Creating Happiness and Meaningful Goals

Greetings and Happy New Year to you all!  I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season, filled with joy, friends, and family... and cookies!  I'm wishing you the best for the year ahead and also want to help you create more fulfillment and happiness in your life.

Whether you want to actually stick to your New Years Resolutions or are looking for meaningful change in your life, the following guide can help you get there.  











































Intrigued?   Want more?  We can do a goal setting session or values exploration together to help you frame and design your new year :)
http://www.ideamonsterconsulting.com/contact/


Cheers!  And looking forward to an exciting 2015!

Check Out Your BoD

What does your BoD look like?  Are there any areas that need improvement or buffing?   I'm not referencing your body - I'm sure you look great! - but your Board of Directors (BoD)!

While attending a Leadership class at GE's Crotonville campus last month, the concept of your personal "Board of Directors" was briefly mentioned. The thought stuck with me and I wanted to do some additional building around this topic.

Just as corporations have a BoD, you can cultivate your own personal BoD - you probably have one, consciously or unconsciously, formed already.  Your BoD is the group of people you go to for advice, input, and/or support... a group of friends, advisers, and champions.

A well rounded board might have trusted friends, colleagues, mentor(s), sponsor(s), a coach, consultant(s), junior members, and other counsel.  The best board will be diverse and compliment your current skills and abilities.... Think about any advisory committee (like the White House Cabinet), the most successful groups are (usually) diverse and balanced.

Take a moment to think about your Board.  Who is on it?  Is it well rounded?  What sort of influence or people are you missing?

Mentors vs. Sponsors vs. Coaches

Mentors, Sponsors, and Coaches can often be placed in the same category, or thought of as interchangeable terms, but in reality, they are quite unique.  Each role has a specific and different purpose.  These relationships can range from strictly defined to unspoken collaborations.  Having all three in your corner can fast-track success.

Mentor - This is a person you respect, someone you can discuss problems or opportunities with, seeking their input or guidance.  You might want to emulate them or their journey.  They may share stories with you and support you in a number of ways.  Mentors are great pillars in your BoD.

Sponsor - A sponsor is your champion.  Someone who is putting your name out there or promoting you in some way.  They are the career boosters.  Sylvia Ann Hewlett says a sponsor is "a senior-level champion who believes in your potential and is willing to advocate for your next raise or promotion."  For more on sponsors, see Sylvia's website & book.

Coach - Coaches serve a third, different function than both a mentor or a sponsor.  After creating an alliance and mission together, a coach uses curiosity, powerful questioning, and other tools to support you on your way to becoming the person you wish to be.  A coach does not give advice, but will encourage you, hold you accountable, and keep you on track.  If you are looking for a coach, check for credentials such as ACC, PCC, or MCC.  For more, see the International Coaching Federation's website.

Additional Thoughts on Building your Board

There are two articles I found that give some additional insight into the BoD concept well - links to the full articles are within the header.

How to Select Members

1. Create a diverse board.
2. Have virtual board members.
3. Have an odd number of board members.
4. Invest in your board.
5. Always be looking for new members.

Types of People to Include

1. Someone You Work With
2. Someone You Aspire to Be 
3. A Mentor From a Previous Life 
4. A Person Who Isn't Senior to You 

Additional resources:

"Seven Best Practices in Effective Personal Advisory Board"

"Career Coach:  How to Pick the Right Mentor"


Who is on your board?  Where do you have opportunities to grow?  What has worked in the past?  How can you get yourself to the next level?

Soft launch of my new website!

Idea Monster consulting launch and re-launch of website!  http://www.ideamonsterconsulting.com/

Resources vs. Goals

I thoroughly enjoy powerful questions and here is one I was recently presented with: "Are you allocating the necessary resources in order to achieve your goals?" -Banmali Agrawala, President & CEO GE South Asia

If you are, fantastic! If not, what can you change? What is your plan and timeline?

Favorite "Fourth" Activities?

As Fourth of July is this Friday, many of you are in preparation for a party or travel.  Plans can range from backyard barbecues to pool parties, fantastic fireworks or a game of baseball. What's your favorite part about this American holiday?

What's your favorite thing about the 4th of July?

All In Good Time

"Holy cow!  Was that really day 100?  That was really interesting... and fun!  I'm so grateful for all the awesome people and experiences in my life... "  Were some of the thoughts I had when I recently finished a 100 Happy Days challenge. Beyond some of the cool things I did, the challenge provided a great way to reflect and be grateful for each day.  If I noticed I wasn't having a stellar day, I felt empowered to make a change.  For example, I could: go for a walk in the sunshine, eat a piece of dark chocolate, do a workout, make popcorn, call a friend, try a new restaurant, etc. and I knew it could make it better.

