Achieve Your Goals And Dreams By Using Excel Spreadsheets

Do you think your life is passing you by and you want to get back on track? Do you feel you are stuck in a rut and you don't really know how to change your life?

That is how Caroline Righton felt to some extent two years ago. She had a high powered job in TV in charge of a department of 25 people but realised that her life was not stimulating:

"I was not sure what I wanted to do with my life two years ago. My husband got a job at the other end of the country and both sons went away to college I was defined by my work and my role as a mother and wife. I now had time to stop and think about where I wanted to be in 6 months time."

Caroline decided to audit or stock take her own life and especially her time. She wanted to take an unemotional and business like look at her life. She would use some of the same methods and tools that she used in her job.

She decided to compartmentalise her life and stock take what she wanted to change and what she wanted to eliminate. She advises everyone to "look at your life and how you spend your time and then decide what is time well spent and what is a waste of time and what makes you feel guilty."

When we decide to pursue our dreams, "we start with good intentions and before we know it our time is hijacked. It is taken up by work and friends and with ringing Aunt Edna three times a week. You find that your time is no longer your own."

It is only too easy to "free fall through each day of your life thinking that was OK but you have never consciously put a quality of life value on each day or each hour."

Caroline advises you to analyse your days:

"You do time analysis. How am I spending this time and with whom? What am I doing and where am I doing it and when am I doing it? Do I want to spend those two hours with those people or do I prefer to do watercolours which I have wanted to do for years?

Two years ago I thought I don't know who I am. I didn't want to get too emotional. I wanted to be very clear about how I was doing and about what my commitments were and whether I really wanted the dreams I was chasing."

Caroline decided to use the strategies she used at work in charge of a department of 25 people

"I brought in the spreadsheets and found that ticking the boxes was clear and business like. I found that I had spent 4 hours watching TV. It was clear and precise and refreshing. It wasn't like pouring your heart out."

There was no psychological mumbo jumbo involved in Caroline's methods. Her approach is business like and mathematical. She looked at her life in cold numbers and arrived at a clear, unemotional picture of her life.

There are 24 hours in a day and 168 hours in a week and 8760 hours in a year

We all have X hours available. Take away Y hours that are committed to duties like looking after your family and friends. What you have left is Z hours.

You can use Z to fulfil your dreams if you can identify them.

Caroline's advice is very similar to that of Jim Rohn who advises using numbers and answer boxes to keep in touch with reality.

How many phone calls have you made to promote your product? A number fits into the answer box or cell. Excuses do not. Numbers give you a clear picture. Words can too easily be hijacked by defensive rationalisation.

Check the numbers in your life and start getting a clear picture of how you are doing. Use that Excel spreadsheet to get you back on track .

Caroline has written a book called Life Audit to express her approach to life over the last two years. I have already ordered my copy from Amazon. The question is: "Will I have time to read it?"

Jim Rohn would certainly suggest that you and I write down the number of books we have read each month. If the number is zero, we should pick up a book immediately.

Resource box

John Watson is an award winning teacher and martial arts instructor. He has recently written two books about achieving your goals and dreams. They can both be found on his website http://www.motivationtoday.com along with a daily motivational message.

The title of the first book is "36 Laws To Ignite Your Inner Power And Realize Your Dreams Now!" The book can be found at this URL: http://www.motivationtoday.com/36_laws.php

You are welcome to publish the article above in your ezine or on your website so long as you do not alter it and keep the resource box as it is.

---

Do You Really Value What You Wish For?

I am sitting in a shopping mall, waiting for my wife to finish her Christmas shopping. Next to me is a rather pathetic-looking fountain, which contains hundreds... Read More

Writing Your Personal Vision/Mission Statement

I recently spent some time revising my personal vision/mission statement for my coaching practice. While doing this, it occurred to me that the vision I have for... Read More

The Top 10 Steps to Set and Achieve Your Goals - Every Time!

