Reaching Goals Archives - Page 15 of 15

March on Your Journey to Success

March 26, 2012 By Kim Ravida

March! I just happen to like the word; it makes me think of forward movement with intention! Since I was feeling a bit playful when I sat down to write, I looked up other words for march: stride, strut, swagger, advance, progression, and evolution! Love them all! There are others, but I’m only sharing those that spoke to me.

One thing I know is that we are all able to ‘march’ forward, yet we often hold ourselves back for many reasons like time, energy, or other people. Or is it fear of the unknown? Or is it something you think would be too hard? Would the change seem like too much of a stretch for you? If you were given an awesome opportunity … would you even take it? If not, what is stopping you? What if you eliminated those negative thoughts — whatever they are — and began to think differently and more positively? What if you set aside those reasons — whatever they are — and made the decision to march forward and reach for what you want? How would you feel then? Would it be exciting? Did a voice in your head whisper “Do it! It would be exciting!” And guess what? The voice in your head is right! And the best part: it’ll be easy because you only need to say it is so and so it is.

Ok, now that we have established that not only is it possible, it’s easy, are you as energized as I am just thinking of marching forward? Where do you want to march to? Is it to a new you? Maybe you want to lose weight or reduce stress? Maybe you want to get a new job – one that really fits you and your lifestyle and your values? Maybe it’s to set time aside to plan your evolution? Maybe it is to create more family time with your spouse, children, and animals? Whatever it is… go for it!

Now to be realistic, you will put things in your path to make it more difficult. Fear will rise up and you’ll wonder: “Can I do this? Should I do this? What if it doesn’t work?” All kinds of other thoughts will likely show up, too. So I have a trick to help you outsmart them! When you doubt a decision you’ve made, ask yourself “Am I questioning this from a place of fear or love?” If you find you are making it from a place of fear, ask why. Why is it a place of fear and how true is that fear? When we come from a place of love, love for ourselves, others, and the Universe, it’s joyful, exciting and easy.

As you march yourself to your success, know that your life — like mine — is your own special journey: you get to say how it will be! Here is to hoping your March forward to success continues through this year and beyond! I’d love for you to share your success with me – scroll on down to the comments section and let me know what great things you are marching toward!

© Copyright 2012 Kim Ravida Coaching. All rights reserved. Feel free to use the material from the article in whole or in part, just makes sure you include this complete acknowledgement including the live website link and let me know where the material will appear: “Kim Ravida, owner and founder of Kim Ravida Coaching, is a Certified Professional Coach and a personal and professional motivation mentor. In essence, she motivates people to stop beating themselves up and helps them get off their butts so that they maximize their time and energy to quickly get what they want in their lives… and love their reflection! Kim produces a weekly ezine where she shares insights, inspirations, tips and ideas for setting and reaching personal and professional goals. To get more information or sign up, please go to www.kimravida.com.”

Filed Under: Reaching Goals Tagged With: doubt a decision, fear of the unknown, forward movement with intention, Kim Ravida, Kim Ravida Coaching, march foward, marching forward

Fear, What’s It Got To Do With Anything?

March 12, 2012 By Kim Ravida

Fear – I know it well. It has been a part of my life since… well, since I can remember! Sometimes it has served me and other times not. So what’s it got to do with anything?

For the most part, I have come to discover that it really doesn’t have to do with much at all when you ultimately realize what it is. Fear is our mind creating stories, situations, and scenarios that hold us back. Now, don’t get me wrong, there is real fear – like if someone is chasing you down a dark alley, that’s real and is truly frightening. But let’s say that you wanted to leave your job but stayed because you were fearful that you might not get another one or that you wanted to lose weight but were fearful that your loved ones wouldn’t support you. See, fear – as we humans have come accustomed to feeling it — really is just a stumbling block to being what you want, having what you want and doing what you want. Fear is an excuse.

Did I get your attention? I hope so, because I really want you to stand up and say “I will not allow fear to rule my life and keep me in limbo.” I was in limbo for many years. Although I still feel fear when I’m about to do something new – like when I left my secure, well-paying job (that I hated by the way) and embarked on a new career — now I ask myself, “So what’s fear got to do with this anyway?” The answer is always because I made up some story about what may happen and what I might be leaving behind. I focus on how lousy I believe my experience is going to be without knowing for a fact how it will turn out. So no wonder I get fearful!

