Goal setting and its execution is a fine tuned process for personal development. When you set personal goals on a consistent basis, you will decide exactly what you want from your life and act with a clear cut plan to achieve them. This delicate process of setting meaningful goals and targets will enable you to choose anything you want and also where you want to go. If you decide where you are now and plan where you want to go, and then assign a well executed plan, you are on your way to gateway to success. Most of the highly successful people around us have achieved their success through some meticulous planning and effective goal setting. Goal setting also helps you to get some short term benefits and medium term advantages. By developing a healthy habit of goal setting, you can definitely make most of your life.

When you set precise goals, you can quantify and be happy that you’ve achieved something significant in your life. Goal setting and working towards it will also make you a work horse, bent on somehow getting all those things and needs, which were not used to be with you till now. Goal setting will also instill a sense of pride and self confidence in your psyche, and such an achievement would not have been possible if you had not resorted to goal setting.

Goal setting is performed on various levels of achievement; you will need to asses your position and decide what you want from your life on a long term basis. Do you need a house? Or do you wish to have a luxury holiday? The choice is yours and private. Long term goals are usually tough to finalize, because most of us can’t differentiate between a long term goal and a medium term goal. Once you set your long term goal, break them up into smaller targets and attempt them, so that you’ll reach the pinnacle step by step. Many battles are won to conquer a war! Once the plan is ready, you’ll need to execute it to reach your dream.

Goal setting also involves a combination of several areas of your life and each one of them is important while you set your goals. It is absolutely futile to achieve just one or two major goals while neglecting all other important areas of your life. For example, there is simply no point in achieving a career or professional goal, while neglecting your family or personal side of life. In fact it may be disastrous for your life. While setting goals, consider six major areas of your life like personal, family, spiritual, professional, financial and physical aspects, so that you will turn out an all-round personal development. Finally you will need to assign priorities to each of those areas and start realizing them one by one. Always remember that goal setting tests you patience and perseverance; never loose you patience and focus, as you may loose momentum in your quest for that elusive dream.

It’s easy to begin a year with analysis: months, days and even years of “thinking.” Many of us would like to believe that “reaching goals” begins with an armchair, a self-help book and a beer. But if you really want to see some change, remember that action creates energy.

Have you ever spent a whole day driving? Lying on the couch with a heavy-duty remote control? At the end of the day, you’re exhausted.

Action fuels thought. The world looks different as you sit in your living room. When you get off the couch and face the outside world, your questions — and your answers –seem new.

Action tests our readiness to change. Are you thinking of hiring a career consultant? Before you pick up the phone, take some small action on your own. Get a list of articles from the library or web. Make some phone calls.

Do something different. In a tape version of her recent book, Thunder and Lightning, Natalie Goldberg advises writers to overcome blocks by changing small elements of their lives. Take a different route when you walk home, she suggests; if you normally drive with your left hand on the steering wheel, try the right.

Some ideas:

Do something alone that you normally do with others: shopping, traveling, eating in a restaurant.

Do something with others that you normally do alone.

If you have a routine for evenings or weekends, make a change. In his book, How People Change, Allen Wheelis pointed out that changing yourself is pretty simple. If you want to stop being a thief, don’t steal. If you want to be a writer, write. Sounds simple — but it works.

Sometimes, if you are lucky, external events force you to change in a positive direction. Serendipity has moved from the woo-woo category to mainstream career research.

Can’t get moving?

If you are really, really stuck, but you can’t get yourself to take even one action step, pay attention. Sometimes you are at a point in your life when it’s time to do nothing, but inability to act may signal clinical depression or anxiety.

Do you want someone to share your thoughts as you try out different actions? Moving — but you’re not sure in which direction you want to end up? These questions suggest you can get help from a career or business coach.

Maybe you believe in New Year’s Resolutions, or maybe you prefer to take life as it comes. Regardless, I can promise your next twelve months will bring exciting new changes and opportunities…if you jump off that couch and begin taking action.

I offer one-to-one consultations on career strategy.

About The Author

Cathy Goodwin, Ph.D., is an author, speaker and career/business consultant, helping midlife professionals take their First step to a Second Career. http://www.cathygoodwin.com.

“Ten secrets of mastering a major life change” mailto:subscribe@cathygoodwin.com

Contact: cathy@cathygoodwin.com 505-534-4294

The difference between making lots of money and not rests solely in how you value yourself.

You have to KNOW what you offer is valuable and you have to charge an amount that shows it is valuable.

“My workshop goes for $280 but it should be $380. I’ll charge $380 for the CD set.

“They pay $250 for two sessions, why would they not pay $30 for my book.”

