Posts Tagged ‘progress challenge’

2010’s BEST Stress Management Tip! – Say Yes to NO.

(an excerpt from The Progress Challenge by Dean Lindsay)

In 2010, most of us take on too many responsibilities, try to do too much, and even own too much.  Being too busy is a big source of stress in today’s get, get, get and go, go, go world.  Often, we are so chronically over-scheduled that we never give ourselves a chance to offer our best or to enjoy the moment. 

 Are your days fulfilling, or are they merely full?

It is possible that we could get more out of life by doing less. When we internalize the difference between full and fulfilling, we realize it’s not how many events we attend, activities we get involved in, or how much stuff we have that’s important.  We do not have to say “yes” to every demand on OUR time.  And we shouldn’t feel bad, since we are saying “no” to the event or project, not the person.

 Being busy can wear us out.  If we are committed to working and winning in this world of change, we must know our limits and not limit our NOs.

-  Consider your well-crafted goals and your schedule before agreeing to additional work.

-  Simplify – get rid of the clutter and baggage in your life and in your house.  Say NO to clutter.

-   Start your own Just Say NO campaign to regain quality time.  Review priorities and see if a request fits.  When you see things that waste time or hinder your progress, speak up.

-   Stop trying to make everyone happy. (We can’t do it anyway.) 

A polite way to say NO to a request for YOUR time:  “I’m quite committed.  I can be your backup, but please keep searching.”

Be Progress (not busy).

(2010’s BEST Stress Management Tip! – Say Yes to NO is an excerpt from The Progress Challenge by Dean Lindsay)

The Little Mind That Could (an excerpt from The Progress Challenge by Dean Lindsay)

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I was listening to my elder daughter, Sofia, reading Wally Piper’s classic The Little Engine That Could to her younger sister, Ella, one night and it occurred to me what a powerful little story it is.  In his book, Mr. Piper shares the story of a little red engine pulling a train “filled full of good things for boys and girls” on the other side of a mountain. 

When the little red engine breaks down, a toy clown hops off the little train and starts asking larger passing trains if they will help. 

The first two trains refuse to help because they feel they are too big and important to pull toys and goodies. 

A rusty third train relates that he is too old and tired to help, and chugs away saying, “I can not.  I can not.  I can not.”

Finally, a little blue engine passes by and stops immediately when she sees the clown waving.  The little engine’s first words are, “What is the matter, my friends?”  

The clown relays the challenge, and the little blue engine explains that she has never been over the mountain.  She then sees the tears in the dolls’ eyes and thinks of the good little girls and boys who will not have any toys to play with or good food to eat unless she helps.  She looks at the mountain and says, “I think I can. I think I can. I think I can.” 

The little blue engine hitches herself to the little train and starts tugging and pulling and pulling and tugging.  Slowly, the train moves forward. 

“Puff, puff, chug, chug, went the Little Blue Engine.  ‘I think I can.  I think I can.  I think I can.  I think I can. I think I can.  I think I can.  I think I can.  I think I can. I think I can.’”   – from The Little Engine That Could by Wally Piper 

Up they go, ever so slowly to the top of the mountain.  When they reach the top, the toys cheer.  After coming down the mountain and unhitching the train, the little blue engine chugs away, saying happily, “I thought I could.  I thought I could.  I thought I could.” 

The conviction that we have the power to progress is a major key to progressing.  Remember, our brains want to be right.  Whatever the mind believes, it will work to make true.

But, the little blue engine didn’t say, “I think I can,” only one time.  She said it over and over and over and over.  Repetition, repetition, repetition. 

 What do you think that little blue engine will say next time she is asked to pull a train over a mountain?

Will she say, “I think I can”?

 I think not.  She will say, “Yes, I can.”

Also, the little blue engine did not say, “I think I can,” and then glide away.  She said it and immediately hitched herself to the little train and started tugging and pulling and pulling and tugging.  To progress in this world of change, there must be ACTION. No dallying!

The little blue engine had to tug and pull to reach her goal.

Will some of the progressive action steps that you and your company need to take to climb that mountain and reach your crafted goals be painful?  Yes.  Again, consider: 

What is more painful to you, discipline or regret?

