Benefits of Goal SettingGoal setting helps us determine our priorities, get organized, make big decisions, and realize our dreams. The act of merely setting a goal brings about positive change for many people. When you set a goal you are creating an exciting challenge for yourself. Almost all motivational experts incorporate goal setting as an important part of their programs. The effectiveness of Goal Setting can be seen in the incredible accomplishments of people such as: Henry Ford who wanted to make cars affordable for everyone, Bill Gates whose goal was to have a computer in every household, and John F. Kennedy who set out to put a man on the moon within a decade. There is a famous story about Jim Carrey who, while struggling as an actor in 1987, drove his car up on Mulholland Drive in the Hollywood hills to think about the future. While sitting there overlooking the city of Los Angeles he wrote a check made out to himself for "acting services rendered" in the amount of $10 million. He dated the check for Thanksgiving of 1995. Jim's Goal turned out to be conservative because by the time 1995 rolled around he was making $20 million a movie.The objective of MyGoalManager.com is to direct the user through the entire Goal process from definition to achievement. This Goal Achievement process entails the following requirements:Well formed Goal Statements
Breaking goals down into manageable Steps
Motivation and Commitment
Reminders and Keeping on track
Frequent Review and Re-assessment1. Well formed Goal StatementsThe Goal Statement forms the basis for the entire process so careful attention should be placed on formulating a clear and accurate goal statement. A good way to remember how a goal statement should be defined is the old S.M.A.R.T. acronym used by many experts in goal setting. SMART stands for:Specific
Measurable
Action-Oriented
Realistic
TangibleThe Goal should be specific enough so that we know exactly what we are striving for, measurable so we know exactly what is to be accomplished and when it has been reached, action-oriented declaring positive activity that will produce results, realistic in that it is practical and can be achieved given the limited availability of resources, and tangible meaning concrete and not vague. The goal statement "Increase sales 25% by the end of the fiscal year without increasing advertising spending" is an example that follows these rules.2. Breaking down Goals into manageable StepsOnce we have a well-formed Goal Statement we need some direction to follow to achieve this Goal. While the goal "Increase sales 25% by the end of the fiscal year without increasing advertising spending" is a great goal statement, this is a monumental task without being broken down into smaller detailed steps. The creation of Goal Steps gives us an "Action Plan" that when completed will lead to Goal Achievement. Steps also allow for tracking of progress towards the goal. Goal Steps should be positive and not used to list obstacles that must be overcome which focuses on the negative. Negativity can kill motivation but there is power in positive thinking.3. Motivation and CommitmentMotivation and commitment are what make us strive to achievement. They give us the push, desire, and resolve to complete all of the other steps in the Goal process. This motivation can be obtained by developing a personal statement that creates a high level of emotion and energy that guarantees achievement. One self help expert said that as a child he was kicked out of his local country club pool because he was not a member, in response he later made a goal that he would one day have a pool that is one foot bigger than that country club's pool. The motivation of being asked to leave the pool provided the necessary fuel for him to achieve this goal. Commitment creates more accountability and is what sets us on direct course to reach our goals. It may create costly negative consequences upon failure to attain a goal. Making a commitment might be something like having invested your savings in your new business which you will lose if it fails. Motivation and commitment are specific to your situation and life and only you can form statements that will ensure you reach your goal the quickest. The more personal you make your motivation and commitment statements for each goal, the more motivated you will be to accomplish your goal.4. Reminders and Keeping on TrackReaching our goals requires persistence and regular attention. We need some sort of system to keep us reminded and accountable. MyGoalManager.com uses a combination reminder emails, calendars, and reports to keep users organized and on track. Sharing goals with others who can give you help and support is a highly effective way to increase your chances for success. If some accountability system is not used then we are likely to lose sight and fail.5. Frequent Review and Re-assessmentWhen we first sit down and start to define goals it can seem like a difficult and daunting task but over time it begins to get much easier. Patience is required. Goal Setting is definitely an ongoing process that is accomplished over time. Any goals program that defines goals and then ignores them will fail. All goals due in the next year should be reviewed at least once a week and daily if possible. The great thing about frequent review is that this forces us to make big decisions and determine priorities in our life. We should keep watch for goals that are not being achieved on time or for goals on which we keep extending the deadline.I hope this article will help you achieve your goals and give you more focus and direction. Good luck as you realize all of your greatest dreams. Go to http://www.mygoalmanager.com to get started on your goals now!MyGoalManager.com is an easy to use Goal Setting and Achievement System that directs you step-by-step through prioritized goal definition, plan of action formulation, motivation, reminders, and guidance reviews. MyGoalManager.com is owned and operated by Gruve International (http://www.gruveintl.com).

