As citizens of the world, each of us is responsible for the health of our planet. Our choices and our actions contribute to the well being or deterioration of the environment. Yet, it’s our earth, the only one we have. If we don’t care about the environment, who will?

Who will preserve the quality of the air? Who will restore our natural resources? Who will help make the planet safe for many generations to come? You will! Anyone and everyone can participate in making our world a safer, less harmful place.

Have you ever thought about how your choices affect the earth’s well being and how you can minimize the impact you and your family make on the environment? From the cars you drive to the products you consume, every choice you make on a daily basis has a consequence for the environment.

Why should you care about the environment?

How about for your health and the health of your children? How about for your quality of life and that of other citizens of the planet? How about for the choices you have of resources that are now being depleted? How about for the air you breathe and the water you drink?

Our natural environment becomes unbalanced and unsustainable when it is polluted and stripped of its natural resources by over-consumption. Our lives are at stake as we find our health being affected by environmental toxins in the air, water, and foods we consume. Our earth is a fragile planet with limited resources. The growing threat of climatic changes means everyone from individuals to businesses must reassess their environmental impact and daily choices.

If you don’t think this situation is critical, here are some facts to consider:

• We use 50% of the Earth’s land area for food production and 50% of the Earth’s available fresh water for drinking.
• The main source of water pollution is not chemical waste but the excrement of farm animals.
• About 70% of the world’s marine species are at risk of extinction.
• By the year 2100, extinction may reach one third of all species now living.
• Animals raised for food currently generate between 15 and 20% of methane emissions globally.
• Every ton of recycled office paper saves 380 gallons of oil.
• Around 50 million tons of paper are consumed annually by Americans, more than 850 million trees are cut down.
• Each year, over 63,000 square miles are destroyed resulting in more than half the world’s tropical forests being lost.

We are changing the climate and health of the planet by our every choice. What can you do to show you care about the environment and contribute to its health and longevity? Lots. Here are just a few suggestions. For more ways to save the environment, check some books out of the library or do some online research.

1. Conserve energy at home.

Fix leaky faucets, turn off lights and appliances when not in use, and buy energy efficient products. Check showerheads and toilets for leaks, and consider low flow models. Reduce the settings on water heaters and household thermostats; limit use of air conditioning. Make sure your home is efficiently insulated.

2. Reduce, reuse, recycle.

Dispose of harmful materials properly, re-use or recycle things you no longer need, and place recyclables in proper bins for pick up. For every ton of paper recycled, 17 trees are saved.

3. Buy safe products.

Don’t support toxic materials such as home improvement products like paint with lead or food products with pesticides. Buy organic produce when possible, and learn what products are safest for your consumption and for the health of the planet.

4. Drive conservatively.

Carpool or take public transportation when you can, and consolidate your trips for gas conservation. Observe speed limits, and avoid rapid acceleration and excessive breaking and idling. Ride a bike and walk for local errands. Research how you can reduce carbon emissions by keeping your car in top shape. Keep tires properly inflated to improve gas mileage. Every 10 days, drivers with under-inflated tires and poorly maintained engines waste 70 million gallons of gasoline.

5. Green up your life.

Switch to solar energy at home if feasible, grow as much of your own food as you can, use natural fiber clothing, and make your own cleaning and beauty care products.

Educate yourself as much as possible about the environmental issues that concern every earth citizen, and start taking actions that show you care about the environment. Be a role model and leader for others. Each individual contributes to the success of the whole. Go green now!

For an informative slide show on the environment visit: www.colleges.org/enviro/workshops/2006/WadeWorthen_WhySaveEnviro.ppt

For more facts about how you can preserve the environment check out these sites: www.worldwatch.org/node/3915 and www.usa.gov/Citizen/Facts/Facts_Environment.shtml.

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If you had a dime for every time someone told you, “life isn’t fair,” you might dethrone Warren Buffet from his seat as richest man in the world. Unfortunately, being aware of life’s inequities doesn’t prevent them. In fact, hardships are virtually guaranteed to occur — it’s just a matter of when and where. So, when disaster strikes, you usually have one of two options – crumble under the pressure or become a survivor. Survivors persevere, but perseverance may not come naturally.

