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Clint Cora
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Homepage: http://www.lifehack.org
Posts by Clint Cora
How Do I Stop Procrastinating When I’m Surrounded By Procrastinators?
May 11th
I was meeting the new lady I’m dating at our local federal tax center before going out to dinner with her. This is because when it comes to filing her income tax returns, she’s a chronic procrastinator. This particular day was the deadline for filing tax returns and when we spoke just the night before, my lady friend revealed that she had not even started on her income tax yet.
Because of her procrastination, she would have to get to one of those tax preparation services before work and pick up her completed return after the work day is over. The plan was to meet her at the federal tax office where she will be dropping off her completed return.
When I got to the building, the staff already set up huge bin containers in the lobby for people coming in to drop off their returns on deadline day. As I was sitting in the lobby waiting for my lady to arrive, I was actually quite shocked to see a steady, continuous stream of people coming in to drop off their returns.
The staff told me that this would be the scene all through the evening until midnight when the deadline passes. So it seems that my lady is in good company of many procrastinators who also put off doing their taxes until last minute.
Because procrastination is often a general habit, I’m willing to bet that these folks are major procrastinators in other areas of their lives besides just getting to their income taxes on time. And since many people are often surrounded by other procrastinators, the habit of putting off things they don’t like doing becomes quite contagious.
Some of the government staff actually joked to some of the public, “See you next year!”
So this implies that the staff already knows that the procrastinators will likely repeat the same thing next year and make a frenzied run into the tax center just before the deadline.
So if you can relate to this, you might be asking yourself, “How do I stop procrastinating?”
Solution To Procrastination
Many productivity experts will suggest that a way to beat procrastination is to break up challenging tasks into little pieces. It is quite often easier to get little successes which will all add up over time to become a big success. Indeed this is helpful but I personally think that in order to really get over major procrastination, much more drastic measures must be taken.
What I always suggest to procrastinators during my talks to audiences is to spend a bit less time around other procrastinators and instead, actively spend more time with people who are action takers. Like-minded people tend to motivate each other and if you get involved with the right group, you could end up with a few new friends who will be happy to constantly keep you in check.
This is a secret weapon for many successful people who can’t afford to let procrastination creep back into their lives. They use such groups of other action takers to keep motivating them to push on. In fact, in many groups, people will go as far as helping each other keep accountable for their actions and more importantly, non-actions. Now that’s effective teamwork for success.
We see these types of interactions between people in high level sports teams as well as business groups (mastermind groups). People are there to push each other and get pushed to keep procrastination down to a bare minimum.
Sometimes it costs membership fees to be in certain groups but if it’s the right group that can influence you to take action rather than procrastinate, the money is well worth it. I’m in such a group myself that costs me $2,400 per year to participate in (I do what I advocate here).
So hopefully my new lady friend will start to procrastinate less if she hangs around more action oriented people. I’m sure that she doesn’t want to spend another year running around like a headless chicken during the income tax deadline.
(Photo credit: Colleagues at Water Cooler via Shutterstock)
Clint Cora is a motivational speaker, author & Karate World Champion based near Toronto, Canada. Get his FREE 3-part Personal Development Video Series on how to expand your comfort zone and finally conquer even your most daunting goals in life.
Use Fear As Your Strength
May 5th
Recently, I did an interview on my motivational video series with a lady named Laura who was one of my ski students this past winter. The reason why I interviewed her was because it turns out that she has done almost 500 skydiving jumps to date, all before turning the age of 25. Needless to say, this really impressed me.
During our interview, she mentioned that as a child she was actually very scared of heights. But she claims that fear can be used as a strength — which I found very interesting. Especially because despite her fear, she became an avid skydiver.
When I interpret this further and think about my own life, I realize that it is indeed true that one can use fear to his or her advantage. Fear can give you some direction on what areas of your life to work on. In many cases, the challenges that have some fear element to them can turn out to be very positive in the end…if you choose to work through them.
