25 Monday Jan 2021
Posted in Motivation Monday
Tags
attainable, Get it, Goals, Happy Monday!!, measurable, motivation, move forward, Push, realistic, specific, time limit, YouTube
I hope this inspires you as much as it did me. Have a great week, folks!
Workout Routine:
Full body workouts (exercise bands) Mon – Friday
Get at it, folks!
Until next time…
Dave
11 Monday Jan 2021
Posted in Motivation Monday
Tags
Achievement, Categories, Consistency, Goals, Plans, processes, rituals
Hopefully, you’ve put together your goals for the year and have plans, processes, and rituals in place to guarantee your success. What if you haven’t done that yet? No worries. Start simple, if this is all new to you.
I like to pick goals within categories like physical, mental, spiritual, and social.
Physical – lose 10 pounds by year’s end
Mental – read 12 books by year’s end
Spiritual – meditate once a day for 10 minutes
Social – post uplifting quotes and materials to social media 1 x weekly
These are just examples, but easy to do. One thing I’ve learned about consistent small actions every day is that they build into big things. When I started this process for myself a few years ago, I could have never predicted I would read 60 books in a year. This is what happens when you read a little each day. Now 60 books is no issue. This works for anything you aspire to. Pick some goal, and chop away at it a little bit each day. You’ll be there in no time.
Now get at it! The year’s young. Get your goals in place, put together the daily things you need to do to hit your milestones, and get at it. It’s not too late to set yourself up for success in 2021.
Until next time…
Dave
07 Thursday Jan 2021
Posted in Thankful Thursdays
Tags
December, Getting back on track, Goals, Gratitude, habits, Recharging, Relax time, Sharpening the Saw, Thanks
Today, I’m thankful for the month of December. This is a month where I shut down all the stuff I’m doing for a few weeks, and just chill out. I get caught up on movies I’ve wanted to watch, but didn’t have time. I play some video games (my hobby), and I enjoy all the great food and rest.
Now that December is over, it’s time to get back at it. I must admit that it is slow going. I am knocking out most of my tasks daily, but have let a few go by the wayside. I’ll be back on track soon. Only a few more tweaks here and there, and I’ll be rockin’ and rollin’.
For those of you who are also having a hard time getting back on track, just take it easy. You’ve put some thought into your goals for 2021. If something isn’t in alignment with what you thought, get rid of it. The key to achieving our goals is to pursue goals we really want to pursue. Take sometime to weed those out that just are “ready” yet.
Well, folks, that’s all I got for today.
Until next time…
Dave
04 Monday Jan 2021
Posted in Motivation Monday
Tags
Achievement, Determination, Goals, Innovation, Learning, lockdowns, motivation, New Year, persistance
I’m back after a nice vacation toward the end of December. I hope all of you had a pleasant time during the holiday season. We had a little get together with my sister and her boyfriend. The meals were terrific.
It’s that time again to list out my goals for the year. Here we go:
Physical
Exercise daily
Learning
Finish Masters in Sociology
Learn Excel
Learn Marketing
Learn Statistics and various diagrams
Learn Digital Advertising
Learn Python
Learn Graphic Design
Financial
Add 1200.00 to my savings by year’s end
Pay off dental bill by year’s end
Spiritual
Finish 12 ECK discourses
Run 9 Book Discussions
Run 1 Sound of Soul event
Develop 1 Digital Report to be used by me for Vahana reports each month
Learn about Facebook advertising and test it in the Thumb area by year’s end
Spiritual Exercise 2x 365 days
Gratitude Journal 365 days
Read Bible 365 days
Reading
Read 60 books in 2021
Writing
Build followers to 1100 by year’s end
Finish and Post 250 Blog Posts
Follow 200 new Blogs this year
Begin a new non-fiction book (fiction writing is on hold for the time being)
Social
Write 52 letters to my wife
Post poetry and Quotes 365 times this year
Interact and make friends playing Call of Duty
Hobbies (Call of Duty Gaming)
Diamond out Submachine guns
Diamond out shotguns
Diamond out launchers
Diamond out knife
Diamond out Sniper Rifles
Diamond out Pistols
Learn Combined Arms Maps
This is my list of goals for the year. Note: I have planned no face-to-face or location goals at all, since it is highly likely intermittent lockdowns will continue, particularly as the COVID virus mutates. There is already a new strain in the US.