Your business can't go according to plan if you have no plan.What do you want to achieve this year? More new customers per week? Higher average order amounts? Better customer service ratings? No matter what it is you are shooting for, goal setting is one of the most important things that you will do in the New Year. I've got a few tips to help you get there.1. Keep it Challenging but Realistic.Any goal that you set for your company should be challenging but don't over do it. For example, if you had an average order amount of $700 last year, you wouldn't want to set your goal for this year at $3000 per order. Unless you make drastic changes in how your company runs or what you are selling, that goal is just not realistic. You know best what you may be able to achieve in your particular industry, so be honest with yourself and set your goals accordingly.2. Write All Your Goals Down.You may say to yourself on January 1, "I want to get 20 more new customers per week this year." A few months later you will be saying "Did I say I wanted 20 or 30?" Or more realistically, you have forgotten that you even made that goal. If you have all of your goals written down you will be able to not only go back and check them, you will also be able to go down the list every few months and check to see how many of them you have completed.3. Assess Your Current Situation.To set goals you have to know where you are at right now. In 2003 I wanted to assess our customer service rating so we sent out a survey to all of our customers on which they could rate us in each department of our operation. That helped us establish our base. Now we send the survey to every customer after every order. This way we can keep track of how we are doing and if there is ever a hiccup we can fix it quickly. Don't assume anything. Always assess the current situation before setting a new goal.It's Only Going to Hurt A Little...Now, in financial goal setting for your business, one invariably comes to the question: "How do I decide on a budget when starting a marketing plan?"This is obviously the first question that you have to answer in order to get started on your new campaign. And in order to reach the income goals you have set for yourself.So how do you figure out what your budget should be? Here is an easy method to help you find a number that is going to work for you and your business. Some might say that it is a good rule of thumb, but I personally judge things on whether or not they work and get results. That's all.Moving on... Start with the amount of income that your company generated last month and multiply it by .14 (or 14%). That means that if you had $50,000 in Gross Income last month you should budget to spend $7000 on marketing in the next month. Wait... I know, it sounds painful but it is just like a shot at the doctor. It might hurt for a minute (or in this case a month) but down the road you are going to be glad that you went through it. Putting that much toward the right marketing will bump up your income the next month and start you on a cycle of steady growth.I know that some businesses run tighter than others and it is possible that you won't be comfortable with that amount in the beginning. Don't misunderstand me, any marketing is better than no marketing. Don't get discouraged if your budget is lower than 14%. But use 14% as the ideal to strive for because, for me as well as many other growing businesses, it has proven to give the best rate of growth possible. How do I know, you ask? My company has expanded 400% in the past 2 years. Now picture your business at 4 times its current size... There's that smile I was looking for!The growth of your business is based on three factors; quality products, great customer service and the proper amount of marketing. If you know you have the first two taken care and you still aren't experiencing healthy growth then you need to take a serious look at your marketing budget.So sharpen your pencils, start calculating and decide how rapidly you want your business to grow.Please take a moment this week to sit down and decide on your goals for the New Year. Even if it is past the New Year and even well into the year, set your goals for the rest of the year.Everything is easier when are working towards a goal. My goal is your success and I assume that is your goal as well.Joy Gendusa founded PostcardMania in 1998; her only assets a computer and a phone. In 2004 the company did close to $9 million in sales and employs over 60 persons. She attributes her explosive growth to her ability to choose incredible staff and her innate marketing savvy. Now she's sharing her marketing secrets with others. For more free marketing advice, visit her website at http://www.postcardmania.com

