CONSISTENCY To act with uniformity and regularity in a way that becomes a pattern, routine or habit.
A consistent success and happiness strategy really starts with understanding yourself…who you are and what you want out of life. We are all so busy these days, but we need to remember to take time to review our strengths- what we want, what we do well and what we enjoy. We also need to recognize those things that we don’t do well and get clear on if these are things that we need to improve upon, learn from or delegate.
Most people want to learn how to better control their behaviors, but it can be difficult to stick with routines long enough for them to develop into good success habits. Consistency is necessary.
I dare say that most of us are not living up to our full potential.
Most of us want to move forward and we dream of living better, being happier & more successful. However, this dream is often followed by “someday”.
But I ask you, is it Skill or Will that is preventing you from moving forward?
You never know how much you are capable of until you try.
Yes, I know you are busy, but busy is only worth it when it is aligned to your vision.
So … do you have a vision?
If so, are you consistently thinking about and developing your vision?
Is your vision one that you can articulate clearly?
Is it specific and measurable?
Do your routines and habits align?
Have you written it down?
Do you review it often and make adjustments as needed?
If you have not answered YES to these questions, you need to take some time to begin putting your success and happiness strategy in place. If you are a self-directed planner, think about the challenges that may be holding you back from moving forward with your life plan.
Schedule time – I like to schedule daily 15-minute intervals, to write and review goals, objectives, ideas and to-do tips in a (PLN)* Personal Leadership Notebook as they come to mind. Your PLN is for ideas and strategies, not grocery lists ☺
*You can read more about developing a PLN in my book, The Little Black Book of Success: Laws of Leadership for Black Women. –
If you are feeling overwhelmed or have trouble sticking to a plan, ask for help.
A friend, a coach or an accountability partner can be helpful
Make an appointment with yourself- put time on your calendar like you would for any other appointment.(I label these appointments TTT = Time to Think)
Make A Choice to Step Into Your Power BY Developing Your Success Habits It is never too late to develop new routines that become habits. Start by taking small intentional steps to Move Forward with Purpose.
It is natural to gravitate toward doing the things that you do well and put off the things that don’t play to your strengths. However, to be consistent with your self- development, you must step out of your “comfort zone”.
Resources If you want some insight into identifying your strengths and helping you identify where to focus your time and attention, check out some of these:
If you could imagine your ideal life in 3-5 years from now, what would it be like?
How would it be different from the way it is now?
Will you continue doing the same things, in the same way and expecting different results? One of the previous reminders I shared recently was regarding changing lanes.
This was a friendly reminder to review your routines, habits and beliefs and make adjustments as needed.
Today’s reminder is to set your dreams in motion! To crack your “happiness code”, and feel more fulfilled, you need to think of enjoyable times in your life, the positive things you have accomplished, the people you enjoy being with and the skills you enjoy using.
Start with taking some quality time for reflection and self-exploration. Think about what happiness, success and your best life look like for you. Pay attention to what you enjoy and what puts you in a happy state.
Take time to focus on your passions, motivations and what gives you joy.
Think about the barriers that may have kept you from moving forward and how they can be prevented from reoccurring.
Identify who or what can eliminate or at least lessen these challenges going forward
Who can help you with this process and help hold you accountable?
What are 1-2 small changes you can make immediately.
I am a strong believer in doing things in 15-minute intervals and writing things down in a place where I can easily see them Consistency matters- decide on a regular time to work on any changes – Morning? Afternoon? Evening?
Give the best time of the day to yourself. Remember we are only talking about starting off with 15 minutes. Paying attention to your accomplishments, skills and what you enjoy doing will help you to focus on developing an action plan
Ask for help as needed- often friends and family can help point out strengths and accomplishments you may not have realized and enjoyments you may have forgotten.
There are also many assessment tools that can help identify patterns and commonalities.
NOTE: You may be good at something that you don’t really enjoy. I believe that that happiness comes when you identify the things you enjoy, that you are good at and that gives you a sense of accomplishment. The time to get started on living your best life is NOW!
Let me know if, as your Strategic Thinking Partner, I can help you to move forward with purpose.
It is hard to believe that we are more than halfway through 2022 already.
