Today I’m working on this blog from my home. It’s a Sunday afternoon and I have had this idea working in my mind all day. It is very closely related to the coach course I work on with people called the “The New You.”
In my emails this morning, I found quote on a Facebook page I’m a fan of: “Why are you trying to fit in when you were born to stand out?” So many people in life spend years trying to fit into a mold, one that was passed along to them, maybe from family, or a spouse. No matter what it is, you cannot let things or people set your direction in life. You were meant to stand out from the crowd.
So, how do you change your life to become a stand-out person – aside from joining my New You coaching program? Well I’m going to give you a quick six-step outline from my program:
1. Know where you are and understand yourself. You have to look inside yourself to see how much you believe in your own success, how you measure success in your life. Where did you get your ideas of success? Are you fulfilled by what you are doing? Once you know that, you can move on to next step.
2. Set goals to get out of whatever rut you’re in. It took a lot to get you into a rut and a step-by-step process is best for getting out of it. In my goal-setting workshop, I suggest breaking the process down into three sections: 1) Short-term goals; 2) Mid-term goals; 3) Long-term goals. Also, I always say to make your goals “SMART”:
S = Specific
M = Measurable
A = Achievable
R = Relevant
T = Time-bound
Lastly, make goals a little larger than what you think you can do. If you reach your goals every time, you’re setting them too small. By making them a little larger, you will push yourself and grow through achieving them.
3. Walk your talk. It’s important to do what you say you’re going to do. This is not the easy way to get what you want in life, but it’s a sure way to work towards making it happen. When you set your goals for yourself, make sure you’re willing to do more than just say them; be ready to take action – real action.
4. Overcome the setbacks. No matter what changes you are making in life, no matter what goals you have in life, no matter how bad you want it in life, no matter how hard you work, you will face setbacks. When you face a setback, you must refocus and go back after your goal – as many times as it takes.
In my own life, I had set a personal goal to find a way to start a rental property business. For four years I talked with potential partners, only to have the possible partnership go nowhere. Then, in 2009 I found my business partner. It is interesting that we both use the following Thomas Edison quote
“Many of life’s failures are men who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.”
This made a difference for us: Never give up a dream; just start over.
5. Restarting. Many setbacks will likely come your way, and many of your plans will not work. You may find you must reinvent yourself, must start over. But, hey, that is what this post is about: embracing change but staying true to yourself, to your goals, so you can still be that stand-out person you want to be.
6. Attitude and Motivation. No matter what you go through in life, you must have a good attitude. One of the greatest things I have seen this week was meeting a lady who had lost her leg. While that seemed like a great loss to me, she was an upbeat, positive person. It was like she didn’t even know about her loss. When you have a good attitude you could be having a bad day and no one would know it. And that brings up the other word: motivation. Keep your attitude up and find ways to motivate yourself, to keep working towards your goals.
So there you have it. I believe you need to be a stand-out person who shines in what you want to do in life.
Until next time, I’m Tim Gillette, the Rocker Life Coach, telling you to Live, Love, and Rock on.
