Assess the First Six Months of 2009 and SOAR FORWARD in the Second Half

As we reach the end of June, we are coming upon the half-year mark. This is a wonderful time to take stock of how far you've come with your goals for 2009 and plan how to leverage your time and align your actions to follow through on all your goals with joy and confidence by the end of the year.

Does this sound familiar to you?: Very often, by the time June rolls around, not only have you gotten stuck around our yearly goals, but sometimes you even forget what they were!

I'm going to take you through a special Soulful Coaching for Busy Women exercise that will help you take stock of where you are with your goals, see what has been in your way of accomplishing them, re-focus them if they are no longer resonating with you, and then create a clear and easy action plan for reaching success:

1. Write down each of your New Year's Goals that you set at the beginning of the year. If you can't remember your New Year's Goals, write down the general area of your life that you remember making your goal around last January. For example: Health, Business, Relationships.

2. Give each goal a percentage (a ballpark figure) of how far you've come along in completing it. (For example: If you set a goal of exercising 3 times per week, had started the year not exercising at all, and are now consistently exercising once per week, perhaps you're percentage would be a 60%; if you are now exercising twice per week, it might be an 80% or 90%, and if you are now exercising occasionally perhaps it's a 30%).

3. Is there any part of you that is actually scared to reach your goal? Often, we sabotage or avoid completing what we really want for ourselves because there is something - some relationship, situation, held-belief, job, etc. - that is at risk for us if we were to follow through on our goal. Take note and acknowledge if that's what is happening for you right now. The simple act of acknowledging your fear will empower you to begin to move past it and onto the road to success.

4. Next, ask yourself why you haven't reached your goal yet. Write that down, and then place it in the appropriate category:
a. You haven't created the appropriate action plan that will help you reach your goals
b. You haven't made your goals a priority in your life, and therefore have chosen (consciously or not) to use your time in ways other than towards your goals
c. You began carrying out your action plan and got stuck on a certain point
d. Your goals and priorities have changed, but you haven't realized it
If You Chose - "You haven't created the appropriate action plan that will help you reach your goals": It's time to create a more effective and efficient action plan. The best action plans are devised by getting super clear on your larger goal and then dividing that goal into smaller, easier to handle steps. Looking at the remaining 6 months of the year, identify the next 6 mini-goals or steps that will get you to your yearly goal. After you've determined what your mini-goal for July, August, September, etc is, then break each of those mini-goals down to even smaller, easier to accomplish steps that you can do each week.

If You Chose: You haven't made your goals a priority in your life, and therefore have chosen (consciously or not) to use your time in ways other than towards to your goals: It's time to manage your time better. If you are committed to successfully achieving the goals you have created for yourself, then create time in your schedule for them! One way to do this is to actually create appointments in your calendar for your goal or project. For example, if you have been wanting to create a newsletter for your business, set aside every Monday from 1-3pm for newsletter writing and formatting. And then treat that time as if it were an appointment with a client or an important person! Don't cancel, or show up late, or check your email while you work on your goal.

If You Chose: You began carrying out your action plan and got stuck on a certain point: The first piece here is not to let this obstacle bring your spirits down or keep you stuck! So often, when we hit an obstacle, we allow it to derail our plans and make us feel badly about ourselves. Instead, I suggest you look at this obstacle as the perfect opportunity to find a more easeful and joyful next step that will get you to your goal! How can you move past this obstacle? What is an alte
ate path you can take to get you where you want to be?

If You Chose: Your goals and priorities have changed, but you haven't realized it: It's time to define some new and juicy goals for yourself! Get connected to your heart and ask yourself what it is you really want to be working towards in your life right now. And then create a step-by-step action plan to get you there. It's 100% OK to let go of an old and unfinished goal if it is no longer aligned with what you really want for yourself and your life. In fact, it's wonderful to be able to acknowledge what isn't working for you anymore and move forward to what is!
All in all, you CAN get back on track and move through the next six months of this year with purpose, ease, and joy to reach your BIG goals. Just take some time to gain the clarity and then move forward!

Your Soulful Coaching Call to Action!

My coach's request to you is to take time to really explore the exercise above and take charge of your life and your important goals.