How many times do you do that? I know I was doing it way too much – even down to trying a new restaurant because I was afraid it would not be good. Then I realized my fear was just a story I made up in my head; so I changed the story and tried the new restaurant… and I love it! It showed me that by having a positive approach and outlook, I give myself the opportunity to have a wonderful and successful experience. So no longer am I stuck doing the same things, feeling the same ways and being miserable. The gift is that I experience so much joy on a daily basis, I have fun all the time, and I have fantastic adventures that I wouldn’t have had if I stayed in my fear zone!

I’m here to tell you that fear has NOTHING to do with it – you do! As Eleanor Roosevelt said: “You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing which you think you cannot do.” Again, I can tell you that this statement is so very true! And once you do it, you will be so amazed at the results – sometimes you even get something you never imagined.

How will you go out and get what you want now that you know that fear doesn’t have to control you? What is one fear you will face in the next week to move you forward? Share your fears and how you’ll change those ‘stories’; I’d love to hear them!

Filed Under: Reaching Goals Tagged With: fear, fear is an excuse, fearful, hold us back, Kim Ravida, Kim Ravida Coaching, positive approach

To Soar: Relax, You are Already Perfect

February 20, 2012 By Kim Ravida

Are you familiar with the saying “Relax, you are already perfect”? It’s a very freeing statement. At least, I think it is. How about you? I’m a former perfectionist; I never did anything without fear of not doing it right. I never stood out for fear of doing it wrong. I never tried anything for fear of failing. What this left me with was a stale, boring and unsatisfying life.

I spent so much of my life trying to be someone else, trying to please others, and trying to make others happy – which I know I did. Yet, I never tried to make myself happy. I was just plain afraid that they wouldn’t like me if I wasn’t perfect. The thing about being someone else is, well, you aren’t! You are you. Until you take that step to love yourself and be you in your full glory, you’ll be just like I was, stuck and stranded on the ground. If you want to soar, it is important for you to relax and know that you are already perfect being you.

Now, I’m not going to tell you this was an easy journey or that I’ve mastered it. But what I can tell you is that once I freed myself from the bonds I had imposed on my life, I began to soar. My life became everything I was wanting! It is joyful instead of unhappy. It is effortless instead of difficult. I have ease instead of stress. Most of all, I now love my life and participate fully in it rather than trudging through yet another day of the same dull, boring existence.

We are all unique and specially made… and we need to embrace it. Once we begin to do this, we soar. You are you and I am me, and we come together to bring joy, happiness and fulfillment to each other and the world. The subtle beauty of this is that we flourish both independently and together.

So the next time you think you have to be perfect — stop, go to the mirror, smile, and say “I am unique and special and perfect just the way I am now.” This will help you remember that right now, this very moment, you are able to soar to your greatest self, reach your highest goals and begin to free yourself from your self-imposed perfectionism. Trust me; it’s one of the best gifts you can gift to yourself!

Are you a perfectionist trying to change your ways? Share your thoughts below!

Filed Under: Personal Development, Reaching Goals, Self Worth Tagged With: fear of failing, Kim Ravida, Kim Ravida Coaching, perfectionist, reach your highest goals, self-imposed perfectionism, you are already perfect

To Leap, You Need to Let

February 6, 2012 By Kim Ravida

When you read my title, just what does that mean to you? I’ll share with you what it means to me. It means that in order for me to leap to what I want, I need to let go, let it happen, let myself be open and receptive, let things be, let myself be who I am, let people be who they are (without me trying to change them), let the negative thoughts go, and let in the positive thoughts.

I love words and looking up the definition even if I already know what it is. Here is a definition for let: not prevent something. I also love the thesaurus and use it often. Here are a few other words for let that might resonate with you: allow, give permission, agree to, and consent to. So now knowing the definition and some other words for it, does it mean something different or new to you?

