Happy New Year! I hope you are as excited about the New Year as I am.  It is a wonderful time to set goals and to contemplate all that is possible in the next twelve months. 

As I was sitting around the table enjoying brunch with my family today, we started talking about New Year’s resolutions.  Whether you are a fan or not setting New Year’s resolutions, it’s difficult to deny the feeling of “beginnings” that is so clearly present  this time of year. As we all took turns sharing our goals for 2010, my son asked a question half poking fun, half serious, “Weren’t some of those things last years’ resolutions?” As we continued to joke about “rollovers”, resolutions that never really made it into action last year, I knew my goal for this year was right on the mark.  My goal or resolution if you will, is Consistency.

So often we resolve to start or stop something.  This year my goal is to simply be consistent.  Now some may equate consistent with boring, or lacking imagination.  I think of consistency as discipline in setting the foundation for building your business or your life.  Problem is, in the multi-faceted, multi-tasking, multi-media world we live in, consistency seems to be the first thing to go when we are stressed, rushed, overwhelmed, or up against the wall.  It’s easy to lessen, or skip all together the things we know are important, but just don’t seem to have the time or energy for, only to later find ourselves playing catch up.

Years ago a mentor of mine made a comment that has stuck with me, she said,

“Stay ready, so you don’t have to get ready.”

 I’ll add to it two other well know clichés:

“Practice makes perfect.”

“Slow and steady wins the race.”

Such simple advice to live by, but oh, how hard it can be to practice daily discipline and consistent action in the little things that will yield us big results. I have learned, (mainly through my mistakes) the pains of not being consistent, and know that consistent action is the best course of action.

Consistent action will result in less reaction.

Consistent action is more efficient and more effective than inconsistent action.

Consistent action is easier than inconsistent action.

Consistent action will yield greater results than even the strongest inconsistent action.

So as you settle into the New Year, I invite you to think of two to five things, that if you did consistently, would allow you to achieve your goals in 2010.  Whether in your business or your personal life, what consistent action could you take daily or weekly that would really make a difference?

I invite you to share your thoughts and comments…

 Wishing you a fantastic New Year!

And as always, thanks for reading.

Wishing you all the best,

- Diana

Recently I wrote an article on Gratitude for my November Newsletter.  If you missed it, Click Here to read it, and be sure to join my email list for inspirational and informational emails. Here are a few of my favorite quotes on Gratitude:

“Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others.” ~Cicero

“When you are grateful fear disappears and abundance appears.”  ~Anthony Robbins

“Gratitude is when memory is stored in the heart and not in the mind.” ~Lionel Hampton

“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.” ~John F. Kennedy

 “We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude.” ~Cynthia Ozick

 “Saying thank you is more than good manners. It is good spirituality.”  ~Alfred Painter

“Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.” ~William Arthur Ward

 “Thankfulness is the tune of angels.”  ~Edmund Spenser

“Gratitude is a vaccine, an antitoxin, and an antiseptic.”  ~John Henry Jowett

 “God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today.  Have you used one to say “thank you?”  ~William A. Ward

 “If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, “thank you,” that would suffice.  ~Meister Eckhart

 “The only people with whom you should try to get even are those who have helped you.”  ~John E. Southard

 “If you count all your assets, you always show a profit.”  ~Robert Quillen

“There is as much greatness of mind in acknowledging a good turn, as in doing it.”  ~Seneca

“The hardest arithmetic to master is that which enables us to count our blessings.”  ~Eric Hoffer

“He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has.”  ~Epictetus

 “(and) Don’t pray when it rains if you don’t pray when the sun shines.”  ~Leroy “Satchel” Paige

 “Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them, is the true measure of our thanksgiving.”   ~W.T. Purkiser

 “We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.”  ~Thornton Wilder

 ”The hardest arithmetic to master is that which enables us to count our blessings.”   ~Eric Hoffer

 “Hem your blessings with thankfulness so they don’t unravel.”  ~Author Unknown

 “Gratitude is the best attitude.” ~Author Unknown

Thanks for reading. Wising you all the best,

- Diana

It was a beautiful September afternoon. The Orlando sun was warm but not too hot, just perfect for sitting by the pool at the resort.  I had picked up a new novel to read and was allowing myself to be swept away into another world, when I came across this line in the book, “…the days were indistinguishable.”

I’m back home now, in Chicago in October.  The golden kiss from the Orlando sun has long faded, but the words I read that afternoon have not.