To find out how to be a survivor, read this collection of characteristics of those who keep at it when life gets rough and apply them to your own life.

Ask Questions

Survivors don’t just sit back and let life happen to them. Even though they are in the midst of a breakdown, they use their intuition and ingenuity to pose questions about what is happening to them. And they aren’t simply asking, “why me?”. Survivors use questions to gather information about the situation they are in and how it can be resolved. They also ask questions to learn how to prevent problems from occurring in the future.

See Things in a Different Light

Have you ever been stumped by a brainteaser and decided to let the puzzle simmer in your brain and return to it later, only to come back and find that the answer was right in front of your eyes the whole time? In this same manner, it’s helpful to attempt to find new ways to solve old problems. Survivors don’t get burnt out trying to fit a square key in a circular lock. In other words, they don’t repeatedly try a solution that clearly isn’t helping to solve a problem. To become a survivor, you need to look at things from all perspectives in order to find the best possible resolution.

Be Flexible

One of the absolute pillars of being a survivor is being flexible. Most people are not expecting it when disaster strikes. Therefore, it might be necessary to change your plans to accommodate the new developments.

If you become stressed by the thought of altering your roadmap to life, you will only add to the difficulties that have already been presented to you. Instead, work hard to keep an open mind and bend, don’t break.

Plan Ahead

There is a difference between worrying and planning. Worrying does little to prepare you for future challenges. It only deprives you of the time spent fretting over impossible-to-predict scenarios. Planning, on the other hand, is a practice used by survivors to allow them to effectively handle hardships when they do occur. For instance, keeping a first-aid kit in your house is a positive way to be ready if someone gets hurt. Worrying about your child scraping her knees every time she leaves the house is not. Survivors certainly aren’t psychic, but their ability to make effective and quality plans in advance of trouble’s wake allows them to rise above the ashes when the flames have been put out.

Set Goals

Goal-setting is an excellent strategy that allows you to step back and view a situation from an outsider’s perspective. Survivors can remove themselves from what is happening to them and see things rationally, which allows them to make benchmarks for restoration. You can set goals for how to deal with current problems or how to handle them in future settings. The idea is that you use goal-setting as a tool to step out from behind the “victim” title and become someone who makes the most of what they’ve got.

There is no telling what sorts of trials and tribulations you will go through in life, but there are always options as to how you can deal with it when these trials occur. Perseverance may be difficult, but there is always a light at the end of the tunnel. To be a survivor, you must simply use techniques and tactics that allow you to tackle your problems effectively and with an eye to the future.

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You’re never too old to learn! Once we graduate from high school, college, or even beyond, many of us never take another class. We may have decided that school is meant for the youth of our culture, and we assume that for the rest of our lives, we’ll only be getting our lessons from the school of hard knocks. While it’s true we learn an awful lot from life experience–that is if we are open to the lessons–there’s every reason to continue learning in school, through books, and now even on the Internet.

The opportunities for learning today are unlimited. However you like to learn, there’s a way to do it. Whatever you want to learn, there’s a place to learn it.

How do you like to learn? Some of the ways include: going to school and taking classes; taking weekend seminars; reading books; listening to audio tapes; working with a coach or mentor; or taking an online class. Can you think of some other ways you like to learn?

What do you want to learn? For business you may want to keep up your learning in your industry; maintain your skill set in your area of expertise; or continue to study business skills if you run a business. For personal interests you might want to hone existing skills like golf or guitar; or you might want to take up a new hobby like ballroom dancing or a foreign language. What would you like to learn now as an adult?

Why should you keep your head in the learning game? Some people are information junkies and others are content with limited data. You might fall somewhere in between. The reason I’m in favor of ongoing learning is that we live in a time where information is more accessible than ever before and technological advances are causing rapid changes in the knowledge base. If you want to keep up with what’s going on in the world, in your personal life, and in your business or work environment, you’ve got to keep your head in the learning game.