Finally, the little blue engine had strong reasons.  She saw the tears in the dolls’ eyes and considered the little children, who would not have any toys or good food to eat unless she helped.  She would feel pain if she didn’t help, and would gain pleasure, prestige, and power if she did.

Develop strong reasons for taking strong action.  Remind yourself often of the personal benefits that reaching your and your company’s goals will have for your life.  Help others develop strong reasons, so they too choose to take strong actions. 

Define your Parameters for Progress.

Commit to well-crafted, progress-based goals.

Stop Changing and Start Progressing.

Uncover others’ Parameters for Progress.

Earn and Maintain Customer Loyalty.

Be a BAM and Believe you can help others progress.

Stop, BOP, and Roll.

Focus on Being Progress – not being perfect.

Believe in yourself.  Chug.  Chug.  Puff.  Puff.

 Progress is a step forward.  Take today’s step.  To change is human; to progress, divine.  

 Meet The Progress Challenge

Be Progress.

(an excerpt from The Progress Challenge by Dean Lindsay)

Frankl Logotherapy Teachings for Business Progress # 3

by Dean Lindsay, from The Progress Challenge : Working and Winning in a World of Change

Link to Frankl logotherapy Teachings for Business Progress #1 & #2

Link to part one of Dr. Viktor Frankl, life of

Link to part two of Dr. Viktor Frankl, life of

Frankl Logotherapy Teachings for Business Progress # 3. 

Drive Actions by Understanding Goals and Strengths.

Gaining insight into a person’s reasons (especially our own) goes a long way in helping them progress and reach their full potential.  Frankl believed in endurance, but not just for the sake of survival.

He believed that all life is shot through with significance, and that this inherent meaningfulness should motivate humans to live and discover that meaning.  Frankl warned that some may mistake the surface rewards of materialism, affluence, or hedonism as the true purpose of life. 

Those who have suffered loss due to injustice (racial profiling, crime), circumstance (accidents, economy, acts of nature), or the inhumanity of fellow humans know that the search for meaning is not stopped by setbacks.  In many cases, as in Frankl’s, challenges and adversities serve to inspire and redirect a more determined search for meaning.

 “Life can be pulled by goals just as surely as it can be pushed by drives.”
– Viktor Frankl

Great leaders understand the necessity of discovering what their followers are made of, what they’re “all about.”  Frankl firmly believed in the great potential of his fellow humans, and stressed the ability to use one’s inner resources to achieve personal goals and find personal truth. This principle applies equally to every organization.  Each member, no matter the responsibility or position, has unique strengths that can prove vital in fueling the progress of the organization.

What drives the people you hope to inspire to action?

What drives you?

Link to : The Original Thinker-Through – Interesting Frankl Facts

Uncoming Posts: BEST Dr. Viktor Frankl Quotes

“As friend, colleague and assistant to Dr. Viktor Frankl for over twenty years, I can confidently share with you that Dean Lindsay gets it!  His ability to integrate the inspirational theories of Dr. Viktor Frankl with contemporary business needs is extraordinary.  Dean’s application of Frankl’s concepts of “freedom of choice” and “the defiant power of the human spirit” to modern business/sales is powerfully motivating.  The Progress Challenge goes beyond telling us to “just do it” and, in a very readable way, tells us how to do it – or, in Dean’s words, how to be progress.  A must read for business success!”
 – Jay I. Levinson, Ph.D.
Former Special Assistant to Dr. Viktor Frankl

Be Progress.

More on Dean Lindsay

Business Attraction Magnet #3.  Listen as if your lifestyle depended on it… IT DOES!

Link to:  Business Attraction Magnet Key # 1:  Become Buzzworthy

Link to Business Attraction Magnet Key # 2.  Ask Progress-Based Open Ended Questions 

Solid listening goes hand in hand with asking powerful questions.  I don’t mean “listen” as in taking in sounds and passively processing them.  As BAMs, we must LISTEN with all we’ve got.   This is a basic but sometimes challenging principle to consistently put into practice. It means that, for the duration of our contact, we step outside of ourselves – our own needs, our every preconception – and attend entirely to someone else. 