At the beginning of the year, there's often an orgy of goal setting. People get into a collective frenzy about setting personal and professional goals.Traditional goal setting often doesn't work because we are not in vibrational harmony with our goals. The feelings we have about our goals aren't aligned with our thoughts. So we often effort and take too much action before we've properly aligned our feelings and beliefs.Here are 4 Steps to Inspired Goal Setting.1. Know why you want the goalMany of us to becoming specific about our goals way too early. We haven't felt the essence of why we want what we want. We really need to feel our desire about our goals.What is it we really want; more time to spend with loved ones, space, a sense of aliveness, pleasure, joy. If we don't know why we want what we want, then all the action in the world won't make any difference.You could also call it the Vision Thing. To have a bigger vision regarding our lives puts goal setting in context and makes them far easier to achieve. If your goal is a "have to" "must" or an
"ought to", then it aint gonna happen. You joined that gym because you "had to" lose weight and how often did you go?2. Gain clarity about your desireHaven't you already done that? Well, partially. You can only set personal and professional goals for yourself. If your desire isn't there, then it aint happening:.)If your goals aren't crafted with your true desires in mind, then they'll go unfulfilled and/or self sabotage is often the result. It's important to be excited by the possibilities that
working towards your goal will bring.Also, cultural and social expectations often shape our goals as to what we think we can have as opposed to what we actually want - so need to gain clarity about what is truly your desire and what belongs to other people.You'll never be able to do enough to satisfy other people, so stick to satisfying yourself.3. The SpecificationOnce you've ramped up your desire and feelings about the goal, here is where the SMART model (S = Specific, M= Measurable A= Action orientated R= Realistic, T= Time based) comes in.
Write down your specification in rich feeling detail and then............4. ............. Let GoThat's right. Let go of your judgements, your timing of when it should happen, your attachment to the outcome looking the way you think it ought to look.Letting go means that you stop efforting and yearning and waiting. This frees you up so that you are not wedded or
attached to a specific outcome, but let the Universe deliver.From here you start to use your intuition and take inspired action. Inspired action is effortless. You take action from a place of feeling good.It opens you up to receiving ideas, opportunities and different
kinds of assistance. You may find yourself drawn to call someone,
or someone contacts you out of the blue. For some reason you take a different route to work and you see something that gives you an idea.You do less as more comes to you. You stop "having" to do things and end up effortlessly achieving your goals.And if you don't achieve your goal(s)..........................Reframe it - maybe the Universe was telling you that this wasn't the right path and was leading you to something better, even though you didn't always see it at the the time. Hasn't that often happened in your experience?Follow the above process and you'll find yourself achieving your goals with much more ease and joy.Julie Plenty helps creatively self employed people prosper by using the Law of Attraction, because they ARE their business. For more self empowerment and Law of Attraction articles, and to sign up for her Life Design newsletter, visit:http://www.self-empowerment-zone.com

There is an old way of goal setting and a new way of goal setting!The old way of goal-setting involved setting yor goals, preparing a list of sub-goals, and then carefully checking them off one after another (as and when they were being accomplished). Am I trying o pour cold water on the goal setting method many of us grw up on?Not necessarilyWhile I am not saying the step-by-step approach does not work, I am advocating a flexible-goal setting approach.The flexible goal-setting approach acknowledges the presence of chaos and unpredictability of our modern times, where change is rapid and conditions shift in an instant.What's more, a tiny weeny change nowadays has the potential to create major upsets and instability.Enter the flexible goal-setting system. And, this is how it operates.Set big-picture, life-enhancing goals with flexible sub-goals that you can adjust to fit in with shifting conditions. The simplest way of putting this into practice is to build into your goal-setting, daily incremental steps that aggregate into your vision. Add to this sub-goal A, sub-goal B, sub-goal C, maybe sub-goal D.Remember, each sub-goal must be flexible enough to respond adequately to the requirements of the shifting conidtions.You don't want to throw your hands in the air in desperation because your plans and goals have been derailed, do you?Well, the 'Kaizen of Goal Setting' is about knowing the difference between the old and the new, and applying it to your goal setting.Ke o agile edits and publishes In TheZone, an NLP focused ezine that coaches creating an abundant lifestyle. To stay current, Ke o agile accesses http://inthezone.port5.com/2daedge.htm where attains a competitive edge.

My goal in life is to have no goals. They get in the way of true progress.Plenty of successful people swear by goal setting. They're praising the wrong behavior. Brain research tells us that the goals don't matter--it's the intention that gets us where we want to go.Intentions and goals are not the same. Goals tend to be arbitrary and number-oriented, such as the number of pounds lost, amount of money earned, number of hours spent in the gym, number of new clients introduced or new products developed. Intentions are big-picture statements about what fulfills you. It's a little harder to measure an intention, but the results are more meaningful.Let's say you want to lose 20 pounds. How will you feel when you do that? What will your life be like if you are 20 pounds lighter? Establishing an intention requires recognizing what will satisfy you.You want to lose weight so that you will feel healthy, strong, fit, confident, attractive, and sexy. The number on the scale isn't what matters most--it's how you feel each day.Here's a weight loss goal: I will lose 20 pounds in five months.Here's an intention: I feel strong, healthy, fit, confident, attractive and sexy.The problem with typical goals is that we tend to get bogged down by our "even though" statements. We tell ourselves that we are going to lose 20 pounds EVEN THOUGH we failed last time, EVEN THOUGH we question our ability to do so, EVEN THOUGH we don't think we'll be able to maintain it. Our minds go directly to the negative images and we sabotage our efforts before we even begin!Here's a thought: Why not create an intention that will get your brain to work for you instead of against you?Intentions allow us to picture ourselves--and how we'll feel--when we are successful. There's no room for failure in the picture. We focus on the positive and powerful feelings we'll have.Intentions are always stated in present tense, as though you are already where you want to be. Instead of saying, "I will be strong, fit, healthy, etc.", you say, "I feel strong, fit, healthy, etc." What seems like a small semantic difference is a huge shift in our brains.The latest brain studies suggest that the most effective way to change our beliefs is to create a mental story of success. We need to picture ourselves as we want to be, and we need to talk about it. Here's the basic formula: See it, say it, hear it.Our unconscious brain sees everything in pictures. It does not filter images based on what our conscious mind considers true, likely or possible. It literally does not distinguish between reality and fantasy. Think of the nonsensical dreams you've had!Language is most fully processed in the brain when there is a visualized image to go along with it. These images and words become linked to create our "truth"-- at least, according to our brains. And that's where it matters most.Say it out loud, and you're engaging your aural learning skills as well.By intentionally creating new images through visualization, we literally create our own version of reality, and as you've probably learned by now, we tend to live in whatever reality we construct. Our potential is limited only by the mental images we choose to develop and store. It's that simple--and that profound.Stop setting goals, and start creating intentions. The secret is to include ALL of these steps:SEE yourself in the circumstances you desire. Picture it perfectly.Craft a one-paragraph story that you would like to be true, and SAY it in present tense, as though you are describing your life right now.Repeat, repeat, repeat. Demand to HEAR that same story every night before you go to sleep.What's your intention? Focus on feelings, not numbers. Picture it, and write it down. Repeat it to yourself until it becomes familiar and beloved--complete with favorite parts, great pictures, and a happy ending.Stop pushing toward goals and start being pulled by your intentions. Let your brain go to work for you.See it, say it, hear it. You'll never need another goal!About The AuthorMaya Talisman Frost is a mind masseuse. Her work has inspired thinkers in over 80 countries. She serves up a satisfying blend of clarity, comfort and comic relief in her free weekly ezine, the Friday Mind Massage. To subscribe, visit http://www.massageyourmind.com.maya@massageyourmind.com

So you've got a goal, and you know someone who has already reached it? Maybe it is earning a certain degree, or opening a business and making it fly. Before you try to duplicate what others have done to attain what they have, be sure of one thing. Understand the Parable of the Jackdabbit:A man was on a journey and came to a field. In this field he observed a dog, jumping around, darting to and fro, and disappearing in the long, long grass each time he landed. The man stayed back, fearing that the dog had a terrible disease that caused him to jerk wildly and bark incessantly. Cautiously, he passed along side the field on the well-paved path; keeping an eye on the ravenous dog to be sure it did not harm him. Coming to the end of the field, suddenly the dog appeared in front of him, holding a jackrabbit in its jaws. Placidly, the dog glanced at the man, and walked away.This man was hungry. Thinking about the dog, he decided it would sure be nice if he could have a rabbit to eat, too. So he turned around, retraced his steps along the path for a time, and entered the grassy field. "Well, here I go," he