You don't have to be a fantastic hero to do certain things - to compete. You can be just an ordinary chap, sufficiently motivated to reach challenging goals.

- Sir Edmund Hillary, first climber to successfully summit Mt. Everest

Setting goals is one of the most commonly used training tools. Goals can organize the competitors’ focus and endeavors towards achieving a specific task. They also increase persistence and motivation for long term training. Having a goal can help a performer find new learning strategies. Unfortunately, people’s goals are all too often made incorrectly. If you are interested in setting some goals, or even reevaluating your current goals, follow these seven steps for proper goal setting. leadership quotes

Step 1) Define your goal

Ask yourself these questions:

- What exactly do you want to accomplish?
- What achievement would be worth your very best effort?
- What would you attempt if you knew it was impossible to fail?
- What would you go for if you knew this was your very last chance?

Make sure your vision is clear and powerful, one that you would follow despite whatever setbacks and failures that might arise along the way. The goal has to be very specific (i.e. “My goal is to place in the top 32 of the Division I NAC,”), rather than vague or general (i.e. “I want to fence well.”) so you can tell whether or not you have actually reached it.

Step 2) Where are you right now?

Carefully examine where you are right now in terms of your goal. Have you been just “getting by” or do you train to reach the next level? Are you willing to do things you may not want to do in order to reach your goal? Identify when you fence your best and what creates that kind of situation.

Step 3) Be honest about what you need to do

In order to get where you want to go, you have to know how to get there. What are your strengths and weaknesses? What sort of situations do you thrive or deteriorate? Identify at least one aspect in each of the following skill type categories that needs improvement: physical (i.e. gains in speed), tactical (i.e. develop a bout winning move), technical (i.e. more accurate point control) and mental (i.e. higher confidence). leadership skills

Step 4) Formulate a daily improvement plan

This is the most important step of the goal setting process. Ask yourself, “What can I do on a daily basis to work towards reaching my goal?” For each area that you identified in step 3, write out at least three or four specific actions that you can take. Write them as “I” statements and in the present tense. For example, if you need to improve your speed, you can list, “I do my plyometric exercises for fifteen minutes, three times a week.” You are more likely to follow that than, “I will get faster legs.”

Step 5) Make and work on short-term goals

The goal that you set in step 1 may take a long time to reach, perhaps months or even years. Set short-term goals to keep you motivated throughout this time. Achieving these goals will give you feedback on your progress towards your ultimate goal. They should be process orientated, and reflect that achieving your goal is an ongoing process.

Step 6) You must commit!

It is easy to say you’re going to do something- actually doing it is another story. This is analogous to people who make a New Year’s resolutions to lose weight; seldom people actually go through with it. Second guessing yourself, missing opportunities and being hesitant will only delay your eventual success. Keep reminding yourself to enjoy the journey along the way!

Step 7) Continually monitor your progress

Every day ask yourself, "Am I getting closer to my goal?" Is your goal plan actually working or does it need adjustment? If your answer is "I'm not sure", then you are not really making progress. Write down what your small success and lessons learned along the way, or make a checklist that charts your progress. In times when it seems like your goal is too far out of reach, you can look at your progress list and visually see how far you have come, and how much closer you are to your goal.

References

Hillary, E. P. (n.d.). In Goal-Setting-Guide.com. Retrieved on July 26,
2007 from www.goal-setting-guide.com/quote-goal.html

Lou Holtz. (n.d.). In Wikipedia: The free encyclopedia. Retrieved July
26, 2007 from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lou_Holtz

Sir Edmund Hilary. (n.d.). In Wikipedia: The free encyclopedia.
Retrieved July 26, 2007 from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Edmund_Hillary

USMA Center for Enhanced Performance. (2006). Goal setting: The
pathway to success. Retrieved July 25, 2007 dean. usma.edu/cep/default.htm

As with choosing any art piece whether it is a print, original painting, sculpture, photograph or collectable, you can make or break a room choosing incorrectly. motivation quotes

You can make quite a statement with the correct art piece! It can communicate on many different levels.

Have you ever walked into an office for the very first time and while waiting, find yourself looking around, examining everything in the room? You can get a real good feel for the people there and get a sense of what they are all about.

From your own experiences and observations you’ve probably seen people with very good taste and then again, people who do not seem to have a clue about design or even worse yet, people who don’t care a hoot about aesthetics at all!

But if you are reading this article, then I’m sure you are not one of those people in the last category! Thank Goodness! We need all the aesthetics we can get on this sometimes seemingly wacky place we live!

Tip # 1

And probably the most important, if you don’t absolutely love it, don’t buy it!

Tip # 2

If you are making the art piece the focal point of the room, build around it. All the office furniture and accessories should compliment the print.

Tip # 3

Don’t overpower the poster with too much color on the walls or furniture unless it is a very dramatic print that can carry it well! It will just disappear into the background.

Tip # 4

What is it that you want to convey to your employees, leadership, initiative, teamwork, success, confidence, determination? It’s important to get across the right message. A captivating print with an inspirational quote can be a powerful tool that can help motivate staff and impress clients who come to your place of business.