Examples When Fear Gave Direction
The fear of heights that Laura had gave her some direction and motivation to take her first skydiving jump. She ended up liking it so much that she pursued this activity with a great passion.
In my case, I had a fear of water — being a terrible swimmer as a child. But somehow I pushed myself during my teen years in the swimming pool and eventually became a certified scuba diver. Going on dives — sometimes over 100 feet deep — has enabled me to experience the beautiful underwater marine world, which I consider a deep privilege.
I also had an extreme fear of dogs when I was young. But seeing some of my friends who seemed to be getting so much out of having dogs, I was compelled to investigate the world of pet ownership further. I became a dog owner in 1979 and today I just can’t imagine a life without having any dogs at home.
Let Fear Work For You
It’s natural that we all have certain fears in our lives. But instead of avoiding them all of the time, perhaps take some efforts to challenge yourself and let fear work for you. Force yourself, perhaps with the help of other people with teamwork, to work through some of these fears.
You never know what the outcomes might be. The end result could be some new-found success and passions in your life that you never would have had if you had not faced the fear and went for it anyway.
(Photo credit: Conceptual Image of Businessman Falling via Shutterstock)
Clint Cora is a motivational speaker, author & Karate World Champion based near Toronto, Canada. Get his FREE 3-part Personal Development Video Series on how to expand your comfort zone and finally conquer even your most daunting goals in life.
Use Teamwork to Achieve Lofty Goals
Apr 12th
I was watching the documentary entitled Frozen Planet, which is an absolutely incredible series showing nature and wildlife in the high Arctic as well as the Antarctic. This series has been one of the most entertaining and educational television programs I’ve seen in a long while. If you haven’t seen it, it’s a must-see — as the producers did a great job educating us about the far reaches of our planet with some awesome film footage.
Teamwork in The Arctic
Two separate scenes on opposite ends of the Earth showed a similar theme in wildlife. The first one showed how a pack of Arctic wolves worked together to bring down a bison, which is a much larger prey. After tracking the herd of bison, the wolves circled it and tried to get one of the bison to separate from the rest of the herd.
They were not successful at first, but eventually they distracted the bison enough that the herd started to stampede. With the herd in motion rather than standing their ground, the wolves were able to single out a younger and smaller bison, which they brought down.
Some wolves attacked the belly of the bison (its most vulnerable area), while others tried to slow it down by attacking the hind legs. The young bison fell soon after. The pack was successful in its hunt because they worked together as a team. Without this teamwork, there’s no way that any of them could have been successful — or even still alive — if any one of them faced off against the horns of any bison.
Teamwork in The Antarctic
The producers of Frozen Planet then showed another scene this time in the ocean near Antarctica. The team this time around was a pod of orcas, also known as killer whales. Again, I watched another hunt in complete awe.
The prey during this scene was a seal lying on an ice floe. The orcas used a strategy where they swam in unison under the ice floe to create a massive wave in order to break it up and knock the seal into the water. When the seal hit the water, the whales then used a sideswiping move to create turbulence in the ocean. Some even blew air bubbles in the water to distract the seal. The seal did eventually escape onto another ice floe but was so exhausted that one of the orcas simply came up behind and dragged the seal by the tail and into the ocean.
Again, it was an amazing display of teamwork that made the orcas successful in their hunt. In fact, killer whales are sometimes known as the ‘wolves of the seas’ because of their similar pack behavior much like the wolves on land.
Teamwork for Our Goals
These two examples of teamwork in nature made me think about the lessons that we humans can apply. For many of our loftier goals, it is extremely difficult and challenging to accomplish them on our own. Building successful businesses and losing body weight are just two such goals.
Although it might be possible to achieve such goals, they are much easier to attain if — like the wolves and orcas – we use teamwork. By having the help and expertise of the right group of people around us, we can achieve goals much faster. The chances of overall success are higher as well when we have the right support and motivation from others.
