When those motivational speakers were talking about setting realistic goals, I don’t think they were talking about choosing to become a nuclear physicist because you’re good at math. That is unrealistic as a goal, not because you can’t become a nuclear physicist (you can) but because it is too general and better classified as a dream. A realistic goal would be to get an A on the physics final.

Goals should be focused and task oriented, rather than abstract hopes for the future. Becoming a nuclear physicist is a dream that you might have in high school; getting an A on the test is a goal you can achieve. Both are necessary in order to get what you want, but the two should not be confused.

What on Earth does this have to do with online marketing? Well, in any venture, online marketing or rock climbing, goals have to be specific and attainable in the foreseeable future. Goals have to have purpose and should lead to the fulfillment of a dream, not be the dream itself. Having a goal of making enough money online to quit your job is useless. That is a dream. You need to have goals that lead to this, such as:

A. I will find five affiliate marketing programs that relate to the subject matter in my blog each week for the next two months.

B. I will sign up 25 people over the next two weeks for my e-zine.

C. I will become a world famous “blogger”.

D. I will post one SEO article that is relevant to my blog’s subject matter every 3 days for the next 90 days.

Goals A, B, and D are all very specific and can be measured. They have a definite quota to fill in a given amount of time. They can be met, measured, and checked off of your to-do list. These goals will move you forward and enhance your online marketing plan in a meaningful and directed way, and will actually make you money. I put goal C in the list to make sure you were paying attention. It’s not a goal at all! When will you become a world famous blogger? How do you quantify world famous? How do you know when such an objective has been met? This is a dream, not a goal.

Dreams are wonderful and when met, drive the world forward. Dream big and reach for the stars! It is ok to dream about staying home all day with your kids while you make money online, but remember that without specific, attainable and measurable goals, dreams can never become reality! Never confuse dreams with goals in your online marketing campaigns. Be specific. Be directed. Have a plan in mind that will turn your dream into reality. Be careful not to get so lost in a dream that you forget about how you are going to get there. You need to keep an eye on both to succeed.

It is the ability to make a choice. The problem is that we often forget that there is a choice in absolutely everything. Even if external circumstances prevent us from doing what we prefer, we have a choice in how we are going to approach the situation. We have control over our attitude, thoughts and feelings.

Being “Stuck”

I often hear people talk about being “stuck” at their jobs. When asked why they don’t move to another job that would be more fulfilling, their reply: “I can’t because I need the health insurance” OR “I can’t because I’ve built up my retirement” and it goes on.

Do you notice anything interesting about those responses? They all revolve around the word “can’t”. The word can’t is disempowering… it’s pretty reasonable to assume if your thought processes around your job involve the word can’t, that you would feel “stuck”, because according to you, you can’t do anything about it.

What else did you notice about those responses? The one thing that I find interesting about them is that if you really dig deeper, you often find that these individuals place high value on their health insurance benefits or retirement packages and although they are unhappy and dissatisfied, the value of these benefits outweigh their dissatisfaction. So, essentially they have made a choice… the benefit to cost ratio tips in favor of the reason they stay.

Empowerment Via Choice

Here is how we are empowered through choice: We are empowered when we are aware that we are choosing something.

Instead of being “stuck” – ask yourself:
-What reasons do I give for staying in the current situation?
-What do I lose?
-What is more important to me right now?”

Once you answer those questions you will have made your choice AND as you are going through the questions and answers you will become aware of the fact that you are making a choice.

The next step would be to ask yourself: “How do I choose to feel about this decision?” This is where attitude comes in….

You Have The Power To Choose!

There is always more than one way to the mountain top; a striving professional should ensure that the path he/she chooses, is the one which utilizes his/her talents and skill sets to the fullest.

The acronym A.I.D.E can be used as a tool for the striving professional, in the drafting of a personal action plan. A.I.D.E stands for: Analyze, Identify, Design and Evaluate. A professional should first analyze his/her situation. What are one’s professional aspirations and goals? What stage of his/her career is the professional currently in? What are the future prospects of current and prospective career paths? It is important to fully know the landscape before any journey can be undertaken. Before embarking upon the adventure of a lifetime one should take time to learn the terrain.

The next step in action planning is to identify those skill sets and core competencies one wishes to utilize. For example if a person possesses excellent analytical and mathematic skills one should seek opportunities which require these proficiencies, such as engineering or systems analyst. The identification stage involves much soul searching and should be undertaken in a deliberate and patient manner.

