Keys to Success Edition of 2/6/2004

Are you a procrastinator? Discover how you can do today what you tend to put off until tomorrow. Get into action today!

A monthly ezine for organizations, business owners and professionals who want to excel.
FEBRUARY 2004

IN THIS ISSUE
Welcome
Feature Article - Today Is The Day
Words to Inspire
Guest Column - You Can't Gain Momentum Unless You Start Moving
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WELCOME

Greetings and welcome to all of you. We are delighted to send you another issue of KEYS TO SUCCESS. Thank you for joining us.

Where did the month of January go? Winter will be over before we know it. Our daffodils are popping up already! A few more days of sunshine and warmth and those little yellow blooms will become lovely flowers. Spring is just around the corner.

This month's feature article focuses on how to overcome procrastination. We all know how easy it is to avoid doing today what we can do tomorrow!

Our commitment is to give you practical information and inspirational ideas to benefit your business and personal life. We are committed to "bringing out your best"! We welcome feedback so we can improve and offer real value to you.

Keys to Success is written and published by Carol Gegner. Are you ready to excel? Check out http://www.coachexecs.com. We are ready to help you.

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TODAY IS THE DAY

Do you put off today what you can do tomorrow? Does that tomorrow become another tomorrow and then another? When you start living in the land of tomorrow's you have opened the door to being a procrastinator.

Oh, we are all guilty of procrastinating at various times. We know a task needs to be done and we put it off because we don't really want to do it, we don't like doing it or we don't know how to do it. "I'll think about it tomorrow" becomes our motto.

It is true that some things can be put off without any serious impact on our life or in our business. We simply can't do it all. We only have so much time and energy to use. So how can you move from procrastination to action for the things that do have an impact? Try these five ideas.

1) Plan your day. Take time at the start of each day to decide what you are going to do. Having a guideline helps keep you focused.

2) Avoid gridlock. Over plan your day with too many activities and you'll begin to feel overwhelmed. Leave some room for flexibility because you will have interruptions.

3) Select the important things. Decide what the best use of your time is and do those tasks first. You will feel much more productive at the end of the day.

4) Make a date. Create deadlines for the activities you want to accomplish. Deadlines move us to action and action builds momentum.

5) Take a bite. A little bite each day is much easier than tackling the whole enchilada. You can't eat an elephant all at once. You take one bite at a time.

Have you seen the monster.com ad on television that says, "Today is the day I will...."? It's a great approach for actually doing what you usually avoid doing. Doing today what you could put off until tomorrow will help you feel productive and energized. What will you do today? The decision is yours. Why wait for tomorrow? Today is the day!
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WORDS OF WISDOM

"Failure is not about insecurity. It's about the lack of execution."
Jeffrey Gitomer

"Start from wherever you are and with what you've got."
Jim Rohn

"Great minds have purposes; others have wishes."
Washington Irving
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GUEST ARTICLE

YOU CAN'T GAIN MOMENTUM UNLESS YOU START MOVING
by Nancy Gerber, Professional Certified Coach

When I do my cardio exercises, I use a heart rate monitor to make sure I reach and stay within a specific target range for the duration of my workout. Knowing exactly where I am at any given moment helps me get the best results for the time and effort I'm investing.

When I first begin my swim, or my walk, it takes several minutes to
get my heart rate up to the lower end of the target zone. I really
have to push myself, and it seems to take forever for the number I'm
looking for to appear in the little window on my wristband. Then, for those first few minutes that I'm in "zone", it's a real struggle to maintain my effort and consistency so that my rate doesn't drop back down. Gradually, about a third of the way in, things begin to shift.My strokes or strides even out and lengthen, and I'm surprised when I check my heart rate to see that I'm at the higher end of my range. It feels like I'm getting better results with less struggle. I fluctuate between the feelings of pushing harder and gliding smoothly. The workout that felt like it was going to be an endless struggle turns into a satisfying experience.

So it goes with many other tasks. In a new project, the research,
preparation, and ramping up activities often proceed at an agonizing
snail's pace. There are false starts, deviations in focus, and
suspensions to fine tune until things finally begin to come together.
It feels like forever until you get to the juicy part. And, when it
comes to recurring tasks, especially those that are boring or
distasteful, the effort to begin feels like dragging ourselves out a
vat of molasses.

One we do finally get started, though, the energy picks up.
Each time, it's a bit easier to begin, and we reach cruising
altitude a little sooner. It's a simple reminder of a deep life
lesson -- action begets results. Within the struggle, we are
still moving forward. Even if we don't yet feel it, the
momentum is there. Sooner rather than later, as we continue
our efforts, it WILL kick in. The key is to remain in motion.

Where do you have difficulty getting started or maintaining activity?
What's one thing you could do to keep yourself in action until you get to your "target zone"?
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Copyright 2003 by Nancy Birnbaum-Gerber
Originally published in the "Thoughts For A Thursday" weekly e-zine
September 18, 2003
All rights reserved. Re-transmission, printing or distribution of
part or all of this article permitted as long as authorship,
copyright notice, subscription instructions and complete contact
information are included.

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