Category Archives: Success

Developing Goals for Baby Boomers: Exert, Evolve, and Execute for a Fulfilling Retirement

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Developing Goals for Baby Boomers: Exert, Evolve, and Execute for a Fulfilling Retirement

Portrait of confident senior male carpenter standing by his workbench looking at camera. Mature male carpenter in his workshop with laptop on table.

Are you a baby boomer looking to develop meaningful retirement goals? Developing Goals for Baby Boomers using the progressive repetitive steps of Exerting, Evolving, and Executing can help you build physical and mental strength, continue to learn and grow, and take action toward fulfilling your goals.

Exert: Building Physical and Mental Strength

The first step in the progressive repetitive process is to exert oneself physically and mentally. As a baby boomer, you may find that your body and mind are not as strong as they once were, but there are still many ways to build strength and resilience. For example, you might consider:

  • Exercising regularly: Even a 30-minute walk each day can help improve your physical health and mood.
  • Taking up a new hobby: Engaging in activities that require physical or mental effort, such as gardening or crossword puzzles, can help keep your mind and body active.
  • Engaging in intellectual pursuits: Reading, attending lectures or workshops, or learning a new language can help keep your mind sharp and engaged.

By exerting yourself physically and mentally, you can build a foundation of strength and resilience that can be used to achieve future goals.

Evolve: Growing and Developing Over Time

The second step in the progressive repetitive process is to evolve or to grow and develop over time. As a baby boomer, you may have already achieved many of your life goals, but there is always room for growth and development. Consider setting long-term goals that challenge you and allow you to continue learning and growing. For example:

  • Learning a new skill: Whether it’s cooking, painting, or playing an instrument, learning a new skill can be a fun and rewarding way to continue growing and developing.
  • Traveling to new places: Exploring new cultures and experiencing new things can help broaden your horizons and keep life interesting.
  • Volunteering for a cause: Helping others can be a meaningful way to give back and stay engaged with the world around you.

By setting long-term goals that challenge you and allow you to continue growing and developing, you can stay motivated and fulfilled in your retirement years.

Execute: Turning Dreams into Reality

The final step in the progressive repetitive process is to execute or to take action to achieve your goals. This is where the rubber meets the road, and where you can turn your dreams into reality. To execute your goals, consider:

  • Breaking down larger goals into smaller, more manageable steps: This can help you avoid feeling overwhelmed and stay motivated.
  • Seeking out resources and support: Whether it’s a fitness coach, a mentor, or a community of like-minded individuals, there are many resources available to help you achieve your goals.
  • Staying motivated and accountable: Set deadlines, track your progress, and celebrate your successes to stay motivated and accountable.

By taking action to achieve your goals, you can turn your dreams into reality and live a fulfilling and meaningful life.

Outtake

As a baby boomer, you may be facing unique challenges in your retirement years, but you also have many opportunities to stay engaged, active, and fulfilled than ever before. By using the progressive repetitive steps of exerting, evolving, and executing, you can develop goals that help you build physical and mental strength, continue to learn and grow and take action towards meaningful goals. Whether it’s exercising regularly, learning a new skill, or traveling to new places, there are many ways to stay motivated and fulfilled in your retirement years.

At Boomer to Zoomer, we’re committed to providing resources and support to help baby boomers live their best lives. Our website is filled with articles, tips, and advice to help you navigate the challenges and opportunities of retirement. We also offer a community of like-minded individuals who are on the same journey, providing support, inspiration, and motivation to help you achieve your goals.

So why wait? Start using the progressive repetitive steps of exerting, evolving, and executing to develop goals that will help you live a fulfilling and meaningful life in your retirement years. With the right mindset, support, and resources, anything is possible.

Find tips on traveling with goals HERE

Find goal setting for side hustles for baby boomers: HERE

Escape Pretirement Become a Zoomer

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How I escaped pretirement to become a zoomer at heart began by implementing one of the first commandments recited as a 5-year-old in order to attend kindergarten, “Stop, Look, & Listen, before you cross the street.”

Now, to stop has not been one of my strong suits. I am more often, ready, fire, aim.