Everyone has a need to talk and be heard.   Listening helps us treat others as if they were the most important people on the planet because – in their minds – they are. Many professionals forget to involve the prospect and drone on about how great their ideas or their company is, forgetting to ask probing questions and listening for ways to show how they can be progress for the other person. 

Sometimes our motivation to actively listen is not all that high.  We think we can get by without really focusing.  This is a huge mistake.  The ability to understand and value what others say is critical to being a BAM.  So be determined to focus on and understand completely what others are trying to communicate.  It is close to impossible to uncover someone’s parameters of progress when you’re preoccupied with previous conversations, unfinished tasks, or the impression you’re making. 

Good listeners absorb and reflect on what they hear.  They are active in the listening process.  This requires energy and motivation, because listening is more than just hearing.  We must become active listeners rather than passive hearers. 

Repeating back (as questions or tentative statements) what you think you’ve heard the other person say helps avoid mind-misreading errors.  Good clarifying questions offer the person a chance to rephrase their thoughts and say precisely what they mean. 

Be Progress.

A BAM Dozen: 12 Solid Open-Ended Questions for becoming a Business Attraction Magnet

Link to Be a BAM! Blog Post

Link to:  Business Attraction Magnet Key # 1:  Become Buzzworthy

 Link to Business Attraction Magnet Key # 2.  Ask Progress-Based Open Ended Questions

Please find your own voice when asking these questions.  We must be truly interested in finding a way to help. 

Be a BAM Sales Training Program #1:  How did you get interested in your line of work?

Be a BAM Sales Training Program # 2.  If a journalist were to write about what’s been happening in your industry over the past six months, what might they write?

Be a BAM Sales Training Program # 3.   I connect with new people all the time; how would I know if someone qualified as a solid contact for you?

Be a BAM Sales Training Program # 4.  How would you define progress for you/your business?

Be a BAM Sales Training Program # 5.  What major shifts do you foresee in your industry? 

Be a BAM Sales Training Program # 6.  Where do you see your greatest challenges?

Be a BAM Sales Training Program # 7.  Why do these challenges persist?

Be a BAM Sales Training Program # 8.  What difficulties will you face if you don’t meet these challenges?

Be a BAM Sales Training Program # 9.  What actions are you taking to overcome these challenges?

Be a BAM Sales Training Program # 10. What results are you expecting?

Be a BAM Sales Training Program # 11. Who is involved in the decision-making process?

Be a BAM Sales Training Program # 12.  If you could solve these challenges, what kind of progress would you make?

 Also, encourage prospects and clients to expand on their answers by asking:

            Would you tell me more about that?

            Could you please elaborate?

            Could you clarify…?

            How so?

            What did you mean when you said…?

Do not ask too many questions or ask them at a rocket-fire clip.  People should not feel they are being interrogated.  Being interrogated is neither attractive nor enjoyable.

insight from The Progress Challenge by Dean Lindsay and featured in the Be a BAM! Sales Training Program

Link to Be a BAM! Blog Post

Link to:  Business Attraction Magnet Key # 1:  Become Buzzworthy

 Link to Business Attraction Magnet Key # 2.  Ask Progress-Based Open Ended Questions

Link to Be a BAM! Blog Post

insight from The Progress Challenge by Dean Lindsay and featured in the Be a BAM! Sales Training Program

Business Attraction Magnets provide so much value, so much heat, and so much enthusiasm that customers are inspired to talk about them. A BAM is worthy of attention, worthy of the spotlight, worthy of wattage, and worthy of referrals. 

As Progress Agents, we must not only show enthusiasm for our work – we must HAVE enthusiasm for our work.   If we want prospects to get excited about our products and services, we need to have that excitement first.  Likewise, if we want others to believe in our products and services, we must believe in our products and services first. 

To win the prize, we must be the prize.  Enthusiasm shows in the way we hold ourselves and in the passion we have for our jobs and our lives.  If we want loyal customers and referrals (and we do), then we need to feel worthy of loyal customers and referrals.  I am sure you have sensed by now that, whenever possible, people do business with people they like.  Passion for our lives and belief in our work make us attractive and likable. They draw people to us. 

