• Classes I have designed
• PowerPoints I have designed for existing classes
• Needs Assessments

I have also added my resume to my About page. 

A focus word helps you zero-in on your commitments, goals, or resolutions.  You can choose one word for the year or a few words or you can change it up as your year goes along.   It’s all up to you.

Last year, I chose RENEWAL.   Why RENEWAL?

1.  I wanted to RENEW my commitment to my current friendships.

2.  I wanted to RENEW friendships through Crackbook.

3.  I want to RENEW my interest in my physical health.

Having that word meant that I didn’t have to remember every single goal word for word – it meant that I could focus on that one word, which represented those goals.

I posted about my focus word on Crackbook yesterday and received great response about it.  Here are some words that my friends have chosen:

• Excitement
• Revenge
• Focus
• Think Positive
• Create
• Improvement
• Balance

And, one of my friends even took the idea to her family, who each picked out a word.  They are making a piece of art out of it and hanging it on their wall so that they can be reminded of it.  How cool is that?!?!?

Which brings me to the subject of Inspiration Boards, also known as Vision Boards. Have any of you tried this technique?

An inspiration or vision board is a collage (remember those from childhood?  I remember my mom yelling at me for destroying her magazines before she had read them…and maybe a book or two) of images or sayings that represent your goal.

Inspiration boards started in the design world, as interior designers and clothing designers map out what they want to do in a project and add samples of the materials that will be part of the finished product.

It can be as simple or as fancy as you want to make it.  Here are some ideas:

For a vintage-style wedding

Things that make the creator of this one happy

Using focus words and phrases

You don’t have to use a board – you can also use a clothesline:

I actually really like the idea of the clothesline one, as you can change things out as you change your vision or find new items.

It’s also a great activity to do with your kids.

Back to your focus words.  If you are having trouble coming up with a word, might I suggest a thesaurus? If I have a concept in mind, but I can’t come up with the exact word I want, I often go to a thesaurus.

And that is how I arrived at my word for the year:  ENHANCE.  You see, I knew that I wanted to strengthen my physical body with workouts and bolster my career options with learning.  But neither of those words really captured what I was going for.  So, I went the thesaurus and there was my word:  ENHANCE.

Look for my next post, which will reveal my 2010 goals/resolutions.  I hope that you’ll share yours with me – even if it’s just your focus word. 

Want to know the reason that most people cannot stick to goals or resolutions?  It’s because the goals/resolutions are not specific enough.

For example:

I resolve to lose weight.

That’s pretty open-ended, right?  I mean, what is making you overweight now?  What will you change to help you lose weight?

Or:

I am going to be more organized.

Really?  That’s great, but you forgot to say HOW you were going to do that.

Any time you tackle a project, it’s best to break it down into smaller, bite-sized tasks.  This will allow you to feel accomplished along the way, with even minimal effort.

One way to do this is to make sure that you are setting SMART goals:

S – Specific (could also be significant, stretching)

M – Measurable (could also be meaningful, memorable, motivating)

A – Attainable (could also be achievable, action plans, accountability)

R – Relevant (could also be realistic, reasonable, rewarding)

T – Time-bound (could also be timely, tangible, thoughtful)

So let’s put those concepts into play:

Again, you don’t want to just make a general statement. If you want to lose weight, that’s great, but how about instead:

• I resolve to cut out dessert during the week.
• This year I am going to walk a mile three times per week.
• This year I am going to add one green veggie to each meal.

Those things will definitely help you lose inches and pounds and they are SPECIFIC, MEASURABLE, ATTAINABLE, RELEVANT and TIME-BOUND.

We all want to lose 10 lbs by tomorrow, but it’s not realistic, nor ATTAINABLE in that time period.  Be realistic about what you can accomplish in a specific amount of time.

If you want  to take it down even further, commit to doing it just for a week or a month.  For example:

• During January, I resolve to walk a mile three times per week.
• During February, I resolve to walk a mile 4 times per week.

It’s easy to “fool” yourself into a habit if you think you only have to do it for so long.

When I first tried to give up ice cream, I set a goal of only eating it every other day, rather than being able to have it every day.  Then I dropped it back to only once during the week and once on the weekends.

Most of us did not go straight from being born to walking.  There are some folks out there who skipped crawling altogether, but the majority of us had to crawl before we could walk, and walk before we could run. We didn’t learn how to ride a bike without training wheels.

Be patient with yourself.  While some folks have said it takes 21 days to make or break a habit, I have found that it takes a good 5-6 weeks for me to do so.  It could be because I’m stubborn or maybe those folks were not quite right about the 21 days.  Either way, I have learned to give myself the time to make the changes.

