What a great day… and it’s Valentine’s Day! It is a beautiful day outside and I get to hear the horse carriages trotting around my corner waking me up this morning with an Old World feeling. There are days when it is so amazing to get to wake up in Old Sacramento. All the lovely couples will be down here treating their sweetie to a gorgeous day of interesting shops and restaurants and either sitting alongside the river or sitting on the deck enjoying a cocktail on the Delta King overlooking the river. Old Sacramento really gives you that Old West feeling when women were ladies and men were gentlemen.
In two days, the 16th, it will be my birthday and I feel kind of spoiled today. I usually take the whole week for my birthday because I have Valentine’s Day, President’s Day, and I take the week off from work. Yes, I have this week off. Also, this year starts the 2010 Winter Olympics and the United States is doing pretty good and we’re ranking pretty decently. So grab your cup of coffee because I’ve got something for you. My gift to you. I know it’s my birthday, but I love to share great things.
Goal setting and evaluating my accomplishments and my “stupid” moments really hit me around my birthday. That is why I joined the gym in November and set the goal to weigh 145 by my 45th birthday (I am super duper close) and weigh 125 by the end of May (that’s my daughter’s birthday). Also, big decades are motivators, this being 2010. So my big reflective milestones every 5 years.
I failed to mention this to you at the beginning of the year, but you still have time to catch up. My first gift is for you to check out Darren Hardy’s blog at the Success blog (this is one of the links I share on the sidebar). He is literally giving away his Designing the Best 10 Years of Your Life for FREE. I actually paid for this last year and it is the exact same material, with accompanying worksheets (downloaded PDF), for all who register for their blog feed. What I love about this idea is that it is like joining a massive Mastermind group. You can read and participate in the comments. With the written material, this interaction isn’t available. So how awesome is that?!
If you use Firefox, I do, you can use Add-ons. Here is the second part of my combined gift to you. Grab the add-on called “Read It Later.” I mentioned in an earlier article that I purchased the iTouch for my birthday. I love it and have a technique for utilizing it in your productivity. “Read It Later” can be downloaded as an App to your iTouch or iPhone, and it’s FREE.
I am able to save my Google Reader items that have some length to them and sync to read it later on my computer offline if I choose, but this isn’t where I really need it. If I’m sitting at my computer already, than I can read it. I need it for when I can use it productively away from my computer. Such as, commuting and you are not the driver, waiting in an office, standing in a lengthy line, etc. For me, I use it when I’m on the cycle at the gym.
Yesterday, for my one hour cycle workout, I listened to music in the background for the rhythm intensity to keep my legs pumping me into a sweat and read my Darren Hardy blog. “Read It Later” has you sync for offline. Here is my learning lesson for you after using it yesterday in my workout. You can sync for offline web and/or text viewing. I only had it on web viewing. It’s pretty, but small and on the iTouch you are not able to zoom. So, my suggestion would be to sync the text view for readability.
So with the combination of these various technology items, you can still be productive during your downtime when you don’t have access or it isn’t reasonable to have your computer in front of you. It is a great series and I promise you will get so much information, ideas, and motivation by reading it. You don’t have to sign up to view the blog, but you do to access the worksheets and the worksheets are a great supplement to the program. I highly suggest it. Darren also does videos, which were not a part of the written material purchased last year. So the program has really expanded with how he has incorporated this being a live participation model. Do not leave this site without checking it out.
I promise, you will love what he is doing with this program. Like me, I can’t afford the thousands of dollars it costs to go to week-long seminars, and I don’t have the time. This is like an online education/seminar for everyone who participates for FREE. I know there are some people who don’t tend to value information or things unless they have to pay for it, but I am telling you that it is the same thing and, to be honest, an expanded version of what you had to pay for just a year ago. So I appreciate Darren for offering this to so many people who can use it, but can’t afford to pay for something like this and who need it the most to acquire the skills, techniques, and tips that it takes to be successful.
So, Happy Valentine’s Day to you, Happy Birthday to me, and I wish you all great success.