Get at it, folks! It’s a new year. You’ll see some new content types this year on my blog. I like changing up this blog from time to time because it makes it interesting for me and I would like to find more ways to entertain and serve you in 2021. We’ll see how it goes.
Have a great year all!
Until next time…
Dave
14 Monday Dec 2020
Posted in Motivation Monday
As we approach the end of the year, I take some time to myself and review the current year and begin thinking about all the things I want to accomplish in 2021. Some of my friends think things will return to normal next year. I’m a little more pessimistic. I think many companies, organizations, and people have realized that with nasty bugs like COVID hanging around out there, we will not be able to conduct our lives the same way again. Change is inevitable. We all have to adapt, whether we like it or not. So as you make your 2021 plans, set your goals, and get your calendars set up, keep in mind that you may face many more interruptions and lockdowns, should this virus take another weird turn.
This will be the last week of posts for the year, as I move into holiday mode and take some time off from blogging to get myself aligned with my new set of goals in 2021. So, this Thursday will be my last post of 2020.
This week, if you haven’t already, take a look at what you’ve done this year. What goals did you hit? What goals did you miss? Did you miss your goals because you set the bar too high, weren’t motivated enough to push through to the finish line, or did COVID get in the way? If you’re not motivated enough to hit a goal, rethink why you set the goal in the first place. Did you really want to achieve it, or did you set the goal because you thought it was what you should do?
When I set goals, I think about what it will take to accomplish them. Do I really have the time? Do I really enjoy doing what that goal requires. If either answer is no, don’t set the goal. Do something else. Use contingency planning when setting your goals for the year. What happens if we get locked down again? What happens if I get sick? What happens if the resources I need to accomplish this goal become unavailable?
I’m assuming we will see a few more lockdowns in the upcoming months, depending on how quickly the vaccine is distributed to the public. With that in mind, my goals are going to concentrate on the things I am in 100% control of, regardless of lockdowns or no lockdowns.
Folks, it’s that time of year to enjoy family, friends, and relax a bit. If you’re like me, you’ve been working your tail off this year, pursuing your dreams and desires. For me, it’s a well-deserved break.
With that, I bid you adieu.
Until next time…
Dave
07 Monday Dec 2020
Posted in Motivation Monday
If you’re in the U.S., you know we’re experiencing lockdowns again across the country. Michigan is on a 3-week lockdown as we speak. I hope all of you are safe and sound. Like anything in life, however, we have to adapt, improvise, and overcome. This is the month I begin setting my new goals in 2021. No one could have predicted the lockdowns we experienced in 2020, but now that we’ve dealt with them, assume they will be on and off again as the virus keeps reappearing, and the vaccine begins to get to the populations over time.
Lockdowns are great times for reading, writing, learning, exercising in the home, and yes, even socializing. ZOOM, Google Chat, Facebook Messenger’s video chat, are all technologies you can use and they are absolutely free. You even have Facetime on the Apple phone and an equivalent on Android devices. Everything can be accomplished if you put your mind to it, and work through any difficulties.
To compensate for not having a gym, I bought some great exercise bands with handles and door mounts that work really well. The weights range from 3lbs to 400lbs, so there’s no chance that I’ll excel beyond them. I also adjusted my schedule of going to the library and coffee shop each week to work in a different environment to just staying home. The key is to plan accordingly. We were all surprised by the lockdowns, and each of us dealt with this virus in our own way. Now that we know the lay of the land, going forward, we can adjust our goals to align with our new reality.
Like I did last year, I’ll publicly post my goals for 2021 in this forum, as a way of keeping myself accountable. I welcome all of you to do the same as a comment on that post when I get it up. It really does make a big difference when you write down your goals. It brings a whole new level of accountability and responsibility of achieving what you set out to do. If you’ve never had any success with this type of stuff, take it slow. Set three goals that you believe you can achieve with a little above-average effort, and you’ll be on your way.
Have a great Monday, folks!
Until next time…
Dave
06 Sunday Dec 2020
Posted in Spread Your Wings
Weekly Challenge: This week’s challenge is to begin working on a rough draft of your yearly goals for 2021. As a reminder, assume you will experience random lockdowns throughout 2021, until the new vaccines are widespread. I read yesterday that vaccines, at least in the U.S., are going to be prioritized to medical personnel, and other front-line first-responders.
