goals Archives - Debra Kasowski

5 REASONS NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS FAIL

December 30, 2019 by Debra Kasowski Leave a Comment

As the clock ticks, getting ready to bring in the New Year, you may be reflecting and thinking about who you want to be, what you what to do, or what you want to have in the new year.

New Year. New Goals. New You.

You may have identified habits that are not serving you. You may have decided you want to do more travelling or enter a race. Perhaps you decided you want to clear off the debt hanging over your head. Many resolutions people make are related to changing something. Change can be uncomfortable. You may feel like you are losing something or sacrificing something you really enjoy. You may have looked back at the past year and thought it was amazing. You may have kicked yourself thinking the resolutions you made did not get past the third week of January like most people who proclaim resolutions.

There are many reasons you may not have been successful in the past and what you can do about moving forward:

Lack Clarity for What You Want

You know you want something to change but you have not pinpointed what that change is exactly. You may feel paralyzed or confused not knowing what your next step should be. A confused mind cannot make a decision. What do you want and why do you want it? Ask yourself questions to gain clarity.

What do I want to feel most proud of at the end of the year?

What are the specific areas of my life I would like to enhance or change?

What is one thing I can do in the next 3 months that would set me up for the greatest success for the next 12 months?

When you know what you want, you can make choices that align with getting what you want. You will be intentional with your actions.

Not Ready to Change

You may be one of those people who blurt out the New Year’s Resolution thinking this is what other people want you to do so maybe that’s what you say you will do. Deep down you know you are not ready to change. You do not see your weight, your habits, your spending, or your time management as a problem. You enjoy food, the cigarette, the clutter, the gambling, retail therapy, or video games too much. It makes you feel good, there is a sense of comfort, so you do not see an issue. Perhaps the change requires too much effort and you tell yourself you are satisfied – but you are deciding to settle instead.

What do you enjoy most about _________________________?

No Tracking of Progress

Did you make a change this past year? Was it successful? Did you track your activity? Many people say that they made changes and took action. The action they took was random. They did not measure or have any milestone markers to see if their actions made a difference. Remember what gets measured gets managed. You can use simple tools like a blank calendar, a sticker chart, habit tracker, thermometer, or a colouring chart to create a visual tracking of your progress. You can identify gaps and areas for re-adjustment when you track progress.

Overwhelmed with What Needs to Get Done

The enthusiasm and excitement of the New Year may have led you to set too many goals and unrealistic time frames. It is great to be all in! You want to set yourself up for success. Choose 1-3 goals larger goals for the year and 1-3 smaller goals per quarter. You want your goals to be manageable. Break down the goal into smaller goals – one month, 2 weeks, and daily activities. You will not be overwhelmed when you focus on what you need to do in the present. All your actions will compound leading to achieving the big goal you set for yourself.

You Do Not Have a Plan

No goal is achieved without a plan. An end desire in mind. It is great to cut out picture and design your vision board. A vision board is not meant to be a beautiful collage of picture on the wall. Your vision board is a visual of all you want to be, do, and have in your life. It is a tool that requires action. What qualities do you want to possess? What do you want to be doing? What experiences do you want to have? What do you want to own?

Now, to get what you want…

You must do what you may not have done in the past.

WARNING: You may stretch out of your comfort zone – and chances are you will like the results you get.

You want to start off by reverse engineering what it takes to make the plan a reality. Focus on the result. What actions are necessary to get you to the desired result? Start by blocking off the activity in your calendar. Be consistent. When you do one action every day toward your goals, you are much closer than if you took 5 random actions in a month. Make a plan. Work the plan.

Resolutions fail, goals prevail! Set goals. Ink out your SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and timely) goals. Make an action plan to achieve them. Next year when the clock strikes midnight, you will be celebrating a year well designed and a year well lived.

