Got goals?

By Gwen Pettit
March 5th, 2010

Got goals? Who is in charge of your day?

Why do goals matter? Does it matter if the day to day tasks seem to go on forever?
I think it matters to our peace of mind how time is spent each day.
Goals act as a road map. Having a goal gives you a guide for making choices and taking actions that move you towards a desired outcome. Without clear goals, you may be going nowhere fast and getting worn out in the process.
Here is a four step process to get you started on creating your own road map.

Step one
Write out everything you want to achieve in 2010. Brainstorm without editing; just write down everything that pops into your brain.

Step Two
Cluster and rearrange your list into categories. You may have 3-4 things that focus on health or personal development.

Step Three
Look over your big list and pull out the 2-3 things that you feel are the most important goals. Ask yourself why this goal is important to you and write that down.

Step Four
Write out your top three goals as if you have already achieved them. Be specific and attach a completion date. Post this and read it everyday.

This process can be simple. What I find is that people create a great list, then skip the why is it important question. Your attitude and belief that you can accomplish a goal are the strongest motivators to keep you moving forward.

Take a step today and make time to get clear on your goals for 2010.


Coaching with Gwen will help you find balance in life, work and play.

 

Make Decisions in Three Steps

By Gwen Pettit
February 4th, 2010

Make Decisions in Three Steps

How do you make decisions in the face of complex choices? Try this three step method to simplify the process. Ask three critical questions before you take any action.

 

• What do I want?
• How badly to I want it?
• What resources do I need?

 

This process will help you focus on your desired outcome, prioritize possibilities and be informed before taking action.

Here is one example.  I had a physician client faced with the decision to take a new job to stay in a physical location or move across the state to fill an opening with her current practice partners.  Staying the same was not an option, so Sarah had only a week to sort out her choices and make a decision.

 

What do I want?

Sarah fully explored what she wanted as a desired outcome by making a list of everything that was important to her in any medical practice. Then she ranked them from high to low priority.

Once she was clear on her ideal practice setting, it was easier to compare both job situations.

We than examined all the other factors including recreation opportunities, social needs and physical locations.

 

How badly do you want it?

This questioned helped Sarah prioritize her lists. For her it became clear staying with her medical group was more important to her than where she lived. That led to the decision of being willing to relocate to another town.

 

What resources do I need?

We started with all the information she could gather about her current company and the new company. Asking many questions to understand what each company could offer and what their highest priority was in filling the position. Talking to both groups gave her the best position to negotiate for her ideal options.

Coaching then focused on the negotiating points that were most important to her and clarity on what areas she was flexible or open to any option.

Using this three step approach along with a professional coach allowed Sarah to be confident in her decision around choosing her idea professional path.

 

I have found that people tend to skip over the parts of a decision that are important to their satisfaction level because they focus only on the details of the options.  When a professional choice has long lasting effects, it is worth the time to use a specific system to examine all the options to get your desired outcomes.

 

Gwen Pettit is a transitions coach.

The value of coaching with Gwen is that your choices and decisions reflect your true desires. Because of this change you will regain balance in energy, work and play.

 

Gwen Pettit, ACC, MA, MS                       970 275-0323           gpspiral@gmail.com