Life's Tantalizing Menu
 By Carla Hugo

Life has so much to offer. It is so easy to begin one project, then another and the next. Soon you realize you haven't completed the first or second and have begun the fifth. It's like picking all day but never feeling satiated.

Having a strategy can provide the means to select from the opportunities before you and allow you to pursue them with mastery. For some, having clear goals opens the door to creating the path to achieving them. To others, having specific goals feel like a roadblock to new and unknown opportunities. You know what works best for you.

Let's see how a strategy can impact the growth of a professional practice. After attending a motivational seminar, you may leave feeling empowered by the "shot in the arm" you received from the speaker. The high energy and great ideas are sending you reeling in a positive way. Suppose you are a professional in sales. The dust settles back at your office, and you're not sure what to do first. Start the book you bought at the seminar, enter your enthusiastically taken notes into your PC, or select which audio tape to listen to that will spur on your momentum.

Oh well . . .   you might as well return calls, work on open cases, and strive to meet your deadlines. Soon the shot in the arm wears off.

Alternatively, you may select one or two gems from the workshop you attended. Identify how they can improve your practice. Allocate time on your schedule to implement the new objectives you have set out to achieve. You are committed to honoring this time, scheduled just for you! Can you envision the attainment of your goal? Possibly you learned at the workshop that by nurturing relationships with specific centers of influence for your practice, your business will flourish by receiving warm referrals.  You may consider implementing a strategy such as:

1. Schedule 30 minutes to identify 3 people who are in regular contact with those who meet your ideal client profile.

2. Schedule 1 hour to telephone each of them to arrange lunch appointments.

3. Attend lunch meetings fully prepared for one -on -one enthusiastic sharing of the love you have for your profession and the types of people you can help. Ask for and note names and numbers of referred leads.

4. Write thank you notes to your three centers of influence.

5. Telephone the referred leads gathered at lunch and schedule initial appointments.

This is an example of a simple strategy that puts to great use the positive energy you have for your work. With a strategy in place, your vision of the end result will become a reality.

Designing a strategy to achieve personal objectives works just as well as in business. Choose your project, envision the result, schedule time to achieve it, honor that time and reap the fruits of your efforts.

Enjoy nibbling from life's menu, and every now and then, treat yourself to a gourmet meal. One that was prepared with a strategy!
 
 

** Special Coaching Offer from our Guest Author **

If you would like to receive a free, introductory coaching call on how to effectively strategize your goals,  Come as you are to...

http://www.getcoached.com

or contact me, Carla Hugo, directly at cchugo@worldnet.att.net