In practice building (and getting clients) it seems to be
that most self-employed people just hope for the best. They
simply keep doing what they’ve been doing and don’t have a
strategy for creating the practice they’d be truly and
deeply happy with. This is a big mistake in my opinion.

I used to write down my goals each year, but it never
really worked for me. I just didn’t feel really excited
about my new goals. They didn’t seem to propel me in motion
and so I kind of viewed them as being useless. I never
really looked at them, probably because they seemed like
“shoulds” rather than “really-meaningful-wants.”

Then I came across the concept of creating 3-year visions
instead of just a list of goals for the upcoming year. This
visioning wasn’t just about business goals, but also
family, financial, spiritual, and relationship goals. It
became a “holistic” way of looking at what you wanted in
your life. All the pieces looked like they would work
together, but only because you were compelled to make it
all work together, which was the first time I’d done that
in such depth.

The coolest thing about visioning 3 years out came to me
after I started doing this regularly. I noticed that ONE
year goals were never too much of a stretch. They seemed
like timid goals, goals that didn’t really get me excited.
But having to create a vision of what 3 years down the line
would look like allowed me to REALLY think BIG.

Inhibitions dropped. My creative side started going and I
really took time to see, “Hey, what WOULD I want my life to
look like in 3 years, if I could have time to create it?”
SHAZAM! I felt like I’d hit the jackpot.

The 3-year vision was a way for me to create something to
strive for that REALLY spoke to me. Something that made my
heart beat a little faster after I read it, excited to get
going, and just a little bit scared of the thought of me
reaching it. Now THAT would propel me into motion the way a
yearly list of goals wouldn’t be able to do. (By the way,
my deep down secret is that I strive to reach these in 1 or
2 years, not 3, and that’s usually what happens.)

So, each year, around this time, I create a 3-year vision
of what I want my practice to look like. I write it in the
present tense, as if it were 3 years later, that same day.
For example, this past year I wrote mine on January 4, 2007
as if it was January 4, 2010, and I talked about all the
things that had happened since 2007. All the things I’d
accomplished in my business, with my finances, my
investments, my family, and myself over the “last 3 years,”
which obviously hadn’t actually happened yet.

Such a cool exercise and it really gets the blood flowing
when you read it back to yourself, now and over the year.

“When you can clearly see yourself being there, you can see
much more clearly how to get there. You can imagine the
path to your dreams, and then start to actually walk it.
Play an active role in your own future. Imagine with
passion and detail how you’d most like it to be.”
—Ralph Marston, http://greatday.com

You see, I’ve figured out that it’s not just about goals.
Yes, goals are important, but the way I look at it, it’s
about focusing on what you REALLY want for your life, not
the “shoulds.” It’s also about putting into effect the Law
of Attraction in a big way. When you know what you want for
your life, when you can imagine it with passion and feel
what it feels like to have it, it’s almost guaranteed to
come to you.

So, this weekend, I’ll be taking a couple of hours to work
on my own 3-year vision. I wouldn’t dream of not doing it.
My success depends on it and it does for you too.

YOUR CLIENT ATTRACTION ASSIGNMENT:

Your turn. Sometime this week, create a 3-year vision dated
January 4, 2011. Your 3-year vision must be one that will
literally PULL you into your future, will scare you just a
little bit, and make your heart beat a little faster than
normal whenever you read this.

Make your 3-year vision very specific, realistic, and a big
STRETCH (that’s what’s going to move you forward quicker
than you would if you didn’t have it). If you’re right
brained, use bullet points for categories such as business,
finances, personal, family, spiritual, fun, health, etc. If
you’re left-brained, then write freely, and remember to
keep it all grounded in the specific, with lots of
MEASURABLES and TANGIBLES thrown in there so you can keep
track of your progress over the next 3 years (that’s what I
do).

Be sure to write in the present tense as if it were 3 years
from now… If it doesn’t scare you just a little bit or
get your mind racing, then it’s probably not enough of a
stretch. By the way, I just looked back to last year’s
3-year vision and I was SHOCKED to see how many of the
goals in my 3-year vision I’d already achieved in just a
little over a year. This stuff really works!!

—————————————————-
Once you’ve done your 3-year vision and are ready to get
marketing in a big way for 2008, invest in your success by
getting yourself the Client Attraction Home Study
System™. It’s all step-by-step, not a big mishmash of
things. So, you do step one of the system, and when you’re
done with that, you move on to step two, and so on.   You
can get it at http://www.TheClientAttractionSystem.com .

One of the items we talked about in my copywriting
business-building teleseminar this week was taking action.
You can think about great ideas, have big, elaborate
dreams, but if you don’t take action — now — nothing in
your life will change. Your dream will never become a
reality. Taking action is the only way you are going to get
your business off the ground. Taking action is the only way
you are going to get new clients. Taking action is the only
way you are going to get noticed at your company and get
promoted.

Think about what you want and how you are going to get
it…all of the time.