If you’re still not sure what you could be learning about at this age and stage of your life, here are 5 areas I would suggest for your ongoing education:

1. Health – Staying healthy today can be somewhat complicated. What foods are best? What exercises can keep you fit? What healing methods are most effective? This kind of information changes on a daily basis. One day red wine is the panacea for all ills, the next day it’s a detriment to your health. One day running is the rage, the next it’s bad for your knees. The only way to keep abreast of the latest on health is to stay informed. Read books, journals, and periodicals; attend seminars, talks, and conferences. Pursue the areas that interest you most whether it’s traditional or alternative medicine.

2. Finances — Lately we have been going through challenging economic times. The better informed you are, the better chance you have of preserving your assets and knowing what to do with your finances now and in the future. Anyone can learn about saving, spending, and investing. There are more books and seminars available on these subjects than you can imagine. Whether you want to learn about starting and running a business, getting a loan or grant, budgeting and tracking your income and expenses, or investing in real estate, stocks, or bonds, someone is teaching this somewhere.

3. Career – If you own your own business or work as an employee, many opportunities present themselves to you for continuing education in your field of expertise. Often employers bring in training companies to keep their employees well trained in their skills and in their industry. Business owners have access to seminars, conferences, and teleclasses to keep up on their area of expertise as well as current business and marketing practices.

4. Relationships — If you’re in an intimate relationship, you and your spouse may enjoy taking classes together that either enhance your relationship or where you can learn something new like a sport or hobby. If you’re looking to build an intimate relationship, plenty of classes are available for singles looking for love in all the right places!

5. Leisure — As I’ve already mentioned, you may want to brush up on an existing skill or take up a new one. As boomers enter retirement, they need to stay active both physically and mentally. Continuing your education is one of the best ways to do this. A client of mine who was bored in retirement took a pottery class at the local adult school and showered his family and friends with his creations–whether or not they wanted them. He’d never done anything artistic in his life but became fairly accomplished at making mugs, vases, and sculptures.

What have you always wanted to learn but never had the time? What’s stopping you now? Keep your head in the learning game, and you’ll never be bored–or boring!

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The business world can be a tricky place when dealing with doing what’s right–keeping your personal values and morals in check. While you have to separate your business life from your personal life, it doesn’t mean you have to turn into someone you’re not in order to be successful.

It’s also important not to offend others in the process of doing what you think is right. You have to keep you personal views and what others think balanced. Keep these five suggestions in mind and you’ll be well on your way to doing what is right for you and not ticking people off as you go.

1. Know yourself.

We’re all different, which makes the world a much more interesting place. You may have a big mouth without a filter–saying exactly how you feel about things without thinking about how it sounds or how others will take it. Maybe you make faces that come off as bad to an observer but you really don’t mean anything by it. You have to know yourself–what your strengths are and what your weaknesses are. When you have this knowledge, you can do something about it so that you can still speak your mind and be yourself, but in more of an appropriate manner.

2. Express yourself.

It’s kind of like the Madonna song, you have to learn how to express yourself. If you’re supposed to be a marketing consultant and you’re attending a client meeting, but you just sit there like a timid mouse and don’t say a word, what do you think your chances are for landing this company as a new client? Zippo! If one of their ways of promoting their service to potential clients is killing their sales, find a tactful way to let them know this. It’s not by blurting out, “You’re doing it all wrong. No wonder your sales are down!” Maybe it’s something more refined like, “My other clients that have used the same type of promotion saw a rapid decline in their sales also. When we started working together and put together a comprehensive marketing plan that incorporated a combination of print, online, radio, and TV ads, their business increased by 30%.” It’s not always what you say, but how you say it. But you have to say it–don’t just sit there and say nothing.

