There is more to getting things accomplished than just having a strategy

March 22, 2016 By

Do you like to strategize? To plan? I love to do both, it’s the execution I can get stuck on. What I have come to realize is that sometimes I don’t have the right tactics or the step by step action map that I need in order to execute to completion. And in business execution is paramount to having things completed.

Early in my career as a business coach I struggled with completing things for my business. I never had a problem working with clients, that was easy it was the bits and pieces that went into creating a successful business structure that I got hung up on.

That was until I realized that while I had a fabulous plan, I didn’t necessarily have the tactics (the methods I was going to use) or the steps in which I would do the right things at the right time that would equal the results I wanted.

Once I realized this, boy was it easy to execute and actually complete things so that I got the results I wanted. A lot of organization and structure went into getting there and I’d love to share with you several steps that I used to go from planning to execution to completion!

© Studio Dream | Dreamstime Stock Photos

  • Make the plan realistic. Look at your plan and ask yourself honestly, “is what I’m saying I’m going to do, realistic, is there something that I need to look at differently?”
  • Keep it simple. Once you determine your realistic plan, ask “how can I get this done in a simple manner?”
  • Lay out your tactics on paper. By doing so you will be able to see if the approach is realistic and simple. Here you can determine what it is you will do and how you will do it.
  • Create a step by step detailed action map. After you have completed the above, this step will encompass what to do and when including who is to do it and any materials needed to complete it.

When I work with my clients, I help them create a do-able Strategic Plan of Action so that they have confidence to commit, execute and complete everything on their list that will lead them to reaching their results.

If you would like to set up a free Strategic Plan of Action Call simply email me at kim@kimravida.com.

© Studio Dream | Dreamstime Stock Photos

Filed Under: Business Mastery, Empowerment, Personal Development, Reaching Goals, Structure Tagged With: , ,

Reach for the Stars!

July 23, 2015 By

Young woman pulling bright starsI’d love to pose a question.  What are your thoughts on being realistic?

Many times in my past I was told, “Kim, you need to be realistic.”  And so I would be.  But what did I get?  Lots of nothing.  I never stepped out of my comfort zone.  It wasn’t until I recognized I was a people pleaser that I realized those people — who I was trying to please — were actually holding me back by telling me to be realistic.

So what is realistic anyway? Realistic is defined as sensible, practical, reasonable.

But sometimes you need to not be sensible in order to soar.  Be outrageous and think really big, abandon practical, and embrace what might feel like the impossible.  You need to break from being reasonable, and to be a bit awkward, in order to grow and do new things.

See, being realistic can hold us back.  Abraham-Hicks says that being realistic can root us firmly to where we are.  I truly do not know any person who wants to absolutely, without question, stay where they are.  Everyone wants more in and for their life.

Let’s say you have a goal of being a six-figure business owner and you are currently making $10,000.  If you think “Realistically, can I be a six-figure business owner?” you can easily determine that no, you can’t.  However, if you think “OK, I’m going to go for the moon here and aim for six figures and I’ll do this, this and this to get there” then you have successfully broken free of being realistic!  You allowed yourself to step into a bigger version of yourself and what is in store for you.

Being realistic keeps us in a space where often we do not want to be.  As Jack Canfield says you have to take 100% responsibility for yourself.  So I encourage you to stop being realistic about your life and your goals and go for what you truly want.  When you do that you’ll be thinking what is the best thing that could happen?

I don’t know about you, but I sure enjoy my life more reaching for the moon!

So what do you think?  Post below on my blog or email me at kim@kimravida.com to share!

Okay, I get it.  Sometimes reality does bite.  So if you are unhappy with the reality of your bank account balance and want to have more money to help you reach for the moon and the stars, my Grow Your Money Tree Program is for you.  Click here to find out more!

Filed Under: Reaching Goals Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Truly, it’s ALL an excuse!

June 25, 2015 By

I’ve always been interested in making things – life, business, health, etc. – better for myself and for other people.

Over the years I have worked with so many clients — and had lots of friends — who say they are going to make things better in their lives.  Things such as lose weight, get healthier, get a new job, save more money, stop spending, do a household budget, take a vacation, have more time to spend with kids, parents, family, friends.  Yet, they don’t follow through on what they say.  Why?

What I realized is that man, there are a lot of excuses out there!  Here are some of the things that not only my clients and others are saying, but I’ve said too:

  • I can’t.
  • I have no time.
  • I have too much to do.
  • I don’t have enough money.
  • I need to learn how to do x first.
  • The weather is too cold/hot/whatever (yes, I’ve heard this).

Well, let me tell you exactly what these are…these are just excuses – and we all make them.  Because when we truly want to do something, we’ll do it.  When we really, really want something, we find a way to make it happen.

Why, then, do we make excuses?

Many of us fool ourselves into thinking it will be hard or we don’t like change or it’s going to take too much time.  And oh yeah, there can be a lot of that “F” word – FEAR!  Fear of lots of things.