The design stage of the planning processes puts the “gears into the dream”. The design phase is the actual creation of one’s plan of action. During this period the professional determines the specific:
 Activities
 Time Frames
 Outcomes
 Methods
,that will be utilized in the action plan.

The final stage of the A.I.D.E process is the evaluation phase. During the evaluation phase the striving professional reviews and monitors the progress that has been made. This stage of the action plan is very important, for it allows for the rethinking of strategies and the ability to capitalize upon immediate opportunity.

The courage to boldly go, to undiscovered realms of your potential should be rewarded with that which your heart desires. Ensure success by effectively planning for it. Your plan will work, if you work your plan.

-Make it Happen!

Establish Agreed Meetings Structure, by: informing and discussing proposed changes with all senior level stakeholders; agreeing and implementing the revised or new structure; providing training for new roles and approaches, where necessary. Changing the existing framework and format of senior level meetings will inevitably cause some disruption and possibly some conflict. However, it is essential that the organisation has structures and processes in place, at all levels, and in all areas of activity, that support and contribute to the strategic direction taken by the organisation. Meetings are a key part of the communication, information management, and decision making processes, and must therefore be shaped and managed to meet the needs of these functions. Any difficulties that change in this area brings, must be dealt with and overcome.

Planning for meetings for the leader, by: discussing and agreeing with colleagues, when appropriate, the purpose of the meeting; deciding on the purpose of the meeting; setting clear and precise objectives, as outcomes of the meeting; deciding on who should attend, though this might be a by-default list it is still necessary to review this regularly; set an appropriate date, time, and place for the meeting,again a default may apply, but should be reviewed regularly; issue an agenda to all participants and to all other stakeholders; issue supporting information in time for participants to become familiar with it; arrange pre-meeting discussions where necessary; ensure that necessary administrative arrangements will be made; complete personal participation preparation. Planning for meetings for the participants, by: ensuring that all participants are made aware of their obligations to prepare professionally for the meeting; ensuring that participants are provided with all necessary information to enable them to contribute to the meeting effectively; arranging for pre-meeting discussions with participants with particular concerns or needs regarding the meeting; adjusting the agenda to take into account legitimate specific needs of individual participants. In ensuring that each individual meeting is effective, planning is the most important stage. As with all key activities, appropriate preparation is the key to success. Even regularly scheduled meetings should be prepared for in the manner described above. The most common reason for regular meetings losing their credibility and influence is that each meeting is not given sufficient individual attention. The purpose, the desired outcomes, attendees, format, frequency, timing, location, should all be reviewed regularly. The leader must ensure that each meeting is managed professionally and that its purpose is not diluted by lack of preparation, not on the part of the leader, or chairperson, nor on the part of any of the attendees.

Chairing Meetings Effectively, by: being fully prepared, as described above; arriving in advance to oversee final preparations; welcoming participants as they arrive; starting the meeting at the agreed time; introducing new participants; summarising the format of the meeting; reiterating the purpose of the meeting; reiterating the agenda; shaping and controlling the nature and direction of discussion on each agenda item; ensuring that each participant is encouraged to contribute appropriately; remaining as objective as possible; summarising progress and decisions, at appropriate intervals; managing the time spent on each agenda item and overall; reviewing key discussion points and decisions made; confirming individual and collective follow-up actions; thanking participants for their contributions; reminding participants of the next scheduled meeting; formally close the meeting. When taking the role of Chair, the leader is highly visible, and the way in which they manage the meeting will be judged by the participants and add to or detract from their opinion of the leader’s capabilities. For this reason, the leader must ensure that when they personally chair meetings, they do this in a professional, firm but fair manner. Although some would argue that the Chair of a meeting should remain unbiased and act purely as a facilitator, this is not possible when the Chair is also the leader, or one of the leaders, of the organisation. Nevertheless, when acting as Chair, the leader should make every effort to facilitate effectively, whilst also presenting their own views when appropriate. A difficult role, but one that must be carried out well.

Follow Up Effectively, by: ensuring that all key discussion points, issues raised, decisions made, actions agreed, are recorded accurately; distributing the minutes of the meetings to participants; requesting action plans from participants who have agreed to take follow up actions; monitoring the progress on follow up actions; obtaining feedback from participants on their view of the effectiveness of the meeting; adjusting the approach to future meetings as necessary.

