StartingOverNow.com
Articles
Replace the Mad Hatter with Your Personal Plan
As children we all learned some very traditional games and stories
from which memories stay with us and continue to shape our patterns
to this day. For instance in “Simon Says,” we learn to respond to
“Simon says do this!” and “Simon says do that!” And if the leader
doesn’t precede the directive with “Simon says,” then you’re out of the
game. Lots of laughs were had with this game. And what a lesson to
stick with you. Don’t do anything unless you have the right permission.
Argh!
Or how about Chutes and Ladders - the game of reward and
consequences. No matter how much you practice this game and how
much you prepare there is still no skill involved in winning. Winning is
random and determined by a spin of the dial. We played this for hours
at my next door neighbor’s house as kids because at any given time,
any of us could win. The shy kid could beat the block bully. Spin well,
help a cat out of a tree and climb a ladder. Spin poorly, write on the
walls and fall down the chute. The
laughs were great but what did this teach us about control over our own
destiny?
Many fairytales are repeats of the same theme and taught us a lot
about romance. Girl is alone and sad. Girl meets prince. Prince rides
her off into the sunset to happiness. That puts a lot of pressure on the
“princes” of this world.
And how about the Mad Hatter in Alice in Wonderland? Many people
seeking to find their life’s calling and entrepreneurs conduct their lives
and their businesses like the Mad Hatter. They often feel as if they are
running in circles saying to themselves, “I’m late! I’m late! For a very
important date!” when in fact they can’t even focus on what it is that is
so important.
Get off the treadmill of busyness. Put the glass slippers away. And
forget about asking for permission from anyone.
You are writing your own story. You are creating your own Game of Life.
And the only way you will shake the head trash you carry from the past
is to replace it with something – new habits. Here’s how:
1) Create a Personal Mission Statement
A personal mission statement defines in concrete form exactly who,
what, where, when why and how you want to be in the next one to three
years. Keep in mine you are defining these things in terms of your
character, behaviors, values, actions, habits and qualities. Keep it
positive, passionate and emotionally motivating. You might start your
Personal Mission Statement with "To live each day with ...[value and
value]... so that ...[what living by these values will give you]. I will do this
by ...[specific behaviors you will use to achieve these values]." Or "To
develop the qualities of ...[two to three character traits]... that I admire in
...[an influential person in your life]... so that ...[why you want to develop
these traits]."
2) Write Measurable Life Goals That Will Lead You to Your Mission.
Goals are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Results oriented and Time
framed. There is a complete article on writing SMART goals at http:
//www.StartingOverNow.com. A life goal might be that in order to have
more time for your family you will devote an hour every evening to family
time without distractions for things such as games, TV, homework
help, dog walking together or some other activity. Another goal might
be to devote the first two hours every morning at work to focusing on the
most strategic part of your work. If that is sales, that may be when you
make cold calls. If you work in a service related industry, you might
schedule meetings with managers on quality improvements for the first
two hours every day. You might consider writing a goal that you will
meet with a mentor once a month to discuss your progress. There is
an article on finding a mentor on the Web site as well.
3) Create Daily To-Do Lists that Reinforce Your Mission and Goals.
Creating a daily To-Do List keeps you on task to your ultimate goal. If
you do not have a To-Do List or journal on a daily basis, you often may
find yourself mitered down with mundane tasks that FILL UP your day
instead of FILLING UP the meaningful parts of your life.
How often do you sit down at your desk and start your day by reading
and responding to your email and phone messages? Then there are a
pile of things on your desk that need short term attention that you
complete because now the “In Box” is less full and it appears that you
have been productive because, “Look, I’ve finished all this work!” And
Snow White swept all the floors. And Cinderella cleaned the entire
fireplace. And two of the Little Pigs built houses they thought were
great but were they able to withstand the wolf?
The first things on your To-Do List should be the things that will
reinforce your Personal Mission Statement. Then prioritize you To-Do
List. Think of your time in terms of what is going to bring you the most
valuable return. Clearing your desk of clutter is not it. Your goals will
help guide your To-Do List so that you are focusing on the strategic
objectives of your life and not just clearing your desk.
I create my To-Do List for the week. Nothing on it includes daily work
that I know will be on my desk – letters to sign, meetings to attend, etc.
