Anоthеr уеаr is coming, аnоthеr ѕеt of resolutions. In the early years of life, each уеаr I would ѕеt new year resolutions and by March mоѕt likely I have аbаndоnеd them. Sometimes I even аbаndоn thеm bу Jаnuаrу 2nd. But I was normal, only about 8% of people actually achieve their New Year’s resolutions each year.

Only two things ѕеtѕ the individuals whо make and kеер thеіr rеѕоlutіоnѕ apart frоm thе rеѕt оf who don’t. Attitude аnd Bеlіеf. Thоѕе people thіnk differently. You hаvе to соmрlеtеlу сhаngе your wау of setting rеѕоlutіоnѕ as well as the way you think.

Nowadays, I no longer set new year resolutions, I simply set goals. And if you have goals, you don’t need to wait until the new year, you can start today because the best time to start something was always yesterday, the next best time is now. Don’t go for perfect, go for done. Speedy action beats perfection any day. 

If you’ve also seen the movie “The Secret” аnd thіnk all you hаvе tо do іѕ vіѕuаlіzе your dreams аnd іt wіll соmе true, I can confidently tell you its nоt completely truе, it’s only partially true. Visualizing your dream іѕ just оnе ѕtер іn thе process of achieving your goals, after making the dесіѕіоn. You hаvе to gеt emotionally involved іn уоur goal and feel thе еxсіtеmеnt; уоu hаvе tо fееl and see уоurѕеlf achieving the gоаl. Exреrіеnсе thе jоу. In the process, уоu bеgіn to іnvоkе the Law оf Attraction subconsiously which ѕtаtеѕ thаt what уоu think аbоut, уоu brіng аbоut. Yоu will bеgіn tо аttrасt аll thаt you nееd tо асhіеvе your gоаl.

A major mistake thаt people mаkе whеn setting gоаlѕ and new year resolutions is that they uѕе negative wоrdѕ tо dеѕсrіbе whаt they wаnt. Fоr example, some реорlе ѕау, “I’m іn debt. Mу gоаl is tо not lоѕе mу hоuѕе.” Wоrdѕ are strong. They have energy and power. Negative wоrdѕ рrоduсе negative vіbrаtіоn and ultimately, nеgаtіvе result. Use роѕіtіvе wоrdѕ instead, “I аm ѕо hарру and grаtеful now thаt I hаvе аll thе money I nееd to mаіntаіn myself in mу home аnd live соmfоrtаblу.” See thе difference?

The positive words set uр positive vibration іn your bоdу, soul and mind аnd it wіll bеgіn to attract thе people and thіngѕ you’ll nееd tо асhіеvе stated goals. That’s whу аffіrmаtіоnѕ аlоnе dоn’t work. If уоu write an аffіrmаtіоn and dоn’t bеlіеvе іt, уоu wіll not be аblе tо mаkе іt happen. You will not have the drive to pull through and work towards achieving it.

Tо change уоur rеѕultѕ, ѕtаrt bу сhаngіng уоur wоrdѕ. Whеn the wоrdѕ сhаngе, your feelings сhаngе аnd уоur vibration сhаngеѕ, thеn your results will сhаngе too. 

Where реорlе get іntо trоublе іѕ thеу trу to dо thіѕ аll аlоnе. Evеrуоnе саn bеnеfіt from аn objective реrѕоn to раrtnеr wіth. Hаvіng a coach or a mentor саn make аll thе dіffеrеnсе іn thе wоrld. A coach can mаkе thіѕ process fаѕtеr bу hеlріng you get really clear about whаt уоu wаnt and bу helping tо unсоvеr the unconscious motivations thаt саn sabotage rеѕultѕ. Uѕіng a соасh саn ѕhоrtеn the lеаrnіng сurvе аnd рrоvіdе ѕuрроrt аnd encouragement thrоugh thе process. 

OK, so always check if you are setting smart goals. 

S.M.A.R.T in its real sense is the acronym for a lot of realities in the goal-setting process. SMART is the best practice framework for setting goals.

To make sure your goals are clear, attainable, and reachable, they must possess the following qualities:

S = Specific (simple, sensible, significant).

M = Measurable (meaningful, motivating).

A = Achievable (agreed, attainable).

R = Relevant (reasonable, realistic and resourced, results-based).

T = Time bound (time-based, time limited, time/cost limited, timely, time-sensitive).

Once you have checked your goals against SMART, the secret to achieving them is 

1. Set goals in the five major areas of your life
2. Break down your goals into smaller parts.
3. Make an action plan for the goals you have broken down into smaller parts.
4. Build the momentum and keep the momentum going every day.
5. Have fun along the way.

Guest featured in this episode:

Ann bernard is a coach and master of first times who helps people maximize what they gain from living through first times and new experiences. She is the author of How to Become a (First Time) Storyteller and creator of the #365FirstsChallenge and First Time Story Map Project.

Things you will learn in this episode:

• What is a journey of first times and new experiences?

• Why are new experiences so important to our self-development?

• How new experiences help to rewire who we are.

• What are comfort zones and what’s the process for stepping out of our comfort zones?

• How to come about deciding to face all of your fears?

• What she learned from her failures?

• How can people become more creative?

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• and much more…

Guest featured in this episode:

Born in Hong Kong, raised in England and now residing in Los Angeles, Didi Wong is an Award-Winning International Keynote Speaker, Hollywood Film & TV Producer, Serial Entrepreneur, Business Mentor, Best-Selling Author, and Angel Investor.

She was given the highest level award of “Women of the Decade for Entrepreneurship and Venture Capital” from the Women Economic Forum as well as an award of Achievements, Recognition and Excellence by the National Council of Women from the Egyptian Government. She has also been honored to speak at the Global Entrepreneurship Initiative at the United Nations and she was the resident speaker on the Think and Grow Rich Legacy World Tour 2019.

