Your Success Plan for a Slow Economy

I've been invited to speak for the Pinecrest Business Association at their monthly meeting. Join me to learn how to thrive during challenging economic times.

"Your Success Plan for a Slow Economy"

* Clarify your vision
* Bullet-proof your strategy
* Build a winning team
* Get into action!

When: Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Where: Evelyn Greer Park, 8200 SW 124th Street, Pinecrest FL

To reserve your seat, email Eladio at Eladio@PinecrestBusiness.Com now!

Look forward to seeing you there!

Power Up with Power Lunch!

Mark your calendar for Power Lunch on February 12 for tips and ideas to help you:

- Clear your course
- Stay focused for success
- Go for your goals!

It's easy to attend! Power Lunch meets the 2nd Tuesday of each month via teleconference. Power Lunch is complimentary, however reservations are required.

Send an e-mail to PatMorgan@SmoothSailingSuccess.com with Power Lunch in the subject line to receive call-in instructions.

Date: February 12, 2008
Time: 12:00 - 12:30pm

Expect Success!

Did you know that February is International Expect Success Month? What a great time to focus on the power of your expectations to create a successful outcome.

No matter what you’re attempting – whether running for President, playing in the Super Bowl, making a career change, dealing with a difficult co-worker or beginning an exercise program, your expectation at the outset has a significant impact on how you play the game - and on how you finish.

Expecting success not only makes you feel more energized, inspired and ready to take action, but also helps you attract the people, tools and resources you need to be successful.

Your thoughts and attitude shape the outcomes you produce. You attract what you think about most and then create more of it. The law of attraction is always at work drawing to you what you focus on and expect.

I recently started golf lessons. I expect that I will eventually become a fairly good golfer even though there is little outward evidence to substantiate my expectation at the moment. Interestingly, I have begun attracting people who want to support me by getting me on the course to practice, lending me equipment, and encouraging me to stay in the game. I expect that with a positive attitude, the help of my instructor and friends, along with focus, determination and practice, I will succeed.

According to Jack Canfield in his bestseller, "The Success Principles," when you begin to believe that what you want is possible, your brain will actually take over the job of accomplishing that possibility for you." If you want good things to happen, expect success and work like there is no other option. When you set out expecting success, you subconsciously strive even more to achieve your goals and dreams.

Why not expect to succeed and believe that you will achieve the desired result? Celebrate International Expect Success Month by expecting more success in your life, in your business and your relationships!

Here are my tips to help you succeed.

1. Think success from the start. Why would you set a goal or plan to do something thinking about the reasons you will not be successful? Focus your thoughts on all the reasons you will succeed and watch your doubts fade away.

2. Set yourself up for success. Surround yourself with the people, tools and resources that you need to be successful. If your environments do not support you in accomplishing your goals, change them now.

3. Get into action. If you feel stuck and unable to get moving, focus on your most important goal first. Write out three action steps to help you clarify what you need to do next. Decide that you will do at least one thing every day for your goal.

Success is a Decision

What do you really want? This was the question was posed to me by my first coach, Laura, several years ago. It seems like such a simple question, yet I remember wondering to myself, “why am I having such a hard time coming up with an answer?”

It wasn’t that I didn’t know what I wanted. Of course, I wanted to be happy, make lots of money, be my own boss and travel the world. Like many people, I thought I knew what I wanted. I was having some success and enjoying a good life. Yet I quickly learned from that simple question that I wasn’t truly clear about what success meant to me.

Laura helped me describe my dreams and goals in vivid detail. I discovered that being my own boss meant starting my own consulting business and training to become a coach. I got clear about how much money I wanted to make and ways I could create it. I defined my ideal lifestyle, relationships and home. As I worked with Laura, I began to clarify what I really wanted and things started to shift in amazing ways. My bank account grew, I started my own company, I was less stressed, more relaxed and having more fun.

One of the most important discoveries I made is that success is a decision. Once I understood that, I realized that I could make new decisions that would take me to my goals and dreams.