Think of your life as a framework of relationships and that does not just
mean with people. Think of your work in relationship to how it will help
you achieve your To-Do List which is focused on your goals which is
focused on your Personal Mission. You are thinking in terms of
systems and relationships. Not in terms of short term gain,
unproductive patterns of past behaviors, and head trash.
Remember: Personal Mission Statement, SMART Goals and a focused
daily To-Do List sets a pattern to start new behaviors. Habits take 21
days to form. Stick with it until then and you will write your own happy
ending. Start now!
Email this to a friend.
Get Mary Lee’s new FREE e-book “Make Your Wheel of Fortune Spin on
Balance.”
Follow Mary Lee on Twitter.com at StartingOverNow.
For the FREE Worksheets: “Does Your Resume Look Weathered?”
and “Where to Find a Job Other Than the Classifieds?” go to Mary
Lee's Articles and Tips Sheets page.
Mary Lee Gannon is a personal turnaround, leadership and
productivity expert who went from being a stay-at-home mother with
four children living a country club life to the reality of a difficult marriage,
divorce, homelessness, and welfare. As a guest speaker, she
demonstrates how she went from an earning capacity of $27,000 to
president and CEO. Her book "Starting Over - 25 Rules for When
You've Bottomed Out" is available in bookstores. Email Mary Lee at
info@StartingOverNow.com.
As children we all learned some very traditional games and stories
from which memories stay with us and continue to shape our patterns
to this day. For instance in “Simon Says,” we learn to respond to
“Simon says do this!” and “Simon says do that!” And if the leader
doesn’t precede the directive with “Simon says,” then you’re out of the
game. Lots of laughs were had with this game. And what a lesson to
stick with you. Don’t do anything unless you have the right permission.
Argh!
Or how about Chutes and Ladders - the game of reward and
consequences. No matter how much you practice this game and how
much you prepare there is still no skill involved in winning. Winning is
random and determined by a spin of the dial. We played this for hours
at my next door neighbor’s house as kids because at any given time,
any of us could win. The shy kid could beat the block bully. Spin well,
help a cat out of a tree and climb a ladder. Spin poorly, write on the
walls and fall down the chute. The
laughs were great but what did this teach us about control over our own
destiny?
Many fairytales are repeats of the same theme and taught us a lot
about romance. Girl is alone and sad. Girl meets prince. Prince rides
her off into the sunset to happiness. That puts a lot of pressure on the
“princes” of this world.
And how about the Mad Hatter in Alice in Wonderland? Many people
seeking to find their life’s calling and entrepreneurs conduct their lives
and their businesses like the Mad Hatter. They often feel as if they are
running in circles saying to themselves, “I’m late! I’m late! For a very
important date!” when in fact they can’t even focus on what it is that is
so important.
Get off the treadmill of busyness. Put the glass slippers away. And
forget about asking for permission from anyone.
You are writing your own story. You are creating your own Game of Life.
And the only way you will shake the head trash you carry from the past
is to replace it with something – new habits. Here’s how:
1) Create a Personal Mission Statement
A personal mission statement defines in concrete form exactly who,
what, where, when why and how you want to be in the next one to three
years. Keep in mine you are defining these things in terms of your
character, behaviors, values, actions, habits and qualities. Keep it
positive, passionate and emotionally motivating. You might start your
Personal Mission Statement with "To live each day with ...[value and
value]... so that ...[what living by these values will give you]. I will do this
by ...[specific behaviors you will use to achieve these values]." Or "To
develop the qualities of ...[two to three character traits]... that I admire in
...[an influential person in your life]... so that ...[why you want to develop
these traits]."
2) Write Measurable Life Goals That Will Lead You to Your Mission.
Goals are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Results oriented and Time
framed. There is a complete article on writing SMART goals at http:
//www.StartingOverNow.com. A life goal might be that in order to have
more time for your family you will devote an hour every evening to family
time without distractions for things such as games, TV, homework
help, dog walking together or some other activity. Another goal might
be to devote the first two hours every morning at work to focusing on the
most strategic part of your work. If that is sales, that may be when you
make cold calls. If you work in a service related industry, you might
schedule meetings with managers on quality improvements for the first
two hours every day. You might consider writing a goal that you will
meet with a mentor once a month to discuss your progress. There is
an article on finding a mentor on the Web site as well.