If you have certain big goals that you want to achieve, consider recruiting a team around you so that you won’t have to face your challenges all alone. Get other like-minded people to help you as you help them achieve their goals. Everyone wins when teamwork is applied for success.
Feel free to share below some of your goals that you will recruit a team for.
(Photo credit: People Hands in the Sky via Shutterstock)
Clint Cora is a motivational speaker, author & Karate World Champion based near Toronto, Canada. Get his FREE 3-part Personal Development Video Series on how to expand your comfort zone and finally conquer even your most daunting goals in life.
7 Factors to Consider Before Becoming a Pet Owner
Apr 2nd
Having been a dog owner since 1979, I’m a total advocate for pet ownership. The benefits that one can get from having a pet are enormous. My dogs have the uncanny ability to help me to start each day right. However, I also have to admit that pets are not for everyone.
So if you are thinking of getting a pet, here are seven factors to consider before you do bring one home. You don’t want to make the mistake of bringing home the wrong type of pet or finding out that your lifestyle is not suited for pets after all.
1. Time for a Pet
Many pets like puppies and kittens are so cute that many people can’t resist bringing them home. However, the realities of pet ownership soon set in when one realizes the great responsibilities involved in their care. One of these responsibilities is the time required for pets.
The most common domestic pets such as dogs and cats require considerable time for them. This is especially the case for dogs as they are not happy if left alone for long periods of time. If you can’t devote enough daily time to play and interact with your pet, do not get one that requires a lot of time.
Consider pets that are less time demanding such as fish. But remember, you still need time to clean and maintain fish tanks. So part of your research should be looking at the amount of time and maintenance required for each type of pet. Be totally honest with yourself as to just how much time you can devote to a pet.
2. Cost of Pet Care
Some pets like dogs, cats and birds can have significant health costs, especially if they get ill or injured. Talk to existing pet owners to find out what their average annual veterinary costs are.
You don’t want to be in a position where you can’t afford the regular and unexpected vet costs for a pet. It is so unfortunate when pet owners have to give up their animals just because they can’t afford the cost of pet care. If these innocent animals cannot get new homes, they are often euthanized as a result.
3. Appropriate Dwelling for a Pet
Different pets require different suitable dwellings. Although cats, fish and gerbils can be happy in almost any type of residential or office dwelling, dogs do better in certain environments. Dogs can be quite happy in both houses and high-rise buildings as long as there is access to outdoor parks or trails nearby.
With the introduction of dog litter boxes, many dogs actually do well in high-rise apartments or condos — but it is still nice to have parks nearby where they can get fresh air and exercise. All of my dogs have been potty trained indoors using either a dog litter box or equivalent. We don’t have to go outdoors if the weather is terrible, and I’m not worried if I end up coming home late. They just go to their dog litter box that is placed in a designated spot indoors.
Of course, not all buildings allow dogs so make sure that you check with your building rules regarding pets before bringing one home. There is the noise factor, as you don’t want your dog to annoy your neighbors. This is the same for birds as well.
4. Amount of Travel
Related to the amount of time you have available for a pet, is the amount of travel you do. If you spend 50% of your time doing overnight travel away from home for work, you might want to reconsider which type of pet might be best for you — or if you should have on at all. If you have other family members or people like pet-sitters who can come and look after your pet while you are away, it might be okay.
However, if you have to end up boarding your animal for two weeks each month during your trips, this might indicate that you should not become a pet owner. A few days of boarding here and there are okay, but anything more is not really fair to your pet.
If you have to travel a lot and still want to be a pet owner, consider having animals who might not miss you as much (fish) and those who are easy to take care of by other people while you are away.
5. Allergies and Children
If you or any of your family members have allergies, certain animals will not be appropriate for your home. Some animals such as rabbits and guinea pigs do really well with children as do cats and some breeds of dogs. However, some breeds of dogs and exotic animals might not be appropriate in families with infants and small children. Again, do your research to assess the suitability of specific animals and breeds for your family.