Tip # 5

Choosing the right frame can make a huge difference in the overall appearance of the motivational posters you choose. You want people to see the prints and get your message across so choose carefully.

If a motivational poster or print moves you and you feel it will motivate other who see it, then you have a winner!!!

Enjoy the research of finding what is right for your office!

leadership quotes

Every day of your life you are selling yourself, nothing happens until you're successful at doing that.

We're all in the selling business whether we like it or not. It doesn't matter whether you're a lawyer or an accountant, a manager or a politician, an engineer or a doctor.

We all spend a great deal of our time trying to persuade people to buy our product or service, accept our proposals or merely accept what we say.

Before you get better at persuading or influencing other people - you need to get better at self-motivation and selling yourself.

Here are 10 simple steps to self-motivation:

#1 - You must believe in the product

Selling yourself is pretty much like selling anything. Firstly, you need to believe in what you're selling. That means believing in "you." It's about lots of positive self-talk and the right attitude.

The first thing people notice about you is your attitude. If you're like most people then you'll suffer from lack of confidence from time to time.  leadership quotes

It really all comes down to how you talk to yourself. The majority of people are more likely to talk to themselves negatively than positively - this is what holds them back in life.

It isn't just about a positive attitude; it's about the right attitude - the quality of your thinking.

Successful people have a constructive and optimistic way of looking at themselves and their work. They have an attitude of calm, confident, positive self-expectation. They feel good about themselves and believe that everything they do will lead to their inevitable success.

If you're in a sales job or a business owner or a manager then you need to continually work on your attitude. You need to listen to that little voice inside your head. Is it saying you're on top, going for it and confident, or is it holding you back.

If you're hearing - "I can't do this or that" or "They won't want to buy at the moment" or "We're too expensive" then you'd better change your self-talk or change your job.

Start to believe in yourself and don't let things that are out with your control effect your attitude.

Avoid criticising, condemning and complaining and start spreading a little happiness.

Remember the saying of Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company - "If you believe you can do a thing, or if you believe you can't, in either case you're probably right."

#2 - The packaging must grab attention

Like any other product we buy, the way the product is packaged and presented will influence the customer's decision to buy.

Everything about you needs to look good and you must dress appropriately for the occasion. And don't think that just because your customer dresses casually, that they expect you to dress the same way.

The style and colour of the clothes you wear, your spectacles, shoes, briefcase, watch, the pen you use, all make a statement about you.

#3 - Smile

No need to get carried away, you don't need a big cheesy grin, just a pleasant open face that doesn't frighten people away.

#4 - Use names

Use the customers name as soon as you can but don't over do it. Business is less formal nowadays however be careful of using first names initially. Make sure your customer knows yours and remembers it. You can do the old repeat trick -"My name is Bond, James Bond" or "My name is James, James Bond"

#5 - Watch the other person

What does their body language tell you? Are they comfortable with you or are they a bit nervous? Are they listening to you or are their eyes darting around the room. If they're not comfortable and not listening then there's no point telling them something important about your business.

Far better to make some small talk and more importantly -get then to talk about themselves.

It's best to go on the assumption that in the first few minutes of meeting someone new, they won't take in much of what you say. They're too busy analysing all the visual data they're taking in.

#6 - Listen and look like you're listening.

Many people, particularly men, listen but don't show that they're listening. The other person can only go on what they see, not what's going on inside your head. If they see a blank expression then they'll assume you're "out to lunch."

The trick is to do all the active listening things such as nodding your head, the occasional "UH-HUH" and the occasional question.

#7 - Be interested.

If you want to be INTERESTING then be INTERESTED. This really is the most important thing you can do to be successful at selling yourself. motivation

The majority of people are very concerned about their self-image. If they sense that you value them, that you feel that they're important and worth listening to, then you effectively raise their self-image. If you can help people to like themselves then they'll LOVE you.

Don't fall into the trap of flattering the other person, because most people will see right through you and they won't fall for it. Just show some genuine interest in the customer and their business and they'll be much more receptive to what you say.

#8 - Talk positively.

Don't say - "Isn't it a horrible day" or "Business is pretty tough at present" or any thing else that pulls the conversation down. Say things like (and only the truth) - "I like the design of this office" or "I've heard some good reports about your new product."

#9 - Mirror the other person

This doesn't mean mimicking the other person, it just means you speaking and behaving in a manner that is similar to the customer.

For example, if your customer speaks slowly or quietly, then you speak slowly or quietly. Remember people like people who are like themselves.

#10 - Warm and friendly

If you look or sound stressed or aggressive then don't be surprised if the other person gets defensive and less than willing to co-operate.

If you look and sound warm and friendly, then you're more likely to get a positive response.

This isn't about being all nicey-nicey. It's about a pleasant open face or a warm tone over the telephone.

Before we can get down to the process of selling our product, our service or our ideas then we need to be as sure as we can  be - that the customer has bought us and that we have their full attention.