It's been said that everyone has goals, whether we know it or not. We have goals to keep our current job, or to get a different one.... Read More

How To Choose The Right Goals To Focus On

Sometimes setting goals alone is not the only problem that you must face. Sometimes, choosing the right goals to begin with is harder.Basically, you can choose to... Read More

7 Questions To Tap Into The Limitless Power Of Your Subconscious Mind

When you map out what you want, you let go of the trivial tasks that clutter up your thoughts. When you focus on achieving a definite major... Read More

Ready, Set, Change!

I was at work one day, calling on a customer who wasn't answering her phone. Her voice mail message started out in the usual way, "?we're not... Read More

Ten Reasons To Have an Inspired, World Changing Goal

In a nutshell, having an inspired, world-changing goal is the difference between idly walking along a path leading to nowhere and taking a purpose-filled journey to somewhere.But... Read More

A Secret Technique that Entrepreneurs Can Use to Almost GUARANTEE Success!

If you were to walk up and ask successful and unsuccessful entrepreneurs what they did to succeed or fail, most of them would cite some mentor or... Read More

Goal Setting for Creative Professionals

You know that old saying -- if you don't know where you're going, any path will get you there. That's what happens if you don't take the... Read More

Goal Setting and Goal Getting: What Would You Like to Accomplish in 100 Days?

Here's a question for you:What would you like to have accomplished 100 days from now?Why 100 days from now?Well, why not? Besides, 100 is a nice round... Read More

Habits What I Want For You

Think for a moment about your Self. Is there something that you would like to have, somewhere you would like to go, or something you would like... Read More

Share Your True Colors

Don't you just love the leaves changing colors in the fall? Here in the Midwest we are almost at the peak of leaf peeping season. The trees... Read More

A Fundraising Road Trip: Planning & Achieving Your Goals

Do you ever daydream about going on a great vacation? It's fun to think of all of the great sights and things to do once you get... Read More

The 11 Basics of Goal Setting

"Man is a goal-seeking animal. His life only has meaning if he is reaching out and striving for his goals." ?Aristotle"Many people fail in life, not for... Read More

Perseverance: When You Master this Tool, Your Goal Setting Success will Soar

"Life is not easy for any of us. We must have perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves. We must believe that we are gifted for something... Read More

Plant! -- And Accept The Consequences!

Welcome to Weekly Wisdoms. Last week I found a new way to communicate over the internet with audio. After you listen, if you'd like to try it... Read More

Goal Setting: 5 Simple Steps

One of the things that frustrated me while in school was that most of the psychology books specialized in complicating things. It's the same with many self-help... Read More

Whats Perfect About Imperfection?

Let me try something new but please, please, please, let me do it right and well the first time. If we always do things well, always do... Read More

When You See Money as a Tool in Your Goal Setting Process, You Will Lead a More Balanced Life

Where Does Money Fit In the Goal Setting Process?Some view money as the most important tool in goal setting. Others consider making money as their primary goal,... Read More

Excellence is Never an Accident

"Excellence is never an accident; it is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, intelligent direction, skillful execution and the vision to see obstacles as opportunities."The... Read More

Vision Means Passion - Whats Yours?

Interestingly, the word vision can be interchangeable with the word passion.But small business owners often forget to promote the true reason for being in business. They've lost... Read More

The Focus Wheel

The Focus Wheel was first described by Abraham-Hicks as a tool to help us clarify and fix our focus on what we truly desire. If you have... Read More

Elephants Are Really Big, Arent They?

In fact, this very type font I am using is called Elephant! I looked around and I didn't find any type fonts named Ant or Dog or... Read More

Make Your Goals Stick

The amazing thing about the future is that if you wait, it will always come to you. No doubt you sat down and created your share of... Read More

Forget New Years Resolutions -- They Dont Work

You can forget about making New Year's Resolutions if you're hoping for a successful outcome. Most aren't worth the paper they're written on.No less than Mark Twain... Read More

Get More Done!

Have you ever heard the old saying If you want something done, ask a busy person? Ever wondered why?Ever felt stressed out because you never seem to... Read More