6. Training Required for a Pet
Another area you really have to be honest with yourself is your own ability and time required to train a pet. Some pets (like dogs) require a lot of training while others (like gerbils) will not involve any training since they stay mostly inside their cages. Many dogs have been abandoned because of ignorant owners who failed to properly train their dogs.
Dog experts claim that there are no bad dogs. Instead, there are bad dog owners who did not adequately provide the right training for their dogs. If you are a potential dog owner, make sure that you get proper dog obedience training, which means education for both yourself as well as your dog. Training also includes housetraining for dogs, cats and ferrets.
7. Do Your Research and Prepare For Lifelong Commitment
Pet ownership should never be on impulse. It’s not fair to the animals especially if they end up getting abandoned and/or abused. Do adequate research on what is required in order to be a successful pet owner and prepare for a lifelong commitment to the pet.
The rewards of pet ownership are great, as I’ve experienced with the four Lhasa Apso dogs I’ve owned so far. However, there are great responsibilities as well and as long as you are realistic about them, the personal growth and happiness you will have with your pet are limitless.
(Photo credit: Young Businessman Holding a Chihuahua via Shutterstock)
Clint Cora is a motivational speaker, author & Karate World Champion based near Toronto, Canada. Get his FREE 3-part Personal Development Video Series on how to expand your comfort zone and finally conquer even your most daunting goals in life.
There Are No Shortcuts To Real Success
Mar 21st
So many people are in such a hurry to success that they eagerly take any shortcuts that come across their way. In reality, shortcuts usually lead to disappointments rather than quicker success. The key to any long-term success is to take the necessary steps to steadily progress rather than skip any of them. This would be true whether the goals are financial or health or relationship related.
I’ve seen gullible people buy into the many ‘get rich quick’ or ‘lose weight fast’ schemes out there only to find out that none of them work except in relieving you of the money paid for such products or programs. A friend of mine even bought one of those home devices that electronically stimulate belly muscle contractions thinking that weight lost is possible while watching TV. This friend, who did not want to put in the work of exercising in a gym, is still overweight today.
Shortcuts can result in loss of success
As a certified ski instructor, I’ve seen many beginners who try to come down slopes that they are clearly not ready for. Such folks have not reached a level where they can consistently stop and turn on their skis while even on the bunny hill yet. For some reason, these same people ventured onto steeper slopes serviced by chairlifts and they end up frozen stiff with fear at the top.
I’ve had to physically climb back up a slope to rescue such novice skiers by holding them all the way safely back down the hill. Imagine how embarrassing this must be for an adult as this is how we usually start little three or four year-olds on the bunny hill.
If they do manage to start coming down on their own, they will usually panic, lose their focus and end up going straight down the hill with increasing speed. Of course a ‘yard sale’ (a ski phrase which describes a fallen skier with skis and poles ending up all over the slope) will be the result.
We always tell beginners that they must be completely comfortable in making solid turns and stops on a bunny hill before going onto slopes serviced by chairlifts. This is achieved only by extra practice outside of lesson time. But some are just impatient and decide to go on the chairlifts anyway before they are proficient on the easier slopes.
They thought that they could take shortcuts and bypass the steps required. Imagine the shock when they realize that even the easier slopes serviced by the chairlifts are way beyond their abilities and comfort levels when they are looking down these larger hills compared to the relatively flat bunny slopes.
Unfortunately, some of these beginners may never put on skis again because of their terrifying experiences. This is a real shame since they did make the initial efforts to come out to try skiing as a way to embrace winter. If they do come back to try again, sometimes it is the following winter when they have already loss the momentum of any progress as they have forgotten the basic skills.
The shortcuts they thought they could get away with resulted in a loss of success. These poor folks usually have to start all over again from scratch in terms of learning how to ski even the bunny hills. Their initial fears will take twice as much work to get over compared to those who did not take shortcuts in their learning.