Where are you not letting yourself do something? Where are you not allowing yourself to shine? Where are you holding yourself back by not giving yourself permission, agreeing to step forward, or allowing yourself to leap?

Is it in a relationship that you no longer want? Is it in a crummy job that is no longer fulfilling and has been making you unhappy for longer than you care to admit? Is there a new career direction you really want to take? Do you feel that you don’t deserve better or don’t really “need” it?

I’ll admit it, as much as I hate to, for many years I didn’t allow myself to shine at all! I stayed in a job that I had outgrown, where I didn’t feel appreciated and where I was miserable every day of my life. I was afraid. What else would I do? Where else would I work? Would anyone think I was valuable? There were so many questions and fears that just didn’t let me do any leaping and held me back. Fear is something I lived with for a long time: fear of not having money, fear of not having insurance, fear of not knowing, fear of being the new person, fear of … you name it, I’ve probably had it!

Then one day I realized that in order to get what I wanted — job satisfaction, fulfillment, a feeling of joy in my work — I had to let myself leap forward. By letting myself, I now have a fantastic life that I only dreamed of in my past. The best news? I’m still leaping and allowing myself to experience new adventures, successes and happiness.

If you are ready to let and leap but are still afraid, please sign up for a complimentary consultation call with me. Together we’ll have you leaping in no time!

Please feel free to share your thoughts, actions and successes with me below!

Filed Under: Personal Development, Reaching Goals Tagged With: be open and receptive, experience new adventures, leap forward, let go, let it happen

The success and accomplishment component

January 30, 2012 By Kim Ravida

The word success means different things to different people. Success often means an attainment of something big: receiving a promotion, losing a lot of weight, completing a degree, or having well-raised children. Yet, what about when attaining something small? How do we view that?

I recently added a component to one of my group programs – a success/accomplishment component. Each week my clients take a look at what they have done in order to acknowledge and celebrate them. It does not matter if an accomplishment was big or small, what they focus on is the success of their actions. Many have a bigger goal in mind, yet by focusing attention on the actions that they are taking consistently and getting results from, they see their success every step of the way.

So, when you think of success what do you think of? I challenge you to look over your week, and even your day, to see where you have had success. You will be amazed at how much you had for which you didn’t give yourself credit! How you think often gets in your way of success. Let’s say you realized your health was important and you decided to cut back on sugar, and in place of cookies you would eat one piece of fruit. And the next time you craved cookies, you did just that – you chose the fruit. That, my friend, is success! Or maybe you decided that you want to get more exercise and said, “I’m exercising one hour every day”. And you do exercise, but it isn’t for one hour every day, it is for 20 minutes three times a week. That, my friend, is success also! I know what you are thinking, “You said one hour every day and that’s not what happened.” However, if you look at your goal — wanting to get more exercise — and ask “Did I accomplish that?” YES, you did. You exercised. That is your success.

Simply by shifting your thoughts of what success means to you, how you go about reaching your goals, and whether or not you recognize yourself for your accomplishments along the way all make a difference. Congratulating yourself for your efforts and dedication now will lead to future successes… and reaching them joyfully.

We often forget that it is the smaller steps that bring us to our ultimate goal and what we perceive as ‘the success’. There is a saying, ‘”Don’t sweat the small stuff” – and it’s true, yet the small stuff can be just as important in our journey.

So, I’m curious about your thoughts on success, even just “Success to me is________” – please share them below! I love to hear from you!

Filed Under: Personal Development, Reaching Goals Tagged With: Kim Ravida, success, success of actions, ultimate goal

Sweep away the obstacles!

January 23, 2012 By Kim Ravida

You have determination, made your decisions and laid out a plan for your success — and you can’t wait until you see and experience those results! But wait; there is something else to think about. Obstacles!

Obstacles, now just where did these come from? Have they always been there?! I’m sorry to burst your bubble, but yes, they have! And it’s rare to accomplish anything without having to face them first.

Have you ever tried to ski or ice skate? If so, you know that falling down is a big part of learning. How do world class skiers and skaters become world class? If you said through determination, you are correct! They, just like you and I, have to start somewhere. They decided to become world class and they made plans to get there. Yet, just doing that, doesn’t bring them success. They also see obstacles get in the way, but they tackle each one and sweep them away until one day they find themselves not falling down — well, not as much anyway! And so then, what they do when they fall down is just as important isn’t it? They get back up and keep going.

Where in your life do you allow obstacles to hold you back? Or even, where do YOU PUT obstacles in your own way? Oh I can hear you, you’re saying “That makes no sense; I don’t put stuff in my own way!” Right, it doesn’t sound like something you would choose to do, but remember last week’s article where you admitted you do keep saying the same thing every New Year? That’s the exact thing I’m talking about. Last week, I asked you to look at things differently so that next year you wouldn’t be saying the same thing. This week, I’m asking you to look at where you put obstacles in your path of determination that keep you from reaching your goals.

A client kept saying she wanted to lose weight. She would create a great plan for herself and then every month she was frustrated because she still hadn’t lost a pound. Yet, she was determined and sure that once she did, her life would be ‘so awesome’! Did she clean out the food cabinets like she had planned? No. Did she get to the gym like she told herself she would? No. But her life would be so awesome if only she would! So why was she NOT doing them? Because she kept putting obstacles in the way of her own success. Once she recognized that bringing more sweets into the house and choosing the couch over the gym were creating obstacles and keeping her from having the ‘so awesome’ life she craved, she let go of the resistance, swept away all the obstacles, and finally experienced a life that was ‘so awesome’!

This week I ask you to think of the ways you hold yourself back with obstacles you put in your own way — they could be physical, mental, or emotional — and see where you can begin sweeping them away so that you may live a life that is ‘so awesome’, too.

I would love to hear from you. Feel free to share your comments below!

Filed Under: Personal Development, Reaching Goals Tagged With: hold you back, Kim Ravida, Kim Ravida Coaching, obstacles, obstacles in your path, sweep away obstacles

Start planning to be who you say you want to be

January 16, 2012 By Kim Ravida

Isn’t it wonderful? Over the past couple of weeks you have acquired determination and made decisions! Way to go! Now it’s time to create your plan. A plan is the number one tool you can use to reach your success. The purpose for creating a plan is so that you know the steps to take to achieve your desired results… and often in a shorter amount of time then you might expect. Without a plan, essentially you have no map of where you are going and that makes the journey more of a challenge than it needs to be. We have all heard the Proverb quote: “When you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” Your successes aren’t easy to come by when you have no plan.

Weight loss is top of the list for New Year’s goals for many – ok, ok, it’s usually top of the list all year round! While it is a great goal, I find that many of my clients haven’t planned out how they are going to do this. They show determination in saying, “I want to lose weight” and they make the decision to make changes, yet never create a plan for them to succeed. Then they become frustrated and disappointed because they don’t meet their goals.

Awareness is the first part of the process to creating individual plans that succeed. For example, you hear yourself saying “Boy oh boy, food keeps going in my mouth and I want it to stop if I’m going to lose this weight.” This is a great place to start; you’re aware of the problem you want to address. From here you can create a step by step plan: how much weight do you want to lose, by when, what steps will you take to do this, what will you continue to do, what will you stop doing, and what will get in your way and how to address those situations. This will help you say, “I’m losing this weight no matter what and here is how I’m going to do it!”

My clients sometimes allow themselves to be pulled in whatever direction that happens to come to them at the moment. A good example of this is: it’s someone’s birthday at the office, and guess what comes with a birthday? Usually a cake – and cake is yummy! So they allow themselves to be sucked in and they end up eating the cake. Yet, if they had a plan for this type of situation — how to gracefully decline the offer without offending anyone or getting into debates — they would have a much better chance of saying no to the cake and yes to staying on target to lose weight. It’s easy to see how a plan can help you reach your goals!

So when will you start planning to be who you say you want to be and do what you say you want to do? I would love to hear from you below.

Filed Under: Personal Development, Reaching Goals Tagged With: achieve your desired results, create your plan, Kim Ravida, plan to succeed, success

The beauty of decisions

January 12, 2012 By Kim Ravida

Last week we talked about determination and how having it can help us move forward in our lives and obtain what we truly desire. If you haven’t read it, click here.

Great, so now you have the determination to get what you want… but wait, there is so much you want that you don’t know where to begin. As a Life Coach, I ask my clients questions to help them MAKE decisions that will assist them with reaching their goals. The important piece is to MAKE an active decision so you aren’t left there standing, looking around, wondering why you haven’t gotten what you wanted. Because when you fail to decide, you fail to move forward.

And don’t think you’re off the hook if you experienced a situation where you simply didn’t take action, because – yup, when you take no action, that’s also a decision!

I bet you don’t like that one bit. I don’t either. I have about 15 books that I started reading over the past few years that I have not finished. I took no action. So my decision NOT to finish them has now left me with new choices to make — like, just what do I do with all these books? Wouldn’t it be easier to decide to finish reading them, all of them? Truthfully, yes it would because then I wouldn’t have so much to make up my mind about. But in reality, I need to make a decision about which books to finish and when I’m going to do it — and that’s when it gets tricky.

So then, where in your life does the “tricky” part show up that keeps you from making decisions? Where could you make a choice that would open a door or even several doors of opportunity to you? Is there a conversation with someone that you think will be difficult so you keep putting it off? Do you need to decide that yes or no you’ll join that coaching program? Do you need to let go of something? Is there some information you need before you make the decision? Whatever it is, you have to face it head on and move beyond it. If you need to seek the counsel of others, do it. Otherwise you will continue to fail moving forward.

One thing I have experienced and trust is that once you do make the decision, doors will magically open – maybe even fly open. So make the decision to get what you want, and trust that you’ll get it and a whole lot more!

Since last week you have been working on your determination, let’s keep the momentum rolling and add decision to your plan. What is ONE decision you can make this week that will open a door so that you move closer to what it is you want?

I’d love to hear what your decision is; feel free to let me know!

Filed Under: Personal Development, Reaching Goals Tagged With: decision, determination, Kim Ravida, Kim Ravida Coaching, making decisions

Have the determination to finally do it!

January 11, 2012 By Kim Ravida

Happy New Year! It’s the time that we like to have a clean slate to start (or start over), but really, just how many times have you said that before? Did you say it last year, the year before, and the year before that? And each year you thought you were determined, right? Of course you were and you had great ideas for reaching your goals. Yet, here you are again in 2012 saying the exact same thing! What is going on with that?!

What if, going forward, you aren’t determined but instead you have determination? I know, you’re wondering “What’s the difference?” Other words for determined are: resolute, gritty, and unwavering. I’m not sure about you, but all I feel when I read those words is “blah”! I don’t feel very inspired. When setting goals and making plans, being inspired is an absolute! Now let’s look at the word determination: it also means purpose. Another word for purpose is intention, which also means goal. Hmmm…now that feels way better!

What is the purpose that you want to accomplish this year? Is it really losing weight or is it looking great in your jeans? Is it really about exercise or is it about feeling great inside and out? Admit it, it isn’t about losing the pounds or doing the exercise, it is about how you are going to FEEL once you do!

Does it make sense that by changing how you view something you can alter your interpretation? It’s about looking at things differently so you see them the way you want them to be!

What if this year you said “My purpose (aka, intention/goal) for 2012 is to look great, feel great and love my reflection”? How do you think that would change your outlook? What if you set about reaching those goals with easy-to-accomplish inspired actions? Might your results at the end of this year be more favorable? Sure they will! Whoohoo! Let’s do the happy dance!

In fact, let’s just do the happy dance right now. Go ahead: get up and dance around! Envision exactly how fabulous you will look and feel. It all starts with the determination to achieve your goals this year so next year you aren’t saying the same ol’ thing.

I’m looking forward to hearing how you use your determination to remove your blocks so that you find that you are Loving Your Reflection!!

Filed Under: Personal Development, Reaching Goals Tagged With: achieve your goals, determind, have determination, reaching your goals

March on Your Journey to Success

Fear, What’s It Got To Do With Anything?

To Soar: Relax, You are Already Perfect

To Leap, You Need to Let

The success and accomplishment component

Sweep away the obstacles!

Start planning to be who you say you want to be

The beauty of decisions

Have the determination to finally do it!

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