3. Set boundaries.

Boundaries getting crossed are what usually makes you feel uncomfortable–like you’re not being true to yourself. So make sure that you set boundaries and don’t let them get crossed. For example, may be your company throws happy hour networking events all of the time. Your colleagues come to the event and treat it more like a college kegger than a business meeting–getting drunk and slurring their words as they talk to prospective clients. It’s not that you have something against drinking, but it’s the excess you have an issue with. Nobody says you have to drink to the point of getting drunk. Nobody says you have to drink at all. You can only be responsible for your own actions. If you really feel like these cocktail parties are affecting the business, then suggest an alternative way to mingle with prospects that’ll shed a better light on your company.

4. Be accountable.

It’s worth repeating, you are the only one that can control your actions. Be accountable for what you do. If you make a mistake, owe up to it. If you do something that is successful, share it with your boss and colleagues. Don’t be boastful and say it with an “I’m better than you” attitude, but be matter of fact and truthful.

5. Be fair and respectful.

Everyone is different. The way that you see something or the way you believe may be completely different from what others think. You have to be fair and respectful of these differences. Agree to disagree if necessary. Just like you want someone to respect your wishes, you have to respect others wishes as well. It goes back to that “don’t talk about politics and religion” rule because if your opinions differ then it could be war.

You can do what you feel is right without offending other people. First, you’ve got to take a good look at who you are. Then you’ve got to respect the differences between you and others. Finally, you have to find a way to tactfully and respectfully do what you think is right in a way that doesn’t hurt the people around you.

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~ Aristotle

I was shocked to read a recent study that reported less than 30% of people interviewed said they were deeply happy, and that 25% of Americans and 27% of Europeans claimed they are depressed. As a naturally happy person, I was amazed at how many unhappy people there are. Generally when I work with my coaching clients, they are not unhappy about everything in their life; they usually just have one area they are working on or one challenge to overcome.

So why are so many people unhappy? And why are so many people just going through the motions, appearing to be happy, pretending to be happy, when they’re really not?

The first step in determining if you’re happy or how happy you are is to define happiness. To some, it means doing what they want, having what they want, and being who they want, that is, fulfilling their dreams and desires. To others, it’s a state of mind that is not dependent on the outside world, but more on an inner contentment. And to still others, it’s about being responsible for their choices and accepting responsibility for whatever shows up in their lives, even if it didn’t seem like a conscious choice.

Ultimately, happiness can be defined as an emotional state, a feeling of peace, contentment, well being, joy, and connection. Most people have felt happy at some point in their lives, maybe under certain circumstances. They started a new relationship, won a valuable gift, or reached a worthwhile goal. The secret to continuing and lasting happiness I have found, is in knowing you can CHOOSE to be happy–in any circumstance, for any reason, and for no reason.

Have you ever taken a “time out” to check in with yourself to see if you’re really happy or just going through the motions? You know what I mean. People ask you every day, “Hi. How are you?” and you unconsciously say, “Fine,” when that may not be the case at all. Or you “put on a happy face” at work or with your family, just to “keep the peace,” to avoid conflicts or explanations. Or to avoid looking inside to figure out why you’re not really all that happy–at least not as happy as you appear to be. What I notice with people who are just going through the motions, is that they’ve become disconnected from their feelings. For whatever reason–traumas, upsets, frustrations–they’ve shut down and are walking zombies, the living dead.

Once you’ve shut down your feelings, it will take awareness and desire to reignite them and reconnect to your feelings. So how can you determine if you’re really happy or just going through the motions? And how can you choose more happiness in your life? Here are some ideas that I’ve used successfully with my clients.

1. Define happiness for yourself:

Knowing your own definition of happiness can help you assess your level of happiness. Some people have described happiness as lightness, aliveness, flow, love, passion, gratitude, being present, being responsible, open, accepting, optimistic, free, and connected. Until you establish your own definition, it will be difficult to determine how happy you are.

2. Examine your lifestyle:

Are you doing what you love, living where you want, hanging around people you enjoy? If not, why not? Although happiness starts from within, a lot of people gauge their level of happiness on what satisfactions they receive from the outside world. If you’re not enjoying the work you do five days a week, it’s no wonder you’re not happy! If you hate the city where you live, the house you live in, or your neighbors, you have good cause for unhappiness. And if you’re surrounded by a lot of negative people, that will drain anyone’s ability to be happy. Change the circumstances of your life that you can, so you can start bringing in more reasons to be happy.