Take the same steps as other successful people have done
Although it is wise to get proper coaching, instruction and mentoring for your goals, these are not considered shortcuts. They are just more efficient ways to learn the skills required for success. However, time with a coach or instructor does not replace the steps one must take in order to be successful.
You still have to do your part of the work whether it’s working out at the gym, building wealth, starting a new relationship or practicing your ski turns on the bunny hill. The bottom line is that there are no true shortcuts to real success.
Many of the goals we want to achieve have already been achieved by countless numbers of other people. Follow their examples and take the same type of steps they had to take in order to be successful. Each step is very much like a little success on its own and little successes do add up. Pay your dues to steadily develop towards success rather than take detours on shortcuts that can actually set you back.
(Photo credit: Ski, snow, sun and fun – skiers on winter vacation via Shutterstock)
Clint Cora is a motivational speaker, author & Karate World Champion based near Toronto, Canada. Get his FREE 3-part Personal Development Video Series on how to expand your comfort zone and finally conquer even your most daunting goals in life.
10 Tips to Help You Save on Gas
Mar 8th
With the continuing international conflicts in the Middle East, gas prices have been rising. This has resulted in much frustration among car drivers, especially since costs are already high at the pump. I am among those who feel the pinch of gas price increases, as I have to fill up my car on average once per week during the winter due to my commutes to the ski slopes.
(Hey, it’s my way of embracing winter.)
Fortunately for me, the rest of the year is really not so bad. I don’t have to venture too far since I work out of home and have to fill up my car only about once or twice per month. But. of course, I recognize that many people out there still need to do daily commutes in their cars. Today I’ll briefly outline what I do to try and keep my gas costs as low as possible.
Possible Gas Savings for Your Car
- Don’t speed. Speeding uses more gas. Use cruise control on highways to limit how fast you drive, which saves even more.
- Don’t idle your engine. I still see many cars out there stopped at a driveway or parking lot waiting with the engine on. When drivers idle, gas is being wasted. Many municipalities have actually banned idling for environmental reasons.
- Avoid rush hours. Getting stuck in rush hour traffic is much like idling, so avoid driving during these hours whenever possible. See if you can commute before or after rush hours.
- Keep tires properly inflated. Under-inflated tires will also use excess gas. It’s recommended that you check tire pressure once per month– and maybe even more during the winter when tires tend to lose more air in colder temperatures.
- Keep the engine maintained. In addition to tires, keep your engine well maintained with regular oil changes and other recommended service. Engines that are not properly maintained use more gas.
- Combine errands. I try to combine different errands so that I don’t have to get into my car for just one single thing. I’ll try to do my grocery shopping, banking and trips to the post office all on one single outing rather than take three separate drives.
- Take public transit. If I have to go downtown for whatever reason, I’ll try to take public transit instead of the car. Driving downtown is a hassle since it’s often stop-and-go traffic and the possibility of being stuck during rush hours is very real. Don’t forget that parking charges are often horrendous too.
- Get a fuel efficient car. Okay, I’m going to be a bit guilty on this since my Mustang is not exactly the most fuel efficient vehicle — but at least I have the 6-cylinder version rather than the overpowered 8-cylinder GT model. That one really gobbles up gas.
- Walk. For closer destinations, I’ll even walk instead of getting into my car. It’s also healthier.
A Tip for Home Gas Users…
When it comes to thermostats and showers, turn down the thermostat when not at home and take shorter hot showers. Wash your laundry in cold water whenever possible.
Conclusion
Long gone are the days when just putting in $5 of gas can get you around in a car for a night. We all have to deal with higher gas prices in some way or another. Each little bit of savings is a success — and little successes do add up. Hopefully, these tips will help you get some gas savings this year.
What do you do to save on gas? Let me know in the comments below.
(Photo credit: Rising Gas Prices via Shutterstock)
Clint Cora is a motivational speaker, author & Karate World Champion based near Toronto, Canada. Get his FREE 3-part Personal Development Video Series on how to expand your comfort zone and finally conquer even your most daunting goals in life.