It doesn’t matter if your goals are personal or
professional, setting your mind to the one main goal you
want to accomplish will keep you focused on the outcome.
You will constantly be on the lookout for ways to achieve
that goal. Because it is always on your mind, you will be
constantly brainstorming. Your mind will continually be
looking for ways to take action on that goal.

You become what you think about. Focus on one item, your
one goal. Make it extremely positive, NOT negative.

The next important thing, after thinking about your goal
all of the time, is to take action. I try to do at least
one action item a day. With three kids (four if you count
my husband), a house to run and a growing business, it’s
easy for the day-to-day duties to suck up my time. It’s
easy for me to let life take over and not take proactive
steps towards my goal.

So I decided long ago to do at least one item on my list
each day. It can be a small item to move me toward my goal.
It may be searching for a new journal to run some of my
marketing articles. It could be working on a new product to
sell, coming up with a topic for a new seminar. Some days I
do much more than one thing, other days I barely squeak the
one item in. But I can assure you, if you do at least one
item, if you take one action every day, you will be closer
to your goal than most people you know. And because you
take action towards your goal you are much more likely to
reach it than those who don’t.

—————————————————-
Author of Healthcare Copywriting Secrets Revealed, Kelly
Robbins is an award winning copywriter and marketing
coach/consultant. She also publishes The Healthcare
Marketing Connection
(http://www.healthcaremarketingconnection.com), a free
e-zine on healthcare marketing tips. Contact Kelly to
receive her free report, “5 critical things you must know
when writing for the healthcare industry” -
info@KellyRobbinsLLC.com or 303-460-0285.

I have studied literature in leadership and spirituality
and have found a common thread. The common thread is this:
if you want to be successful and fulfilled you need to keep
your ego in check.

The ego is that part of us that is always asking: “But what
about me?” or saying “Look at me!” The lesson I’ve found in
these fields of study and in my own life is that when we
focus on our ego needs we can, at best, create a temporary
success. Often our ego gets in the way, creating pain and
suffering. If we want to build a good life, a good company,
or a good relationship, we need to take the focus off our
individual need to win, to be right, or to receive the
glory.

Jim Collins, author of Good to Great, did extensive
research to find companies that achieved greatness. He
found companies that had been mediocre for years and then
became great companies, creating a sustainable success.
These companies outperformed their competitors several
times over. Collins found that all of the leaders of these
great companies demonstrate “a paradoxical blend of
personal humility and professional will. They are somewhat
self-effacing individuals who deflect adulation, yet who
have an almost stoic resolve to do absolutely whatever it
takes to make the company great, channeling their ego needs
away from themselves and into the larger goal of building a
great company.”

These leaders, according to Collins, look in the mirror,
directing their attention to themselves when problems
arise. They take full responsibility. When successes occur
they look out their window, directing praise and credit to
those who serve with them. These leaders work in concert
with other leaders to cocreate a great organization.
(References to Jim Collin’s work found in the article, “The
Misguided Mix-Up of Celebrity and Leadership” found at
www.jimcollins.com in the articles section)

In 1978, in Superbowl XXII, the highly touted Denver
Broncos football team were beaten by the Dallas Cowboys.
The Cowboys played with precision and focus, executing
plays that were impossible to defend. After the game, one
of the Broncos said: “Dallas beat us because we were
focused on winning, and they were focused on football.” The
ego wants to win, but a focus on winning has us forgetting
what it takes to get there. True winning comes from playing
the game well and playing it as a team.

Today we have many celebrity CEO’s, authors, actors,
athletes, politicians, and TV personalities. Fame, rather
than being a result of doing something well, is often an
end in itself. There is nothing wrong with fame. The
question is, if you are seen as a leader, as someone to be
admired, what lasting value are you creating? Would others
do well to follow the example you set? Does your example
inspire others to express their own greatness?

A recent book, Made to Stick (Heath and Heath), mentions
studies that have shown that people who listen to a
charismatic speaker often can’t remember anything the
speaker said. Speakers who were memorable, that is, their
message stuck, were able to connect with their audience
through anecdotes and well structured messages.

It is the ego in us that has us placing premium value on
egocentric personalities to lead us and be our models. Data
and experience suggest that we might better focus on doing
what we do well. It suggests that we might focus our
attention on building up others, mentoring, and helping
them. It suggests that the playing field may be more level
than we thought, that anyone can build success if they can
step outside of their ego and do something well. Charisma
and attractiveness are as much liabilities as they are
assets.

Humility, channeling one’s energy in to something bigger
than the self, cocreation, clear focus, and connectedness
to others–these are all traits that fall into the realm of
spirituality. These traits don’t seem to fit with today’s
idea of great leadership–the swash buckling, egotistical,
celebrity who swoops in and saves the day, the superstar
athlete, or the charistmatic speaker. Yet, we see that the
true winners of today, the highly successful leaders,
possess these traits.