Debra Kasowski

Debra Kasowski, the charismatic host of the thought-provoking
podcast, The Millionaire Woman Show, is committed to
enriching the leadership potential of her countless clients,
essentially guiding them to go within to capitalize on their true
personal power, so they can achieve the measurable success
they desire in business, and in life.
After graduating with distinction, having earned a Bachelor of
Science in Nursing, this award winning, three-time international
bestselling author, speaker and Certified Executive Coach spent
many years as a clinical manager exceling in leadership
development, before founding Debra Kasowski International, a
world-class training and consulting venture focused on helping
aspiring business owners and solopreneurs develop the winning
“success habits” that transform human potential into sustainable
profits.
Clearly, if you’re motivated to move beyond the mediocre,
inspired to forge on to the forefront with a proven plan of action,
there’s no doubt that the indomitable Debra Kasowski is your solution.www.debrakasowski.com

EPISODE 172 – Ink Your Commitments

September 2, 2018 by Debra Kasowski Leave a Comment

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“The discipline of writing something down is the first step toward making it happen.” Lee Iacocca

Have you ever wondered why your goals have not become a reality? Was it because you weren’t committed to your goals and dreams? You may be intentional with your actions here and there but you do not have a real plan. There is a change in your focus and attention when you actually write out your goals and dreams. People will brush off the action of writing out their goals but it works! Test it out; see how it works for you.

Why Ink Your Commitments?

Writing out your goals using the S.M.A.R.T. (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timely) helps you clarify what you want. Clarity is important. Describe your desired reality in vivid detail with pictures, photos, or drawings. It will be like you can see it actually happening.
Ease in decision-making; you are able to filter out distractions easier by knowing whether the decision gets you closer or farther away from your goals
A visual reminder to motivate you to act.
Mapping out a plan that matches your goals helps you see your successes along the way. Ensure you are celebrating as you make progress this build momentum.
Scribing out your goals and dreams suddenly makes them a possibility – real versus a fleeting thought in your head.
Your goals/dreams will be easy to access having them written down.
Automatic focus and attention on your goals otherwise you may simply forget about them.

Research has shown that you are more likely to achieve your goals and dreams by writing them down and reviewing them daily. I recommend twice a day if possible – morning and night. Did you know? Writing down your goals/dreams impacts your brain in different ways. When you THINK about your goals/dreams, you are accessing the right hemisphere of the brain – unlocking your imagination. Therefore, your brain is looking for a solution and all the “how’s” of getting things done. Whereas, the mere inking the goal, activates the left hemisphere of the brain which is logic-based – again, looking for solutions. Together, this unlocks the subconscious mind – “seeing opportunities” because the subconscious mind does not know what is real or not real.

Write It Down, Make It Happen

As I was doing a Facebook Live on this topic, David Dorward shared his goal-setting method. He agreed about the importance of inking your commitments. He suggests getting a binder for a year with monthly tabs. Get a hole punch. Write things down and put them in the binder in the right month. At the start of the next month, review the last few months. Write a quick note to self about things went. Re-evaluate and rewrite goals. Same with financial for them in the home or a business. Put in the budget. Next month, evaluate, compare actual to the plan. Reassess and reset the budget etc.

I want to encourage you to OWN your goals and dreams. Make the commitment to making them become a reality. You are not interested; you are committed. I want you to get a pen and paper and write down 1-3 goals using the SMART goal method. Don’t limit yourself by only writing down what you THINK is possible based on your current situation. It is too easy to lose sight of what is possible. Set a timer of 3 minutes to gently nudge you out of that comfort zone and get you writing the first one at least. Choose a goal/dream that you consider as a BIG HAIRY AUDACIOUS goal or “game-changer”. Accomplishing this goal would change the dynamics or events moving forward. Accelerate your success by reverse engineering your goals/dreams. Get super clear on what you want. Write out the SMART goal in detail – your vivid vision. Work backward writing down everything you need to do to make things happen. Review your goals daily. Before you know it, with consistent action, you will make those dreams a reality.

What goal are you going to write out right now? Remember to be SMART.

“No one is ready for a thing until he believes he can acquire it.”

Napoleon Hill

We would love to have you subscribe to the Success Secrets newsletter on my website at www.debrakasowski.com where you’re going to get my just release FREE e-book about the 21 Habits High Achievers Kick to Achieve Success. I would love to hear about this podcast has impacted your life. E-mail me at Debra@DebraKasowski.com. Thank you for listening to The Millionaire Woman Show where we talk about leadership, business, and human potential to help you live rich from the inside out. Subscribe to The Millionaire Woman Show. Share it with Your Friends. Give us a 5-star rating!

