Goal Setting Checkpoint: How Are You Doing With Those Plans You Made?

coaching1-300.jpgby David Bohl

Setting your goals on January 1 is a great way to start your new year with direction and motivation. Of course, you can set goals any time of year. However, after you set goals, your next step is to take action. And, then you need a goal setting checkpoint to monitor your results.

As you take action on your goals, you will most likely encounter obstacles, resistance, and detours, as well as small and large successes. The challenges will force you to make adjustments, and maybe even change the goal or take new actions. The successes need to be celebrated and new goals established to replace the ones achieved.

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‘Tis the Season to Slow Down

holidaysmile.jpgby David Bohl

When Halloween candy hits the shelves before Labor Day and animatronic Santas are ho-ho-ho-ing at you before you’ve even had a chance to carve your Thanksgiving turkey, it’s hard not to feel rushed through the holiday season. However, difficult as it may be to pause and reflect on the meaning of the holidays, it is certainly beneficial.

If you feel like the time between Halloween and Christmas is nothing more than a blur before your eyes, try a few of these tips to slow down and enjoy your holidays this year.

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6 Characteristics of People to Surround Yourself With

happygirls.jpgAre you somebody other people want to be around? If not, why not? And if so, what are those characteristics that you think make people want to be around you? Are those the same characteristics of people you want to surround yourself with?

Since I work closely with a lot of people in my coaching practice, I’m an astute observer of human behavior. I listen to my clients’ complaints about the people in their lives and find common traits of these “problem” people. I also listen to the traits my clients find admirable, ones they would like to aspire to in themselves. So, I advise them to surround themselves with more of these kinds of people, the ones who have characteristics that make them stand out, make them special, and make people want to be around them.

These are some of the essential qualities I and my clients admire in quality people! You may find different ones that work best for you. I call these characteristics the 6 H’s.

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How to Change “Why” into “Why Not?”

sky.jpg“With positive internal dialogue, we can create self-power.”

~ Deepak Chopra, The Spontaneous Fulfillment Of Desire

Unfortunately one of the most common phrases in our language is “I can’t.” People say, “I can’t be that,” “I can’t do that,” and “I can’t have that” more often than they realize. And more often than they would if they knew how it kept them from being open to the possibility for more in their lives.

The more you look for reasons WHY you “can’t” be, do, or have what you want, the more you limit your chances for WHY NOT? Why not be the way you want to be? Why not do what you want to do? Why not have what you want to have?

Do you really know the answer to those questions? The answer is: because YOU say so! Only you limit what you can be, do, and have. Only you and your limited thinking, your limited attitude, your limits on what you think is possible are holding you back.

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Do You Need Help? Read This!

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“I finally learned that you cannot help people unless they really need help, are willing to be helped, want you to help them and ask you to help them. Even then, you can only help them to help themselves.” ~ Vincent Collins

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Anything is Possible With the Internet!

by David Bohl – Personal Coach and Lifestyle Designer

I don’t even know where to begin to explore the kind of impact the Internet has had on life as we know it in the last several years. You might find some people who feel the impact has been negative, that it has posed threats to our privacy, corrupted youth, and hurt traditional business by competing with price and speed.

Yet, I feel, overall the Internet has offered so many more positive opportunities than negative ones, and has impacted more people than any other technological innovation this century. And you know with me, everything is perception. You can choose to see the detriments or you can see the benefits. I choose to use the Internet for the powerful medium that it is.

Because I believe just about anything is possible with the Internet, I make the most of it. I use it to improve all areas of my life and those of my coaching clients.

Below, I’ve summarized 6 Ways the Internet can help you live smarter, happier, and better!

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Slow Down FAST Hits Top 5 of Personal Effectiveness Blogs

WHAKATE – Life Design Matters blog has picked Slow Down FAST as its #3 Personal Effectiveness blog.  Thank you!

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6 Goals for Singles to Strive For

horse.jpgby David Bohl

Do single people really have goals that are different from married couples?

Certainly they do when it comes to relationships. Yet, their career goals may be similar, as are their personal and health goals.

However, because of their single status, unmarried folks have more time to focus on building a future that might indeed include not being single. Or on building a fulfilling lifestyle as a single person, whether or not they remain that way or change their status.

When I coach singles, I encourage them not to put any part of their life on hold, waiting for the day they are not single any more–if indeed that day ever comes. Since none of us is really in control of whether or not we get married, if you are single, set goals for what you want now and in the near future, being realistic about the unknown status of your relationship future.

Here are some realistic goals that make sense for happy, successful, single people to strive for……..

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Warning Signs: How to Know if it’s Time to Escape Your Life

exit.jpgLife is often a whirlwind of activity. Your work obligations, social life, and family activities often pile up, leaving you feeling buried beneath a never-ending list of to-do’s.

Left unchecked, this sense of being overwhelmed can run rampant and cause mental, emotional, and physical damage. Take a look at the following clues to determine whether it’s time to take a break from your busyness and escape your life while you still can.

Daily stressors usually take their first toll on your mental well-being. The reprimand at work, the parents’ meeting at school, and the leaky faucet whose “drip, drip, drip” is a constant reminder of the honey-do list you shoved in the bottom of your desk drawer may seem like small potatoes at first, but these simple nuisances can build up to become a monster.

When the pressures of mundane tasks affect you mentally, you may find yourself consumed by negative thoughts, worries, and anxieties. If you spend more time dwelling on the glass being half empty rather than half full, it may be time to plan your escape route.

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Economy Survival Tip: Treat the Disease, Not the Symptoms

family2.jpgfrom Personal Coach David Bohl

There’s a saying in recovery/treatment/12-step programs that goes: “TREAT THE DISEASE, not the symptoms.” What are the diseases causing your stress? The current economic “crisis”? The political race? The politics in your office? Your son’s report card? Making your next credit card payment? You hold the power. Once you get clear in your mind, you have the opportunity and ability to deal with the anxiety and stress of today’s world by keeping your side of the street clean.

Financially Speaking

No, you didn’t singlehandedly cause the current financial crisis. So don’t take the blame for it, don’t feel guilty about it, and, by all means, don’t think that you have to fix it. Just look out for you and your family. Your only job as a responsible consumer is keeping your end of the bargain.

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