I would love to hear from you if you decided to join and your thoughts on the program and any other ideas you have that make you productive and encourages your success. I also hope you find information here helpful, so please share with the people who could you positive things in their life. Also let me know how fantastic your Valentine’s Day is. I’m off to see my mom for Valentine’s Day and I texted my daughter to tell her she is my lovely Valentine’s girl. Did you tell your special people how amazing and appreciated they are today? Well… get to it!
With great love and affection to my Sparkle peeps.
-Layne
Anything worthwhile is worth doing with passion. Christmas is only a couple of days away and one week later the new year opens. I love New Year’s! It is probably my favorite day of the year. I always feel like, to a certain extent, everybody has the opportunity to start with a new slate. Dreams, wishes, and goals come flooding back making me think this is my year to accomplish something great.
It also means looking back on a whole year gone by and asking myself, “What did I accomplish this past year?” and “What do I appreciate that came into my life this past year?” Each year I reflect on the amazing opportunities that have come, the new people who have enriched my life, accomplishments and successes. It also means reflecting on where I fell short.
Make Goals for 2010
Make goals that mean something to you. If it helps, write down each goal and detail why it is important to you. Try writing down the pros and cons. The pros being the great things you receive from reaching the goal and the cons if you let it go another year. Goals really are as unique as you are. We each have our own reasons for attaining a specific goal, so own it and create the person that is inside you just waiting to break out.
Passion
Love it! Love it in your heart and soul, and feel it in your bones. It will make the journey more amazing. When the struggles come, you will see them more as a challenge. We live in an age of information. Anything that you want to know is out there and all this information is FREE. On my sidebar you will find some of my favorite websites. What the internet does not provide is YOU. Ultimately, it will take the action on your part to traverse the hills and valleys, the ups and downs, the good and the bad.
Give Back
There is an African proverb that states, “It takes a village to raise a child.” Isn’t this so true? This relates to adults as well. You’ll be amazed at the people who are out there to encourage you and if they can help, they will. If you find that the people around you aren’t encouraging and even go to lengths to discourage you, be it by what they say, or what they do, or how they treat you and your dreams, replace those voices and that energy with people who do encourage you. Winners love winners, losers try to keep others at their level. Don’t let other people determine who you are and your value.
With access to people who believe in you, encourage you, and help you to reach your goals, remember to give back. It means helping others in their journey, believing in them and their dreams. I believe you get what you give. Life really does work in cycles. There are moments when we all need a little help along the way, you will find yourself in moments where you can help because you can.
And, who knows, maybe those who gave you the most grief end up becoming your biggest fans. Be an inspiration, be a catalyst.
In Conclusion
Because this is real for me and is written to share my hopes for you, I would like to wrap this up by letting you know what is important to me for the next year. I’m not coming up with something like 25 goals I would like to get done in one year, but to really focus on the ones that mean the most to me. Here is a list of what I love and would like to achieve and see become excellent. In no particular order:
- Health & Fitness. Since my car accident three years ago, my weight has gradually been increasing. I walk pretty much everywhere I need to go, but I am now older and my body and metabolism doesn’t let me get away with what it used to. I was involved in whatever sport was available when I was in school; working in an office, behind a desk all day doesn’t quite get the heart rate up.
My goal is to be 125 pounds. I’ve rejoined a gym. I have also joined SparkPeople that gives me a lot of information and a community of like-minded people.
- This Blog. This blog actually happened on accident. I created and started this blog this year, 2009. Working as a professional assistant for 20 years, I wanted to put out information to and for the administrative professional. To elevate the profession to a level of respect that so many of my fellow administrative professionals bring to their work each day. This profession has some of the most talented, creative, intelligent, and amazing people I know.
My goal for this blog is to write content that informs and inspires. I would like this website to be a great place for professionals to come to for ideas, encouragement, vent frustrations, share their achievements, and feel welcome to contribute their ideas.
- My career. I love what I do and I hope that is reflected in how and what I write on this blog.
My goal is to continue to advance and excel; expand my network of really great professionals; continue learning, whether taking classes, the vast resource that is the internet reading information provided by other really great bloggers, books, and just learning by doing.
Finally, let me just say that everyone who comes by my little blog home, you inspire me. I look forward to your comments, participation, and suggestions. I wish you great success in the year 2010!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Layne