Also, as a reminder, use the S.M.A.R.T. acronym. S-specific, M-measurable, A-attainable, R-realistic, T-time bound. This will allow you to gauge your efforts and measure your results. Many of my friends who do not use this end up having difficulty seeing how they are doing or figuring out how to move forward because they are missing one of the key points of this acronym. Try it out.
Here’s an example. One of my goals for 2021 will be to read 60 books by December 31, 2021. This is an example of a SMART goal. It is specific (read 60 books); it is measurable (use the number 60); it is attainable (I read over 70 books this year); it is realistic (5 books in a month), which is easy for me, and it is time bound (by December 31, 2021).
Good luck!
Until next time…
Dave
05 Thursday Nov 2020
Posted in Thankful Thursdays
Tags
Determination, Failures, Goals, Improving, Investigating, Learning, Mistakes, Persistence, Setbacks, Teaching
Why are setbacks so helpful? Why am I grateful for them? I am grateful for setbacks because they are the best teachers. When you try something that you need to do to finish a goal, most of the time you do not know if it will work. So, you take a swing and miss. You learn what not to do, or you learn that you need to learn more about what you are trying to do. Without the setback, you wouldn’t learn something.
I don’t seek them out. I just try something and see if it works. If it doesn’t I begin the work of finding out what other people do, look for tutorials and things like this, practice a little bit, and then give it another shot.
Setbacks, failures, mistakes occur when we try to do something out of our comfort zone or skill set. I’m not talking about stubbing your toe, or dropping something by accident. I’m talking about trying something that you have never done before, but need to do, in order to accomplish something. One of my goals is to write a book, or even a few books. One thing I learned early on, is that I needed more information. So, I interact with other writers, I take courses, and I practice my writing every day. Setbacks, failures, and mistakes are not something to be afraid of.
So today, I’m grateful for setbacks. They have taught me how to do something better. They have helped me realize I don’t know how to do something. They guide me to changing something.
Have a great Thursday!
Until next time…
Dave
28 Wednesday Oct 2020
Posted in Wisdom Wednesday
Tags
5 Quotes, Dreams, failure, Goals, Influence, Napoleon Hill, Think and Grow Rich, wisdom, Wisdom Wednesday
Think twice before you speak, because your words and influence will plant the seed of either success or failure in the mind of another.
Every adversity, every failure, every heartache carries with it the seed of an equal or greater benefit.
If you cannot do great things, do small things in a great way.
Cherish your visions and your dreams as they are the children of your soul, the blueprints of your ultimate achievements.
A goal is a dream with a deadline.
Napoleon Hill was an American author best known for his Think and Grow Rich book. His book, among others, had a huge impact on the self-help genre.
Have a great Wednesday, folks!
Until next time…
Dave
25 Sunday Oct 2020
Posted in Spread Your Wings
Tags
accomplishments, finish strong, Goals, missed opportunities, Purposeful life, refocusing, write it down
This week’s challenge: Go over all the goals you set for yourself at the beginning of the year and determine which ones you missed, the ones you hit, and the ones you are still capable of completing before year end.
Here is mine so far: x means hit, o means missed, notes following if still possible
Physical –
Missed my physical goals this year due to COVID-19 gym closures
Learning
Complete 10 courses online this year – x
Complete Computer Science Path this year – 55% through the course x
Financial
Missed my savings goals this year, but it is still salvageable
Spiritual
Finish 12 discourses x
Finish HI Leadership Course x
365 Spiritual Exercises x
Reading
Read 60 books this year x
Writing
Finish Rough Draft of my Fiction Book o Still possible
Write at a coffee shop 52 times this year to achieve a change of pace o
Blogging
Build followers to 800 by year’s end x
Finish and Post 365 Blog Posts x
Follow 200 new Blogs this year x
Social
Write 52 letters to my wife x
Send 365 texts to my wife x
Meet someone new each day (Social Media, Blog, or Out and about) o
Take a personal vacation each Quarter by visiting a new town and hanging out o
Visit the Library 52 times this year o
How are you progressing so far? If you have time, leave some notes in the comments section of what you will focus on for the rest of the year.
Until next time…
Dave