3) Create Daily To-Do Lists that Reinforce Your Mission and Goals.
Creating a daily To-Do List keeps you on task to your ultimate goal. If
you do not have a To-Do List or journal on a daily basis, you often may
find yourself mitered down with mundane tasks that FILL UP your day
instead of FILLING UP the meaningful parts of your life.
How often do you sit down at your desk and start your day by reading
and responding to your email and phone messages? Then there are a
pile of things on your desk that need short term attention that you
complete because now the “In Box” is less full and it appears that you
have been productive because, “Look, I’ve finished all this work!” And
Snow White swept all the floors. And Cinderella cleaned the entire
fireplace. And two of the Little Pigs built houses they thought were
great but were they able to withstand the wolf?
The first things on your To-Do List should be the things that will
reinforce your Personal Mission Statement. Then prioritize you To-Do
List. Think of your time in terms of what is going to bring you the most
valuable return. Clearing your desk of clutter is not it. Your goals will
help guide your To-Do List so that you are focusing on the strategic
objectives of your life and not just clearing your desk.
I create my To-Do List for the week. Nothing on it includes daily work
that I know will be on my desk – letters to sign, meetings to attend, etc.
Think of your life as a framework of relationships and that does not just
mean with people. Think of your work in relationship to how it will help
you achieve your To-Do List which is focused on your goals which is
focused on your Personal Mission. You are thinking in terms of
systems and relationships. Not in terms of short term gain,
unproductive patterns of past behaviors, and head trash.
Remember: Personal Mission Statement, SMART Goals and a focused
daily To-Do List sets a pattern to start new behaviors. Habits take 21
days to form. Stick with it until then and you will write your own happy
ending. Start now!
Email this to a friend.
Get Mary Lee’s new FREE e-book “Make Your Wheel of Fortune Spin on
Balance.”
Follow Mary Lee on Twitter.com at StartingOverNow.
For the FREE Worksheets: “Does Your Resume Look Weathered?”
and “Where to Find a Job Other Than the Classifieds?” go to Mary
Lee's Articles and Tips Sheets page.
Mary Lee Gannon is a personal turnaround, leadership and
productivity expert who went from being a stay-at-home mother with
four children living a country club life to the reality of a difficult marriage,
divorce, homelessness, and welfare. As a guest speaker, she
demonstrates how she went from an earning capacity of $27,000 to
president and CEO. Her book "Starting Over - 25 Rules for When
You've Bottomed Out" is available in bookstores. Email Mary Lee at
info@StartingOverNow.com.
StartingOverNow.com
Articles
People who use the
FREE resources on
this site are:
* Starting over in
their career or
personal life
* Empty nesters
* Entrepreneurs
* Networking
* Job Seekers
* Starting all over
again
* Going through a
divorce
* Looking for career
opportunities
* Seeking FREE
career advice and
education
* Finding mentors
* Setting new life
goals
To chart your road
map to success
click here for FREE
"Worksheets and
Articles."
FREE resources on
this site are:
* Starting over in
their career or
personal life
* Empty nesters
* Entrepreneurs
* Networking
* Job Seekers
* Starting all over
again
* Going through a
divorce
* Looking for career
opportunities
* Seeking FREE
career advice and
education
* Finding mentors
* Setting new life
goals
To chart your road
map to success
click here for FREE
"Worksheets and
Articles."
Starting
Over
SMART
Mary Lee shares
tips on how to
get off the
treadmill of
busyness, put
the glass slipper
away and set
asking for
permission
aside. Reroute
your life with
focused
strategies today.
Over
SMART
Mary Lee shares
tips on how to
get off the
treadmill of
busyness, put
the glass slipper
away and set
asking for
permission
aside. Reroute
your life with
focused
strategies today.
Turnaround Solutions for People & Organizations
Whether you are an executive who is "stuck," your company needs
better productivity, or you are in a life transition you represent the
people and organizations Executive Leadership Coach Mary Lee has
helped. Learn how to clarify direction, create strategy, upgrade skills,
optimize your environment and wipe out fear and doubt. Make it fun =
get more done!