said, and he began to jump and dart, growl and bark. Up and down, back and forth, trying to duplicate all of the crazy movements he had seen by the dog, believing this would somehow produce a rabbit. All day long he did this, and at the end of the day, he was still hungry, and very, very tired.Disappointed, he returned to the well-paved path. He said to himself, "This is a well-paved path; many people have traveled this way before. I guess I just need to stay on it, and eat whatever I find along the way. Chasing a rabbit just didn't work for me."What did the man do wrong? He acted as though he was chasing a rabbit, but there was no rabbit in sight. Isn't it interesting that not only did duplicating the dog NOT produce a rabbit, but it probably kept them very far away?If you want a rabbit, you may need to leave a well-paved path, but before you start jumping and barking, make sure you have your eyes FIXED TIGHT on a rabbit. Identify your dream, visualize it, write it down, make it real in your mind, get excited about it, and chase it by following the promptings that come to you from your inner voice. Trust your gut; it will lead you to the rabbit you have in mind. Others may look at you and the choices you make and they might even think you are crazy, like the dog. They just don't see your rabbit as you do.Based on the best-selling book, The Jackrabbit Factor: Why You Can. View flash presentation based on the book now at http://www.jackrabbitfactor.com.Leslie Householder is a wife and mother of six children. She is the founder of http://www.ThoughtsAlive.com and is the author of "The Jackrabbit Factor: Why You Can" and "Heavenly Help with Money Matters." She has been published in Mark Victor Hansen and Jack Canfield's Chicken Soup for the Latter-Day Saint Soul, and has been published online in ezine articles since 2002. Leslie is a certified facilitator for Bob Proctor's Life Success Programs, and she is also an independent motivational speaker and success coach.

There's been a lot written about goal setting and there are many different approaches and methods ? in fact, it's easy to get caught up in the confusion about how to set goals and not end up setting any. These simple steps will help you to set powerful goals and make goal-setting an invaluable part of your life. You'll be amazed at what you can achieve with the help of some well though-out, written goals ? try it!Make a date. Make time in your diary to find a quiet, comfortable location to set your goals. I spend a morning at my favourite table in the tearoom of the Sheraton on the Park (a beautiful hotel in Sydney city) in January every year to review my goals and set new ones for the year ahead.Take five. Create five categories for which to set goals: physical, educational, spiritual, financial, relational. By setting goals for each of these areas of your life, you will be taking a balanced approach and not neglecting any important aspects of your life.Write it. You must write your goals down ? it makes them more powerful. Use positive language ? words like "I will" and "I am" ? this will help you to feel as though you have already achieved your goals and to change your behaviours accordingly, for example, "I am going to the gym three times per week". Make sure you allocate a specific timeframe for the completion of each goal, for example, "By the beginning of March, I am going to the gym three times per week". Now, identify a reward for achieving each goal ? don't just make a list of rewards, relate a specific reward to the achievement of a specific goal. This will inspire you even more toward the achievement of your goal. And finally, list the possible obstacles that will get in the way of you achieving each goal, and how you will overcome these. This will help you to pre-empt the things that might go wrong and immediately swing into action with your solution, rather than giving up on your goal.Share. Make yourself accountable to someone you trust. Share your goals with them and ask them to check in with you regularly to see whether you are on track, and if not, why not.Review constantly. I have been told that the difference between a millionaire and a billionaire is that a billionaire reads their goals twice a day. Simple really. I keep a copy of my goals in several locations around my house (on the bathroom mirror, on the printer, outside the shower screen, on the fridge, on my bedside table and in my wallet), which makes it easy for me to see my goals and be reminded of what I am working towards several times a day.Keep track. When you return to your favourite place next year, review your progress and take the time to feel proud of those goals you achieve before you move on to setting goals for the next year.Neen is a Global Productivity Expert: by looking at how they spend their time and energy ? and where they focus their attention ? Neen helps people to rocket-charge their productivity and performance. A dynamic speaker, author and corporate trainer, Neen demonstrates how boosting your productivity can help you achieve amazing things. With her unique voice, sense of fun and uncommon common-sense, Neen delivers a powerful lesson in productivity. Find out more at http://www.neenjames.com/

Over the years much has been written on the subject of goal setting with most conventional wisdom coming down in favour of the SMART objective setting process.SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Timebound) has been around since the 1960's and is used by organisations to create effective objectives for themselves and their staff. In fact the SMART objective setting process is taught on many management training programs as the right way to set objectives in any situation.There is, however, a slight failing with the whole idea around SMART objectives which is, to be fair, not a problem with the process but the wider context in which goals are set. All too often organisations set objectives for their staff only to find that in the final analysis that very few have been achieved or even attempted.So, what is the problem with this approach to objectives, and why do they so often fail to capture the imagination of employees? The SMART model is missing two very important elements that will nearly always sabotage the take up of any objectives.WII-FMOften when organisations impose objectives on their staff the initial question that will be raised is 'What's In It For Me?' and in fact this is a perfectly valid question. A goal or objective whether at the corporate or personal level must be something that is a personal objective. It needs to be initiated, understood and bought-in to the individual for whom it is a goal.High level corporate objectives by their very nature are impersonal and as such there is rarely significant buy in from employees. Even objectives that are tied in to personal rewards (such as a bonus) do not have a high buy in factor if they are too impersonal. There needs to be a sense of 'I can make a difference to this' at a personal level for it to really be taken up by staff.It can be often be difficult with corporate objectives around profitability and growth to make these personal, and rightly so. These are corporate, high level objectives and unless an individual is tied in to them in some way (as a shareholder for example) then any attempt to cascade these down to lower levels will fail.The WII-FM issue is for the most part the highest motivator for an individual and a truly effective goal setting strategy takes this into account.Fascinating CaptainThe other and equally important theme missing from the SMART objective setting process is that of interest. For a goal to be really effective and attained it needs to be interesting, exciting and something the individual can get passionate about.Too many goals, especially corporate ones, are lacking in the area of being interesting. For example, an objective on quality will only be pursued by someone who believes that quality is of interest, for those people who believe it to be important (but not interesting) they will try to ensure that the quality doesn't drop but it is unlikely that they will go out of their way to ensure quality improves.Interest in a subject can be generated through corporate reward, however it is rare that this happens as, like the personal side of objective setting, it is outsise the SMART model.PRISM - the lighter side of objective settingThe SMART model is good and has served for a long time, however in todays modern society, with vast tranches of the working population becoming dissatisfied with their lot a new approach to coporate oblective setting is required.The PRISM model covers all 5 points of the old SMART process and adds 2 more. PRISM is an acronym for Personal, Realistic, Interesting, Specific and Measurable.Does this mean that PRISM objectives are not Achievable and Timebound? Not at all, in the PRISM model for an objective to be truly Realistic by definition it has to be Achievable, if it is not achievable then it isn't and could never really be realistic.As for the time element of the objective this is covered by measurable. In a science experiment for something to be measurable it needs a start and an end, in life the same applies, if an objective is to be measured it has to be measured against time as well as any other measure, so in the PRISM model Measurable means against all criteria and not splitting out the time elements.It's all Me, Me, MeThe PRISM model doesn't profess to be the ultimate solution for corporate goal setting woes however the addition of the personal and interest features into the process will add new dimension to the objective setting process and will guarantee that the objective has a considerably higher take up than those set with the SMART model.Corporate goals do not have to be faceless and force fed onto the workforce, by making any objective Personal to the individual and of Interest (with or without reward) then your chances of actually attaining it will dramatically increase.So, next time there is a strategy session and the subject of goals appears, just ask yourself 2 questions, 'What does it do for me?' and 'Just how interested am I in this?', if you can't answer those then perhaps, just perhaps, you need to rethink your goals.More information regarding staff performance, the PRISM