3. Check your attitude:

Although the nice things in life bring us happiness, like our home, car, clothing, job, and people, if we have a negative attitude in general, we won’t even find happiness in the things we love. The happiest people are loving, accepting, giving, positive, optimistic, and live in the present rather than the past or future. Happiness is a moment-by-moment choice, which can only be made in the present. And yes, happiness can be a choice. I’ve seen some of my clients turn their attitudes around once they decided they could and they would choose to be happy–regardless of life circumstances. I know that sounds like a big leap, but just know it is possible.

4. Look at your relationships:

Relationships are one of the most common sources for our happiest times. Intimate relationships especially provide us with a deep connection that in most cases allows us to feel loved and appreciated. We can also have satisfying relationships that add to our happiness with our family, friends, associates, pets, and most importantly ourselves. I also notice that people who give to others, especially through charity work, are deeply happy.

5. Set happiness goals:

Are you committed to being happier? Do you want to get to the bottom of why you’re just going through the motions, why you’ve buried your feelings? Then it’s time to take action. Read some books, take some classes, work with a coach, meditate, journal, spend time in contemplation. Create your action plan for building a happier life. It’s your choice!

What Does Happiness Mean to You? 

Explore the possibilities with the Happiness Trilogy from Slow Down Fast. Self-Coaching in electronic format. Includes tons of tips, tricks and exercises designed to help you become the master of your own destiny and orchestrator of your personal well being!

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Credit makes the world go round. OK. That’s not exactly true, but if you have bad credit, it can sure throw your world off its axis.

If you want to pay a decent interest rate on a mortgage or any loan you get or just get approved for a credit card, then you have to act to bump, bump, bump, bump it up (your credit score that is).

If you have blemished credit or downright bad credit, take these steps to get your credit back on track. While you already know that you have to pay your bills and pay them on time to increase your credit score, here are some lesser-known ways to get the job done.

Credit piggybacking.

If you’re married or have a close friend or relative with good credit, use this to your advantage. Have them add you to one of their established credit accounts–a credit card account usually works best for these purposes. With a simple phone call to the credit card company, your trusted credit buddy can request to add you as a cardholder on their account. Once this happens, their good credit becomes part of your credit report too. Simple and easy. The hard part–getting someone to add you to their account.

Pay down your debts (not off).

Debt is like cholesterol–there’s good cholesterol and bad cholesterol. There is good debt and bad debt. Credit cards quickly become bad debt when you’re paying 22% interest on a balance that you carry month after month. Mortgage debt that is generally tax deductible is good debt (as long as you pay and you pay on time). You may think that you have to pay off all of your debt to better your credit, but this isn’t true. Creditors like to see that you can manage your debt. This means that you should carry balances on certain types of debt–paying it down as necessary. If you don’t have any debt because you paid it all off then there isn’t anything to manage! Just be wise about what debt you have and how you manage it.

Don’t close your credit accounts.

You’ve probably done it. You’ve had a credit card sitting in your wallet for the past ten years, but haven’t touched it. One day you’re trying to free up space in your wallet and you call and cancel the unused card. Bad idea. The longer your good credit history with the credit card company, the better it is for your credit report and score. So pay your debt down and pay it off, but don’t close the account. It’s like a fine wine, it gets better with age!

Mix it up.

You wouldn’t want to eat a salad for lunch everyday for the rest of your life. You want to mix it up and try different foods–a good mix of choices. The same holds true for your credit. Your credit score vibes off a mix of different types of credit–auto loans, personal loans, and credit cards (revolving credit). Again, this illustrates your ability to manage your credit.

Get rid of your bad credit.

Everyone makes mistakes and creditors and credit agencies aren’t exceptions to this rule. This means that it is possible you’ll find errors on your credit report–accounts that aren’t yours, late payments that weren’t late, or debts sent to collection that were paid. Listen up because this is important. When you find these errors, dispute them. Write a letter to the credit agency reporting this bad information telling them why it is wrong information and request for it to be removed from your credit report. Within 30 days the credit agency will respond and send you a new copy of your report when the information is removed. This is an instant boost in your credit.

Don’t file for bankruptcy.

Many people think filing for bankruptcy is the perfect solution to wipe their debt clean and start their credit history over again. Don’t fall into this trap. Bankruptcies stay on your credit for 7-10 years and make it extremely difficult to reestablish your credit. It also proves to creditors that you can’t manage your own credit so you have to resort to filing for bankruptcy. Bankruptcy should not be used as a solution to your credit and debt problems–only as a last resort when you’ve exhausted all of your other options.

Use these six ways to bump up your credit score and to clean up your credit. Once you do, you’ll be well on your way to getting your world spinning back on its axis.

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So, after 700+ posts in 2008, I’m publishing the 12 Most Read Posts at Slow Down FAST so we can all get a jump on the new year.

Thank you all for your support throughout the year.

Here they are:

1. The Causes and Cures of Procrastination
2. Mindhacks: 5 Ways to Increase Creativity, Productivity and Intelligence
3. How to Overcome the #1 Fear: Public Speaking
4. 8 Essential Ingredients to Master Your Time
5. Do Not Wage Psychological Warfare
6. Stuck in a Rut? Fire Up Your Creativity with These 7 Steps
7. What Are You Passionate About?
8. See How Easily You Can Handle Change
9. How to Maintain Professional Boundaries
10. 5 Simple Tricks To Make You Smarter
11. 5 Signs You’re a Pleaser and What to Do About It
12. From Greedy to Grateful – Appreciating What You Have

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Amazingly, the holidays are upon us again. It feels as though this time of year comes so fast, turns our lives upside down and is over before we know it. Sometimes it’s hard to be fully present in the moment when we’re overwhelmed and stressed about gift giving, tons of parties to attend, and juggling our families through it all. It helps to step back and take it all in. Slow Down and enjoy the holidays.

Giving is better than receiving…

Make time for others. The good deeds you do will not only help others but really allow you to experience the true meaning of the holidays. Why not volunteer at a soup kitchen, organize a toy drive for underprivileged children or even make time at your child’s school for fun activities? Even simple gestures like baking cookies for your elderly neighbors or inviting those without families to visit during the holidays can be ways to give to others what they would have missed this year.

Peace on earth…

Do you and your neighbor have an ongoing feud concerning your property line or an overgrown tree? Do you not really know your neighbors at all because you work crazy hours? Haven’t seen the in laws in some time, and you’re sort of happy about that? Make the extra effort. Shovel your neighbor’s driveway as a peace offering. Introduce yourself to your new neighbors with a gift of cigars or homemade brownies. Extend the olive branch and offer to host at your home this year. Realize that you are also an x-factor that can change your relationships.

Goodwill toward man…

Spread the good cheer! A positive attitude in your professional and personal life can definitely bring out the best in people. Make the extra effort to find the positive angle in situations that may not appear to be so great. Involve your family and coworkers in decision making. Find what it is that they want to do and attempt to incorporate it into “the plan.” If your workmate feels that his approach toward a client or situation might be the best way, let him try before (or even IF) you need to use your own approach. Have your children decide on, and then plan for, a family outing. Enjoy spending time together and focus on just being with them, rather than whatever is on your holiday to-do list!.

Let it snow…

Stock up your cupboards with the fixings for holiday treats and cocoa. Enjoy the season… enjoy the snow and the early evenings. Go sledding and skating… warm up in front of the fire, and spend time with those that you love. Pull out the seasonal favorites: It’s a Wonderful Life, A Christmas Carol, The Santa Clause… plan a movie night with your spouse or even the whole family! Pop popcorn, have a few hot toddies… find simple reasons to enjoy the season!

There’s No Place Like Home…

For the holidays, make an effort to get together with loved ones, near and far. Sure, the traffic might be terrific and maybe it’s been so long that you’d just as soon stay home. But it’s important to make the effort — especially with family, as they are the roots of who you are and where you came from. Reconnecting with cousins, aunts, uncles, nephews and nieces can be a refreshing and fun alternative to your daily grind.

