of you) recognizes and acts only upon thoughts which have been well-mixed with emotion or feeling.

The main reason people don’t get the results they want is because plain, unemotional words do not influence the subconscious mind. So ask for things that have an emotional connection for you. Your chances of success will be much higher.

KEY #2: LIVE ON PURPOSE

Be willing to allow what you want to be of service to the planet. When we live on purpose, really intending for the highest good of everyone concerned, the universe supports us in unimaginable ways.

You are really super creative and can be a container for holding powerful work that is going to have a transformational impact on the world and is going to be of service to the world.

If you are thinking about your own egoic needs, wanting something so that you can feel better about yourself, you keep yourself small. When you shift from “I want, I need” mentality, to how can I give more? how can I serve more? how can I hold more in a greater way? you expand into a higher vibrational frequency.  The universe is begging to support you – you just need to open up and tap in to that place where you can be of service.

When we vibrate with the cosmos, the cosmos clears the path and leads the way for us.

KEY #3: BE WILLING TO HEAL YOUR WOUNDS

Most of us never received the tools or the information that we need to create the lives we dream of living. You may have beliefs, deeply rooted in the subconscious and covered over with layers of fear and pain, that you will never amount to anything, that you will never be successful, that your dreams will never come true.

Your beliefs become your thoughts, become your actions, become your habits, become your character, become your destiny.

As long as you live the same patterning of thoughts and beliefs (karma), you have the same reactivity to situations in your life. And …… you create what you’re afraid of.

In your meditation practice, you can ask: what is the core belief causing me to doubt myself? What is the feeling in the body?(They are connected!) What is the fear?

Offer kindness and presence to these places that are in pain and afraid.

Awareness allows us to rest in something bigger and not have to keep repeating the same patterning. Your core beliefs dissolve,and the truth -  that you are a joyful, creative, magnificent being – arises.

You become the creator of your life, instead of being the victim of past circumstances.

KEY #4: BE PATIENT

The challenges and hardships we face in life – more often than not- cause us to lose faith in ourselves, in our abilities, and in our dreams.

There is a seed of peace, joy, love, and wisdom in each of us.

Don’t get mad at the seed because it doesn’t grow fast enough! Nurture and nourish this seed in your meditation practice, even if it’s for just a few minutes a day, and you will be richly rewarded. Hang in there, stay present, don’t give up. Shining the light of awareness on core beliefs is powerful beyond measure.

KEY #5: TRUST WHERE YOU ARE

Be aware of the mind wanting to rush ahead into the future and judge and compare you with others. The more you live in the present moment, with gratitude for what you have NOW, the more likely the intentions you express  will unfold in a positive way.

Join Pragito on New Year’s Day for a FREE Teleseminar To Kick Start 2013
“Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Life”

Business Plans & Goals: The SMARTER Way

Business Planning and Goals: The SMARTER Way

I learned the SMART way of setting goals many years ago (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely).   

For Many years, this was the process I used in facilitating goal setting sessions, business planning and team building with my corporate clients.  Several years ago  I created my own take on SMARTER planning and goal setting, every year I used this to set my goals for the new year:

 

S- Set the intention: Get clear on your goals; think about what success looks like.

Make a decision to take action and succeed.

 M- Map out the plan. Clearly define action steps, accountability partners and resources needed. Determine some rewards for success.

 A-  Ask for help. Have an accountability partner or team up with someone.

R- Retrain the brain. Keep focused on goals and avoid being distracted by the BSOD’s (bright shiny objects & distractions) that move you away from your goals.

T- Take the step and tell others. When you act, and include others, it creates a sense of synergy, and mutual support. Take three steps every day towards your goals.  In one week, 3 actions becomes 15, and in a month you have accomplished 60 strategic actions.

E- Educate and Evaluate. Make sure you have the information you need to succeed. Evaluate success and progress. Monitor your actions and the results on a regular basis. Modify your action plan as needed.

R- Review and Learn. Review Progress regularly. Be patient and flexible- know sometimes it feels like you are not making progress. Two steps forward and one back, but the good news is you are still moving forward.

(Hammond, 2010)

The Review and Learn Process:

1. What went well

2.  What was a challenge

3.  What did I/we learn

4.  What will I/we do differently next time

These are the very questions I use in strategic planning, and team building processes

The Process

• —  Make a decision on what you want to accomplish (and know WHY)
• —  Write it down
• —  Assign deadlines and schedules
• —  Mind map the actions (every single task)
• —  Create the plan (strategic and operational)
• —  Take success action steps daily 

Summary:
1) Set SMARTER Goals
2) Complete the review and learn process
3) Create your  Plan

As you wind down 2012 and move into a new year.... what three actions will you take to  create a plan for success for the New Year?

Wishing you all the very best in 2013!

Creating Your Extra-Ordinary Business

What are the qualities of an extraordinary business?

Think of the businesses you have dealt with over the years. What sets apart the ordinary business and the extraordinary business?

This was the topic of conversation when I was on Jim Nemley's radio show "Building your Extraordinary Business."  Jim's questions really challenged me to reflect on our business journey over the last sixteen years.

Some of our biggest learnings that contributed to our success over the years included:

1) Champion others
2) Communicate clearly
3) Connect and share your influence
4) Chart out your goals, plans and what success looks like
5) Celebrate successes (small wins and big accomplishments) along the way

As you start to map out your next year business goals, consider how you will go higher on the scale of being an extraordinary business.  Consider:

a) Who can you ask for help, guidance or support?
b) What three things can you start doing, stop doing or do more effectively to take your business to the next level?
c) What were your best learnings in 2012, that can help you kickstart 2013?

You can listen to the conversation through this link:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/jim-nemley/2012/10/24/the-building-your-extraordinary-business-radio-program

  Wishing you a great wind down of 2012 and wonderful beginnings for the new year ahead.