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Maurine Patten, Certified Mentor Coach is committed to helping you access the inner power of your mind to live a life of competency, personal freedom, meaning and joyfulness.

Archive for Goals

Tips for Prioritizing

Posted by: Maurine Patten | Comments (6)
Tuesday, April 20th, 2010

It is not too late to register for my 2nd call in the teleclass series, “Be a Positive Force in Your Life and the Life of Others.”  Tonight’s call “3 Principles of Success” begins at 8:00 pm EDT; 7:00 pm CDT.  You will discover:

  • The relationship between happiness and success.
  • The importance of having an inspired mindset.
  • Steps to move you in the direction of success.

To register and be on the call or get the recording, cut and paste the following link  http://pattencoaching.com/be-a-positive-force-teleclass-series/ I hope to see you on the call.

It has been a while since my last post as I have had some family illness concerns that have taken up a lot of my time. My previous post, “Do You Use This Skill to Decrease Your Stress?” talked about the importance of prioritizing. If you haven’t read that post, you might want to read it for some background information.

This post includes the promised tips I mentioned I would be giving you.

Prioritizing involves imagining and moving around concepts which you might not have experienced. You have to understand the concepts, recall past experiences, and make a decision. This can be a triathlon of mental tasks for the brain to handle. All of this takes a great deal of mental energy or brain power which is why it is best to prioritize when you are refreshed and alert.

While this may sound like a lot of work, the payoff is worth it for you. Here are 10 tips to make it easy for you to start practicing prioritizing:

  1. Your choices need to reflect your core values.
  2. Have standards and set boundaries – taking breaks, how long you will work, etc.
  3. Prioritize as early in the day as possible or the night before if you are refreshed.
  4. Write down and circle (on paper or a white board) the main and more urgent projects for the day.
  5. Look at each circle to find patterns, the hardest item, or other criteria.
  6. Know what is most important and why.
  7. Look at the outcome you desire – what you really want.
  8. Can something be delegated?
  9. Simplify by saying “No” to excess.
  10. Stay focused and committed as you set your priorities for the day.

It is important to write down your main projects (about 3) because it will be easier to compare the items prior to making your decision. When you actually see the words, patterns will appear which helps clarify your priorities.

As you practice prioritizing, it will get easier to do. When you sped time in the areas that bring you the results you desire, you will find yourself enjoying more of what you do! I challenge you to develop this skill and reduce your stress.

If you like what you read here, share this post with a friend.

I invite you to leave a comment.

To your success,

Maurine

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Categories : Goals, Prioritizing, Stress
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Do You Know What Is Expected of You at Work?

Posted by: Maurine Patten | Comments (0)
Sunday, February 28th, 2010

Gallup researchers found that knowing what is expected of you at work was the most important predictor of job performance. Knowing what is expected of you increases:

  • Productivity
  • Profitability
  • Creativity
  • Happy customers.

Knowing what is expected also decreases accidents in the workplace.

People tend to act in ways that are consistent with others’ expectations of them. Many studies over the years in this area have arrived at the same conclusion. It is often referred to as the Pygmalion effect.

At work, knowing what is expected of you is more than your job description although that is a good start. It is a detailed understanding of how what you do fits in with what everyone else is suppose to do. This is important because as circumstances change, expectations change. It is like a great band in which each player listens to the other instruments as he or she plays his or her instrument. The more you pay attention to what is going on around you and do your part, the better the results will be.

The economic changes during the last year or two have created many changes in the work environment. Circumstances have changed. If this is true for you, be sure to get clear on how this has affected expectations for you at work and in your personal life. Be alert to what is going on around you and how you fit in with the current business strategy and culture.

If you supervise others, think about how you can apply this information in you management role. Give more support and provide needed information about how the business is doing. Let people know what they are doing that is working.

Comment below on how you help others know what is expected.

To your success,

Maurine



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Categories : Goals, Job Satisfaction, Leadership
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6 Tips for Setting Goals You Want to Achieve

Posted by: Maurine Patten | Comments (2)
Tuesday, September 22nd, 2009

Setting meaningful goals is critical if you want to reach them in a timely way.  The goal itself needs to motivate you to begin to take action rather than avoid getting started.  The following tips will help keep you on track as you make progress.

Your goals need to:

  1. Be inspirational or important to you and in harmony with your needs and values so that you can commit to them.
  2. Look at where you “want” to be or what you want to achieve.  Have a desired outcome with a “want” mindset which focuses on possibilities rather than a “should” mindset.  “Should” will only slow you down.
  3. Be attainable, interesting, and challenging so you will want to commit to them.
  4. Be specific with realistic dates, numbers, or time frames.
  5. Be measurable to give you feedback at set times.  This helps you measure your progress.
  6. Have a deadline or deadlines if you have steps for larger projects.  This helps you stay focused. 

Weekly and monthly goals increase your productivity and motivation. 

Effective goals give you direction, motivation, and help you refine your strategy when necessary so that you will be successful.  Start by looking at the possibilities in your life.  Then develop a goal that is important to you – matches your values.  Following these six tips will keep you moving forward.