How To Embrace Winter
Mar 2nd
If you live in Canada, the northern USA or any other region in the world where there are cold winters, I’m sure that you hear it all the time. Many people in these areas will constantly complain about how bitter cold it is outside during the winter months. These folks hate winter, hate the snow and get wait until the spring arrives.
If financial budgets are there, these people will book the next flights to sunny tropical destinations for a vacation just to get away from the cold. The travel industry of course takes advantage of this as they have their newspaper, radio and TV ads with promotions to the beaches in full force.
I hear complaints about winter from those who were born and raised in winter regions as well as immigrants who came here from tropical countries where there was never ever any snow. These people absolutely hate where they live for three to four months each year as they still freeze while bundled up in winter clothing.
Not An Ideal Way To Live
In my humble opinion, hating where you live for three to four months every single year is not an ideal way to live. Why would anybody want to do that? If one hates winter, one would be stuck just dreading one-quarter to one-third (depending on where you live) of each year for as long as one lives in a winter region like Canada or the northern USA states.
Personally, I love winter and this often puts the winter-haters in complete disbelief. What really boggles their minds is that instead of taking off to the Caribbean or to Florida during the winter months, I actually take trips to places where there is more snow!
Of course to really understand this is to realize that I’m an avid snow skier, which is the reason why I love winter. I along with many others, found the key to getting through the cold months without complaining. I believe that the secret is to embrace rather than hate winter.
Find Winter Activities That You Would Enjoy
I always tell winter-haters, especially immigrants who are still shivering, that the only way to embrace the winter is to find activities that would be enjoyable. One criteria is that these activities should be those that can only be done during the winter rather than some activity that one can done indoors all year round (like playing cards).
The activities should be specifically winter only as this will make you look forward to the snow rather than to hate it. Here are some examples of winter specific activities that are worth trying out.
- Downhill (alpine) snow skiing
- Cross-country skiing
- Snowboarding
- Ice skating
- Ice hockey
- Tobogganing
- Snowshoeing
- Dog sledding
- Ice fishing
- Snowmobiling
If you are active in such winter activities, you will likely spend the last part of each autumn eagerly preparing for the snow to finally fall! That’s how I feel during my pre-season ski training. It is a very natural way to adapt to the changes of each upcoming season.
Try A Winter Vacation
Even if you live in a warm, tropical region where you don’t experience cold winters, you should consider coming to a winter destination like the Rocky Mountains in Canada or the USA and the eastern winter areas like Quebec or Vermont. I have met vacationers from warm places such as Mexico and Israel at ski resorts.
Experiencing winter in a fun way through some of the activities I mentioned would really broaden your own horizons to what the world really has to offer. And for those who already live in winter regions, embracing these months will give you much more peace of mind throughout your entire year.
(Photo credit: Skiers Playing in the Snow via Shutterstock)
Clint Cora is a motivational speaker, author & Karate World Champion based near Toronto, Canada. Get his FREE 3-part Personal Development Video Series on how to expand your comfort zone and finally conquer even your most daunting goals in life.
The Benefits of Taking Quick Getaways
Feb 27th
I just came back from a quick getaway and it was such a worthwhile experience. Today with increasing financial constraints, which limits many people from taking longer, farther vacations, the quick getaway is a fantastic option.
No need for many vacation days
The quick getaway does not require taking a week’s worth of vacation days. It can be done over a long weekend or even just a normal two-day weekend. My latest trip was just two nights away.
One can save up vacation days for those future longer trips further from home. Even a two-night trip can result in adequate recharging of the batteries. Such a break allows me to return with more productivity. I came back from this trip totally satisfied, refreshed and ready for normal life again.
The short getaways also teach you to pack efficiently as well as use some healthy habits during travels so that you become more prepared when the time comes to take longer vacations. Think of them as test trips before that big voyage you will take someday.
