How I'm Changing My Life

2011 is going to be different than any other year before. I vow NOT to make any of the same resolutions in 2012. Why? Because I plan to accomplish them all. =)

I started off the year doing a "30 Day Challenge to Master Organization and Achieve Your Goals in 2011."

What do I do?

Everyday I get an email from Chalene Johnson with a short video and a PDF "worksheet" to go along with the video. Chalene shares her own goals, to-do lists and priorities that have helped her grow her 15 year business.

Today is day 4 and so far I've already - determined my top 3 priorities & rated them in order of importance, listed 10 goals (on paper) that would be kick ass if accomplished in 2011, and picked a "push" goal that drives all other goals. And its only day 4!!

Her advice has helped me already change my life by losing 15 pounds, inches & body fat. But don't be fooled, this isn't about fitness (unless you want it to be) its about living the BEST life you can and accomplishing everything you want, whether its financial, spiritual, family, business..whatever!

Accountability partners are encouraged but not needed. There is an entire Facebook group of people looking for partners. Or look within your own circle of influence. I've shared & discussed everything with Mat and I have accountability partners as well. They all keep me on track!

Here is the link if you'd like to sign up to get the daily videos & tips -

http://www.chalenejohnson.com/30daychallenge/

Also, it's all FREE! :)

"It's time to live the life you want to live."
-Chalene Johnson

Extra, Extra Read All About It!

My Current Top 3 Personal Development Books

1. Goals!: How to Get Everything You Want-Faster Than You Ever Thought Possible - Brian Tracy



2. Crush It!: Why NOW Is the Time to Cash In on Your Passion- Gary Vaynerchuk



3. The Slight Edge: Secret to a Successful Life- Jeff Olson

It's that time of the year again!

With the hours ticking away, now is the time when many people are making their New Year’s Resolutions. People are frantically thinking about creating a fresh start for themselves. However, year after year they continue to make the same resolutions without ever achieving any success.

When you think about the most common resolutions, what comes to mind? Losing weight/getting fit, saving money and stopping a bad habit; I can make a bet that a majority of people have at least one, if not all, of those resolutions on their mighty lists.

That same majority of people look at their wish lists all wrong, no wonder they can’t accomplish anything. If you want to achieve all of these things you are going to have to change your lifestyle but not just for a limited amount of time, you are going to have to make changes forever, don't worry they aren't huge changes, just simple small steps.

To get started, you will need to plan ahead! Many people skip this very important step. How can you get something done if you don’t have a plan of action? So create one! Take out a pen and piece of paper, yes those gadgets you used before Microsoft Word, and write down each one of your goals and at least three steps you can do every single day to get you closer to achieving that goal.

Now put in the work! It’s not going to be easy, but if you can commit, you will succeed. (Sound familiar fellow Beachbody fans- Decide. Commit. Succeed) If you want to lose weight you are going to have to plan to workout, whether at home with a DVD program, at the gym or by taking group exercise classes, or all three! You are also going to want to make small changes in your diet as well, start off by counting calories and not eating processed foods.

You want to save money? Plan ahead how much of your checks will go into your savings account each month or week. Simply putting away $50 a month will end up saving you $600 in a year. Try for a week to keep track of where your money is going. Do you notice any patterns? If your money is headed in the wrong directions, say buying a latte every morning, cut out those purchases and that will save you too! If you are buying a $4 iced coffee each morning at the end of the week you just wasted $28, money that could easily be used to help you pay off those student loans.

So as you are writing out your New Year’s Resolutions this year don’t just stop after the list is complete, add on your plan of action so that those resolutions will no longer be merely dreams and wishes but become part of your reality!


So what are a couple of my goals?
1- To become a 2 Star Diamond Coach
2- To graduate on the Dean's List in May
3- To learn Italian
4- To pay off my loans
5- Complete a round of Insanity

Plan of Action:
1- Read at least 1 personal development book a month
2- Listen to 15 minutes a day of Italian audio & learn 5 new words a day
3- Get a 4.0 this semester
4- Set aside $150 a month to pay off loans

If you'd like to share your goals with me, please feel free too! I would love to help coach you and keep you on track! :)

What's your goals?

Everyday I get a Bally's Nutrition tip e-mail and a Positive Momentum e-mail. This was the Positive Momentum e-mail for the day:

"Setting goals and recognizing achievements is important to weight loss success. It is important to set long term goals while using short-term goals to get you there faster. Keep track by WRITING DOWN your goals and logging your progress. Use logging to help you troubleshoot problems that may arise. If you don't meet a goal, reassess, change it and move on!"


I agree that is it sooooo important to have goals in your mind at all times, what's important to achieving those goals is WRITING THEM DOWN! Get your goals down on paper and look back at your goals often.

If you have to create a big goal and need sub goals to follow them up do that too.

Here is an example:

1- To weigh 125 lbs and have a body fat % of 15.
-Complete 90 days of ChaLEAN Extreme
-Drink Shakeology everyday for breakfast
-Log my workouts into WOWY
-Workout with personal trainer, Megan, 2x a week for 2 months

Brian Tracy's advice is to ask yourself, "What is the most valuable use of my time, right now?" If whatever activity you are doing (or not doing) isn't going to help you reach your goal then you need to prioritize better.

You might think you do not have enough time in your day to write out goals or to accomplish what needs to be done but I bet if you sat down and thought about what exactly you do and at what time you would see where a majority of your time was being wasted. You have time to sit on facebook, eat dinner in front of the TV while watching the latest episode of “Daisy of Love”, or spend extra time getting ready for school or work. Prioritize.

I'm a person naturally driven to making lists, all kinds of lists! But if you aren't you can always learn that skill. :)

So get out your notebook and a pen and start writing down your goals and the steps you have to make to achieve them. Also write out your daily to-do lists so you stay on top of things and don't end up wasting your valuable time!