Slow down and enjoy the holidays. Though they do come once a year… make this year count!

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Are you aware that you are at choice in every area of your life?

When I ask that question of my personal coaching clients they sometimes get very quiet, then say, “No. I don’t feel like I make all my own choices.” That’s a very common response. Many people feel like other people make choices for them, dictate what they “should” do, how they should do it, when they should do it, what they should eat, what they should wear, etc.

It begins, of course, with our parents. Until we’re at an age where they can trust us to make our own, correct decisions, they make our choices for us. If they were controlling, over-protective parents, they may not have instilled in us the opportunity to develop our ability to make our own wise decisions. Thus, we may have grown into adults still looking to others to choose our life situations. Or they may have taught us how to choose and take responsibility for our choices and we became confident, self-assured adults.

After parents, we had our teachers make choices for us. They taught us what and how to think, and hopefully the better teachers, taught us how to think for ourselves. During school peer pressure was at its height, so we dressed like our friends or the most popular kids in school, we hung out where the crowds hung out, and if we succumbed to peer pressure we may have taken up smoking or even worse!

As adults, we’re constantly bombarded with society’s messages through the media. TV, newspapers, and magazines shout at us to buy this product, eat or drink this, wear this, do that. It’s no wonder so many of us forget we have the ability to choose for ourselves. It’s just that we’ve forgotten how because so many others have been doing it for us for so long.

If you are ready to say “YES” to personal choice, great! It’s time to sit down and take an honest look at your life and see what areas are working for you, and what areas are ones that you have chosen and are happy with. And then look and see where you are living someone else’s choices–maybe for your work, your home, your lifestyle. You may still be living your parent’s choices, or your spouse’s choices, or your community’s.

If you are ready to say “YES” to personal choice, here are some actions you can take:

1. KNOW that you have free will and personal choice.

Yes, we all have free will and we can all make our own choices. If this is something new for you, it may take a while to get used to it. If you live in an oppressive environment, perhaps with a spouse who “tries” to make your choices, you will have more of a challenge breaking free. But as you come to believe this, begin with small choices. Notice when you eat something, or do something, or go somewhere and it’s not your choice. Ask yourself, “What would be my choice in this situation?” Then order the meal YOU want to eat, or choose the movie YOU want to see, and notice how that feels. As you practice making your own choices, you will get better at it and feel more comfortable.

2. GIVE UP victimhood and become the victor.

If you have been playing victim for years, under the thumb of a controlling parent or spouse or other, it’s time to break free. Your first step is to acknowledge your situation, then make a decision that you will no longer put up with it. You may choose to work with a life coach who can help you make new choices on your own. No one should ever stay in the victim role when through personal choice you can switch your role to victor.

3. TAKE RESPONSIBILITY for everything in your life.

If you’ve always thought others were responsible for your life, you can change that belief. We are all responsible for our lives, for our choices, for our results–for everything. You are even responsible for giving up responsibility and turning it over to another person. You may have felt that abdicating responsibility felt safer because being responsible is too much power and not everyone wants that. But it’s also a place of great freedom. You no longer have to blame others for your circumstances–you are free to choose your own. When you take responsibility for everything in your life, if you don’t like the outcome, you can change the choices you made and create a different outcome.

4. TAKE RISKS, step outside all that’s safe and familiar.

When you say YES to personal choice, you can exercise your freedom to say and do and be and have whatever you want. If you’ve always eaten spaghetti and meatballs at an Italian restaurant, next time try lasagna or eggplant parmesan. If you’ve always vacationed at your time share in Hawaii, next year go to Paris. As you step more and more into personal choice and get comfortable with it, test yourself by doing new, exciting things with your life.

5. MONITOR YOUR THOUGHTS, they are your power of creation.

Personal choice begins with knowing yourself, knowing what you like, who you are. If you’ve never been introspective, start to listen to your thoughts. Take five minutes every day and sit quietly and listen. Ask yourself questions and listen for the answers. Write in a journal. As you get more comfortable listening to your inner dialogue, keep your thoughts positive and supportive. As you step into your power and exercise your personal choice, your positive thoughts will support you in creating positive outcomes.

