HOW TO SET AND ACHIEVE GOALS

Weekends are great to take a breather, and think about you goals. Reflect and think about your week, your year, your life so far, what you like about it, what you don't, what changes you can make and set some goals. 

If you want to get somewhere in your life, first you need to know where you want to go, before you think about how you will get there. 

Get a nice journal and start writing your thoughts down. Even if you are not sure, start jotting down your ideas, your wish list, or your frustrations. 

A good tip I once received when I said "but I don't know WHAT I want" , I was told to write down what I DONT WANT. It was a great start, most of us know what we don't want. So write all the things you don't want on one side of the page, then next to each point on the other side of the page turn it into what you DO want. For example "I don't want to run out of breath and struggle like that when I climb that damn hill." will turn to "I want to be able to climb that hill easily and without loosing my breath". 

Once you have determined what you do want ( your first goal, yey!) think about how you will get there. In the case of this challenging hill climb, I know in order to climb it successfully I will need to get fitter. It may mean I will attempt to climb it only part way up until I start to struggle, then come back down. I know I'll have to attempt this frequently and try to go a little further each time. 

So I make some plans to take action. Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings I will climb that hill as far as I can go, and keep doing it, pushing myself that little bit further each time until I achieve my goal. 

Sometimes you will write a goal  down but have no idea how to get there, or perhaps think it's just not possible in your situation. Don't worry about it, leave it for now. Ask your mind to find a solution, and when ready come back to you. ( your mind is very much like a computer, it can work on problems in the background ) Trust yourself that you will come up with the right answer when you are ready and move on to your next set of goals. 

So in summary this is what I do: 

1. Reflect and evaluate my past experiences and jot down my thought in a journal

2. Write down what works what doesn't, what you like what you don't like, what you want and don't wasn't 

3. Turn things you don't like into what you would like. Things you don't want into what you DO want. This will be your first set of goals.

4. Think about each goal and what it would take to achieve it. Break it down to what actions you can take, and approximately how long it will take for you to achieve it. Put those actions in your diary, and DO IT. 

S L O W D A N C E

Have you ever watched kids

on a merry-go-round?

Or listened to the rain

slapping on the ground?

Ever followed a butterfly’s erratic flight?

Or gazed at the sun into the fading night?

You better slow down

Don’t dance so fast

Time is short

The music won’t last

Do you run through each day

On the fly

When you ask “How are you?”

Do you hear the reply?

When the day is done,

do you lie in your bed

With the next hundred chores

running through your head?

You’d better slow down

Don’t dance so fast

Time is short

The music won’t last

Ever told your child,

We’ll do it tomorrow?

And in your haste,

not see his sorrow?

Ever lost touch,

Let a good friendship die

‘Cause you never had time

To call and say “Hi”?

You’d better slow down

Don’t dance so fast

Time is short

The music won’t last

When you run so fast to get somewhere

You miss half the fun of getting there.

When you worry and hurry through your day,

It is like an unopened gift….Thrown away…

Life is not a race.

Do take it slower

Hear the music

Before the song is over.

Written by  Dr. David L. Weatherford, who has written many other beautiful inspirational poems.

Can you become more powerful through body language?

What a great way to start the day.
I can relate to this, I have been there when I was scared, had no confidence and was paralyzed with fear. Learning anout body language I learned, "fake it, till you make it". I like her take on it, and it is very true - "fake it, till you BECOME it." and "small tweaks lead to bigger changes".
http://youtu.be/Ks-_Mh1QhMc

Do you prefer shopping online or at a traditional brick and mortar retail store?

We have been hearing about how online shopping is steadily growing, and the local brick and mortar businesses are feeling the pinch.

Yet regularly, I see stories on the lifestyle and current affairs shows telling us about the latest place to buy products cheaper online overseas. I for one feel very let down by our local media running these stories especially encouraging people to purchase products overseas. They are encouraging people to take their money away from our local businesses and our local community but fail to inform the public of the possible repercussions.

Our retail businesses are struggling, and when customers choose to purchase their products online, and especially overseas, the businesses have no option but to cut costs.

One of the largest costs to a small business in Australia is staff wages. We like to get paid well in Australia, to support our modern lifestyle. So as customers shop elsewhere, we loose jobs. And what about the consequences to our economy when our earnings are sent overseas. No wonder we don't have money for our schools and hospitals. And all this is because, in many cases, people shop online just to safe a few dollars.

I buy online only when I can't find the products in a retail store or from a local retailer that sells online for convenience. I prefer to support my local small business. I have owned small businesses before, I understand their struggles.

Like many others, I still prefer to shop in a 'real' shop because I like to touch, feel, try on or see the product work. I prefer the people interaction, the advice I get and the support I get when things wrong.

Online shopping it's just sooo BORING!! Nothing beats the retail experience. Unless of course the retailer does not deliver what is expected of them!

People shop online for reasons other than to save money. Some local retailers really need to lift their game in order to attract the customers back to their stores.

Sadly there are a lot of brick and mortar retail stores that are simply boring. Boring product selection, boring displays, boring shopping experience. Watch how long people stay and browse in your shop, if they are in and out quick, then you haven't engaged them.

Some have poor customer service, staff may have an unfriendly manner, don't know how to answer questions about products (some are even too scared to talk) the business has little to offer in retail, they are out of stock or they have very poor selection on offer, or even worse, in order to keep costs down, they stock cheap and poor quality products. No wonder customers take their money elsewhere!

To stay in the game and cater to todays customers, small businesses need to make the shopping experience a fun, engaging and pleasurable experience.

Provide a shopping experience that will give the customer 'something to talk about' with their friends. An experience that they will look forward to, over and over again.

How can this be achieved?

Firstly, know your customers.

Know your customer demographics, their needs and wants. If they are not buying from you, they are buying elsewhere. Find out where and why? Is there a need you have failed to meet? And if you get the answer, ' I bought it elsewhere because it was cheaper' don't give up. Ask them, ' what would compel you to buy the product from us at the RRP?' and keep asking questions until you get the ideas you need to make the necessary changes.

Some ideas to get you started are: convenience, expert advice, follow up and support, incentives from a loyalty program, personalized attention, the chance to try before they buy, make it more fun and exciting.

Know your trade

Study the retail businesses, brick and mortar as well as online, see what makes them successful, and what makes others fail.

Study your own business, look at it critically to assess where improvements can be made. (Sometimes you may need outside help as you are in the business everyday it will be hard for you to see areas for improvements).

Are your staff attending regular training to keep abreast of industry trends? Do they keep updated with the latest product knowledge so that they can provide the best and latest service and advice? (Many small businesses don't send staff to training as they see it as an expense. I think it'll cost the business a hole lot more in the long run if the staff are not trained properly)

Do you offer a good selection of products and services to meet all you clients needs? Do you offer the best quality products, with a good reputation? (Many businesses choose cheaper products thinking it will be easier to sell, but especially in tough times, customers seek out quality, they want value for their money)

What makes your business unique? Why SHOULD customers buy from you? (These are critical questions that most small business owners have no answer for, and will be overshadowed by businesses who not only know this well but communicate it effectively to the consumers)

Do you have a well thought out and documented business, financial and marketing plan, updated yearly? (No one should be running a small business without these documents, these are critical to the business success and survival)

What is your marketing strategy? Internally as well as externally? (And I am not talking about advertising)

Is your business retail area designed for maximum impact? Is your retail and merchandising updated regularly and is current? Do you have a show-stopping display? Are customers encouraged to engage with the products before they buy? How?
What makes shopping fun and exciting with you? Why would customers choose to buy from you? (Differentiate yourself from your competition and especially the online competition)

Are your staff immaculately presented, well spoken, approachable, friendly, informed and can close sales consistently? Do they actively work at building a long term customer base for the business? What expertise can your staff offer your customers that customers cannot get elsewhere? (In small business, your staff ARE the business)

Is there a future for brick and mortar businesses in Australia?
In my opinion, absolutely! But they cannot continue doing what they have always done and expect to survive. Times have changed, and local retailers are not only competing with their local and national competition, but international via the online presence as well. And this will not go away. In fact, shopping online is fast becoming a fact of life even for a 'traditionalist' like me. I love shopping in real stores.

So my advice to small business is, shine above everyone else, make your business stand out, make it really interesting to shop at your store, give me something to talk to my friends about. I want to support you, and I don't mind spending the few extra dollars. But make it fun and exciting!

My Success

My Success

I believe in myself, I believe in those who work with me, I believe in my employer.

I believe in my friends, I believe in my family, I believe that god will lend me everything I need with which to succeed if I do my best to earn it through faithful and honest service.

I believe in prayer and I will never close my eyes in sleep without praying for divine guidance to the end that i will be patient with other people and tolerant with those who do not believe as I do.

I believe that success is the result of intelligent effort and does not depend upon luck or sharp practices or double crossing friends, fellow men, or my employer.

I believe I will get out of life exactly what I put into it; therefore I will be careful to conduct myself toward others as I would want them to act towards me.

I will not slander those whom I do not like.

I will not slight my work no matter what I may see others doing.

I will render the best service of which I am capable because I have pledged myself to succeed in life and I know that success is always the result of conscientious and efficient effort.

Finally, I will forgive those who offend me because I realized that I shall sometimes offend others and I will need their forgiveness.

http://www.napoleonhillslaw.com/2008/09/my-success.html

My lesson about healthy eating

I had an eye opening experience speaking to a friend earlier this week.

My friend is of Vietnamese descent, and has that cute slim body as all her family and friends do too. They always look healthy, happy and I can't remember ever meeting anyone from a Vietnamese background that was overweight.

As I am looking to fine tune my eating habits and find ways that work for me, I was curious about how it is they manage to stay so slim and healthy. I always thought it must be genetic, and as we were talking about food I asked my friend only half jokingly if she and her friends ever eat, as they are all so slim!

My friend told me "I always eat and I eat too much!" I laughed as obviously she does not look like she eats "too much". But she was quite serious and said, "no really, we eat a lot" . So I asked her what they eat and this is what she said:

"We eat a lot of vegetables and fish. Most of our food is vegetables. And we eat seafood."

As she told me this I remember all the times I visited Cabramatta, and the place was packed full with vegetable shops and tables groaning under the weight of fresh vegetables. There were also several seafood shops, again full of fresh fish of every kind. People were everywhere making their purchases, and it was obvious to me that these foods are a major staple of the local peoples diet.

I did not see any butchers, and I asked my friend if she ate any meat. She told me that they ate very little meat, maybe twice a week and a very small amount, about 100 grams at a time (100 grams of red meat is about the size of a small toast).

I asked her if they miss not eating meat, and she said no, this is the way they always eat, and it's the way children are brought up. They do not eat fried foods, take aways, junk food and very little fat and sweets. Because she had eaten this way since she was a child, she really has no desire to eat any other way.

So here I was thinking she was healthy and slim because of genetics, but I have learned it has a great deal more to do with what they eat on a daily basis.

I asked her what her typical meals would be during a day: for breakfast they often have clear broth soup with vegetables and rice noodles, for lunch it can be seafood and vegetables rice paper wrappers and for dinner, vegetables and fish stir fry with rice or noodles.

I was inspired, and since I like to try new things, I researched Vietnamese recipes. Tonight I cooked a simple stir fry of chicken, bok choi, Chinese broccoli, chinese cabbage, oyster mushrooms, carrot, ginger, garlic, basil and coriander, seasoned with fish sauce and a bit of soy sauce. As I am avoiding carbs at the moment, I didn't have rice, but I didn't need it. The meal was absolutely delicious and I feel full and totally satisfied.

People reflect back to you who you really are

Your thoughts become your words, your words become your actions, your actions lead to your destiny.

People reflect back to you your thoughts, your words, your actions, your habits, your behaviors.
You are responsible for the response you get from people.
If you want to get the desired response from others, you first need to take conscious control of what you project out to others, because your thoughts become your words, your words become your actions. Your actions will directly impact on the results you get.
And you have to be completely honest about what you project, because people will see right thought the pretense, the lies, and these will be reflected right back.
And so, a person who does not trust others, is not a trustworthy person. A person who speaks badly of others, will be spoken about badly.
A person who gives without expecting anything in return, will be given without any expectation to return the gift.
A person who loves unconditionally, will be loved right back.
A person who laughs often, will find themselves surrounded by happy people.