Each year I take time in July to review and reflect on where I am with the goals I previously set for the year and set intentions and make corrections for the rest of the year.
How about you? Have you taken time for reflection and adjustments?
Are you making strides to make things happen, let them happen, or just wondering what happened?
It is halftime and a great time to plan not only for the next quarter, but for the remainder of the year. It is not too late to make adjustments and get back on track if needed.
As an Empowerment Coach and Leadership Advisor, I have seen many folks who have left their success to chance.
However, for the most part, the ones that succeed are those who take time for reflection to assess where they are and take corrective action as needed.
Please consider this a friendly reminder to make any adjustments you need to finish this year strong.
Put your happiness and success on your to-do list and Move Forward with Purpose.
Did you set intentions that have now become stale?
Quarter 2 is here and now is a good time to review and clarify the Goals and Intentions you set for yourself this year.
Reexamine if the intentions you set were the right ones for you during this time:
Have you allowed yourself quality time to work on the goals you set?
Are the goals documented/written down in places that are visible reminders?
If this speaks to you, you are not alone!
Take some time to think through what barriers prevented you from starting or from continuing to move forward.
What or who were the distractions?
Is the goal even still relevant?
What Can You Do to Get Back on Track?
Know that taking time to examine what is working and what is not working is a good first step. Focus on your priorities and take small actionable steps to move forward.
Ask yourself, what is something that I can do immediately to get back on track?
What is a small positive action that I can build upon to develop into a routine?
If you have heard me speak, you know that I suggest dedicating at least 15 minutes daily to give yourself time to think and clear your mind to focus on your priorities.
Take time to review and plan ahead and refresh your plan as needed.
Share your plan with someone who can help and hold you accountable
Determine some daily, weekly or monthly check points
Track your challenges and your wins.
I keep an accomplishment/affirmation journal to help me stay motivated.
I also review my “to do” list each evening and highlight any “must dos” for the next day. I then review them again in the morning before reviewing emails or social media.
Share any ideas you have to help stay motivated and keep you on track. Let’s learn from one another.
If I can help you move forward with purpose, let’s talk!
Running your life is like running a business…you must focus in order to stay on track and in order to stay focused, you should have a plan.
You cannot see whether you are on track with your goals if you have not yet defined them.
As Q1 draws closer, take some quality time to review your goals and tweak your game plan as needed.
Don’t beat yourself up or give up if things have gotten a little off track: but do set or reset your priorities to adjust your time for major tasks and for minor to dos.
DON’T MAJOR IN MINOR THINGS
Now is a good time to review if you are spending too much time on things that don’t really count and too little time on things that will move you forward.
Yes, I am sure you’ve been busy, but don’t mistake busy for productive. Instead, evaluate what takes up your time and how you might make adjustments
LITTLE ADJUSTMENTS OVER TIME CAN YIELD BIG RESULTS
Consistency matters. Don’t let procrastination keep you from pursuing your personal and professional goals.
If I can help you move forward with purpose, let’s talk!
We have all experienced some emotional ups and downs over recent years and changes, challenges and surprises continue to affect us.
Personal, professional, financial, spiritual as well as our attitude, beliefs and actions have all come into question and should be assessed in this new year.
When is the last time you evaluated your life?
Are your emotions in line with your goals?
There is no better time to assess what you want and how best to Move Forward with Purpose.
A self-assessment means deciding who you are.
Take some quality time for reflection. Think about your accomplishments big and small, your skills, your enjoyments and your habits. Decide what you want, what you’ve learned about yourself and what you may want or need to do differently.
I like to reflect on what I should keep doing, stop doing, start doing or do differently and document my answers to hold myself accountable.
What do you do to hold yourself accountable?
Rather than think of this as a New Year’s resolution, I consider this assessment exercise as one of my success routines. It is a way for me to give myself credit!
I think that if I can’t be grateful for what I’ve done, I can be real thankful for what I’ve avoided!
Self-knowledge helps align your actions with your purpose and enhances your success and your happiness and I think we should all work toward that goal.
Learning about yourself takes time, but, trust me, it is so worth it!
Contact me if I can help you with this so you can Move Forward with Purpose.