Some of us know underneath and down inside, though, that we can’t be trusted to follow through.

Ouch!

For years we have let ourselves down by saying one thing and doing another.  This creates not only a pattern of negativity but also sends a message to our subconscious that we can’t be trusted.  So why bother getting started, we won’t be successful anyway.  Right?  Let’s make it wrong!

Look, we all know people who are successful at whatever they set out to do, so what makes them different?  They trust themselves to do what they say they are going to do… even if it’s hard.

Here are a few tips to break the negative pattern so you can begin to trust yourself, too:

  1. Pick something small to do and when you’ll do it – like walk around the block in the morning or read for ten minutes this evening — and write it down. Then do it!
  2. When you’ve done it…do a happy dance and pat yourself on the back! Yes, reinforcement does work!
  3. Do this for several weeks and then take on bigger goals. Soon you’ll be proving to yourself that you can be trusted.
  4. Enlist the help of a trusted friend or hire a coach to help support you and keep you accountable to yourself. Often, just having an outside source is enough to keep the fire lit through completion.
  5. Keep a journal or list of how you are doing so you can see that yes, indeed, you are following through.

When you finally show yourself that you can be trusted, the sky is the limit!  You’ll be done with excuses and reaching your goals faster and with more joy.

When you do, post below on my blog or email me at kim@kimravida.com to share your success and elation!

 

Filed Under: Reaching Goals Tagged With: , , , , ,

Do you have an Exit Strategy?

September 25, 2014 By

Problem solvingIf you said yes, then you are more than likely someone who is fantastic at planning and flexibility.  If you said “I don’t even know what you mean,” then let me explain.  An exit strategy is something that you put into place long before you need it. 

Before I left my corporate job, I knew I was not going to another job but to start my own coaching business.  So my exit strategy included saving as much money as I could to grow my bank account to where I would feel comfortable paying the bills without having the consistent income coming in that I had with a job.  I saved enough money to be able to live my life as I began building my business.

I also paid off any credit card balances, my car, and any other financial obligations that I had.  I made sure that I was solvent before I jumped ship.  I knew exactly what I needed to have and to do in order to leave my job and take the leap of faith into being an entrepreneur.  Oh and that included knowing that I needed training in order to embark on my great big adventure of being a coach and helping others live really fabulous lives.  I had my ducks in a row (you may have heard the saying).  That is what I mean by an exit strategy.

We all need exit strategies.  Gone are the days of security.  One never knows what will happen around the corner.  You might work for a company for a long time and then one day BAM, you get laid off and you learn the company is bankrupt.  You didn’t have anything to do with that but you are, nonetheless, the victim of someone else’s choices.  But do you have to be?

Not if you have an exit strategy.  If you are always looking to take care of yourself and your livelihood, and making sure that you are on top of what it is you will do next, then you are never a victim.

I use an amazing Energy Level Assessment with my clients and find that many are constantly living in a Level 1 which is that of victim.  They are living by the effect of what goes on in their lives, not the cause.  No wonder they feel depressed, sad, and think “Why bother?”  They are like a rock at the shore, being pulled out and pushed back in again.  That is no way to live and you don’t have to.

The best time to make your exit strategy is before the exit.  So here are several steps for you to begin planning your own exit strategy – no matter what you are exiting.

  1. Know that you are great and wiser than you think.  Take a moment and think of a time when you felt like you were down and out.  Maybe it was at the beginning of your business or a new job.  Now think about an experience that had you feeling pretty amazing about yourself.  Maybe you spoke up for yourself or what you believed in.  See, there it is, your greatness.
  2. Trust that you will always know what is best for you.  This one is a leap of faith for some.  But you truly do know what is best for you.  Stop asking other people what you should do and start asking yourself.  Once you do, listen to what you hear back.  There is no other you, because there doesn’t need to be, you are the best of you.
  3. Create a plan for your future.  Do a few ‘what if’ scenarios.  What if I needed money today?  What if you were to lose your job today?  What if you had to take a pay cut?  What if… you fill in the blanks because it’s your exercise.  I focused on money but the ‘what ifs’ are endless.

The idea of the exit strategy is so that you have a prepared roadmap of what you will do IF ____  happens.  You are in the driver seat and you get to say the direction you will go. You’re not leaving it up to chance or hope.  You are stating this is what you will do so that you are not caught off guard and the victim.  You will be the victor of your life and that gives you both feelings of control and confidence.

An exit strategy gives you back the power.  So if you do get laid off or whatever happens to you, you’ll be able to say, “Ok, NEXT.”

Now I’m sure that I’m not the only one that had an exit strategy or had to come up with one fast.  If you have a story to tell, please feel free to share either by sending me a personal email at kim@kimravida.com or post on my blog!

Filed Under: Personal Development Tagged With: , , , , ,