Some folks have added an E and an R to the end of SMART, for SMARTER

S – Specific (could also be significant, stretching)

M – Measurable (could also be meaningful, memorable, motivating)

A – Attainable (could also be achievable, action plans, accountability)

R – Relevant (could also be realistic, reasonable, rewarding)

T – Time-bound (could also be timely, tangible, thoughtful)

E – Evaluate

R – Re-evaluate (could also be reassess, revisit)

I’m a firm believer EVALUATING and REVISITING my goals.  I try to do it at least once per quarter, if not more often.  That shows me where I need to adjust a behavior in order to meet the goal – or it might be that I’ve finished that goal and I need to set more.  Just because January 1 only comes once a year, it doesn’t mean you can only set goals or resolutions then. You could try doing it every three months or every six months as well.

I recommend writing out your goals, whether it’s in a notebook that only you see or on a blog for the world to see. Any time you write out a goal, it makes it REAL.  It becomes a promise to yourself. Otherwise, it’s just a “someday” idea floating around in your head that only shows up in your daydreams.

When you write out your goals, make sure that you write out the steps that will get you there.  For example:

I want to write a book.

That’s overwhelming to anyone.  That may be your ultimate goal, but how will you get there?

• I will write an outline of the first three chapters of my book by March 31, 2010.
• I will complete the writing of the first chapter by April 30, 2010.

Please feel free to use this simple document to help you set up your goals.

Goal Worksheet

Hope that this helps you in your goal/resolution setting.  I’ll be back with mine for 2010 tomorrow.

This year has been rough on most of us – jobs lost, living on unemployment, trying to make ends meet. But the beauty of this year is that you can’t possibly question what you have to be thankful for.  This recession has taught us to go back to the simpler things in life.  So, here is what I’m thankful for:

1.  I have more food in my fridge and 2 freezers than I know what to do with. 
2.  My pantry is full.
3.  My car runs and is safe for me to use.  On top of that, I love that car.
4.  I have the love of the most wonderful man I’ve ever known.
5.  I have lots of books to read.
6.  I can see beautifully since my eye surgery. 
7.  I am thankful that I have all of my limbs and they all work.

8.  I have a warm bed to sleep in at night.

9.  I live in a country with the greatest volunteer armed services in the world.

10.  I have a place to come home to.
11.  I am pretty darn happy with my life.

Yes, I am thankful for the simple lessons that the recession is teaching me.  Instead of thinking about what I don’t have, I am able to focus on what I do have.  And I have an abundance of love, friends, hope, happiness, and yes, even things.

What are you thankful for this year?

To be honest, I’m still unemployed.   I’ve had some bites here and there from my resume, went on about a dozen interviews, and…nada.  There are many talented folks out there, applying for a limited amount of jobs.  I understand it completely.  If I were an employer right now, I would be able to choose candidates who normally would not be on the market right now.  It’s a great time to be an employer, if your business itself is fairly stable.

When you’re not performing the day-to-day duties of a trainer, it’s hard to write about it.  While I continue to read the trade blogs, keep up on the latest research, and focus on improving upon the skills I have as well as adding others, I have also started to look at other areas in my life.

For the most part, I have been working on my physical health.  I’ve devoured many books about healthy eating – what your body uses most efficiently, what can change it.  I’ve also been taking advantage of my time off and going to the gym on a regular basis.  I’ve put all of my new-found knowledge about health and nutrition into a blog, and I’m proud to say that it’s become fairly popular.  I have a great network of health bloggers who are new friends.

If you still come by the site, I do have some ideas for new articles about training.  I hope to have them up soon.

For example, I love to teach time management.  This is a great way to get a group of people together and discuss what is challenging them when they are trying to complete their projects in a timely manner.  If you have a lot of folks who are working on the same tasks, it opens a dialogue that might not have existed previously and information is shared.  Isn’t that part of the goal in team-building and training?

Sending students to read about the tenets of time management on a computer might give them information, but it doesn’t assist the aural and kinesthetic learners.  It doesn’t allow for brainstorming and for collaboration.  In the end, it seems to be a far bigger waste of time than a help.

In today’s economy, we as trainers need to make smart decisions.  We need to remember that we are the experts here – we have studied adult learning theory, we have the experience, and we know what works.  We cannot allow a panic at the top of the company force us into bad practices that will have repercussions for years to come.

Women Make Less Than Men Because They Want To

Posted on Wednesday, March 11, 2009 by Frank Roche