We all have the power to shape our own lives and happiness.  I am reminded of the quote by Mary Engelbreit, “If you don't like something, change it; if you can't change it, change the way you think about it. ”  The late Maya Angelou shared a similar thought: “What you're supposed to do when you don't like a thing is change it. If you can't change it, change the way you think about it. Don't complain.” 

Creating a challenge for yourself can be empowering, rewarding, habit-forming, interesting, help you grow personally, professionally, or spiritually, and even create a topic of conversation, if you choose to share it.  

When is a better time than now to challenge yourself?

Inspiration

In case you need a little more convincing - or if you just want to see something fun and inspiring, watch the 3 minute clip below!  Matt Cutts's TED Talk on 30 day challenges: Having trouble loading?  Find the clip here.



For more great TED talks and ideas, head to TED.com.

Selecting a challenge

To help get your wheels turning, here are a few questions to consider:

• What have you been putting off?
• What project remains unfinished?
• Who do you want to be?
• What do you want to start?
• What have you always wanted to do?
• Where do you want to go?
• When was the last time you did something new?
• When was the last time you broke out of your comfort zone?

Perhaps now you have an idea of something you want to accomplish - or stop doing.  Even if you have the tiniest idea ("I should climb 10 flights of stairs every day.") hold onto it!  No idea is too silly, too big, or too small.  Remember, you don't have to share this with anyone.

If you are having a bit of trouble coming up with your idea, I have a number of resources at the bottom of this post.

Setting a time frame

Depending on what study you find, how difficult a behavior is to implement or break, and your level of dedication, researchers have found it can take anywhere from 10 to 30 days (or more) to make or break a habit*.  You can find challenges of all lengths:  Morgan Spurlock (starting with Super Size Me, then his 30 Days TV series/documentary) helped popularize 30 day movements, we all make New Year's Resolutions, religious traditions (Lent, Passover, Ramadan), and you can find fad diets or tricks from as little as 3 to more than 90 days!

Set a time frame that feels right for you.  I would recommend 30 days as a starting point.  If you don't think you can make a month (you can), give yourself 2 weeks of solid dedication. If you have trouble prioritizing or have multiple goals, check out my 2.014 Page for some ideas!

Before you get started, a few things to consider...

If you are looking to make a lifestyle change, commit to a personal challenge that has meaning.  It can be a great story to say you did "something fun" for 30 days - but unless that has meaning behind it, like you want to be more active, try new things, or become a more adventurous person, the habit is unlikely to stick.  Of course, if you want to try something new or fun for 30 days to add spice to life, go for it!  Before you start be clear on your intention:  is this challenge just something fun to do, do you want to start/stop a new life habit/practice, or something else?

Make a plan.  How will you count the days?  Will you post or share with friends?  Will you write about it?  Will you log it anywhere?  It can be helpful to set-up the tracking mechanism before or in the first few days of getting started.  Also, if it's something that requires additional planning, like training for a race, sketch out weekly goals so you stay on track.

If you miss a day, don't give up.  You are working really hard at starting (or stopping) something... it takes a lot of effort and will power.  Be easy on yourself.  If it is important to you to have consecutive days in your endeavor, then start over with a smile.

Along the same lines, evaluate the challenge, or future challenges based on current progress... can you keep going at this pace?  Is it too easy?  Maybe you had a new idea!  Keep experimenting!

Last, you might get hooked!  Near day 90 of my own 100 Happy Days challenge, I realized I had started another habit and decided to make it into a 100-day challenge... doing at least 1 mile a day for 100 days.  The mile must be physical activity other than walking.  The challenges are fun and are helping me to create the person I want to be/am.

What will you challenge yourself to do?  What time frame will you use?  Have you recently completed a challenge?  Share your thoughts below!


Resources

*"Habits: How They Form and How to Break Them" (NPR)
*"Does It Really Take 21 Days to Break a Habit?" (Slate)

Ideas:

Cold Shower Therapy (original)

---> Cold Shower Testimonial from my friend, Phil, at The Feel Good Lifestyle 30 Challenge Ideas (various in level from easy-hard)

Other Challenge ideas - remember the best are your own!:

• Study a new language
• Catch up with one friend or family member per day
• Wake up at a specific time - or go to bed at a specific time
• Don't eat a specific food (i.e. pop/soda or chips)
• Do one new thing each day

Originally written and composed by Lauren Myrick on June 26, 2014.

174

Today is day 174 of this year.... We are almost halfway through 2014!  What will you do to make today (or this week) great?

How will you make today great?

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