Pssst….Goal Setting Secrets that You Should Know About!

SECRET # 1-Believability Factor
Believe that what you are envisioning is possible and that you really do deserve it. Incongruence in this area can thwart the best-laid plans in the world. Put it to the test by imagining that you have already accomplished your goals, what are the worst-case scenarios that you can see occurring? What fears come up as you think about accomplishing your goals? Who would be disappointed or even angry if you accomplished them? What changes would you need to make in your life? What old belief systems are you holding onto that may not work to your benefit at this stage of your life? You may find that there are issues that come up and you can choose the path of awareness and push through them or involve yourself in some self discovery work on your own or with a professional. If you find that you are not actively taking action, this is an area to come back and examine.

SECRET #2-Own It
Your goals belong to you; though they may be supported by others they will ultimately be achieved by your own actions. If you are setting goals based on other people’s activities this can be loosely disguised as wanting to attempt to control others peoples actions vs your own. Change your focus and look at the areas of your life where you can make the most difference and create a personal sense of satisfaction.

SECRET #3-Paint a Picture
This secret is extremely powerful. Write your vision in sensory specific detail and in the positive, present tense. Include how it makes you feel and stretch yourself to “Dream Big”. We are constantly accessing how we feel either consciously or unconsciously in order to make decisions, purchases or take action. In the hurry, flurry of our lives it is easy to forget the very sensory nature of our beings. However, tapping into this wisdom will engage you at all levels in accomplishing your goals.
Example: I want a new car.
Revised Example: I have a sleek caramel, white jaguar with luxurious brown leather seats and a cherry burl wood grain interior that begs your fingers to glide softly across its shiny surface. I slide into the car, close the door and hear it click. I turn the key in the ignition and hear the motor spring to life and quietly purr. The sounds of my favorite Italian music come from the Bose stereo and surround me with a symphony of melody as the air conditioner sends a cool air breeze gently past my face. The smell of the new car interior wafts up to my nose and I smile glancing in the preset rear view mirror, as I watch the tan convertible top gracefully slip down into its casing before I set off for my trip up the California coast.
One way to test your vision and goals to see if they are interesting and vivid enough; is to ask yourself if you would enjoy reading your description before going to bed each night. If the answer is yes, you’re on the right track if not, then give them more “juice” so that they will appeal to all of your senses.

SECRET #4-“Recipe for Success”
Each of us has developed a very personalized “recipe” that allows us to be successful in life. For some of us we may need a tough deadline in order to actually get the work done. For others we might find that throughout our lives we were most successful when we had a significant person cheering us on from the sidelines. Still others may find that they will need to go through a period of “crazy making” before they actualize their goals. Now, you may want to change your “recipe” at some point or try something else, but in some situations it is just easier to work with what you have hardwired into your brain realizing that it’s just part of your process.

SECRET #5-Values Alignment
Base your vision on your values and not just on something that may be culturally “the right thing to do”. Understandably you will need to know what your core values are before you can check in to see if they are in alignment but be careful of contradictions. For example, if you want to make $150,000 a year to meet a core value of security that you have and believe that you will need to accomplish this by traveling 70% of the time for your job that is fine. It may be an excellent strategy, however if one of your other values is connection and you start to lose out on quality time with your family because of your time on the road you will be faced with a challenge due to conflicting values. That is not to say that you can’t meet both values with a different strategy, however, be careful of polarizing on one value and ignoring another area, sooner or later this has a tendency to catch up to you.

SECRET #6-Get S.M.A.R.T.
Use this method of clarifying your goal by checking to see if it is Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely. Then ask yourself if it is in concert with your vision, begin setting milestones and create a concrete plan of action that works in conjunction with the other secrets.

SECRET #7-Baby Steps and Leaps of Faith
You may find that you need to start with some baby steps in order to gather some momentum in meeting your goal. At other times, though you may be afraid, your goals will require you to summon your courage, take a leap of faith and really go for it. Trust yourself, do your research and due diligence then ask for help as needed. There is no need to judge yourself in comparison to others, everyone has their own pace, all that is required is that you take consistent action toward what you want to accomplish.