DEBRA KASOWSKI, BScN CEC is an award-winning best-selling author, transformational speaker, blogger, and Certified Executive Coach. She has a heart of a teacher and is certified in Appreciative Inquiry and Emotional Intelligence. Her writing has been published in a variety of print and online magazines. Debra Kasowski International helps executives, entrepreneurs, and organizations boost their productivity, performance, and profits. It all starts with people and passion. Sign up the Success Secrets Newsletter and get your free e-book download today! www.debrakasowski.com

Stop Letting Your Troubles Keep You Awake at Night

August 16, 2017 by Debra Kasowski Leave a Comment

Do you dread getting up in the morning and going to work? Are you having trouble sleeping? Are you tossing and turning trying to get to sleep but nothing seems to work? Are you having trouble concentrating on simple tasks? You have many thoughts running through your head – all going in different directions. Some thoughts may be about how you are going to make ends meet or meet payroll, some thoughts may be about an interaction you have had or that you have yet to have with someone, and some thoughts may be that you no longer have passion or meaning in the work that you do. There can be many different thoughts troubling you. Don’t let them steal your joy, your happiness, or your sleep. You do have the power to change “what-is” to what you want it to be.

Identify What is Troubling You. You need to assess where you are at. What is troubling you? Is it one specific thing? Has your work become repetitive and routine? Do you look around and wonder if anyone else is feeling the same? Maybe you are wondering why you do not enjoy what you are doing anymore or you long to start your own business or jump into your side business full-time. Whatever is it, you do not have to face it alone. If you feel you need to brainstorm ideas or create a strategy, you can hire a coach to help you build an exit strategy or a plan. If you feel how you are feeling is related to anxiety or depression, a counselor or psychologist is the best person to support you.

Reflect on What Brought You Joy that You Stopped Doing. Everyone has things that they have built into their lives that bring them joy outside of work and business that creates anticipation and harmony (which some refer to as balance). Family vacations, listening to music, going for the morning run or partaking in sunrise yoga, or entertaining or long leisurely lunch with friends tend to be put on the backburner when we get consumed with work and family obligations. It is important to bring the things made you come alive back into your life. When you are happy and fulfilled, you not only share that happiness with others, you give them permission to do the same.

Decide What You Really Want. What are you passionate about? What makes you come alive because you have the burning desire to pursue it? The clearer you are, the clearer the path is before you to reach your destination. If you want to be a full-time entrepreneur, what does that look like? How will you spend your days? What is your product or service? How will you expose your product or service to the marketplace? If you want to change careers, what are you changing to? Do you need to go back to school?

“If you have a strong purpose in life, you don’t have to be pushed. Your passion will drive you there.” – Roy T. Bennett

Set a Date for Your Transition or Exit. Write down a specific date in which you plan to resign from your current role. Start planning backward from that date. What do you need to do to prepare for the transition? Do you need to save up a certain amount of money? Do you need to put together a training manual so you do not leave your replacement high and dry without some knowledge or history of your role?

Brainstorm What Barriers, Obstacles, or Roadblocks May Show Up. It is important to have these challenges in your awareness but do not focus on them. Know that there are internal and external roadblocks that may appear and brainstorm ways you may tend to them should they arise. You will be mentally prepared. They do should up.

Design Your Plan and Work the Plan. Write out your plan and create small milestones along the way. Breakdown each part of your plan into smaller tangible pieces; otherwise, you may get overwhelmed by all the things you feel you need to do. The daily actions will start creating momentum and propel you forward.

Celebrate Your Success. When you achieve your goal or reach your milestone, it is important that you take some time to acknowledge how far you have come from where you were. You took matters into your own hands and made decisions for YOU. You do not want to live with regret wondering what would have happened if you only made the leap.

Inject what you love doing into your life. If it does not make you say, “Hell yes!” or “Absolutely”; it means, “Hell No!” or “Not a Chance!” Life is too short to not do what you love and leave your signature out in the world.

What goal have you set that will make you jump out of bed in the morning and go after it?