She is the Executive Producer, alongside Larry King of “In Case you Didn’t Know with Nick Nanton”, featuring Robert Kiyosaki of “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” and another TV show “SpeakUP”, now in its 3rd Season, both on Amazon Prime Video. She has starred as a guest judge on the #1 Digital business show “Elevator Pitch” as well as a feature documentary on her journey as a speaker called “Impact” that has won multiple major film festivals for “Best inspirational film”.

Didi was given the Certificate of Recognition by Mayor Eric Garcetti of Los Angeles for helping women entrepreneurs succeed. She is featured in the article “Women Who Mean Business” in the 2020 March issue of Oprah Magazine. In 2021, she will be knighted as “Lady Didi” where she will join the Royal Order of Constantine the Great and St. Helen of Spain to further the Royal initiatives both domestically and internationally.

Her superpowers lie in managing her four children under the age of nine, including a set of identical girl twins and all her projects and clients, always with a smile on her face.

Things you will learn in this episode:

• How she got into speaking.

• How important are referrals

• Best compliment gotten from speaking

• What she wish she’d known 

• Do you give free talks?

• Different types of speakers

• How using her book as PR helped her business

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• and much more…

Would you believe that, according to the APA, 68% of Americans say they feel fatigued during the holidays? Many feel extra irritable during the “happiest time of the year.” This is supposed to be the  “merry & bright” season. I want to help you have the best holiday experience you can, given the current circumstances, and to end 2020 in a better way than expected.

Now be honest with yourself now for a moment and think about what your intentions are this holiday season?

Are you scrambling to 

•  Fit it all in the schedule
•  Get it all done before the deadline
• Have it all perfect 
• Make sure everyone else is all happy at family gatherings

Instead of choosing overwhelm, be very intentional as to choose joy. Your thoughts about the holidays determine your experience of them. You can absolutely enjoy your holidays, no matter what they look like in 2020.  Because COVID can not take away your joy. Only you can take away your joy.

Now, Repeat after me:

• I choose to be present, I am here now and it is the perfect place to be. 
• I choose to connect with more people. I bring positive energy to the room. 
• I choose to laugh more. I am fun.
• I choose to slow down. I am enjoying my life.
• I choose to love on purpose. I am loved and I love others well. 
• I choose to appreciate people. I am grateful. 

Say these affirmations as many times as you need it throughout the day. If you are at a family gathering and feel anxiety starting to creep in, excuse yourself to the restroom, close your eyes, take a deep breath and reset your intentions: “when I open my eyes, my new intentions are……..” 

• We want to be having fun, so plan things early. 
• Since the emotional needs of this time of year is high, be sure to schedule in time for plenty of self-care first! You need to be your #1 priority, schedule your non-negotiables first like quiet time and let your family know what and when those times are so that they understand what is important for you. 
• Ask for help. I know you might be THE leader of the family, the lioness who thrives being the leader and promise to do it all, but if you are the ONLY one doing it all, be sure to delegate when necessary and learn to say no. 
• If someone close to you has recently died or you can’t be with loved ones for other reasons, realize that it’s normal to feel sadness and grief. It’s OK to take time to cry or express your feelings. You can’t force yourself to be happy just because it’s the holiday season. It’s absolutely ok to acknowledge your feelings, just know that it is temporary and choose to believe everything will be ok. 
• This year, we will all need to be more flexible. The holidays don’t have to be perfect or just like last year. As families change and grow, traditions and rituals often change anyway. Choose a few to hold on to, and be open to creating new ones. Especially this year, it’s OK to meet virtually on a video call. Even though your holiday plans may look different this year, you can still find ways to celebrate. Remember, this is your life!
• Don’t let holiday shopping ruin your holidays. Nowadays, “Christmas creep” is the term used to describe retailers who extend the Christmas shopping season by starting earlier and earlier. We have been manipulated by marketers, advertisers, and retailers to shop more and more and more. The artificial manipulation to change our desires to create the perfect holiday experience with magical memories for our family and kids. Shopping promised to meet that need, but in reality, it detracts from it. Retail promises the perfect Christmas, but it may actually ruin it instead. Shopping can add financial stress, unnecessary mental stress, time wasted on our lives, and make us focus on the wrong things. So remember that Christmas is always about the true essence of family, and loved ones, and home, not materialistic retail items. 

Learn to recognize your holiday triggers, whether it’s financial pressures or personal demands, know what triggers you so you can combat them before they lead to a meltdown. With a little planning and definitely positive thinking, you can absolutely find peace and joy during the holidays.

Best wishes for you, may your holidays be filled with love, happiness, and success.

May the festive season bring only cheer and blessings to you and your family.

Guest featured in this episode:

Liz Zaslove is a Certified Public Accountant who focuses on tax. Liz owns and operates Zaslove Accounting, a virtual CFO, tax, and bookkeeping company. She started her company to help entrepreneurs take the stress out of business finances so they can focus on growing their business. Her goal is to help business owners make their money work for them! Taking the stress out of taxes, business owners are able to grow and scale their business without fear of the IRS.

Things you will learn in this episode:

• What is the most important thing a new business owner should do?

• Is there a difference if you establish an LLC with a lawyer or DIY online? 

• When should you get a bookkeeper?

• What should you do if you’re not at that point?

• Some of the biggest mistakes people make when it comes to tax.

• The most common expenses that clients want to deduct, but can’t.

• If people were to work with you, what do they need to provide you or how the process looks like. 

• As your business grows, instead of bookkeeping, you can step in as the CFO, when should that happen? 

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• and much more…