The Performance Pro

Making it Happen in 2006

With the advent of the New Year and all of its promise, I think it’s important we do a little self-evaluating on where it is we are going and what exactly it is that we hope to accomplish in 2006. How will our life be different? Do we want it to stay the same or are there things we want to improve on? It’s been said that the most valuable human resource is the desire for improvement. Yet, too often year after year, we find excuses for why we didn’t reach our goals. Worse yet, we don’t even set goals or think about the potential that lay before us in the coming year. We procrastinate, we blame, and we use just about every excuse we can think of to put our ‘dreams’ off.

Holding onto negative things that happened in the past is real dream killer. In dwelling on the negatives, finding the excuses for not stepping into the future can come pretty easily. We tend to limit ourselves with which some call “stinkin thinkin." Some of the most used excuses we use are:

--I’ve never done it before.
--I’m not ready for that yet.
--I’m doing all right without it.
--I tried it once and it didn’t work.
--It costs too much.
--That’s not my responsibility.
--It’s all someone else’s fault.
--I could ever do that.
--I’m not good enough.
--It won’t work anyway.

If you find you have been guilty of any of these thoughts, the advent of a New Year provides you the opportunity to wipe the slate clean and start being all that you can be. Zig Ziegler once said “If you want something you’ve never had before, you have to DO something you’ve never done before.”

If your goals. or the goals of those you care about, involve health choices such as eating, smoking, drinking or exercise, download our FREE Life Choice Contract from our website: www.kinza.net to use as an aid in choosing a healthier life.

In thinking about professional goals, you may have ideas on how to increase employee retention or want to prepare for an expected job opening. Whether it is how to reduce the conflict and managing your team better, or setting personal life goals, consider this alternative: Make a list of the changes you would like to see this year. Then, with enthusiasm and optimism, ask yourself “Why Not?” And then get busy gathering the information you need to proceed.

Follow up with these steps for reaching personal goals:
1. Visualize your goal as if it already exists 2. Share your goals with people who belief in you and will support you.
3. Make a step by step Plan of Actions.
4. Review progress monthly.
5. Never, never give up.

Goals are accomplished one small step at a time, with persistence and a belief in yourself
The Reverend Billy Graham reminded us so eloquently to stop procrastinating and act on those things we dream of when he was asked what was the one greatest lesson he has learned in all of his years. He did not recite scripture or in-depth theological beliefs. He simply said: “The brevity of life.”

May you greet this New Year with enthusiasm and determination to develop the potential that 2006 holds for you.


D. Kinza Christenson, The Performance Pro
(262) 567-6317
Keynotes * Training * Conference Weaver
Send questions to Kinza@Kinza.net
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