EPISODE 67 – Raise the Bar of Excellence

February 2, 2017 by Debra Kasowski Leave a Comment

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“If we don’t fight for what we ‘stand for’ with our passionate words and honest actions, do we really ‘stand’ for anything?”
―Tiffany Madison, Black and White

It is not until you start working with others that you realize that not everyone has the same work ethic as you do. Sometimes I hear people complaining and wishing that they had more in life yet they’re not willing to examine the obvious. It is easy to see what’s outside of us versus looking inside. What if you did something different? What would your life really look like? Remember you’re in charge – when did you hand over the keys or the reins on how you choose to live your life?

Are you settling for what you know you deserve? Deep down you might even question your worth the time. Don’t be fooled. You are worth much more than money could buy. You deserve everything that life has to offer. The trouble is too many people are waiting for someone to rescue them or hand them a Silver Platter instead of putting in the work required to get it. What gets you frustrated? What are you not willing to tolerate anymore? What is your repeating you that you wish you could change?

Don’t worry what others think – what do you think? People will pass their own fear passed you in hoping you won’t take this risk that they decided not to take. They are looking for the comfort that someone else won’t stretch like them. Will you be satisfied with your choice to not go after what you want?

No one’s going to hand it to you and the Prince Charming you’re looking for to rescue you IS actually you. It’s time for you to do something different in order to get different results. It is time to shift your mindset and raise your own bar of excellence. You are probably thinking – how do I raise the bar?

Expect more from yourself. It is so easy to pick out what others are doing wrong or how they are not working hard enough. It is important to focus on ourselves. When you develop and focus on mastering the different facets of your life, you can inspire and motivate others to do the same and theirs. Stop getting caught up in the drama of what everyone else is doing. When you think of what you’re not willing to tolerate any longer or where you are frustrated with yourself, you can start making a change. It all starts with self-awareness and really paying attention to the choices that you’re making and checking in to see if there aligning with your ultimate goal.

Think more about what you believe. Whatever you believe to be true is your reality. What happens if your thought is wrong? You may make the wrong choice or make choices that will sabotage your success. I’ve had some of my coaching clients share some of their big audacious dreams only to say, “I don’t know if it’s possible all.” It is only once we work through those self-limiting beliefs that they are amazed by what they are capable of accomplishing. I think many of us forget that we’re all works in progress. If you doubt your capability, shift your thinking to “I am in the progress of…” not only is it believable, it is happening.

Consider dropping the words “try” and “can’t” from your vocabulary. These words are disempowering. You can’t try to do something. You either do or you don’t – it is as simple as that. When you say you can’t you are saying that it’s not possible. It is often said before you even put in some effort but it may not have been 100% effort. You can do this. Focus on what you can do. Find yourself a mentor or someone who has been where you want to be or hire a coach that will help you shift your perspective and challenge some of the assumptions that you’re making.

Strategize more. People plan their vacations more than they plan to execute their goals. Take time to create a specific action plan to achieve what you know you want to achieve. You might say I don’t know what to put in the plan. Here are some questions to help you.

How do you want to show up in the world?
What qualities do you believe that you need to have in order to reach your goals?
What knowledge skills and abilities do you need to possess to get there?
To get to a new level requires strategic action, what actions do you know you need to take?

Map out the milestones and celebrate those successes along the way and evaluate whether you’re on or off track. There is no perfect time adjust your course as you go.

What is the one step you need to take that you know will be the game changer toward achieving your goals?

We would love to have you subscribed to the Success Secrets newsletter on my website at www.debrakasowski.com where you’re going to get us free MP3 download 10 Surefire Strategies to Power Up Your Productivity and Performance. I would love to hear about this podcast has impacted your life. E-mail me at Debra@DebraKasowski.com. Thank you for listening to The Millionaire Woman Show where we talk about leadership, business, and human potential to help you live rich from the inside out. Subscribe to The Millionaire Woman Show. Share it with Your Friends. Give us a 5-star rating!