Rather than enshrining myself with some label, I accept and encourage my tendency to be easily distracted by shiny objects arising in my field of vision. That has always been my source of wonderment for what might lie just around the next bend in the road. Perhaps it’s part of why some folks don’t care what is on TV, they just want to know what else is on TV.

Rather than stop, however, the best I can do is slow down. A productive way for me to slow down is to go for a long drive down some back-country roads while I think. I always feel I am accomplishing something while I am conjugating life. Rolling past fields and woods with little traffic while I think releases some creative potential otherwise not seen by sitting in quiet contemplation. This eyes-wide-open meditative state while taking in scenery has led to many aha insight moments that simply astonish me as to their source.

So, before I stepped off to cross the street in this pretirement journey, I drove and thought for hours and hours. I recorded unabashed thoughts on my cell phone and transcribed them. It became a formidable collection of thought snippets, scribbled napkins notes, quotes from books, messages from friends, and at least a gazillion favorite webpages carefully stashed by topic. Add to that, hundreds of created word documents with poignant titles sorted simply by month and year as well as copious journal posts, blogs, letters to myself and messages to friends. Other writers have confided to me that they too cast a cacophony of notes on a wall and then search for some melody of meaning.

The desired outcome was to arrive at a destination with a cadre of recorded history that would outline just how I had gotten to this point in my adventure. I wanted to look back to determine what goal and activity had led to my success that would benefit other baby boomers determined to reroute their potential.

My goal, in the beginning, was to simply look and listen. To look and listen to how I had gotten to this crossroad in my life. Endorsing that my past was merely a part of where I’m headed, while extracting the good and the bad, knowing that it took both to create the journey thus far. The subsequent goal was to then attempt to predict the best direction forward, making this part of the journey the best adventure of my life to date.

Looking back with 20/20 vision, I can now confidently say I have reached a condition in my life that I consider the best I have ever experienced or even imagined.  That comes with some weight because the result I have today is, to a large extent, the payback from the work in applying three words that have formulated much of my life; Clarity, Focus and Concentration.

Initially finding clarity meant deciding what I wanted the next stage of my life to look like. It meant answering the question “what if”. What if the future could start with a clean slate? What if small steps could take me to a destination I had only dreamed of?

I knew for sure I would never find out if I didn’t try. My initial onslaught to a new beginning required taking a break from the daily habits that keep us numb to change. To move forward demands we answer the question, who are you and what do you want?

Have you knowingly stepped off in a totally new direction that required you to identify some part of your potential and then redirect your focus?

Escaped Pretirement to Zoomer

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How I escaped pretirement to become a zoomer at heart has been an evolving process.  It began with a written description of my vision for the future over five years ago. Repeating successful goal setting techniques from the past, I began to take the steps to make the next part of my life-journey the most incredible yet. It is said that if you want to change your life, you must change your life.

The last five years have certainly been life-changing. By the time you reach the seventh decade, change has become a welcome friend whether you like it or not. My perspective on change was highlighted by one life-lesson experience.

Many winters ago, after surviving several hours of white-knuckle, zero-visibility, night driving conditions, I discovered a secluded motel in the mountains of upstate New York that resembled something out of a Psycho vintage movie scene. Of course, like the movie character, I was oblivious to any life-altering moments that might lie ahead. I was finally just able to feel some relief; relax my shoulders, stretch my fingers, and proclaim OK, I’m going to be safe, warm, and dry.

While unpacking only enough to support collapsing into bed exhausted, I ignited the rabbit-eared screen in the corner to glean some local weather conditions. I was amused that the preordained channel happened to be a B&W TV movie.

The scene was a man and woman who had not seen each other in many years. She is saying that he looks the same after all these years and she thinks she has barely changed herself. She then asks if he thinks he has changed. His response was one of those quotes that ring true for all the years to come. He simply said, “Change is the only evidence of life.”

I recall being stuck with the importance of the moment and writing down that message. Since then, I have referred to it repeatedly over the decades and chimed it many times to my kids.

Change is the only evidence of life!

For the first four decades of my life, I welcomed change. I couldn’t wait to grow up, get a driver’s license, get out on my own, travel, have kids, have kids grow up and leave home. The older I got, however, the more rigid I found myself becoming.

I discovered that I had boxes and boxes of “shoulds” tarnishing my thinking. People should think and behave this way. The world should get better. Younger folks should treat older folks a certain way. On and on it went. I found myself reenacting my parent’s mantra of “the good old days”.

Now, I’m a positive guy. My kids refer to me as Mr. Positive, half with respect and a half with OK, DAD. How I managed to hold that outward appearance and feel like an imposter inside is a whole other story. What I came to surmise, however, after I decided to stop “Shouldn” myself, was both enlightening and encouraging.

I came to a fork in the road. One direction was going to take me down a well-known prescribed route that would resemble the archaic pathway many elders advocated.

The other fork would take me to uncharted, I have little to no idea what is going to happen territory. I am so grateful I made the decision to be bold.

What decisions have you made after retirement that have taken bold steps to begin? What one thing can you look back on and say, I am so glad and proud that I did that? It has brought much happiness.

Baby Boomers Take the Gold in Golden Years

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A big shout out to Laura Eiman as she flies to the Dominican Republic for the Pan Am Masters. Laura is favored to bring home the Gold Medal in weightlifting. Laura started lifting weights professionally after retiring. She is an inspiration to all baby boomers to keep reaching for new dreams and goals, no matter what your age.

Please support her adventure to take home the Gold in the Golden Years.

Listen to her story of grit and determination in our latest podcast.

Pretirement – Is it Real?

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Baby boomers take pretirement by storm. Is it real?

Since 2011 10,000 baby boomers have turned sixty-five every day. This has caused the landscape of our social fabric to change dramatically. It is becoming increasingly clear that boomers do not want to act their age. They may not know exactly what they do want, but what they don’t want, is to be called “old” or “senior”, or even “retired”. Terms like, “reinventing” “second act” are being heralded as descriptions of the activities that baby boomers use to spend their time.

Pretirement seems like a better term to describe this period between when adults stop contributing to their retirement plans through deductions and yet have not started to draw down on their savings on a regular basis. This is a new state of adult life that marks the transition from a profitable occupation to a profitable avocation.

Many economists and financial planners see pretirement as a conflict that must be surmounted.  Pretirement to them means:

  • The act of planning for early retirement and
  • Planning to avoid probate
  • Planning for long-term care
  • Making sure your money lasts as long as you do

Ok, then what? Let’s face it, financial planning should not take more than a few hours out of each year to stay up to date.

Others are looking more at the social implications of the pretirement years and how a new mosaic of priorities and time management emerge. In all of these, rethinking is a common requirement.

Pretirees are really saying, hell no, this is not another time in my life that I am must drudge through to get to retirement. I don’t want to surmount this. I want to actively enjoy this.

They see pretirement as a period when the kids are, mostly, on their own – man is the only animal that lets the young back in the nest. They have done the twelve-hour work day when you include transit time and dealing with kid’s activities. For too long, they have sacrificed for others. It is finally their time. Once the kids are out of the house, they are ready to enjoy life again. it’s like when the last family dog or cat goes to animal heaven and you decide, I have picked up enough poop and changed enough kitty litter for one life.  Many boomers just don’t want to be home by a certain time anymore to look after pets. They want to enjoy their new-found freedoms.

Pretirement is the time to move past the reflection of what have I accomplished, and on to where can I make the biggest difference with my talents, and expand my horizons of creative life and lifestyle.

The sheer number of baby boomer pretirees transitioning into the next state of existence has led to an entirely new financial economy with tremendous entrepreneurial requirements, the “longevity economy”.  Many of this newly defined cohort are actively looking to expand their contribution to society as well as exploit their wisdom to work for themselves. Pretirement is a time for a second career for many of those leaving the workforce, with one-third of new businesses being started by those over the age of fifty, per the research by the Kaufman Foundation.

The advantages that the current pretirees, the baby boomers, bring to the table to start a business career after leaving an employment career are multi-faceted Including confidence, experience, wisdom, financial security, basic business acumen, clear goals, and the ability to work with others, just to name a few.

One thing is for certain. The pretirement baby boomers are itching for new input on many intellectual fronts. They are staying curious and looking for answers to problems they see in the world. They want information and they want to learn. They see their next 20-30 years as a great adventure and they want to participate to the fullest.

If you are in that cohort of baby boomers who are creating a new beginning, we want to know what has driven you to begin again? What has inspired you? Where, and how, have you gotten new skills that you needed to create your new raison d’etre? Not only do others need to hear your story, others will be inspired by your challenges and successes. Remember, leave the woodpile higher than the way you found it.

Do you succumb or do you surmount?

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Some call it Resilience. Others call it Grit. It’s a quality inside that leads to what Mr. Kratz, my trumpet teacher when I was 11 years old called, Stick-to-itiveness. What I call “Dogged persistence born out of obligation and stubbornness”.

My father was an abusive disciplinarian. He was nearly sixty years old when I was born and often seemed like a grandfather figure rather than a father. He was born in 1889. Yup, my father was born 128 years ago. Child rearing was a different concept then. By the time my siblings and I came along, the child rearing method of the day was that parents must break the will of the child at an early age in order to control their behavior. Creative, endeavors were seen as aberrant behavior and stifled. Children were to be seen and not heard. Consequently, I could either become resentful and give up my power to an external locus of control or secretively harbor and protect my self-esteem through adaptive measures. Fortunately, for me, that little person inside of me chose, yes chose, to maintain the locus of control internally. For what reason did I choose to rise above the abuse and flourish and my three siblings choose to feel defeated in life and give their power up to an external ghost?

The answer to that question bates the answer to the question of, why are some people seemingly more successful than others? Why do certain people have greater personal effectiveness while others feel life is controlled by luck and circumstance rather than by the laws of cause and effect, action and reaction and sowing and reaping?

Norman Garmezy addressed these concepts and questions and started what became known as resilience theory. Emmy Werner also concluded that the same traumatic environmental factors resulted in opposing behavioral outcomes within the same cohort. Angela Duckworth has shown that Grit can be learned and strengthened.

This means, to me, that baby boomers have the distinct, verifiable opportunity to consciously change directions and strengthen their internal locus of control to take control of their own power to make decisions by controlling how and what they think. The question I ask is, can business startup success be predicted in the baby boomer cohort that sees retirement as an opportunity for new beginnings?

Henry Ford said; if you think you can’t or you think you can, you’re right. Your commitment to change is up to you. Brian Tracy says that a person feels a level of self-esteem to the degree to which they feel in control of their outside world. Your outside world is a manifestation of your internal expectation and design. Make a decision today to get clarity on what you want your outside world to look like. Get clarity on your motives. Write them down. Connect your motives to your goals. It really is as simple as fill-in-the-blanks and connect the dots. Your motivation will come from your fascination and love of the game.

James Wm Frank Press Release

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There are steps and a system to begin again. I started running on a track ten months ago to take me from the point of looking for an idea, linked to my values and life goals, to being recently inducted into the National Academy of Best-Selling Authors. This was not luck. These same steps can be learned by anyone. Allow me to show you how to sort through all the bombardment of research traffic and get the most out of your efforts in the shortest period of time. This result brings to fruition three ninety day adventures, each different from the last and each one bringing greater clarity of purpose, and wisdom from experience.

Three Press Releases from the Best-Selling Book – Success Manifesto

Press Newsroom

PR Buzz

Pitch Engine

 

Listen to me when I’m talking to you!

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We all know that little voice inside our heads that talks to us.  My mom used to tell me it was alright to talk to yourself, as long as you don’t catch yourself going, Huh?

That little voice can be our friend or our foe. We either send uplifting messages to our subconscious to carry out actions, or we send self-limiting messages that stunt our progress toward rewarding achievement.

We all know that voice that says, don’t get too excited, what makes you think you can do that, and I sure messed that up. However, how often do you catch yourself saying; let’s celebrate this win, or I knew I could do that, and the past is merely part of where I’m going?

What if you had a robot assistant that followed you around all day and repeatedly praised your efforts and encouraged your achievements? How about if they only told you things that you programmed them to say, positive, present tense affirmations that left you feeling confident, competent, and content? And while they are at it, how about they remind you of your goals in all major areas of life; health, family, career, self and wealth?