“I have a new client that knows the value of what we can accomplish together.”

These are the mindsets that express our self-value – for larger or smaller.

How may times have you thought “I don’t want to price it so people can’t buy it.” “I want to charge $25 for my book but I think they will pay only $16.” “I have a new client that says they can’t afford much.”

Does your vision contain clients that can EASILY AFFORD your services or product?

I just spent the past year learning lots of ways to market on the Internet. I know how incredibly valuable it was for me and how it profoundly opened up my business and my personal willingness to succeed. I began offering to coach others in marketing on the Internet. I knew it had tremendous value because I had just received it myself and I began to attract clients who were pro-active and committed to growing their business. And they were ready to invest in that process.

People want to see results and my goal is to help people make money right away. That excitement, that sense of being able to make a difference fast, infuses what I say and how I say it to others. And it draws them to me.

Whatever it is we offer it is unique to each of us. Only I can offer this particular combination of services and skills and talent. And you are the only one in the world who can offer the exact same combination of information, manner of communication and value that you offer.

Know that. Know and accept your value. Come from a place of service. Raise your intention to be well compensated for what you offer. Expect to be paid well.

Then ask for it. Based on your intuition, put out a price that makes you feel valuable and see others joyously flocking to take advantage of the great value you offer.

Ask what you are worth and you will receive it. But first, truly know and believe you have GREAT VALUE!

Halloween never has been my favorite holiday. As a kid, growing up on the farm, trick-or-treating meant getting in and out of the car (often on very cold nights) and wearing coats over our costumes. I certainly liked the candy, but it never made much sense to me.

As a father, I must admit I have warmed to the holiday, but I still have a problem with all the focus on witches and ghouls and such. A holiday that focuses on scary things still bothers me just a little bit. I’ve been pleased that my children have typically chosen more wholesome images to emulate through their costumes.

This year was different though. I’ve actually been looking forward to Halloween since the middle of June. I planned. I prepared. I thought and strategized about it. But, it didn’t go quite the way I expected. . .

The Garage Sale

Our community has a neighborhood garage sale each June. By planning everyone’s sale on the same day more people attend and the event is more successful for everyone. For several years my son Parker has had a stand selling lemonade, coffee, muffins and cookies, taking advantage of all of the shoppers who came to our cul-de-sac. Last year, my neighbor Jim and I added hot dogs and other grilled food to the menu. People could shop and get a meal too! We had so much fun; we did it again this year.

Only this year, we secretly decided to give the proceeds to our neighbors who have a son with autism. At our annual party, after the sale, we presented them with about $120 (a lot of money when you aren’t selling anything for more than a dollar!) to give to the autism group of their choice.

Trying Again

The mix of the fun we had and the response we received from our neighbors led to another idea – let’s do this at Halloween. Halloween would be perfect we speculated; lots of traffic (since we always have more than 100 trick or treaters), easy to market (through flyers in the neighborhood), and this year Halloween would be on a Friday. It seemed perfect!

Every few weeks the subject came up. We talked about what to serve and how to market it. Jim, who works in the food brokerage business, got sponsors to provide all the meat. As the calendar turned to October we got more serious and the menu was set: hot dogs, bratwurst, hamburgers and homemade chili.

As I worked on the marketing flyer, all the foods became holiday-themed: Halloweenies, Beastie Brats, Haunted Hamburgers and Chilling Chili. We decided to sell soda and chips. We added a place for kids to bob for apples. We would have the candy from five houses for one stop trick-or-treating. We distributed more than 140 flyers. We were raising money for a great cause. In the final week we even realized we were going to have perfect weather – upper 60’s by “game time.” We had the perfect setup for a successful event.

Halloween is Here

Friday morning Lori and I made the chili. After lunch we finished shopping for the final items. I couldn’t wait to set up! We got everything out – ran extension cords to the street, set up lights, tables and chairs, blocked off the cul-de-sac and fired up the grill.

Two other neighbors were manning the candy – to help the trick-or-treaters get it and to tell them which houses were empty. Parker, age 11, decided to help with the event rather than trick or treat. He would take money and answer questions. Jim would take and fill orders, and I was grill man. We fed the families around us, ourselves and our kids to get the grill going, and they took off to collect candy and good wishes. We were ready.

It got dark, and we had very few trick-or-treaters, and even fewer customers. One mother said she and her son would be back after they were done. We rubbed our hands and prepared for the onslaught.

The onslaught never came.

The Results

By the end of the evening we probably had half our typical number of trick-or-treaters. We sold a little water and soda. We sold a few grilled items. We made $32 (before expenses).