If you are a leader, focus on leading well. Don’t make the
organization dependent on the force of your personality,
but create systems and structure that promote success and
well-being. When we shift our focus from looking good and
self glorification to serving well, and to doing the best
possible work, we create organizations, products, and
services that are both great and sustainable. You probably
aren’t going to get rid of your ego anytime soon, but you
will need to transcend it often if you want to be truly
successful in what you do.

—————————————————-
William Frank Diedrich is a speaker, executive coach, and
the author of three books including Beyond Blaming:
Unleashing Power and Passion in People and Organizations.
William offers an online leadership class, The Leaders’
Edge, that is both inexpensive and effective. This ten week
class helps leaders to transcend ego issues and become
truly great at what they do. Register at
http://noblaming.com

What do you think about when the word goal comes up in
conversation?  Do you cringe and snort thinking to yourself
“right, goals . . . whatever.  What’s the point of making
them if I won’t keep them?”  Or, do your eyes light up as
you tick off a long list of goals for the New Year that
will be impossible to complete?

No matter if you have an optimistic or pessimistic outlook
about your small business goals for this New Year, both
outlooks have something in common and it is this:  Unless
you know how to set goals properly, you will fail to
complete them.   So let’s start by defining exactly what a
goal is:  A goal is something that is meaningful, powerful,
and transformative.  A goal is something that will change
your life, your business, your career, or your family in
some meaningful way.

A goal is fierce!
•  A goal is clearly defined
•  A goal is very specific
•  A goal has an action plan and time line for completion

To be an accomplished goal setter, you must become a
fearsome time manager by:
•  Setting priorities
•  Completing tasks on time
•  Eliminating distractions

In other words, those who manage their time, manage their
world.

Three Parts To Setting Goals That Stick

1.  Activate Intentions. They key to getting your business
goals to stick it to activate your intentions.  That means
to put down on a piece of paper what your goals are, and
then to take one action on each goal immediately.

Seven Steps For Successful Activation

•  Identify your goal, very clearly and specifically.
Identify no more than 3-5 business goals to focus on.  Be
concrete.  Put your business goal into words and be as
precise about it as you can be.
•  Think critically about whether or not this is actually a
business goal that you want to accomplish this year.  Make
sure you know why this goal is meaningful.
•  Thinking creatively about how to accomplish your goals.
Think outside the box.  Stretch the boundaries of
possibilities.  Engage others to brainstorm and
‘creategize’ with you.  Think really far out.  Consider
outlandish and bazaar solutions.  
•  Next, identify your plan of action and create strategic
action steps that will lead to goal completion.  
•  Then, and this is all so energetically important:
schedule and take your first action step either now, or
within the next five days.  This one step will set the
activation energy in motion.  Since what we focus on
happens, it is important to schedule and take a first step
to create momentum immediately.
•  Evaluate your activity and measure success every step
along the way.
•  Reward success.

2.  Eliminate Distractions. Distractions are the worst
enemy of time management, and are the number one reason why
goals fail.  When we allow distractions to take our time
and attention away from our goals, the result is
frustration, leading to feelings of being overwhelmed, to
thoughts of not being able to do something, to failure.  Be
fierce about your goals and guard them with your time.

3.  Fearsome Focus. Dave Lakhani, speaker, trainer, and
author of the Power Of An Hour has come up with a fearsome
focus strategy that works.  In his book, he suggests
focusing for an hour at a time on a specific action step of
one of your business goals, no more, no less.  He
recommends that you block out time each day for this
fearsome focus hour, and that you divide that focus time
into 45 minutes fearsome focus, and 15 minutes doing
something else.  Below is a summary of his strategy.

•  Write down action steps for what you intent to
accomplish in your 45-minute fearsome focus time.  
• Surround yourself with all the tools you need to get the
job done before you begin.  
•  Don’t allow distractions.
•  Launch into your project with gusto.
•  Evaluate success along the way by reviewing steps, then
immediately re-engage in fearsome focus.
•  If distracted, instantly dismiss distraction and
re-engage.
•  Complete all action steps.
•  Acknowledge completion and relax.
•  Remain in fearsome focus for 45 minutes, and then do
something different for 15 minutes.  After an hour, move on
to something else.

That’s it folks.  These are the steps to take if you want
to set goals that stick.  All you need to do is activate,
eliminate, and focus.  Keep in mind, though, that it is
ridiculous to spend time focusing on something you don’t
intend to do.  That’s a failed goal in the making.
Instead, if you find that a goal no longer serves you,
replace or revise it with one that does.

Happy goal setting!

—————————————————-
Susan L Reid, MS, DMA, Online Accidental Preneurâ„¢ and Small
Business Start Up Coach is the soon-to-be author of The
Inner Samurai:  How To Go From Accidental Preneur to
Entrepreneurial Woman Without Loosing Your Mind.
Transforming start up woes into start up goes, she provides
value, inspiration and direction to entrepreneurial women
starting up and launching small businesses.  Subscribe at
http://www.SuccessfulSmallBizOwners.com for your free
e-Zine today!