Do This to Make Your SMART Goals SMARTER We can all agree that goal setting is essential for success in our personal and professional lives.  Our goals help us to chart a course in the direction we want our lives to go by helping us: Clarify our priorities  Direct our focus to what matters most Realize our hopes and dreams Measure the progress we make along the way Furthermore, when we set goals in writing, they become real, increasing the likelihood of achieving them. SMART Goals Most people understand the importance of ensuring goals are ...

Boost Your Focus and Execute with These Tips Plan to Make 2023 a Great Year Our recent blog posts have focused on helping you take what you experienced and achieved in 2022 and leverage it to make 2023 an even better year.  Did you follow the prescribed actions? If so, you have: Reflected - Looked at what did and did not work last year. And hopefully, you celebrated your achievements. Visualized - Created a clear picture of what you want this year. You possibly downloaded the Happy New You worksheet. Planned - Set goals to ...

Savvy People Plan for Success Let's create a plan for success. In my last post, I encouraged you to say goodbye to new year's resolutions. Savvy people don’t make resolutions. Frankly, they don't work. And most people who made resolutions at the start of the year have already abandoned them. But there is a better approach. That is to have a vision for what you want to achieve and set growth goals to help you get there. Your goals should inspire and stretch you without being unrealistic. Goalsetting is good. Writing your goals down is better. ...

Say Goodbye to New Year's Resolutions Happy New Year!  After only two days of the new year, it's time to say goodbye to new year's resolutions. Visualize the year you want and set your intentions instead. Although many things are outside our control, visioning a successful year is not one of them.  I know you have some hopes for 2023. Ask yourself: How will this year be different than last year?  What do I want to achieve?  Perhaps you want to expand your professional network, land your dream role, or reach a financial milestone. Maybe ...

Here's to a Happy New You! Happy New You!  This year will come to an end in just five days. I hope you are looking ahead to 2023 with hope and enthusiasm. Even if you're completing a challenging year, it’s natural to entertain the possibility of something better. And it’s common to start the year with several lofty resolutions. After all, it’s exciting to contemplate a life with more money, greater love, and fewer pounds. An exotic vacation sounds nice, too! Right?  Sadly, few resolutions are ever realized. Health clubs are packed with new members ...

Self-Reflection Produces Growth “People who have had little self-reflection live life in a huge reality blind spot.” – Bryant McGill Self-reflection seems to be a dying art. Some think they don’t have time for reflection or that reflecting is a waste of time.  Others are afraid to take a long, hard look at themselves.  That is a mistake because there is so much to gain by examining yourself and your past. Although thinking about the past means looking back, it is beneficial for your path forward. Reflection produces growth that makes each forward step more ...

Big News! In a press release this morning, we announced that Ascentim is named to Inc.’s 2022 Best in Business List in the Coaching/Career Development category!! Inc.’s 3rd annual Best in Business list recognizes private companies putting purpose ahead of profit. The list includes the most dynamic companies of all sizes and industries that have had an outstanding influence on their communities, their industries, the environment, or society as a whole. Visit Inc. Magazine to see the full list.  “Inc. magazine is dedicated to showcasing America’s most dynamic businesses and the great things they do. The ...

Take Time to Reflect and Celebrate Reflect & Celebrate The theme of November was Gratitude, in particular, taking time to be grateful every day for great and small things. This month we're pivoting to reflecting on the year and celebrating accomplishments.  As 2022 winds down, consider what you learned, how you've grown, and all you achieved. Even though things may not have gone according to plan, I am sure some things exceeded expectations.  A series of research studies concluded that reflection improves performance. Francesca Gino of Harvard Business School said, "Now more than ever we ...

The Butterfly Effect of Gratitude  Butterfly Effect of Gratitude 🦋 Perhaps you are already familiar with the butterfly effect. The concept is that the simple flapping of a butterfly’s wings could trigger a series of motions that cause a typhoon on the other side of the planet. It’s really a metaphor for Chaos Theory. The idea is that a “minute localized change in a complex system can have large effects elsewhere.” A small and seemingly insignificant event can change the entire world. Since we’ve been talking about gratitude this month, I’d like to share my ...

Finding Gratitude for Yourself Be Grateful for Yourself You are a unique and wonderful creature. The question we pose to you in this third week of Gratitude Month is: Are you honoring yourself with gratitude for who you are and what you give to the world? As you build gratitude into your everyday life, don’t forget to look inward. We advocate for practicing gratitude in general because it helps people find greater contentment in what they have. Without a doubt, your biggest champion and closest ally is… you guessed it. It’s you. On a tough ...