It was a tough night for me. In retrospect, I was as discouraged and disappointed as I can remember being in a long time. It was Sunday before I was really back to normal.

The Lessons

I shook myself out of my self-imposed funk by thinking back on what we did – and what we accomplished. $32. I didn’t even count it until Monday. Truth be told, it was more than I expected at that point. My reflection helped me realize that several positive things happened:

* We had fun both planning and doing the event.

* We strengthened neighborhood relationships.

* We taught our children a lesson about caring and doing things for others – through our actions, not our checkbooks.

* We made a memory we will talk about for years.

* We learned what might have to change if we do this again on Halloween!

* I got the subject for this essay.

* A neighborhood shelter got lots of hamburger and hot dog buns.

* And we did add $32 to the Riley Children’s Hospital Autism Unit to help them do their work.

However, the best result for me was the lesson of reflection. All the value created by the event was overshadowed in my mind when we didn’t reach our goal. My personal goal had been $300. So, in reality, we did about 11% of that goal. I lost sight of all the good by focusing only on the desired outcome.

If you had asked me Saturday morning if the event was a success, I would have grimaced and quickly said no. If you ask me now, I will say that we didn’t raise much money, but it was fun, and we learned a lot. Anytime you can have fun while learning is a good experience in my book.

We all suffer defeats, challenges and disappointments. Sometimes they are large; sometimes they aren’t. Big or small, I believe there is value and learning in every one of them. Our goal has to be to find those lessons. We only find them by reflecting on the experience and expecting to find them.

Maybe you find yourself reeling from a setback as you read this. If so, please take the message to heart. Maybe the message is more theoretical for you at the moment, that’s OK too. Use this as a reminder for the next time you are discouraged. Lift your head up, reflect on what happened, learn from it, smile and go on!

I don’t know what next Halloween holds, but we already are talking about the garage sale. We may expand to breakfast. I’ll let you know how it goes.

“Who wants to make a lot of money? And who wants to make a lot of money and be extremely happy?” This was the opening line of a free seminar that I recently attended in Atlanta, GA called the Millionaire Mind Intensive Weekend. The purpose of attending this seminar with my girlfriend was so I could help teach her about managing and investing money. I had on idea that this seminar would change my life in such a drastic way.

I am a rather fortunate person that I have quickly moved up the ranks of my corporation and have landed into upper management. With this position came money, and a lot of it. At the ripe age of 31, I was make a six figure income but I was still living paycheck to paycheck. I couldn’t afford to take a vacation, buy a house, or save a penny in my savings account. My bank balance has never, and I mean never, been above $10,000 in my life. I am a spender, a person who needs instant gratification, but I never knew why. That is where the Millionaire Mind Intensive seminar opened my eyes to the truth.

T. Harv Ecker, the creator of the Millionaire Mind Intensive, says that when we are growing up we take our experiences with money, good and bad, and store them into files in our brain. When it comes to our finances we subconsciously call upon these “wealth files” to make decision on whether to spend, save, or invest this money. Through the exercises during the seminar, I realized that I have always had a fear of “making it rich” and then losing that money and becoming a failure. So my subconscious was telling me to “spend, spend, spend” so I never could have the chance to become rich in the first place.

The human mind can be your greatest ally, or your biggest enemy. It is very important that you recognize how your mind interprets wealth and your financial situation. Your financial future depends on the “wealth files” that you have in your file cabinet, and your ability to delete those files and replace them with supportive “wealth files”.

In my own life, I know what I am doing to myself subconsciously and financially, and my girlfriend and I are on the path to buying a house and being financially free in the next 3-5 years. Our relationship is better than it has ever been, and I am a lot less stressed because I know our plan is working. I have a Millionaire Mind, and I encourage you to find yours.

Find out how to get two free tickets to the Millionaire Mind Intensive weekend by going to http://www.millionaire.tasteandstyle.com

What is an adjustment disorder? An adjustment disorder is defined as an emotional or behavioral reaction to an identifiable stressful event or change in a person’s life that is considered maladaptive or somehow not an expected healthy response to the event or change. The reaction must occur within three months of the identified stressful event or change happening. The identifiable stressful event or change in the life of a child or adolescent may be a family move, parental divorce or separation, the loss of a pet, birth of a brother or sister, to name a few.

What causes adjustment disorders? Adjustment disorders are a reaction to stress. There is not a single direct cause between the stressful event and the reaction. Children and adolescents vary in their temperament, past experiences, vulnerability, and coping skills. Their developmental stage and the capacity of their support system to meet their specific needs related to the stress are factors that may contribute to their reaction to a particular stress. Stressors also vary in duration, intensity, and effect. No evidence is available to suggest a specific biological factor that causes adjustment disorders.

