Choose Your Best Life: Where Are Your Choices Leading You?

According to the dictionary choice means "to select freely after consideration, to have a preference for, to take an alternative and of high caliber." Based on this definition, I believe choice is the act of careful selection, identifying preferences and exploring quality alternatives that lead to freedom. How often do we approach our choices in such a deliberately thoughtful way?

As a business owner, it's important to note that choice speaks to your commitment to building and growing your business while looking at all possible available options. Choice involves thoughtful decision-making and focuses on doing and being your best in life. More importantly, choice implies that there is an opportunity to have freedom and victory in all that you do. Here's an approach to mastering the art of choice so you can propel your business and life forward:

? Consider your business mission. Use your mission as a guide for what's appropriate in, and specific for, your business. By the way, making the right choices for your business is nearly impossible if you don't have a mission. (It means you also have no framework with which to operate your business.)

? Consider your business priorities. This consideration will help you focus on what's important and tie your choices to these priorities. Review and repeat this consideration to account for changes in priorities based on other factors like timing, market information, or new opportunities.

? Have clear business goals; match them to your business mission. Your mission partnered with clear business goals are guidelines for clear targets like your ideal client and defined niche. Revisit and revise your goals regularly so that your choices are consistently aligned with your mission and priorities.

? Identify what you're willing to do to support your business mission and priorities. These intentions represent your commitments to act. Keep these intentions at the forefront of your choices and ultimately your actions. Intentions reinforce your responsibility to build and maintain your business.

? Exercise courage by acting on your mission, priorities, goals and intentions. Engage others to hold you accountable to your actions. It's easy to think we can do it alone but why would you want to when you have others who are able and willing to support you. Are you your best accountability partner?

? STRETCH -- Take risks and expand opportunities to do "one more thing" to act on your mission, goals, priorities and intentions. Look at how you build "one more thing" into your daily, weekly and monthly tasks. It's all about moving forward.

By mastering the art of choice, you recognize the power you have to choose what happens in your life and business. It sounds simple and easy?and it truly is! When you underscore what's really important you're well on your way to mastering the art of choice. Prepare yourself for the freedom and fulfillment you're creating. Remember, it IS a choice!

Wendy Y. Bailey is a Personal and Business Coach with Brilliance In Action Enterprises, Inc. This professional coaching organization helps women business, entrepreneurs and business professionals blend their personal and business lives successfully while creating a profitable business. This article is an overview of the audio workshop entitled, Choose Your Best Life. The CD containing the principles for mastering the art of choice may be purchased at http://www.ebrilliance.net.

---

Visions of Leadership

Right about now, you've made the discovery that if you intend to push your company beyond its current plateau, you will have to change the... Read More

On Being A Born Leader

"Leaders are born, not made." Right? Let me ask you a question: do you believe that?I'll give you mine: I *don't* believe it.AND HERE'S WHY...Reason Number One:... Read More

Leadership - Connect to Engage!

It's been said many times that true leadership is measured by ones ability to motivate and influence others.Leaders must work hard at motivating people to take action... Read More

Five Things Smart Leaders Do to Lower The Barriers To Change

Smart leaders understand that they don't "make" a change happen. They recognize that the people in their organization do the work, change behaviors, and, ultimately, make the... Read More

Ten Qualities Of A Great Leader - Plus 1

Great Leaders are optimists first and foremost. Their tendency is to interact according to Henry Ford's observation, "whether you think you can or think you can't -... Read More

The Goals of Leadership Coaching and Partnerships

Webster's Dictionary describes a "partner" as an ally or an association built around common interests and goals.A partnership denotes a joint venture, a relationship built on equal... Read More

Always Be Open To Learning

"We should not only use all the brains we have, but all we can borrow." -Woodrow WilsonLeave it to a child to remind you of the importance... Read More

Leadership Is Power: Test Your Ethics

"The payoff for the ethical person is a reputation for honesty. It's a payoff that makes every undertaking easier and attracts unsolicited opportunities. It's also a payoff... Read More

Leadership A Perspective From Tao

Tao Te Ching said to be written by Lao Tzu during the period of warring states in china around the second century B.C.; a compilation of Chinese... Read More

Follow My Leader - To Effect Change, Leaders Must Walk the Talk!

A leader's roleIn any change project, a leader must wear many hats, however his/her role can be split into two key areas:1. Set the strategic direction of... Read More

Elements of Timeless Leadership

Great leadership is timeless, always in vogue. The world has been hungry for great leaders from time immemorial. In times of chaos and war, environmental and social... Read More

What is Leadership?

Leadership is what every organization needs and so few have in adequate supply. Part of leadership is what the first President Bush called "the vision thing". It's... Read More

Effective Leaders are (#1) Conceptual

SEE INTO THE FUTURE CREATIVELY AND PRACTICALITY: Planning day-to-day is obviously important, but a good leader must be able to see the long-range picture, to know the... Read More

Weakness, Struggle, Fear, Knowledge, Growth, Courage, Leader

Theodore Roosevelt was one of the most remarkable men in the history of the world. As a boy he wanted the boldness of his father. As a... Read More

People or Objects? - - You Decide

"How you think determines how you act. How you act, in turn, determines how others react to you."- David J. Schwartz ? The Magic of Thinking... Read More

Wanted: A Dictionary-Perfect Leader

Answers are often before our very eyes or in front of our noses - particularly if we read the American Heritage Dictionary!Explore with me how some of... Read More

All You Really Want Is Feeling Good

If I asked you what your goal in life is, what would you answer? Well, the answer would be as diversified as people are.Many will answer that... Read More

The Seven Army Values - Theyre Not Just For The Military

The Army defines seven values that soldiers should strive to emulate in their daily lives. These core values establish a standard of conduct; they form the foundation... Read More

Lessons In Leadership: What Not To Do... From A Canoe!

When it comes to fishing, my husband takes the lead. But his lack of leadership ability in a recent canoe trip on the Boundary Waters in Northern... Read More

Character Traits of Extraordinary Leaders

When people make a decision (either consciously or unconsciously) to follow your leadership, they do it primarily because of one of two things: Your Character or your... Read More

The Three Faces of Leadership

This article was published in the Nov. 2003 edition of Hamilton, Ontario's BIZ Magazine under the title "Leadership's Triple Crown" LMWhat does it take to be the... Read More

Leadership Skills and Ability

What is true Leadership.Is leadership something we are born with or is it learned.My belief is that there are some natural leaders but many leadership skills are... Read More

Leadership Skills - 10 Ways to Beef Up

10 Ways to Beef Up Your Leadership SkillsHave you ever heard someone say, "Actually, I have to admit that I think I am really bad at managing... Read More

The Seven Mistakes to Avoid when Organising Your Student Leadership Program

How do you measure the success of a training or teaching program? There are many measures you can use including; focusing on learning outcomes, behavioural change, student... Read More

Leadership ? Push vs. Pull?

At your next staff meeting consider leading your team through the following discussion.This lesson is focused on getting people to think in terms of effective leadership. When... Read More

Embracing Adversity for Achievement

"Show me someone who has done something worthwhile, and I'll show you someone who has overcome adversity." -- Lou HoltzSuccess in life depends upon being strong people... Read More