I think about how easy it is to get caught up in the business of living.  Every time I hear myself saying, “The month just flew by…where did the time go?” I instantly think of when I was a girl and I would hear grown-ups use those expressions.  “Wow” I think, I must be getting old.

And the truth is, I am getting older.  We all are. Life is lived one day at a time.  Those lines in that novel made me wonder, “How do I make my days distinguishable?”

So often, hours fly by, days turn into weeks, and weeks into months and soon you are ringing in another new year.  Sure, the big events; birthdays, holidays, and special times often stick out in our mind.  But,

How do you live everyday with passion and with purpose?

I believe the answer is,

“On purpose.”  

I took some time to think about how I can live each today and each day, making the most of it, and not let the day go by, indistinguishable.

Here is what I came up with.  Five things I will do on purpose today, to live my purpose.

Today I Will Live On Purpose:

1)   I will live in the present.   I will observe and be aware of the thoughts I am thinking, the actions I am taking, and the conversations I am having.  I will relax and be present and enjoy all that today is.

 2)  I have a gift – I will share it.  Today is more than about getting things done and following a schedule.  I will take time to nourish, to express and to share my unique talents and skills. 

 3)  I will exercise the power of choice.  I have options.  I will allow myself to explore and choose the choice that is aligned with how I want to live my life today.

 4)  I will take action.  Today I will do more than just think about what I want my life to be like, I will take action today.  Small or big, I will do something today to create the life that I want, to live my purpose.

 5)  I will do what I can do.  For all the things that I feel that I can’t do, for whatever reason, I will find what I can do – and do it.  There is always something that I can do today.

What are 5 things you can do to make your day a day lived on purpose?

I would love to hear your thoughts –

Thanks for reading.  Wishing you all the best,

 - Diana

Strange how often our strengths can also be our weaknesses.

You know how the flip side of a trait or characteristic, can sometimes can be your downfall, kind of like too much of a good thing? Recently I had the opportunity to speak with Kim George, author of “Coaching Into Greatness – 4 Steps To Success In Business And Life” at our Compass Coaching Network Annual Conference.

Something she said resonated with me:

“Perfection, raises the bar so high,

it actually lowers your standards.”

Kim went on to say, “Think about that the next time you are looking for your perfect self.”  Wow, I thought, she is talking to me.  I don’t know how may times, I have procrastinated, remained undecided, or did something over, in an effort for it to be “just right.” 

Back track a few weeks to mid summer:  A friend of mine asked me if I wanted to join them in a 5K this summer.  I had taken up running (as a non-runner) about a year and a half ago, barely making it a mile in the beginning; to being able to run 2, 3, 4, and couple of times breaking the 5 mile mark.  Well this spring and summer I’d hardly ran at all (you know, I’d been too busy with other stuff) so said no, I just wasn’t ready.

A few weeks later as I congratulated her on completing the race, I said something like this, “Let me know when you do the next one and I’ll join you!”  Of course her reply was, “Great – we are doing another one in a few weeks, September 27th, I’ll send you the info.

So you can figure out what happened next…

I said sure – sounds like fun!  So that weekend I went out and ran twice. Then for the next 3 weeks, I did n-o-t-h-i-n-g.  You know, I was busy.  Before I knew it, it was the day before the run, I hadn’t trained,  I hadn’t even registered yet.  And because I yearn for perfection…

I was procrastinating, indecisive, I had wanted “it” my first 5K time , to be my best effort. I knew what my pace was a year ago when I was running at least 1 to 3 times a week, and how much slower I would be now in comparison.  So I looked at the race times from last years’ event, and realized that:

#1 – Perfection was lowering my standard.

It was holding me hostage.

#2 – It’s not about being better than someone else;

it is about being better than I was.

I realized that running a 5K was better than not running a 5K, and that there would always be someone faster than me.  To do something I had never done before, to try something, and give it my all even if it wasn’t perfect would be better than doing nothing.

So I got up early the next morning with the sun shinning bright and I RAN MY FIRST 5K!

I did something I had never done before.  I didn’t let the desire for perfection stop me; I didn’t compare myself to anyone else.  I did it for me and it was FANTASTIC!  Sure, it wasn’t perfect, and I am sure I could have ran faster if I had trained, but following through with the desire I had had for over a year of running a 5K, when at one time,  I couldn’t run a full mile, was definitely better than I was before – and to me that was better than perfect!