Who is affected by adjustment disorders? Adjustment disorders are quite common in children and adolescents. They occur equally in males and females. While adjustment disorders occur in all cultures, the stressors and the signs may vary based on cultural influences. Adjustment disorders occur at all ages, however, it is believed that characteristics of the disorder are different in children and adolescents than they are in adults. Differences are noted in the symptoms experienced, severity and duration of symptoms, and in the outcome. Adolescent symptoms of adjustment disorders are more behavioral such as acting out, while adults experience more depressive symptoms.

What are the symptoms of an adjustment disorder? In all adjustment disorders, the reaction to the stressor seems to be in excess of a normal reaction, or the reaction significantly interferes with social or occupational (educational) functioning. There are six subtypes of adjustment disorder that are based on the type of the major symptoms experienced. The following are the most common symptoms of each of the subtypes of adjustment disorder. However, each child may experience symptoms differently. Symptoms may include:

adjustment disorder with depressed mood depressed mood tearfulness feelings of hopelessness adjustment disorder with anxiety

nervousness worry jitteriness fear of separation from major attachment figures adjustment disorder with anxiety and depressed mood A combination of symptoms from both of the above subtypes (depressed mood and anxiety) is present. adjustment disorder with disturbance of conduct

violation of the rights of others violation of societal norms and rules (truancy, destruction of property, reckless driving, fighting) adjustment disorder with mixed disturbance of emotions and conduct A combination of symptoms from all of the above subtypes are present (depressed mood, anxiety, and conduct). adjustment disorder unspecified Reactions to stressful events that do not fit in one of the above subtypes are present. Reactions may include behaviors such as social withdrawal or inhibitions to normally expected activities (i.e., school or work). The symptoms of adjustment disorders may resemble other medical problems or psychiatric conditions. Always consult your child’s (adolescent’s) physician for a diagnosis.

How are adjustment disorders diagnosed? A child and adolescent psychiatrist or a qualified mental health professional usually makes the diagnosis of an adjustment disorder in children and adolescents following a comprehensive psychiatric evaluation and interview with the child or adolescent and the parents. A detailed personal history of development, life events, emotions, behaviors, and the identified stressful event is obtained during the interview.

Treatment for adjustment disorders: Specific treatment for adjustment disorders will be determined by your child’s (adolescent’s) physician based on:

your child’s (adolescent’s) age, overall health, and medical history extent of your child’s (adolescent’s) symptoms subtype of the adjustment disorder your child’s (adolescent’s) tolerance for specific medications, procedures, or therapies expectations for the course of the stressful event your opinion or preference Treatment may include:

individual psychotherapy using cognitive-behavioral approaches Cognitive-behavioral approaches are used to improve age-appropriate problem solving skills, communication skills, impulse control, anger management skills, and stress management skills. family therapy Family therapy is often focused on making needed changes within the family system such as improving communication skills and family interactions, as well as increasing family support among family members. peer group therapy Peer group therapy is often focused on developing and using social skills and interpersonal skills. medication While medications have very limited value in the treatment of adjustment disorders, medication may be considered on a short term basis if a specific symptom is severe and known to be responsive to medication. Prevention of adjustment disorders: Preventive measures to reduce the incidence of adjustment disorders in children are not known at this time. However, early detection and intervention can reduce the severity of symptoms, enhance the child’s normal growth and development, and improve the quality of life experienced by children or adolescents with adjustment disorders.

Mark Twain once said, “Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear not absence of fear.”

Feeling fear is normal but so many are afraid to admit it. Fear can lock us into a way of life and keep us from being truly challenged and happy. I have learned that the best thing to do is to share my fear with someone else. When I try to pretend I am not feeling it, I become even more anxious. So decide that courage is not the absence of fear but the ability to move through it, share it, and then do what must be done.

I also read once that, “Unknowns are merely joys we have not met.” What a wonderful way to think about things and events. You can take new experiences in baby steps if you need to. You do get to be in charge of how you handle it. Does that surprise you? Learning this important fact has given me such freedom to explore and move ahead in my life. And please do not compare yourself to someone else. We are, each of us, unique in who we are as individuals and in how we handle life. Enjoy your uniqueness and move forward!

And in closing, Brendan Francis once said, “Many of our fears are tissue-paper thin, and a single courageous step would carry us clear through them.” So, keep these ideas in mind when you next feel fearful. What fear can you walk through today?

Karlynn Baker lives in Arizona and she received a Master of Science degree at the University of Arizona in 1972. She owns her own counseling business and enjoys life with her husband, David, three daughters, and two adorable grandsons.