In sales, we have got to be on.  Have game.  Bring heat.  Same is true for customer-service professionals and those in leadership.  Buzz.  Buzz.

Next Up: Key #2 to Becoming a Business Attraction Magnet — Ask Progress-Based, Open-Ended Questions. 

Be Progress.

For info on the Be a BAM Sales Training Program Click here

 Be a BAM! - Become a Business Attraction Magnet!!

 - an excerpt from The Progress Challenge by Dean Lindsay and featured in the Progress Agents’ Be a BAM! Sales Training Program

The business of sales is the business of attraction.  We are attracted to products, services, ideas, and people that we trust can help us progress.  Everyone profits when sales professionals focus on being progress, and being progress turns sales professionals into Business Attraction Magnets. 

The great Dottie Walters, one of the founders of the National Speakers Association, shared with me many years ago that the word sales comes from the Scandinavian root word meaning to serve.  Soak that in…to serve. 

If we just made that little shift in our own thinking about that word sales, think of how many more people we could serve with our products, services, ideas, and contacts. (Not to mention our smiles and solid listening skills.)  To sell is to serve.  To serve is to Be Progress. 

The days of the “Surefire Closing Statement” and the “Glad-handing Slick Salesman” are long gone.  Today it is imperative for Progress Agents to truly get to know their prospects and help prospects get to know them. Selling is therefore a state of mind more than a series of steps.  It is a dance, a buzz, a willingness to be involved, to connect, to attract.  Those of us who make our careers selling are, by and large, outgoing, caring, and driven.  We want to help others progress.  We believe we can make a difference, that we can help.  Being progress puts wind in our sails and in our sales.

Becoming a Business Attraction Magnet is about TRUST.  The customer has a need, or a step they desire to take. They must trust we can meet that need and help them take that step.  Customers and prospects need to trust our belief in ourselves, in our companies, and in our products and services. 

Next up — The Seven Keys to Becoming a Business Attraction Magnet!

Link to Key # 1. Become Buzzworthy

Info on The Progress Agents’ Be a BAM! Sales Training Program

The Foreword for Dean Lindsay’s The Progress Challenge

Foreword by Julie Weber, Senior Director, People, Southwest Airlines Co.

Let me just get this out first:  The Progress Challenge is a great book.  It is fun to read and crammed full of thought-provoking, practical and motivating take-aways.  I recommend this book to HR professionals, business leaders, sales leaders, and anyone who is trying to not only navigate the world’s economy today, but to succeed in it.  With the Six Ps of Progress, Dean gives us all the incredible opportunity to be purposeful in creating progress, not just change, in our lives and work. 

If only I had read this book prior to the Tech Bubble burst in 2001.  While working at a software company, like many of my fellow HR professionals, I was doing my best to “lead change,”  to “manage change,” in an unprecedented time when high-technology companies dramatically went from such incredible highs on Wall Street to such devastating lows in a short period of time.  We were reeling from the emotional shock and uncertainty after the events of 9/11.  This book would not only have provided a new way of looking at change management, but also a more hopeful way of beginning to answer the question: “What now?” So here we are again in the midst of unprecedented economic times.  HR professionals are again faced with the challenge of managing our workforce in a shrinking economy.  The Progress Challenge is a must-read for all of us.  Only the businesses that are able to grow, gain market share, gain Customer loyalty, and gain Employee loyalty and engagement will survive when recessions occur.  That requires more than change management; it requires progress.   It requires committing to progress and it requires persistence.