In Summary: although managing meetings at a senior level can appear to be technically straightforward, these meetings play a critical role in the strategic level communication process, and if ineffective will seriously damage the quality of this activity. In addition, poorly managed meetings can damage relationships between the leader(s) and the team and between team members. The objective of senior management meetings are to inform, discuss, make and confirm support for decisions, and agree continuing support for, or changes to, the strategic direction of the organisation. The role of the leader is to ensure that these meetings are planned and managed effectively, are productive in terms of outcomes, and contribute to maintaining the quality of communications at the senior level.

Believe it or not, the use of motivational quotes can have a positive impact on your resolve to move forward in business. We all suffer through moment of self-doubt and find ourselves somewhat incapacitated in our entrepreneurial endeavors.

This article draws from a select group of quotes and ideas that may help you jumpstart your willingness to move forward.

“In the factory we make cosmetics. In the store we sell hope.” – Charles Revson

You have customers to think of. In the end, you sell more than a product you also sell something intangible, but altogether needed an emotional attachment to the product. Some people don’t care about how they connect to a product on an emotional level, but many do. How have you developed your product to have an emotional appeal?

“How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.” – Anne Frank

Anne Frank endured Nazi repression and her life represents one of dedication and willingness to help others. She did not become bitter in the midst of great difficulty she simply found ways to make things better. How does this thought mesh with your entrepreneurial efforts?

“A person who graduated yesterday and stops studying today is uneducated tomorrow.” Author Unknown

Have you stopped learning? Sometimes it becomes easy to rely on what we have always known because it just takes too much work to do otherwise, yet ongoing education can help you take the entrepreneurial spirit and apply it to new methods. Never loose the joy of learning and then share what you’ve learned with others.

“That some achieve great success, is proof to all that others can achieve it as well.” – Abraham Lincoln

Look at the successes of those around you. Don’t view their success as something to envy, but as the encouragement you need to see that success is possible.

“Don’t let yesterday take up too much of today.” – Will Rogers

You may have failures in your past and it may be easy to dwell on those failures as evidence of your inability to do anything meaningful in the future. By living in the rear view mirror you fail to see opportunities and potential success ahead.

“The buyer buys the seller not the salt.” Author Unknown

You may sell a certain product, but what you are marketing is trust. If your customers trust you then they will trust the product. Conversely you can have the best product available, but if people don’t trust you they will never make that all-important first purchase.

Print this article out and refer to one of the quotes and thoughts each day. It may be the encouragement you need to turn the corner and make positive steps forward in your business.

Let me leave you with one final question to consider. Believe it or not, your answer is important.

“What would you attempt to do if you knew you would not fail?” – Robert Schuller

In business and job, such people will again react and act in extreme manner. Other co-workers will think many times before approaching boss for anything, but not those who test their limits. They think nothing of he consequences. They act like this in all life situations.

Why these people act like this? They probably enjoy adventure. They don’t care for the results. They are ready to face the worst and also don’t fear the worst. They have great confidence and belief in themselves. For them the whole life is an adventure.

it sounds strange but it is true. Few days back a young boy of about four and half years ran non-stop for sixty-five kilometers in India. If this is not testing the limits then what is it? The boy is adventurous and so is the coach. Though Government Of India is looking at this as violation of human right, because the child can suffer irreparable damage to his bones and kidneys, this example tells about how such people test the limits.

Some people describe motivation as a mental force that drives a person to accomplish an end such as finishing a project or saving for retirement.

Some people say that motivation is why some individuals do one thing and others do something all together different. Motivation is often discussed in terms of setting and achieving goals and also what determines the behaviour of a human being.

Motivation is sometimes defined in terms of feelings that push a person to achieve a given objective.

Often motivation is believed to be the reason that a person chooses to do anything in particular, whether it be applying for a specific job or taking a chance by asking someone out on a date.

In the realm of psychology, motivation is closely connected to behaviour in terms of the initiation as well as direction, intensity and persistence of it.

Motivation has to do with having the interest in doing something and then having the willingness and ability to see it through to completion.

Motivation however is not the same as emotion or personality. Motivation is instead a dynamic and temporal state of mind.

A person who is motivated can be motivated to accomplish a long-term goal or a short-term goal and both have value.

Sometimes a motivated individual will break a long-term goal down into a series of smaller short-term goals in order to make the end result easier to reach for and attain.

The motivation to work towards any given goal can change and often times circumstances make it necessary for a person to modify their level of motivation.

An individual’s personality on the other hand is basically a permanent part of the characteristics of the person that does not change.

Aspects of a person’s personality include such things as whether the person is introverted or extroverted, modest, conscientious, shy, loud and so on.