SECRET #8-T.L.C.
Give your vision plenty of tender loving care, just as if you had planted a seedling and needed to nurture it carefully while it established its roots. You may even find that there are people that you don’t share your goals with for a while because they may not understand or want to support you. Instead use the energy to carefully think through what you need to do, take action and begin meeting some milestones. Sharing successes has much more power and gives you the opportunity to discern who will be the best members of your support team.

SECRET #9-Personal Support Team
Surround yourself with the support of people who care about you, support you, have expertise, will ask you the tough questions, and are invested in your best interests. Surprisingly, support may come from unlikely sources so don’t be afraid to ask for help or advice. Many times by sharing your vision, others will be inspired and want to be part of it and your efforts to succeed.

SECRET #10-Celebrate the Milestones
Celebrate your short-term goals so that you have a continued feeling of success, cherish the insights of learning along your journey and acknowledge yourself for all the steps you take. It becomes easier to build your confidence when you can base your next steps on the feeling of success in achieving previous milestones.

SECRET #11-Detours are not Dead Ends
Find something to love again when you get stuck or run into obstacles. Reaching the goal may not take the most direct route, but the adventure is actually in the journey. Be patient with yourself and refocus on what you want to accomplish, and then use creative methods and persistence to continue on.

SECRET #12-Goal Wisdom
For more inspiring information and success strategies to help you set and meet your goals learn from others who have gone before you and stuck with their visions despite any challenges that they may have encountered. Often knowing that we are not the only ones that have had a vision and that we can learn new ideas and strategies to make them a successful reality, makes a world of difference in continuing on when the going gets tough. The combination of persistence, hope, belief and determination is a powerful force to be reckoned with.


Heather Wieshlow is the owner of Turning Point Coaching and Consulting and helps professionals in career transition find work that is emotionally and financially rewarding. Her interactive teaching style is demonstrated at her speaking engagements, workshops, classes and personal coaching sessions. For information on doing a complete Year in Review Process that acknowledges the wins from the past year and sets goals for the upcoming year, call 949-643-5505 or email aturningpoint@earthlink.net; www.aturningpoint.com.

Schools offering degrees and certifications in Southern, CA

Thinking about finishing a degree or getting a certification to enhance your career? Here is a comprehensive list of schools and training providers in the Southern California area.

Orange County, CA
http://tinyurl.com/yjflv4f

Los Angeles, CA http://tinyurl.com/yg9vk3q

San Diego, CA
http://tinyurl.com/yz6q2ot

Riverside, CA
http://tinyurl.com/yfb2c8p

Free Mocha at McDonolds

Get a FREE McCafe Mocha or Iced Mocha for free on Mocha Mondays at participating McDonald’s on 7/27 and 8/3 between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.

Starbucks Free Pastry

Enjoy a free pastry on Tuesday July 21, 2009 with the purchase of a beverage. Must have this coupon.
www.starbucks.com/retail/print_free_pastry.html

Thursday July 9: Gifts of Hope, Inspiration and Vision – International Coach Federation-Orange County’s 10th Anniversary Celebration

The evening promises to entertain, inspire and motivate coaches, business and community leaders, friends and family with a powerful message of how we can each live our life in a way that makes the most significant difference. We invite you to celebrate a decade of coaching excellence and service to the community with top business and life coaches in the local area. Featured guest is award winning comedienne, actress and speaker Kathy Buckley, who is billed as “America’s First Hearing Impaired Comedienne" www.kathybuckley.com and will entertain the audience with her personalized, humorous message and share how she overcame some of the most difficult obstacles one can imagine in life, meeting them with dignity, courage, and laughter. Past ICF-OC presidents will share their insights on the importance of community, recognize the contributions to the profession of coaching and acknowledge the vision and milestones the OC chapter has achieved over the past ten years. Special vibrational music will be played by Mark Romero, www.markromeromusic.com an amazing musician and sound healer, plus we have partnered with Second Harvest Food Bank www.feedoc.org to set up a food drive to provide hope and inspiration to those who are in need during these times.
Cost: $45 Where: Irvine Marriott Hotel, 18000 Von Karman Avenue, Irvine, CA For more information, go to www.icforangecounty.org