Mary Lee’s strategies from her book “Starting Over” helped her in her
own transformation from stay-at-home mother with four children living
a country club life to the reality of a difficult marriage, divorce, poverty,
welfare and then on to president and CEO. Eliminate self doubt, under-
performance, money fears, relationships woes, and negative influence
so that you may soar. Then lead others to improve their lives and your
business. Start now! For a FREE introductory coaching session via
phone contact info@startingovernow.com.
Whether you are an executive who is "stuck," your company needs
better productivity, or you are in a life transition you represent the
people and organizations Executive Leadership Coach Mary Lee has
helped. Learn how to clarify direction, create strategy, upgrade skills,
optimize your environment and wipe out fear and doubt. Make it fun =
get more done!
Mary Lee’s strategies from her book “Starting Over” helped her in her
own transformation from stay-at-home mother with four children living
a country club life to the reality of a difficult marriage, divorce, poverty,
welfare and then on to president and CEO. Eliminate self doubt, under-
performance, money fears, relationships woes, and negative influence
so that you may soar. Then lead others to improve their lives and your
business. Start now! For a FREE introductory coaching session via
phone contact info@startingovernow.com.
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
FREE Resources
to help you:
1. United States of America's
primary source on career
information:
www.onetcenter.org
2. Wage Estimates
www.salary.com and Bureau of
Labor and Statistics
3. Organize Your Job Search -
Post a Question etc.:
www.cvtips.com
4. Starting Over After Divorce:
www.womansdivorce.com
5. Starting Over for Women:
www.makingbreadmagazine.co
m
6. Self Improvement:
www.selfgrowth.com.
7. Job Postings, Resume
Advice and Resources:
www.careerbuiler.com
8. Templates for: business
plans, competitive analysis,
start up costs and more:
www.score.org/business_toolbox
.html
9. Federal/Sate/Local
Government jobs:
www.USAJOBS.com
10. U.S. Government's Free
online courses, webinars and
podcasts for workforce
development:
www.onetacademy.com.
11. Occupational Outlook
Handbok 2008-09 by Bureau of
Labor and Statistics:
http://www.bls.gov/oco/home.ht
m
to help you:
1. United States of America's
primary source on career
information:
www.onetcenter.org
2. Wage Estimates
www.salary.com and Bureau of
Labor and Statistics
3. Organize Your Job Search -
Post a Question etc.:
www.cvtips.com
4. Starting Over After Divorce:
www.womansdivorce.com
5. Starting Over for Women:
www.makingbreadmagazine.co
m
6. Self Improvement:
www.selfgrowth.com.
7. Job Postings, Resume
Advice and Resources:
www.careerbuiler.com
8. Templates for: business
plans, competitive analysis,
start up costs and more:
www.score.org/business_toolbox
.html
9. Federal/Sate/Local
Government jobs:
www.USAJOBS.com
10. U.S. Government's Free
online courses, webinars and
podcasts for workforce
development:
www.onetacademy.com.
11. Occupational Outlook
Handbok 2008-09 by Bureau of
Labor and Statistics:
http://www.bls.gov/oco/home.ht
m
| Mary Lee Gannon is interviewed on Mind Your BIZness |
Listen to Mary
Lee's interview
"From Welfare
to CEO" on the
Renee Bobb
Show on
BlogTalk
Radio.com.
Lee's interview
"From Welfare
to CEO" on the
Renee Bobb
Show on
BlogTalk
Radio.com.
Gannon Group/StartingOverNow.com
Executive Leadership Coaching - Productivity Solutions for People and Organizations
Executive Leadership Coaching - Productivity Solutions for People and Organizations
Get the FREE e-Book "Lead Your
Team with Values and Watch
Productivity Grow - A
Manager's Toolbox"
and the Executive Coaching Newsletter
.
Team with Values and Watch
Productivity Grow - A
Manager's Toolbox"
and the Executive Coaching Newsletter
.
Mary Lee Gannon's
Book "Starting Over" is
available in bookstores
everywhere or at
Amazon.com - 5 Stars!
Book "Starting Over" is
available in bookstores
everywhere or at
Amazon.com - 5 Stars!
Follow Mary Lee's tips
and information on these
Social Networking sites:
and information on these
Social Networking sites:
