With summer right around the corner, many of us are thinking about getting back in shape or getting in better shape. It’s that time of the year. Summer is in the air and the thought of getting into summer clothes makes many of us head to the gym.

Yet as I thought about summer and my rather sporadic workouts lately, I began to come up with a list of excuses a mile long. I could justify why I wasn’t going to the gym. I justified my behavior by saying, “I didn’t have time”, “I hadn’t been feeling well”, “and I’d do it later or tomorrow”, etc. Yet no matter what I came up with they were all just excuses.

As I listened to myself I felt sick. It’s not fun to get real about our excuses. And yet it’s the only way I grow. I cannot grow until I identify what’s keeping my stuck and decide to get out of the “excuse trap”. We all can easily fall into the ‘excuse trap’. No one is exempt from making excuses – we all do it at one time or another. We set out to reach a goal, get scared or discouraged and then we make excuses as to why we are no longer going after that goal or taking action. I find fear is the number one thing behind my excuses. To reach a goal I have to get out of my comfort zone and get uncomfortable. To avoid walking through my fear, I make an excuse. Sometimes I make lots of excuses.

Excuses are like a bad relationship, we often hang on long to them long after they are over. My excuses do not help me, they keep me stuck. I cannot live up to my full potential if I continue to make excuses. I get in my own way, sabotage my success and then feel miserable. Excuses rob me of my life, my dreams and my joy. And yet why do I continue to make them?

In addition to fear, I make excuses as an avoidance tactic. I make up excuses to explain away my limitations. Instead of admitting my weaknesses I blame the world and those around me. It’s everyone else’s fault.

At 16 I was hospitalized for some mental health issues. During that time I had the opportunity to look at my weaknesses and the excuses I was making. I had been blaming everyone – my parents, my teachers and my friends – for where I was at in my life. And yet through the course of my stay I had the opportunity to look at my responsibility, my part. And as I did I was shocked to find out I had a choice. I could blame others forever or I could take responsibility for my own life and make the changes I needed to make. I choose to take responsibility to the best of my ability at that time. It wasn’t easy. I fell many times and can still fall into making excuses. And yet I know without a doubt that my life is my responsibility. I know that no one can make me change and no one can keep me down if I don’t give them permission.

Any time I fall back into making excuses I go back to that time in life and remember the things I overcame. I remember my commitment I made to myself. In addition I take a look at my priorities. By prioritizing my life, as it is right now, decision making is easier. With my priorities in place I can begin to let go of the excuses. I also remember that my life is mine. I must accept who I am, where I have been and what has happened to me. Acceptance of my life and my future puts it all in perspective. I alone am responsible for where I go and what I accomplish. And today I have made a choice once again to stop making excuses and go after my dreams.

2. Be giving of it.

3. Be on the lookout for ways to engage in it.

4. Be yourself – others love the real you the best.

5. Be accepting of others love for you.

6. Be careful not to hold love back when you are upset.

7. Be genuine when you give love.

8. Be unselfish with your love

9. Be committed to loving even when you don’t feel like it.

10. Be love!

• As I focus on all that I have to be grateful I become more content.
• Keep gratitude journal and add to it weekly.
• List five things each day that you are grateful for on a post-it note and then stick it on your computer, look at it throughout the day and pause for gratitude breaks.
• Volunteer. Giving of our time and talents keep us grateful.

Develop Close Relationships

• Spend time weekly with your closest family and friends.
• Be real with the people who love you most.
• Be available for others – Give of yourself.

Accept that Life is a Process 

• Journal. Keep track of progress and celebrate successes.
• Give yourself permission to have a bad day. Go home, put on your pjs and have a good cry. It’s okay!
• Ask for help when you need it. Asking for help and being able to receive it is a good thing.

Get Connected Spiritually

• Pray.
• Take quiet time each day.
• Go to church, synagogue or enjoy the awesomeness of nature.

Celebrate Your Self and Your Life 

• Throw a party – truly celebrate your next accomplishment!
• Share your successes and failures with others.
• Do something just because you deserve it.

2. Goals need to be more than just fun. If my goals are just fun and not motivating – they will not get done.

3. My goals need to stretch me but not be such a stretch that I will never accomplish them.

4. HUGE goals must be broken down into manageble pieces. If it’s too big – I WILL avoid it.

5. Goals are not old school. They are as relevant as they have ever been.

Read your goals EVERY DAY. Put your goals somewhere where you’ll see them everyday. Keeping your goals top of mind is important. You will forget the things that are not regularly in front of you.

Make changes when necessary. Sometimes when you write a goal and start moving towards it you realize that it’s NOT what you want to do. It’s OKAY to change your mind. Trying something is often the best way to know if it’s for you or not.

Keep the ‘why’ in mind. You need to know why you want to achieve something. For example you may want to lose weight and get healthy but“why”. What’s the real reason – your real motivation? Focusing on the why will help you stay the course.

Get help. Getting accountable will ensure you stay on track. Don’t go it alone – you have people in your lives who will help – ask them and then let them help you.

Make it FUN. Make it more fun to reach your goal than to do nothing. If you are engaged in your goals and they are truly fun – you are more likely to get moving and stay moving.

What I learned about DREAMS in Mexico:

BIG Dreams are awesome! Having BIG DREAMS is awesome. It’s so much fun to think about what I want my life to look like, how much money I want to make and what I will do with all my success. It’s definitely a “feel good” exercise and yet if I’m not careful that’s all it will be.

Dreaming BIG is hard! It’s fun to dream BIG until we start thinking about what it will take to make those BIG dreams happen. When I look – really look at the big picture it’s scary. Being successful is NOT easy. Making money is NOT easy. Making a difference is NOT easy. Reaching BIG dreams of any kind is HARD work. Yet the work is worth it. If I can walk through the fear and work hard – I can achieve what I set out to. Or I will at the very least be farther along that where I was when I started. Most of the times going after BIG dreams is more about what we learn in the process than about achieving the end result.

I will be challenged if I DREAM BIG! If I dare to dream BIG – I will be challenged. I got very clear about what my big dreams are while I was away. And when I got home there were opportunities that came up that I wanted to say ‘yes’ too. They were good things – awesome opportunities. And yet they were things that would distract me from my BIG dreams. Unfortunately I said yes to these things and as soon as I did I KNEW that I should have said ‘no’. I tried to just go with the flow but within a few days my gut was screaming at me. I knew I had to say no to the other opportunities in order to truly say YES to my BIG DREAMS.

 “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.” Henry David Thoreau

Having dreams is an essential part of having an awesome life. Our dreams keep us passionate, give us something to strive for and keep us excited about our journey. Dream big, share your dreams with others and go after the impossible. In order to build an awesome life, you need to dream big.

Create a goal board. Each year write down your goals and dreams, frame them and hang them in a highly visible location.

Write down goals. Include all new and small goals and update your list frequently. There is power in committing our goals to paper.

 Dream big! And often. Take regular time to dream. Think about your ideal life. And let yourself be unrealistic.

 Start a 101 List. Write down 101 things you want to do before you die. Add to the list regularly and then cross off items as you accomplish them. Make sure to celebrate your successes.

Write a personal mission statement. This will serve as a guide for decision making and a road map for living the life you choose to live.

Take a class. Continual learning keeps our minds sharp and helps us to go after our dreams. Make a commitment to learn something new every year.

Commit to leaving a legacy. Write down how the world will be different as a result of your having been here.

Be spontaneous. Break the rules. Live in the moment. Just do it.

Be prepared for detours. Life does not always go smoothly and there will be roadblocks on the way to your dreams. Acknowledge the roadblocks and choose to move past them.

Get to know yourself better. The more you know yourself, the better able you’ll be to set boundaries and then achieve your dreams.