Enjoy your life to the fullest as you say YES to personal choice.

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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.

In order to assess your progress and make the adjustments, you need to review your goals from time to time. When I ask my coaching clients how they’re doing on certain goals they sometimes tell me they forgot about that goal. Sure they had good intentions when they said they would exercise three days per week, and then they got bogged down at work and exercise fell to a low priority.

So if you want to know how you are doing with those plans you made when you set up your goals, you need to schedule periodic check ups. Reading your goals every day is optimum. Once a month would be great, every three months would be fine, once a year is not enough! What you will do is to take out your list of goals and action steps that you’ve written out, and look at where you are with each goal. Check off the ones you’ve accomplished first. Decide if you want to set up new goals to replace them. For example, if you set a goal to lose 10 pounds and reached that goal, you might set a new goal to tone up your body.

For the goals you haven’t achieved, examine why you haven’t reached them. Are you doing the actions you said you would do? If not, why not? Did you take the actions, but they didn’t help you to reach the goal? What action can you take instead? Did you get stuck in figuring out what action to take, or in knowing the next step? Ask for some support to get unstuck.

Can you see how a quick periodic review can really help you stay current with your goals and become much more effective? Here’s a summary of how to establish your goal setting checkpoint:

1. Review goals periodically.

Many successful coaches, consultants, authors, and speakers advise people to review their goals every day. An ideal situation would be to awake each day and read your list of goals. Then do a visualization where you see your goals achieved. You can do this again at night. You can work on one goal at a time or several. By doing your visualization at night, you implant your desire in your subconscious mind which will help you attract what you want. Reading your goals each day keeps them forefront in your mind. Reviewing them monthly or quarterly allows you to make necessary adjustments as needed.

2. Make adjustments.

After you’ve reviewed your goals, you need to assess your progress. How are you doing? Are you consistent with the actions you need to take for each goal? Are you using your time wisely so you have time each day to work toward your goals? Is this goal still important to you? Is it consistent with your values? Does it conflict with any other goal? I know these seem like hard questions, but if you’re not reaching your goals, you have to ask yourself why? These types of questions will help you reveal your patterns of avoidance, resistance, procrastination, or other actions that are not supporting the achievement of your goals.

You’re the best one to find out what’s going on and then make the necessary adjustments. You may have to revise a goal as circumstances change or your needs and desires shift. Don’t consider it a failure, just an alteration or a change in direction. If you’re not exercising three times a week, is it really because you’re too busy, or is it actually because you don’t enjoy exercise? Great. Now you can look for a form of physical activity you will enjoy, and therefore, you will do it! Also make sure that for balance, you have goals in all areas of your life that are important to you (family, spiritual, financial, physical, social, mental…). This way you won’t feel like you’re leaving anything out.

3. Get feedback from others and ask for support.

I always believe in following in the footsteps of those who’ve come before me. If you know someone who has been successful in accomplishing a goal you’ve set for yourself, find out how they did it. Ask them what you can do differently. Get a goal buddy and check in with each other once a week. Work with a coach who will support you in committing to the actions necessary to achieve your goals and will provide accountability for your goal setting check-ins. Do whatever it takes to make your goals happen!

4. Celebrate successes, appreciate efforts.

I love to celebrate. Too many people I know check off the goals they achieve, then move on to the next one. If you’re going to take the time to review your goals periodically, then start congratulating yourself, not just for your successes but also for your efforts. So many people do not do what they say they will, so if you are at least making the effort, you should celebrate! The more you offer yourself positive reinforcement, the quicker you will reach your goals!

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Get Clear on Goals… The Goal Book Shows You How!

Personal Coach David Bohl is the author of The Goal Book, which is Part 3 of his Slow Down Fast Happiness Trilogy. The entire trilogy is now available in instant downloadable format. Visit this page for more details!

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