I am so fortunate to be working for Southwest Airlines, a company that truly gets what taking care of Customers and Employees really means in any economy.  (For starters, the “C” in Customers and the “E” in Employees are capitalized deliberately.)  In describing the 6 P’s of Progress (I won’t give away too much!), Dean captures why Southwest Airlines Employees provide such incredible Customer Service.  We LUV what we do and our Company LUVS us!  We work very hard during the selection process to hire Employees with a natural desire to serve others.   At Southwest, we hire for attitude and train for skill (as needed).  Yeah, some skills are incredibly hard to train, but to train someone to have a great attitude and to enjoy their work, their Customers, and their fellow Employees is completely impossible.  The mission of Southwest Airlines is dedication to the highest quality of Customer Service delivered with a sense of warmth, friendliness, individual pride, and Company Spirit.  Try doing that with a lousy attitude!  Having a Fun-LUVing Attitude is not just part of our “core values,” it is a requirement of every Employee.   

What Dean explains in a witty and entertaining way is that our attitudes, our ability to endure and successfully emerge from the current recession, our shot at getting what we want out of this life, is up to each one of us.   I have always believed that “if it is meant to be, it is up to me.”  Dean explains why that is true and gives us the tools to make it happen!  We have to grab every minute of every day and create progress in our work and in our lives.  We own it.  I own it.  I will be progress.  This book is so timely. 

Thanks, Dean.

– Julie Weber, Senior Director, People

People & Leadership Development

Southwest Airlines Co.

An Introduction to Progress-Based Goal-Crafting

an excerpt from The Progress Challenge: Working and Winning in a World of Change by Dean Lindsay

To work and win in this world of change we must dedicate ourselves to crafting personal and organizational goals that are so attractive, so alluring, that we are compelled to continually make choices that move us toward their accomplishment.

As a noun, craft can mean an object or machine designed for a journey, like a ship or an airplane.

As a verb, craft can mean to make or manufacture with skill and careful attention to detail.

A goal is the aim, the objective, the purpose, the point.

Goal-crafting is the practice of creating personal and organizational targets that are so clear, so detailed, so sound, so enticing and leakproof that they actually become tools or vessels in our journey to their accomplishment.

Our lives and organizations will surely change without well-crafted goals, but it is doubtful that they will progress.

Well-crafted, progress-based goals do not merely remind us of the desired destination; they help create the conditions and environment needed for their achievement. They propel us into forward-focused action and strengthen our resolve to work and win in a world of change.

A Progress Agent’s Six Rules for Goal-Crafting

Rules for Goal-Crafting — 1. Progress-Crafted Goals Are Written and Visualized.

Written goals crystallize thinking, enhance commitment, and help identify the strong reasons that propel the strong actions. Having goals in writing gives them weight and more importance: for whatever reason, not only the conscious but the subconscious mind takes them much more seriously. Written goals are also vital when developing a course of action.

“If a man knows not what harbor he seeks, any wind is the right wind.”

– Lucius Annaeus Seneca

The mind will not reach for achievement until it has clear objectives. Writing and frequently rereading goals turns on the “Can Do” switch in our brain, and the power to accomplish the goal begins to flow. Goals that are written, read, rewritten, rephrased, and reread get impressed into our subconscious mind. We may not know exactly how to go about achieving our goals, and our conscious mind may not even think them possible, but if we write out our goals and visualize their accomplishment every day, our subconscious mind will work to make them a reality.

Myth alert: The “Yale Study of Goals” is often cited as a testament to the power of written goals. However, most scholars doubt the 1953 “study” ever took place. The so-called study claimed to have found that the 3% of Yale graduates who had written goals at the time of graduation were worth more financially twenty years later than the remaining 97% combined. Too bad the “YSG” is probably an urban legend, because properly written goals are actually vital, and today it is estimated that fewer than 5% of us have properly written goals. Let’s get that percentage up by “getting down with” writing our goals down.

Rules for Goal-Crafting — 2. Progress-Crafted Goals Connect to Personal Progress.

Plainly put, each person involved in a goal’s achievement must believe there is something favorable in it for him or her. We are unlikely to work toward a goal that we can not personalize as positive for us. For a goal to actually become a tool in its own achievement, it must generate genuine excitement when we envision its accomplishment. Why and how does the goal mean Progress for those who must act?

Often, individuals must make an organizational goal their own, as in a new technology rollout, reorganization, or a merger. To get all team members (including ourselves) psyched and committed to the organization’s goal, we need to dig into how the goal’s achievement will benefit all involved (via job security, bonuses, flex time, exciting new projects, raises, promotions, shorter commute, less stress, etc.).