No need for expensive flights or hotels
Although it certainly is possible to fly to a destination for a quick getaway like I have in the past such as short trips to Florida for some scuba diving, many quick getaways can be done through driving within say six to eight hours each way. My recent trip was a pleasant six-hour drive from Toronto to Montreal where I met up with a few local friends. We then drove down to Vermont the next day which is just two hours away for a day of awesome snow skiing.
I stayed at a very reasonably priced hotel in Montreal and my CAA/AAA card got me a very nice discount. The chain of hotel I stayed at provides free breakfasts in the morning, which helped me, save on my meals.
Catching up with friends is socially satisfying
On this trip, I got to catch up with my Montreal friends whom I see maybe only once per year. This made the trip very rewarding from a social point of view as I think it is very important to reconnect with friends who live out of town.
Indeed, friends will always feel great that you have made the time and effort to travel out to see them in their home cities. These same friends can also help you keep updated with the latest happenings in their cities whether it is the latest events or shopping opportunities.
During my trip, I got together a few of my local friends and they have never met each other before. So my social get-together provided them new local social connections as well.
Expanding your horizons makes you more interesting
Upon returning home, the experiences you get during your quick getaways will make you a more interesting person in the eyes of the folks you work and socialize with back in your home territory. They often want to know how your trip was and in my case, my fellow snow skiers back home were very interested to hear what my report was of the place where I skied at in Vermont.
Instead of spending yet another weekend at home, I chose to go somewhere for a quick trip to not only socialize with a few out of town friends, but to also experience something or some place new. This was certainly the case as it was my first trip in the part of Vermont I went to. With just two days of regional travel, I expanded my own horizons.
So to get similar benefits that a standard long vacation would usually provide, one does not necessarily have to take entire weeks off at a time. Instead, short getaways can result in the same type of benefits and one can even possibly take more of them throughout the year without digging really deep into the finances.
Conclusion
Consider all the different places you can travel to within say an eight hour drive radius and make a few of these your future quick getaways. These types of trips are great for the soul and easy on the bank account.
Feel free to share in the comments section below some of the quick getaways you have taken or would like to take in the future.
(Photo credit: Landscape of snow and snow-covered pine trees via Shutterstock)
Clint Cora is a motivational speaker, author & Karate World Champion based near Toronto, Canada. Get his FREE 3-part Personal Development Video Series on how to expand your comfort zone and finally conquer even your most daunting goals in life.
The Little Successes Do Add Up
Feb 15th
When you look at a set of building blocks, you might notice that each block on its own does not really amount to much.
But when a whole bunch of building blocks are put together, suddenly they form something much more interesting and significant. This is the same with what happens to our own lives as well.
Too often, we all get a little down if we feel that we have not achieved any of our big goals we set for ourselves. We may see our lives filled with failures. But in reality, we probably have achieved much more than we thought. So to help you realize this more, I have an exercise that helps you put things into much better perspective.
An Exercise to Bring Out Your Little Successes
It involves taking a look at all areas of your life during the past year — or any other time period you want to consider. Look at everything from:
- Your health
- Your career
- What is happening in your home life
- What hobbies you participated in during this time period
- Essentially…pretty much everything
Now write down on a piece of paper all the successes that you had in all areas of your life — not just the financial ones or those connected to your career — which are often the first ones many people think about. Write down all little successes, no matter how insignificant they might seem at first. This is very important as you will see.
It might take some time to come up with a list of successes…especially the little ones that you might not even realize right away.
Some Examples of Little Successes
Just to give you some examples, here are some of the successes of various scales that I came up with for myself in the last couple of months.
- Presented some talks to interesting audiences including a military base
- Launched an instructional program on dog litter box training
- Got the weights of both of my dogs down to acceptable healthy levels
- Kept up my martial arts routines for fun and fitness
- Minimized eating out for lunch and coffees
- Got back all the guitar playing skills I previously had years ago
- Had another great annual medical check up with my doctor
- Developed new keynote for business sales audiences
- Improved my short radius turns in snow skiing
- Became a regular contributor to Lifehack
- Finally got a new car to replace my dying 1997 Eagle Talon
Acknowledge Little Successes
What you will find after such an exercise is that you probably took a lot of your little achievements for granted. When you do acknowledge them, these little successes really do add up.