Create a dream book. This book can include photos or pictures cut out of magazines and travel brochures. Your dream book is an ongoing project, a place to record your dreams visually.  Include big dreams, as well as simply things you like or want.

Put a dream reminder on your computer screen saver. This can be words or a picture – just something that reminds you each day to go after your dreams.

Take dreams tours. Go out and drive your dream car, walk through travel agencies or interview people who are doing what you dream of. Keeping our dreams alive takes a conscious decision.

Ask yourself the question, “If you had no fear and you could not fail what would you do?” Answer it honestly and take time to really think about it.

Share your dreams with others. A secret dream is simply a wish. By sharing them out loud, we make a stronger commitment to achieving our dreams.

Create a dream team or find a dream buddy. Make a decision to meet regularly with this group or individual and hold one another accountable for making steps toward your dreams.

Brainstorm dreams. Be unrealistic and creative when brainstorming your dreams and then be realistic when setting goals. It’s okay to let yourself dream huge dreams. Just make sure that the goals you set to move you toward your dreams are realistic and achievable in the time frame you set.

Rekindle childhood dreams. Spend time thinking about what you loved as a child. What did you pretend to be? What did you want to be when you grew up? And how did you imagine your life?

Start a dream file. Keep this file for great ideas and big dreams. You do not have to do anything about these today – just write them down.

Keep dreaming fun. Involve others. Take risks. And let dreaming be a regular part of your life.

Now is the time to renovate your marketing strategies. To renovate your marketing strategies means you take an active role to restore business development techniques, make new marketing channels, reinvigorate your passion for marketing, refresh your marketing materials and revive your sales pipeline. By renovating your marketing strategies you’ll be investing in your future, making the most of the current economy and bringing in more revenue than your competitors.

A marketing renovation requires effort on your part. It won’t happen by itself and you can’t hire someone else to do the whole thing for you. It’ll require your time and energy. But I guarantee it’s worth any time and energy you will put into it.

I hear many business owners talking about how slow they are right now. They tell me the work isn’t there and they’re experiencing some down time. This makes now the perfect time to get to work on marketing your business. If you have the time, even if you don’t have the time – now is the perfect time.

Sadly, many businesses are cutting back on marketing due to the economy. They look at their budget and somehow decide marketing is a good place to cut. This is the worst thing business owners can do during a tough economy. Those who stop marketing during a recession will fall even farther behind their competition and may not make it through this rough season. Those who continue actively marketing will survive and thrive once this recession passes. Marketing is not a choice if you want to be successful – it’s something you must do no matter what the economy is doing.

You need to be out in front of your clients now more than ever! In a good economy there is enough business for everyone and it often comes without much effort on our part. But in a tough economy, when people are carefully deliberating on each and every purchase – you cannot afford to hide. You must be out in front of your clients and potential clients in creative ways every single day.
If you’re not out in front of your target market – you can bet your competitors will be. If you’re not developing future business – someone else will. You cannot afford to sit back and wait for business to come to you. You must take an active role. You must be willing to market but keep  in mind that marketing doesn’t have to look like what it has in the past. By taking on a marketing renovation project, you can look at what’s working, what can be cut and determine how you can use more low-cost or no-cost marketing solutions.
Your goal with marketing must be to stay in front of your target market consistently and effectively. You must stand out from your competition by sharing what makes you unique and by telling potential clients why they’ll benefit from working with you. Potential clients want to know what’s in it for them. A huge part of a marketing renovation is discovering what your clients are really buying from you and why they buy. Once you know this you’re able to make renovations to your current marketing strategies to reach your target market with more precision.

A marketing renovation isn’t about starting over – it’s about keeping what works, getting rid of what doesn’t and adding a few new pieces that’ll work better. It’s about refreshing or reinvigorating your current strategies to make them more effective and in the end bring in more revenue.

Now is the time to Renovate Your Marketing. Now is the time to be committed to growing your business – to making the changes needed to survive this economy and to bring in more revenue. There has never been a better time to renovate. Make a decision and start today.