If team members believe that the potential for progress is worth the effort, they will more readily take on challenges in support of the organization’s goals. When highlighting the reasons behind the goal, include the Six Ps of Progress.

Whether the goal is meeting sales quota, buying a new boat, becoming more efficient in customer-service calls, or finishing a financial report, we must find ways to make the goal progress for us in some way. With that personal lodestar ever in sight, we stay committed to reaching the goal. Why we want to achieve a goal is far more important than the goal itself.

An Introduction to Progress-Based Goal-Crafting an excerpt from The Progress Challenge: Working and Winning in a World of Change by Dean Lindsay

Click here to watch Dean in Action.

Rules for Goal-Crafting — 3. Progress-Crafted Goals Are Stated in Present Tense.

Stating goals in the present tense tells our subconscious mind that we are committed – that the goals will not remain forever stuck in a future tense – as in, I WILL be wealthy. Our mind takes ownership, sees the goal as an actuality (rather than a potentiality) – I AM wealthy – and works toward its realization.

“Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win.” 

– Sun Tzu

The subconscious mind chooses a path of least resistance. If we write, “I will be debt-free,” the subconscious mind does not act, because the “will” postpones the goal’s achievement to some indefinite time in the future. When we craft a goal as if it were already achieved, already true, our minds want to make it happen. Examples:

Daily, I am …

I weigh___ with a ___waist.

I know how to…

My family and I are…

I own…

I feel…

Well-crafted goals, stated in the present tense, serve as affirmations. Think of affirmations as personalized powerful ads that you tell yourself over and over again about yourself and your life. Get over any weird thoughts you might have about affirmations – we all use them. We have lived our whole lives making affirmations. Unfortunately, affirmations are often self-critical and self-limiting:

I am fat.

I am a lousy speller.

I am not a good salesman.

I am always tired.

I know nothing about investments.

I’m destined to be poor.

Be careful about everything you say to yourself, or think to yourself, about yourself, because you’ll end up being right. As Luigi Pirandello noted some time ago, “Così è (se vi pare)” – Right you are (if you think you are).

Your brain is a terrible thing to use against yourself. — DL

Rules for Goal-Crafting — 4. Progress-Crafted Goals Are Detailed and Measured.

We are able to measure and track progress only toward goals that are detailed and specific. It is imperative that we craft goals with precise and vivid outcomes so that we can be sure we are progressing and not merely changing.

A vague, general, or conflicted goal produces vague actions and vague results. A specific goal produces specific actions and specific results. The more information we can give our subconscious mind about our intentions – our wants, our goals – the clearer the right next steps become, and the more focused our actions will be. It is fine if the goal takes many words to map out. The key is to crystallize our intentions.

For example, “I have a new job” is generic, not very helpful, and certainly not very inspiring. Most of us could get a new job within a week, if not a day. It probably would not be a job that matched our skills, paid well, or that we even liked, but we could get a job. So be darn sure to specify:

In what industry?

What position and responsibilities?

What pay range?

What benefits, 401K, vacation?

How much travel?

How long commute?

Company car?

Work from home?

What kind of boss (if any), and coworkers?

Our “specs” can go on and on. Generic goals do little to propel us to action. Yes, it takes time, but it is vital that we craft our goals in as much detail as possible. It is perfectly fine to rewrite the goal, refine it, add to it, mess with it.

Becoming almost ridiculously particular about what we want, and why we want it, helps create the inspiration that propels us to progress toward our goals – instead of focusing attention on the countless other options of how we could invest our time and energy.

Rules for Goal-Crafting — 5. Progress-Crafted Goals Are Positively Worded.

Words hold great power. They have since “the beginning.” Crafted goals should focus our conscious and subconscious minds on future progress, not past problems and limitations. Therefore, we should craft goals that focus on what we want, not on what we don’t.