Thanks for reading.  Wishing you all the best,

-Diana

P.S.  I welcome your comments, get inspired & inspire someone else!

Part 2 – Simple reminders that I brought back as souvenirs from Compass Destinations, of how easy it really is to be successful in any area of your life.

#4 – Successful People Get Help From Others  

I believe we all need help to learn, to grow, to achieve our goals.  As Ken Blanchard said, “None of us is as smart as all of us.”  Ask anyone who you admire for their achievements, and no doubt they tell you they didn’t do it by themselves – or for themselves.  Most people who achieve success will also tell you it wasn’t just about them, they were working hard to make a difference, to help someone else, and it was for that effort that they were rewarded. Our culture at Compass makes success from helping others easy.  Whether you are a Compass client, coach, business owner, or all three, our community is made up of people who come together to grow, learn and help each other do the same.  Successful people get help and coaching from others.

 #5 – Showing Your Vulnerability

Will Make You & Others Strong

On stage in front of a ballroom full of people, our elite Compass Presidential Ambassadors shared not only their secrets to success, they shared the challenges they faced, and they shared their vulnerability.  In doing so, you see and feel their strength, the strength that comes from having overcome obstacles, from believing in yourself.  When you looked around the room, you could also see the inspiration, the strength that it gave to others. 

  #6 – Dancing Is What You Do

When You Are Filled With Joy

 Ok, so we had a lot of fun at this conference, and there was dancing – a lot of dancing!  Our MC danced, our CEO danced, our guest speakers danced, we all danced.  Even people who don’t dance, danced.  Then at the awards dinner, with the DJ on hand, we danced some more. We danced like no one was watching, kicking off our shoes, and kicking up our heals. We celebrated making a difference in the lives of women everywhere. We celebrated the opportunity to make money doing what we love – helping others create the life they want.  Dancing is what you do when you are filled with joy.

Thanks for reading.  Wishing you all the best,

- Diana

You know that feeling when you experience something so energizing, so amazing, so uplifting, that even when it’s over – it isn’t!  The energy, the buzz, the joy stays with you. That’s how I feel after attending Compass Destinations in Orlando this past weekend.

I am simply thrilled to be a part of Compass Coaching Network. Compass allows me to share my love for personal development and helping others create the life they want, though affordable coaching programs.  You can learn more about Compass Coaching Network throughout my blog and Compass website.

The connections, the friendships, and the lessons I learned at Compass Destinations were many. My notebook is scribbled full of quotes, book titles, names, phone numbers, and ideas on how to grow my business and how to be my best self.  My head is even fuller, my heart is overflowing. 

"I LOVE Compass!"

 

   #1 – Having Others Believe In You Is Nice

 

Believing In Yourself Is Necessary

Our top Compass achievers all had one thing in common – they believed in themselves and their ability to achieve their goal.  You can have the support of your family, your friends, mentors and colleagues, but until you believe in your own ability to overcome obstacles (we all face them) your goals may always be just out of reach.  Once you believe in yourself – you CAN achieve anything!

#2 – Surrounding Yourself With The Best

Brings Out The Best In You

Surrounding yourself with others who are living their very best life, who are truly living their greatness and sharing their talents and passion with you, will bring out the very best in you as well.  We all know that like attract like, so when those around you are positive, inspirational, caring, helping, smart, funny, and empowering – those traits in you will rise to the surface.  You know that feeling you get when you are giving it your all, doing your best work, and being true to who you are? Well surround yourself with others who are authentically living in that space and you can’t help but to join them, living your best self.

#3 – It’s What You Give That Makes You Special

Not What You Get

I am honored and proud to know British Hill, as my Compass sponsor, my Coach, my friend, and my Compass sister.  She is a magnificent woman who has achieved great success in Compass.  British was the first representative to achieve Presidential Ambassador and earn a Compass Mercedes-Benz.  She was honored with several well deserved awards including “Compass Coach of the Year” and “The Spirit of Compass” award.   The awards she received isn’t what makes her special; it’s what she gives, to her coaching clients, to her team, to anyone she comes in contact with.  British and all of our other Presidential Ambassadors and Award winners, achieved their success by giving.  Giving and sharing their knowledge, their talents, giving themselves to the cause of helping every woman have a coach. It’s what you give that makes you special.

Read more in – 6 Souvenirs for Success – Part 2

 Thanks for reading.   Wishing you all the best,

 - Diana