Time: 08:37 min

Keywords: goals, achievement, raise the bar, expect more of yourself, examine your beliefs, self-doubt, action plan, strategy, achievement, execution, find a mentor, hire a coach

Episode 59: Painful Truths Why People Fail to Meet Their Goals

January 5, 2017 by Debra Kasowski Leave a Comment

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“Setting a goal is not the main thing. It is deciding how you will go about achieving it and staying with that plan.” – Tom Landry

Goal setting can occur at any time of the year. People seem to think that New Year’s resolutions or goals are only set when the clock strikes midnight; however, the resolutions are things that you’re wishing to happen there are no definite measurements or time frame in which you wish to achieve it. There’s no game plan. It is simply an announcement of something you wish to resolve.

Interested versus committed. Some people steer away from setting goals for the fear of truly making a commitment. One of the number one reasons that people fail to meet their goals is that they are more interested in having it happen and actually truly committed to making it happen. Commitment takes discipline, hard work, and even some sacrifice along the way. If you really want to achieve something you must maintain focus on the right things.

Focus on the wrong things. When people set goals, there are times when they set goals that they’re trying to avoid something they end up focusing on what they don’t want. As the saying goes you get more of what you focus on. If you continually put your time, attention, and focus on avoiding what you don’t want, for some reason it always seems to be there. Your focus needs to be on what you want to achieve.

Don’t know what you want. Another reason people fail to meet their goal is that they lack clarity. They have never stopped and really thought about or reflect on what they truly want in their life. They didn’t think about where their career would take them were what type of legacy that they would like to leave. If you don’t know where you’re going you can end up anywhere. If you’re frustrated you need to change what you’re doing.

No action plan. Imagine getting into your car. You’re sitting behind the steering wheel you turn on the ignition. You have no idea where you’re going and how you’re going to get there. There are many people out in the world wandering with no real sense of direction and no plan. You can’t get to where you want to go if you don’t have a plan to get there. I’m not saying focus on the how initially. That’s where the clarity came in. You need to know where you want to go and as you focus on what that is. You will become a creative thinker and figure out the “how”. What will it take for you to get to where you want to be? What knowledge skills and ability you have to gain and learn? Who do you need to speak to get more information?

Cannot make a decision. Making decisions is a big part of a person success. Indecisiveness can lead to missing opportunities. Opportunities don’t wait in the wings for when you decide the time is right. People who are ready to take action will seize the opportunity. You need to be prepared to be ready. Way out the facts and trust yourself and your judgment – make a decision.

No emotional connection to the goal. I’ve seen many people set goals that have no meaning to them. Some are chasing it for material wealth and others realize they have no emotional connection to the goal that they had set. The issue is often that someone else set the goal for them. The end up self-sabotaging every action is not truly what they want and are not being true to themselves. You may have faced that internal struggle of doing things that you no longer feel that are important to you or you lack the emotional connection.

Setbacks lead to paralysis. Another painful truth about why people fail to meet their goals are that when a setback occurs they shift into an “all or nothing” thinking. They are devastated by any failure. They fail to see the lesson and self-correct quickly and move forward. These people lose motivation quickly and often give up. They need to rally and put strategies in place that when a setback occurs that they can prepare for the greatest comeback. They need to take the lessons they’ve learned with them.

Playing it safe. When you avoid taking risks you miss out on opportunities of growth and challenge. I’m not saying put all that eggs in one basket. Do your due diligence it is important. Too many people fail to take a risk because they haven’t assessed and analyzed any of the information available to them they simply just brush it off. Sometimes it takes only one action that can propel you so much farther than you ever have before if you’d only stop and take the time to learn what you need to learn and make a decisive decision.

Comparing yourself to others is a trap! The other painful truth is that comparison trap. We often catch ourselves comparing ourselves to others thinking that there is so much farther ahead – where they have the skill or something that you would like to have. Everyone in life faces challenges you are not unique in that aspect. They might not display it to the world especially through social media which is always everybody’s greatest day. Focus on your own strengths and what you have to offer. You can learn from others but don’t compare where you’re at to or someone else’s is you don’t know the other person struggle.

There is no magic wand or silver bullet to success! You need to stay driven and committed to your goals. You need to be clear on what it is you truly want, make a decision, and a plan to make it become your reality. It is time to end the frustration and disappointment of not meeting your own expectations.

Time: 11:20 min