Any words or phrases that have negative connotations perpetuate frustration, worry, and regret because they remind us of past weaknesses or failures. In turn, this can create a mental block that limits our pattern of thought and behavior. It is helpful to become aware of when we’re using defeatist words like can not, do not, will not, never. We need to rephrase our goal statements, eliminating any negative words and using believable, positive words.

Instead of writing, “I don’t eat junk food,” write, “I am a healthy eater. I eat foods that are good for me.” Then list healthy foods and why healthy choices are good for you.

Instead of writing, “I will not stay up late, oversleep, and be late to work,” write, “I go to bed by 10:30 p.m. each night and am on time for work each day.” Then list five ways in which early to bed, early to rise, makes you healthy, wealthy, and wise. There are three ways right there. Thanks, Ben Franklin!

Crafting goals from a positive perspective raises our expectations and encourages empowering thought processes. We get our subconscious to work for us, opening up our options and making things seem possible and more doable.

The subconscious mind does not judge or argue; it only carries out instructions. The more positive the imagery we sow in our conscious and subconscious minds, the more positive results we will reap.

Rules for Goal-Crafting — 6. Progress-Crafted Goals Have an Achievement Date.

Achievement dates are vital for measuring and tracking our progress. Many of us waste a great deal of time talking about what we want to do, or to have, or to become, someday. Someday is not a day of the week.*

Without an end date there is no strong reason to take strong action today. Having a specific time frame gives us the push, the prod, the sense of urgency to get moving. Achievement date or procrastinate? Set one and get moving before it’s too late. (Hey, that rhymes.)

Without a date for accomplishment, we have only crafted a wishy-washy wish which floats around. We never get moving because we feel we can start at any time. A realistic time frame helps reel the goal in and make it real. Grounding our goals within a realistic time frame gets the fire burning and sets our subconscious mind in motion.

Many of us have so many goals that we end up pursuing two dozen of them poorly, rather than three or four with laser-like focus and unflagging effort. Establishing achievement dates for our goals helps us decide which ones warrant the majority of today’s time and energy.

Often it turns out that we have underestimated the true time, effort, and knowledge required to accomplish our goals. We run out of patience and passion, or lose sight of the goal’s purpose. Most of our goals can be met if they have realistic achievement dates and we work to stay committed to them.

If we don’t achieve our goal within our time frame, we can always set a new achievement date.

“The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it.”

– Michelangelo

Craft and commit to progress-based goals.

Be Progress.

* Someday Is Not a Day of the Week is the title of an insightful, motivating, and eye-opening children’s book by Denise Brennan-Nelson. I recommend it highly.

An Introduction to Progress-Based Goal-Crafting an excerpt from

The Progress Challenge: Working and Winning in a World of Change

by Dean Lindsay

Copyright 2010 — All rights reserved.

About Dean Lindsay:

An authority on harnessing human potential and creating authentic business growth, Dean Lindsay is an engaging and highly sought-after business consultant and speaker. He is an active member of the Viktor Frankl Institute of Logotherapy and the American Society of Training and Development.

Dean Lindsay sees an important connection between sales, motivation, solid customer care and leadership. All are achieved by effectively positioning ideas, recommendations, solutions, products, services – even ourselves – as PROGRESS in minds of those we wish to inspire to action. All must be positioned as Progress and NOT Change. It is natural to resist change but we embrace PROGRESS. All progress is change but not all change is PROGRESS.

Dean is a featured contributor to Executive Travel, Sales and Service Excellence and the American Management Association’s Moving Ahead magazine as well as the nationally distributed audio publication Selling Power Live. He has been spotlighted as an Outstanding Speaker by the International Association of Speakers Bureaus and recognized as a ‘Sales-and-Networking Guru’ by the Dallas Business Journal.

Dean has served as Guest Lecturer to International Customer Management Institute as well as both the UCLA and University of Dallas MBA programs. He is a Cum laude graduate of the University of North Texas and serves on the Executive Advisory Board for UNT’s Department of Marketing and Logistics and the Board of Directors of the UNT Alumni Association. Dean’s first book, Cracking the Networking CODE: 4 Steps to Priceless Business Relationships is Recommended Reading by United Professional Sales Association and Profit magazine.  Click here to watch Dean in Action.