Whether taking on a new project, starting a new job, beginning a new relationship, retiring, relocating, or any new start, setting sail can be the most exciting and exhilarating part of the journey. The anticipation that comes with taking off toward your destination helps to propel you forward. However, setting sail may also be accompanied by challenges or feelings of anxiety and fear as you leave the safety of the known to risk stepping into the unknown. For me, the past two years have been a time of new beginnings. A move to a new city, getting settled in a new home, meeting new friends and colleagues, exploring a new area and learning a new language have marked many new opportunities. It has been an exciting adventure and a time that I have enjoyed very much. It has also been a tremendous learning experience and has challenged me in ways I'd never dreamed of when I began this journey. Following are four tips that have helped me during this time and that I hope will help you navigate more confidently and successfully as you set sail.Four Tips for Setting Sail Successfully1. VISUALIZE THE DESIRED OUTCOME. Get clear about the results you want to achieve. Take some time to think about your desired outcome and to visualize yourself having already achieved it. Think about what it will look like and how you will feel. Write down your goal and keep it in front of you to help you focus as you navigate your journey.Ask yourself: What outcome do I want from this situation?2. CHART YOUR COURSE. Create a plan that will guide you to your desired outcome. Taking time to plan will help you be more prepared for unexpected events that may happen along the way. Not only does a plan serve as a compass to guide you on your journey, but it also frees you from the constant pressure of deciding where to go next.Ask yourself: Where do I want to go? When do I want to get there? What course do I need to chart?3. TAKE ACTION. Decide that you will take action toward your dreams and goals. Taking action creates momentum and positive energy to propel you forward. Small steps taken consistently lead to big accomplishments. Whether it is a diet, an exercise plan, a major project or a college degree, the job is easier and less daunting when it is broken down into smaller steps. Decide that you will do one thing everyday for your dream.Ask yourself: What is one thing I can do now to get into action?4. ENJOY THE JOURNEY. Life cannot be collected. Happiness cannot be traveled to, earned, owned, worn or consumed. It is found in the present moment. Reward yourself for having the courage to try something new and look for ways to celebrate along the way.Ask yourself: What will I do this week to have fun and celebrate my journey?As mark Twain said, "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream."Smooth Sailing Success E-zine, a monthly newsletter, designed to bring you coaching tips and resources to support you in improving performance and achieving more of what you truly want in life.About The AuthorPat Morgan, MBA and Professional Coach, has 10 years experience helping teams manage organizational and cultural change. As President of Smooth Sailing, she supports individuals and organizations in managing change, improving performance and achieving excellence both professionally and personally. She has created and led workshops and seminars for organizations such as: the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO), the American Society for Training and Development (ASTD) and Rotary International.coach@chartingthecourse.biz

The DeLaunay House, located 185 N. Pioneer in Ashland is a wonderfully remodeled 1909 Craftsman style house
just blocks from downtown Ashland and the Historic Railroad District. The comfortable and attractive suites have imaginative and spiritual names to reflect the joy and spiritual process of the owner-operator Deborah DeLaunay. Peace Pilgrim, Peace Mountain, Zen Cottage and the Harmony Suite are luxuriously appointed yet restful and comfortable. Originally named Breathe Peace Inn, The DeLaunay House is truly a place to "breathe peace in", a tranquil setting for the weary traveler.A successful artist, interior designer and proprietor, Deborah DeLaunay, says restoring and decorating the home was an act of love and the fulfillment of a dream. Besides her own stained glass designs that are displayed throughout the house, you will see the hand painted clouds and sky above as you walk up the stairs then, the gorgeous Shakespeare robe wall hanging. In the Zen cottage bath you will notice the claw foot tub adorned in tiger stripes to match the animal prints of the adjoining rooms. Deborah has a way with pulling the interior together with eclectic twists that are interesting and stylish.In addition to the fabulous suites, the DeLaunay House offers a variety of amenities which include on-site laundry facilities, Cable television, telephone and Internet, fully stocked kitchen and kitchenettes, private patios and gardens, and a front porch so inviting no one can resist settling into one of the Adirondack chairs or antique rockers.Visitors to Ashland will find an abundance of activities within walking distance of The DeLaunay House, including theaters,
restaurants, galleries and shops. The post office, banks and grocery stores are close by as well. Suites are available by the night or weekend for the many who come to Ashland each year to experience the award winning Oregon Shakespeare Festival , as well as, monthly during the off season to accommodate visiting actors, professors or other visiting professionals.Leave your cares behind and visit The DeLaunay House soon. It will be an experience to remember. You can see the Inn and the
suites on the web site: www.delaunayhouse.com or call for reservations at 541/621-5409 or email Deborah DeLaunay at:
d2peaceart@aol.com.Freelance writer and marketing consultant in Southern Oregon