Free Entrance to National Parks

All 147 National Park Service sites that charge entry fees will waive them for June 20 and 21, July 18 and 19, and August 15 and 16. Those fees range from $3 to $25. Link to California National Parks
http://home.nps.gov/applications/parksearch/state.cfm?st=ca

Yes, CEOs Should Facebook And Twitter

Social networking climbs to the top of the corporate ladder
www.forbes.com/2009/03/11/social-networking-executives-leadership-managing-facebook.html

Deals of the Day

During difficult economic times and career transitions people want to save money. As a Chief Career Strategist, I know how important it is to stretch your dollars and have put up the great Deals of the Day on this blog to help you out. Enjoy, save and add to it if you hear of some really amazing offers.

Free World Famous Wealth Creation Seminar with T-Harv Ecker

Join the nearly 1 million people whose lives have been positively changed at the Millionaire Mind Intensive 3-day seminar. Learn more about your beliefs about money and how to make opportunities work for you.
May 15-17, 2009---Los Angeles, CA
Enter promo code SA1656 and reference number 556543


Discount on DMV Registration Fees

This one came from a friend of mine...On May 19, the CA vehicle registration fee increases from .65% to 1.15% of the car’s value. That means that the VLF for a $30,000 car goes from $195 to $345 or from $390 to $690 for a $60,000 car.

Now, you can’t RENEW your registration until it is due and you get the forms in the mail. So if your registration expires in June or July, you have to pay the higher renewal fees even if you were to pay them before May 19.

Or, you can REGISTER your car (not renew) before May 19 and pay the lower fee. It will start a new cycle that ends in May, 2010. If your renewal date is within the next few months after May, you will come out ahead. You can do this at the Auto Club, if you are a member, or online at http://www.dmv.ca.gov/forms/formsreg_alpha.htm


Free Wi Fi in Orange County, CA

Get out of the house and hang out with other people. These locations and a laptop make it possible for free!

Starbucks Register your gift card and receive two hours of free internet access each day

Claim Jumper Yummy food and drinks plus free wifi

• Panera Bread Great place for meetings and offers free wifi

• Corner Bakery Serving great food and fee wifi


• Mission Viejo Library Free internet access , excellent resources and computers that you can use. Also check out other libraries in the area including Irvine Library and Newport Library other Orange County Libraries

Deals of the Day

Get 40 free business cards/20 free resumes at Staples through June 13, 2009. See details at www.staples.com/freeresume

Deals of the Day

Monday April 27
Free piece of chicken at KFC

Tuesday April 28
2 free pieces of chicken at El Pollo Loco, until 8:00pm www.elpolloloco.com/whatsnew/tastethefire.html

Free Improv Comedy Tickets 10pm
Just message me your FULL NAME & how many tickets you want, and your whole group is in Free. Jonny Loquasto [dolanewsk@hotmail.com]
The lineup includes Iliza Shlesinger, who won "Last Comic Standing" this past season. The entire lineup is always awesome, so come on out!
www.Myspace.com/JonnyLoquasto

Irvine Improv
71 Fortune Dr. in the Spectrum
Tuesday April 28 at 10pm sharp

Wednesday April 29th: 5:00-9:00pm
scoop of ice cream for only 31 cents www.baskinrobbins.com

Green Career Conferences

Looking for a "green job", check out these Green Career Conferences

San Diego Green Career Conference
April 25th, 2009

Los Angeles Green Career Conference
June 7th, 2009

www.greencareerconference.com