Emotions are temporary states that a person finds themselves in in order to cope with immediate circumstances, such as feeling sad, happy, frustrated, confused, anger and being in a state of grief.

Emotion does not automatically correlate with behaviour whereas motivation does.

Motivation is often broken down into two categories, that of intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation.

Intrinsic motivation occurs when the desire to do something comes from within a person and there is no obvious external incentive for it to take place.

Engaging in a hobby for pure enjoyment such as painting, making toy models, stamp collecting, scrap booking etc. are examples of intrinsic motivation. A great deal of research studies have been conducted on intrinsic motivation since the 1970s.

Extrinsic motivation is when there is an external factor present that serves as an incentive for behaviour.

This is commonly viewed in workplaces where employees are motivated by their superiors by being offered tangible rewards such as extra money or a promotion.

There are also intangible rewards which are things such as being praised for a job well done or receiving public acknowledgement for your efforts. Many people respond well to both tangible as well as intangible extrinsic motivation.

We need to write our goals down on paper so we can refer to them often. They become a roadmap of the direction you are heading in. You can change them, tweak them, or refine them as often as you like. If they are in your head, you have to try to remember them as well as have the internal battle with your subconscious that keeps telling you not to worry about them anymore or that goals are too hard so you should just quit, and that can become difficult.

Setting goals is not that difficult. You remember the riddle, “how do you eat and elephant?” Well the answer is: “One bite at a time”. Obtaining the results you want in your life are very much the same way as eating an elephant. We certainly can’t expect to loose 20 percent or more of our weight in one month, just like we can’t expect to triple our income in one week. We must work through a process of steps and phases. Think about “what” it is that you want to accomplish or that you want to have in your life. Consider “why” you want it. Finally start to write down ideas of “how” you might reach or obtain it (also known as “action plans”). Goals and objectives aren’t the same thing, although many people think they are. Goals are where you want to end up. Objectives are the steps to get there.

Use the SMART process when setting goals. You will find this method is simple and easy to execute.

The S stands for Specific. To have a goal that is not specific means whatever you get or wherever you finish is quite alright with you. To set a goal to have more money is not specific. It does not say how much more money. Make it more specific by saying, “I want to have $100 dollars more income per week”. This is specific. You can measure the progress. You will be able to see if you are on track or not and what you might need to do to adjust.

M stands for Measurable. We just discussed measuring. If you can’t measure it, how will you know if you are accomplishing it? You won’t. You will never get the satisfaction of knowing that you have accomplished your goal if you can’t measure it. Keep that in mind when setting goals. Think about how or what you will use to measure it. Many people trying to loose weight no longer use a scale. They use a piece of clothing they would like to fit into. It is their reference point and measuring tool. Once they are able to fit into it, they know they have accomplished their goal of loosing weight. When a plane takes off for Hawaii, the pilot doesn’t just set the course and drink coffee for the duration of the flight. The pilot is constantly reading where the plane is and where it needs to be. The plane is always drifting off course, a little to the left or to the right. The pilot is always making corrections until the final destination is reached. If they were not paying attention and constantly checking, or measuring, who knows where the plane might end up?

A stands for Achievable. Is the goal you are setting achievable? Can you really become a millionaire in 3 months? Are you setting yourself up for failure? Probably. You want to set your goals to be “just out of reach of your fingertips”. This way, with perseverance, it can be achieved. Too far, and failure is guaranteed. Go back to eating the elephant example. To have a goal to become a millionaire is a good goal to have, but that may be out there on your five year plan. A gentleman once told me that I could become a millionaire just as soon as I figured out how to make my first ten dollars. He was right. Small steps. Think about what steps you need to take now in order to become a millionaire in five years if that is your goal. Then make one of those steps your achievable goal to work on this year. This year’s goal might be to start your own business by first deciding which business to be in, obtaining your business license, getting a resale number from the board of equalization, all by Dec. 31st, 2006. That is certainly an achievable goal.

R stands for Relevant or Realistic. Can it be done? Can you do it? Will this goal push you to learn something that you don’t already know? Will it begin to force you to think outside the box if you do not currently do that? Start to plan on ways that you will make the goal happen. Again, not too easy as it will not be worth your effort, and not too hard as you will likely give up too easily. The goal should also help move you towards achieving your bigger picture?