When you jump out of bed every morning, all fired up with enthusiasm, motivation and eagerness to… Huh?

What’s that? You don’t do much jumping in the mornings?

Well, okay, when you ease out of bed every morning, all eager and enthusiastic to… Huh?

What’s that? You don’t do that either?

Well, okay, when you’re lying there in bed every morning wondering why the heck you should bother to get up…

Does your mind flash on all the things you’ll get to do today, or is it filled with all the things you’ve GOT to do today?

What’s the difference, you ask? Aw c’mon, any ten-year-old kid can answer that one. It’s the difference between waking up thinking “It’s Christmas Day” or thinking “I’ve got Final Exams today.”

And face it, most of us live as though we’re facing final exams every single day. Each sunrise brings more battles, more struggles, more dogged trudging, more frustrated attempts to deal with our chronic burdens.

Meanwhile, a few happy folks really do wake up eager. They’re rarin’ to go as soon as the light hits their eyeballs. But how do they do that? What’s their secret?

Would you believe they don’t have any secret? They just find it in their heart to love what’s happening to them. Even the so-called “bad” stuff is treated with respect and dealt with as a potential learning experience — something to profit from — maybe even fun (with slight adjustments in attitude).

But they don’t make any secret of it. What they do is right out there for the rest of the world to see. The only trouble is, the rest of the world is terribly busy not seeing. Not seeing the sunshine around them that so completely fills the lives of the eager-awakeners.

Those living in the darkside are tuned in to the dim, gloomy, depressing aspects of every event. Every day brings them the exact same occurrences that their bright-side neighbors receive, but since they’re stuck in the dark-side, they must experience it all in shadows.

You have a radio, right? And when you turn the knob, the station changes. All those programs, every one of them, is in the air around you. But when you dial the radio, you’re selecting just one from among all those thousands of signals.

And when you wake up in the morning, your dial can be set wherever you want it. Happy; sad; eager; dreading; energetic.

So is your mental dial stuck on station K-R-A-P or K-O-O-L? On W-O-R-M or W-A-R-M?

If you’re not quite satisfied with the daily programming you’re receiving, it’s not that hard to change it.

No kidding… it’s not. But you do have to do it yourself. Nobody — I mean nobody — is going to come in and reset your dial for you.

Now, you’ve read enough pos-think books and listened to enough tapes, you have a pretty good idea how this works. Let’s stop kidding ourselves. You do know WHAT to do. But you haven’t had much success with it. But there’s one thing in all those techniques you’re NOT doing.

When you do your spiritual exercies, whatever form you select, you get up afterwards and go about your day looking for signs that it’s working.

And when you don’t immediately see those signs, you start wondering why it’s not working.

BBZZZZZZT! Wrong move.

Instead, you’re supposed to be thinking how thankful you are that it IS WORKING, even though you don’t see anything yet. You fill your mind with strong thoughts about what you want.

Now isn’t that simple?

But it’ll sure make a difference in the way you wake up every morning.

Charles Burke is the author of Command More Luck, the book that shows you why all those things keep happening to you. Learn why “luck” doesn’t work the way you’ve always been told. Not even close. The bad news — There’s no such thing as luck. The good news — There’s something even better. Learn how it works at www.moreluck.com

Silence is where you meet your soul. Be courageous. Let it tell you what it thinks of you. Let it tell you what it thinks you should do. Be relaxed and bathe in the love of your soul. Fear is the one thing that prevents us from advancing. When we don’t let the silence ring through us, we are shutting out a part of us. Fear makes us hush out the voice that is craving to be heard.

Each knock in life is the soul trying to talk to us. We should listen. Go into a place where there is no one and don’t do anything. Just listen. Most people would go crazy at even the thought of this suggestion. It means they are afraid of something. They are refusing to face the truth about themselves. There is something that they know they will hear.

If you are in an unsatisfying job, then you know that you need to change that. But change is like walking a tightrope. We don’t want to hear the voice that says “change”. Understand yourself and cast out this fear. Try to reach into yourself and find the courage to make the change. Your soul will thank you and you will be a happier person.

A variety of personal interests and professional paths have led Siva to her current role as a personal trainer and yoga instructor with over 20 years experience. Siva is listed in Who’s Who in the World and is an author, lecturer and Can-Fit-Pro certified personal trainer who specializes in body-mind-spirit consulting and training women.
Siva has helped many clients overcome issues in their lives using yoga and meditation.

For more information on how Siva can help you through yoga, contact Shanti Consulting today for a free consultation at http://www.getshanti.com and sign up for the free newsletter. For more information on meditation, please see http://www.getshanti.com.