Action Step:  Start now by choosing a goal that is important to you.  Follow the 6 tips.  You will find success is possible.

To your success,

Maurine

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3 Tips from Research about Setting Goals

Posted by: Maurine Patten | Comments (1)
Friday, September 18th, 2009

How good are you at setting and achieving goals? 

The pros and cons of setting goals have been disputed for years.  Often, we have good intentions but do not know how to make them real.  The good news is that Positive Psychology research indicates that there is value in setting goals

Learn how goals direct your attention by clarifying where you are going and motivate you to take action.  Some things we know from the science of goal setting are:

  1. When you set goals that are meaningful to you, you will be more motivated to achieve them.
  2. To be meaningful, the goals need to match your values and use your strengths.
  3. To be happier and more satisfied with life, you need a balance of short and long-term (no more than 3-5 years) goals.

If you do not like the word goal, think of it as making a commitment to yourself.  Begin by thinking of a goal as a dream with a deadline.  Only make one to three of them.  It is crucial that the dream is important to you and matches your values.  Otherwise, it will not be fulfilling – even if you achieve it.

As you think of your goals, keep in mind Kermit the Frog’s advice, Success starts with a dream.  Dreams are how we figure out where we want to go.  Life is how we get there, and always allow for traffic.  (Before You Leap, 2006). 

Action step:  Think of something you want to do that is important to you.  Make sure you will use one or two of your strengths while you are taking steps to achieve your goal.  Set a realistic time for you to reach your goal.  When you reach your goal, be sure and acknowledge what you have accomplished.  

To your success,

Maurine

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Are You Stuck? – 5 Warning Signs

Posted by: Maurine Patten | Comments (0)
Tuesday, May 26th, 2009

Most people try to do and say the right thing.  They have goals, are motivated, and are concerned about their performance.  However, in spite of their effort, things do not always work out as planned.  How do you know if you are stuck?  There are five warning signs or symptoms of being stuck.  Each of these symptoms has a remedy that can help you reach your goal – big or small. 

Sometimes when you are not moving forward as planned, it can feel like being stuck or worse yet, failure.  Failure is never fun.  That is why so many people fear it.  It seems like too much is at risk.  It raises your anxiety which makes it harder for you to make wise choices.  Achievement may feel like only a dream – not a reality.

Lack of forward movement is easier to handle if it does not negatively affect your self-image.  For instance, it is hardest to handle if you have chosen one of your strengths, practiced it, and not been successful.  Yet, this is not all bad because sometimes it is how you learn.

When you are not achieving either a personal or professional goal, it is important to have good self-awareness.  You need to be able to be honest with yourself.  In addition, it is important to listen to feedback from people that you respect.  Denial about your behavior or role will only sabotage your progress.

Once you can be honest with yourself, you can check and see if you have any of the five warning signs or symptoms of stalled or stuck performance.  If noticed at an early stage, there are steps you can take to begin forward movement and ensure your success.

Warning signs of being stuck are feeling:

  1. Uncertainty or self-doubt; you do not believe you can really do the task.  You hear yourself saying “I don’t know” a lot.
  2. Loneliness; you lack the support system you need to pursue your goal.
  3. Lack of meaning or an emptiness in your life; you have no sense of purpose in regards to your life.
  4. Frustration; what you value about life and how you are spending most of your time may be in conflict.
  5. Aggressiveness; there may be a fear of losing something that is very important to you.

Action Step:  Determine if you have any of the warning signs.  If you do, choose the one that is most important to you to eliminate.  What is the first step you need to take to begin to eliminate that warning sign? 

It is important to have support in the process of eliminating your symptoms.  Determine who your support people will be.  I will give five remedies (one for each symptom) in my next post. 

Maurine



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How to Make Your Hope a Reality

Posted by: Maurine Patten | Comments (0)
Sunday, April 5th, 2009

I’ve been writing about hope, optimism, and discovering what is important to you in my last two posts.  Now it is time to translate one or two of your hopes into goals with action steps.  Following your action steps makes your hope a reality and moves you forward with confidence.  You can also do the same for one or two things you are optimistic about.

Meaning Centered Counseling (MCC) which is based on Positive Psychology uses an intervention referred to as ABCD to keep you on the right track.  As you progress through your action steps:

  • A – Accept what cannot be changed.
  • B – Believe and affirm that your life can change for the better.  Notice what you are telling yourself; positive meaning can be discovered no matter how negative the circumstances are. 
  • C – Choose responsible actions and commit to them no matter how you feel.
  • D – Discover the positive, reinforcing effect of practicing A, B, and C over time.

Deeply knowing yourself which includes being able to identify your strengths, challenges, emotions, and values is critical to make this work.  Being honest with yourself is essential.  Having someone in your life who you trust that you can discuss your action plan with helps ensure your success. 

Action step:  Today, take one of your hopes, translate it into a goal with action steps with dates for completion.  Visualize where you will be when you have completed your steps.  Make your vision tantalizing.  Begin today with your first step.  Become the masterful person you are meant to be.


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