Take my little success of minimizing eating out. Each lunch or coffee on its own doesn’t amount to much but if you consider cutting down such expenses over six months or an entire year, the savings can be quite significant.
This would be the same for people who want to lose weight. Losing one to three pounds per week might not seem a lot, but doing this consistently over time will result in a big and healthy weight loss success. The little drops in weight each week certainly add up.
Conclusion
We should never forget about our past successes no matter how small they initially seem. This exercise will hopefully shows that you perhaps did not do as bad as you think you did. Again, this really gives you a different perspective on things.
It also shows which areas you may have to work on for better balance of the different areas of your life. You can then build upon these little successes for the goals (or New Year resolutions) you set for this year.
Feel free to share below some of the little successes you had that you may have forgotten about.
(Photo credit: Building Blocks via Shutterstock)
Clint Cora is a motivational speaker, author & Karate World Champion based near Toronto, Canada. Get his FREE 3-part Personal Development Video Series on how to expand your comfort zone and finally conquer even your most daunting goals in life.
How to Salvage Any Blown New Year Resolutions
Feb 2nd
We are approaching the time of year when many people have already blown their New Year resolutions. For example, according to the fitness industry, a ton of gym memberships are sold from December to February but attendance significantly drops from March and on when people who were hoping to get fit as a New Year resolution will give up.
This happens year after year for not only health-related resolutions but for pretty well all types including saving money and quitting smoking. If this has already happened to you or if you are on the verge of giving up some of your New Year resolutions, here are some steps you can take to hopefully salvage them.
Reconsider the Reasons for Each Resolution
First, reconsider the reasons behind each of your resolutions just to better understand why you came up with them in the first place. Are they still valid or important?
Sometimes a New Year resolution might be just a sudden urge that is not really all that important to your life after some time passes. If this is the case, drop the resolution altogether. If the reasons are still solid, then keep the resolutions for the next step.
Turn Each Resolution into a Defined Goal
Now for the resolutions that are still important to you, turn them into defined goals. Losing weight or getting in shape is far too general. Instead, set such a resolution as a realistic goal you can measure. For example, lose ten pounds during each remaining month in 2012 is something you can measure. Make sure that your defined goals are realistic by seeing what other people have done who have been successful with similar goals.
Plan What You Have to Do Each Week
Now that you have the end results in mind, plan out what you actually have to do each week in order to achieve those goals you set. This can be setting definite time periods during the week to work out at the gym as well as getting the training from qualified trainers if you need it.
Physically enter the things you must do each week into your calendar or appointment book just like any other important appointments that you may have each week. This must be on something that you will be referring to each day whether it is a physical calendar or electronic one.
Monitor Your Progress Over Time
Most goals that were previously New Year resolutions take time and effort to achieve. They cannot be done overnight. But accepting the fact that many of your goals will take continued work over the entire year doing a step at a time, you will then be able to monitor your progress over time.
If you stray a bit, take immediate action to make up for lost opportunities to work on your goals. Track your progress and adjust the targets as required if they were not originally set very realistically. Don’t forget that for many goals, active participation with other like-minded people rather than attempting everything on your own will help you stay on track.
(Photo credit: Lifebuoy white against the blue sky and bright sun via Shutterstock)
By turning your New Year resolutions into longer term, measurable goals over the entire course of the year with actual steps and time allocated for them, you will be able to salvage abandoned resolutions.
If you feel brave and honest enough to reveal any already blown resolutions, feel free to share them below and what you might do to salvage them.
Good luck!
Clint Cora is a motivational speaker, author & Karate World Champion based near Toronto, Canada. Get his FREE 3-part Personal Development Video Series on how to expand your comfort zone and finally conquer even your most daunting goals in life.