If your goal is to build your business by adding at least 5000 customers, can that be done? Is that goal realistic? Do you know how to do that? What is your plan of attack in order to achieve this goal? Most people actually set themselves up for failure in this step of the process and they are not even aware of it. They set a goal, it is measurable, it is achievable, but it is not realistic or relevant and consequently they fail and become disappointed. You have to be able to believe in what it is you are striving for and know that you can do it. You have to be able to feel it: taste it: breathe it: live it, and visualize it. If you don’t believe you can do it, your goal will die because there is nothing to fuel it. This is also where they say that a person’s character is measured: by their ability to continue to work the plan or idea long after the emotion they had when setting it is gone.

T stands for Timely. What is the timeframe you are going to give yourself in order to accomplish these goals? Again, this needs to be specific. Is it one month, 6 months, 1 year? You need to have goals that have a time frame on them (that also have to be realistic). This will help to keep you on track and give a sense of urgency. No timeframe and you can just tell yourself you will start whenever. You need a very clear target to shoot at.

Finally, start working your goals and adjust them where you need to. Measure them often to make sure you are on track.

When 2006 is over, you will be proud of your accomplishments and knowing that YOU created your life in 2006 and that life didn’t just happen to you.

Successful idea men generate ideas all the time, and they don’t hoard them. They do something about them, even if they give them away. There are a lot of other satisfactions than money in doing your. When I give an idea away and see it acted upon, I get a great thrill of satisfaction and accomplishment. The important thing is to keep having ideas and to keep putting them to work.

Most of us are lazy, however. We mean to do better, to improve ourselves, to make this year better than last one. But we fall down, we forget, we drift.

There are ways we keep prodding ourselves into reaching farther, to going beyond ourselves. We must, just like an athlete, consciously exercise our brain cells. If we do this, we will be amazed at how our creative energies will increase.

The more we see, the more our powers of observation increase. It is imperative that we push, goad, drive, and spur ourselves into being more creative. The more we look, the more we see. The more we think, the more thoughts we have. The more combinations of ideas we try, the more combinations we realize are available. The more we practice the principles of problem solving, the more problems we will solve.

Listen to H. W. Prentis, Jr., Chairman of the Board of Armstrong Cork: “To analyze and synthesize is not always easy, but here, as in most things, practice increases one’s ability. It was interesting for me to watch myself develop to the point where I could tackle problems I could not possibly have handled a few years before. Unless a man tries, he cannot develop this capacity. In this business of taking things apart, there’s hardly a week passes that something doesn’t come up that seems just about insoluble, like a greased pole you cannot possibly climb. But if you keep at it long enough keep the problem constantly before you gradually you can break it down into its component parts, which you can grasp and solve.”

I learned to exercise my creative powers several years ago when I read an article in the Reader’s Digest, which advised “Try Giving Yourself Away.” I tried it.

My first attempt was a smashing failure, but I still found it was fun. I broke a shoelace one morning and couldn’t find a substitute, so I sat right down and wrote a number of shoe manufacturers, suggesting they give a spare shoelace away with a new pair of shoes, or send a pair to a customer after six months. The idea didn’t catch on, but I got a stack of amusing letters from shoe manufacturers for my troubles.

Later I was writing to a friend overseas. I wanted to send the letter airmail the postage was high and rated by half-ounces, but I couldn’t tell how much the onion-skin paper weighed. I wrote several paper manufacturers and got some action. I didn’t get a free box of stationery, but I do have the satisfaction of walking into a stationery store or a Wool-worth’s and seeing the weight of the paper one sheet, two, three, and so forth printed on the bottom of the box of airmail stationery. I admit it gives me a real lift and feeling of accomplishment. This increases my motivation to do something about other ideas, bigger ideas. It boosts my confidence and makes me know that my ideas can be put to work, that someone will listen to it when I have one.

A bigger idea I’m much more proud of is the dial-a-prayer one. I read on the subway one night about a YMCA man in Baltimore who had an inspirational message, which people could get by phoning a certain number. I was job hunting at the time, and I thought what a lift I would get if I could dial a number and get a Scripture reading or a prayer before going in to have an interview for a job. Then I thought of all the other times I needed a lift in a day full of the pressures of modern life.

I tried to get this done in New York but failed. I have since learned that the idea had struck other people, and that it was practiced on the West Coast. But I didn’t know this, and a year or so afterward I tried again to get some action on this and it caught on in New York City (Circle 6-4200). Today hundreds of churches have the service, and many churches have had to add numerous telephone numbers and tape-recording machines to keep up with the need. I know the dial-a-prayer idea helps people when they need help most, and I get a great deal of satisfaction out of the role I have played in it.

I hope this information helps you to create new business heights.
Joe Clinton.