What do you want? Have you clarified what success means for you? Here are 3 tips to help:

1. Decide to take 100% responsibility for your success
There is only one person in the world responsible for the quality of life you live – you! Taking responsibility means letting go of excuse-making, victim stories and blaming outside circumstances. Empower yourself by deciding to be the architect of your life and taking full responsibility for your outcomes.

2. Decide what you want.

There is power in clarifying what you want. Most people get stuck at this first step because they simply can't see how it's possible to get what they want. Because they can’t see how, they end of up talking themselves out of their dream before they even start. Trust you will know how once you are clear about what you want.

3. Decide to take action.
Take the first step, and then take one more. Getting into action creates momentum that propels you toward your goal. Decide that you will do one thing every day for your dream.

Success is a decision. Make the decision today to live your best life now!

Make 2008 the year you go for it!

I'm happy to be a contributor to Community Newspapers Pinecrest Tribune. You'll find my article on the front page at http://www.communitynewspapers.com/pinecrest/2008/010708/index.asp.
Why not make 2008 the year you go for it!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! I love the beginning of the new year. As I was out running this morning, I passed a couple shooting photos of the bay. The street I live on is undoubtedly one of the top spots in Miami for photos. Nearly everyday, I see visitors stopping as they drive through the area to snap a photo of the beautiful view we enjoy.

I hope I never lose the feeling of awe and appreciation for this paradise we call home. Having lived in a landlocked part of the country most of my life, I enjoy every day here in the warm, sunny (yes, often humid) tropical paradise. Many people save all year to vacation here for just a few days. I feel lucky to live here.

Wishing you a bright 2008! Happy New Year!

Make a Strong Start

As the year winds down, I find myself reflecting on the past 11+ months - the accomplishments, the lessons learned, and all the treasured moments. It’s amazing how quickly the year has flown by. It seems like only yesterday we were celebrating the beginning of 2007.

It’s been a busy year at Smooth Sailing. We launched the Smooth Sailing Success website, started the Business Skills Workshops, began the Audio Success Library, and most importantly helped many, many clients reach their goals. Personally, I’ve taken up golf (I’ll be sharing more about that in future newsletters!), continued perfecting my Spanish, and was the recipient of the Thelma Gibson Award of Excellence.

It’s been an exciting, productive and wonderful year. That said, did I reach all my goals? No, I didn’t. Did I have setbacks and challenges along the way? Of course, I did. But rather than focus on what I didn’t get done, I’m looking forward to the new year with gratitude for what I did accomplish and renewed enthusiasm for the future.

I’m especially looking forward to helping you reach your most important goals. Last week during Power Lunch, my monthly teleconference where I share tips and ideas for success, we talked about ways to jumpstart the new year and set yourself up for the success you want. You can listen to Power Lunch on the Audio page of the Smooth Sailing Success website.

Why not make 2008 the year you take yourself and your business to the next level? Here are my top three tips to make a strong start for the new year:

1. Acknowledge your successes.
Have you taken time to reflect on your accomplishments for the past twelve months? We often get so busy going for the goal, focusing on the future or just plodding through the demands of the day that we lose sight of the things we are achieving. It is important to give yourself credit for all the great things that you do. What has been your biggest win for the year? What is the thing you are most proud of? Have you celebrated your success?

2. Re-evaluate your unmet goals.
Reassess your goals and figure out which ones are still relevant. In looking at your goals, are there some that need to be discarded, that are no longer of interest or no longer meaningful? Are there some that need to be reframed or broken down into smaller action steps?

3. Decide what you want.
A major reason that people don’t have what they want is because they haven’t clearly decided what they want; they haven’t defined their desires in a clear and compelling way. According to Jack Canfield, author of The Success Principles, “most people really foul up at this crucial first step because they simply can't see how it's possible to get what they want so they don't even let themselves want it.” It’s your life. You get to decide what you want.