This programmable robot already exists, your brain. It follows the commands you give it. It repeats back to you all the messages that it hears you saying to yourself, both negative and positive. When you tell yourself you cannot do something, your brain blocks out all the possible breakthroughs that could enter your awareness and lead you to the accomplishment you really want. Conversely, when you set about bringing a vision into reality, your brain will automatically, through your reticular activating system, bring into your awareness all the knowledge and connections you need to literally manifest into existence an idea that you have conceived.

I have talked to myself my entire life. So have you. For over half a century, I have practiced speaking to myself in a more caring, encouraging, goal oriented fashion than what I exhibited as a child. It’s the sign of a superior leader of self and others to be able to speak to yourself about what you want instead of what you don’t want.

The following is a list of personal affirmations that I have acquired over many years from countless business and personal development experts.

I record, and re-record every year or so. I keep them on my smart phone and listen to them while driving, when unable to get to sleep, first thing in the morning, or when discouragement of any kind tries to influence my well-being.  I created one for my daughter so she could have her father’s voice telling her how proud I am of her.  Imagine having your parent’s voice encouraging you at every turn in life.

Wayne Dyer starts his affirmations with this introduction to himself;

 I am using these moments to review what I intend to manifest into my life. I attract only to myself those who are in alignment with my highest ideals of myself.

Health & Happiness

I am a dreamer!

I am powerful beyond measure!

I am responsible!

I have an abundance of energy!

I attract energy into my life!

I intend to feel good!

I eat only foods that nourish and build my body!

My metabolism is increasing every day!

I live stress-free!

I have joy and happiness in my life!

Something really wonderfully exciting is going to happen today!

Self-Determination – Goals, Business

I am responsible!

I can set goals!

I am committed to my goals!

I visualize my goals as complete each day!

I do everything I need to do to achieve my goals!

I schedule events to accomplish goals!

I have no limits!

I am unstoppable!

I get things done!  Especially today!

I have faith, courage and conviction!

I know I can do the things I need to do to succeed in business!

I form new habits that get me where I am going!

I improve myself in some way every day of my life!

I create the success habit of taking action, now!

I read, I listen, I learn, and I win!

I always seek the help I need to get the job done!

I motivate myself and I motivate others!

I attract loving allies in all areas of my life!

I attract positive cash flow!

I impact others in a positive manner!

I am an appreciator of people!

I am an encourager!

I build teams of positive allies!

I have made a major difference in many people’s lives!

I am a winner in training!

I enjoy the rewards of my work!

I love to celebrate my successes!

I have financial freedom!

I have both time and money!

I live the lifestyle I have always wanted to have!

Abundance flows to me and through me to help others!

I educate people and align resources every day!

I choose to feel on top of the world, right now!

Something really wonderfully exciting is going to happen today!

Personal life

I am whole and perfect as I was created!

My life is full of abundance!

I connect with my source of creative and loving energy!

I am a totally loving person!

(My name), I am so proud of you!

I have a loving relationship with (My Family)!

I encourage and uplift (Names of Family)!

My thoughts are of love!

I let go of anger quickly and completely!

I forgive all those who threaten my peace!

I release all resentment and blame!

I easily let go of all resentment and blame!

I am a winner over my past!

I bring love to the presence of anger and hatred!

I attract only peace and peaceful people into my life!

I am loved because I love!

I respect myself at all times!
I belong! I really belong!

I love myself!

I feel terrific!

Something really wonderfully exciting is going to happen today!

I am!

I am financially abundant

I am secure

I am at peace

I am healthy

I am joyful

I am focused

I am creative

I am good

I am strong

I am inspiration

I am health

I am content

I am safe

I am real

I am awesome

I am flourishing

I am brilliant

I am proud

I am love

I am change

I am fun

I am divine

I am positive

I am whole

I am complete

I feel terrific

I feel powerful

I feel loving

I feel cheerful

I feel satisfied

I feel happy

I feel the moment

I feel energized

I feel prosperous

I love myself

I am incredible

I feel incredible

I feel balanced

I feel content

I feel wealthy

I earn a million dollars plus a year

I am open to everything

I am a miracle in happening

I am powerful beyond measure

I am powerful beyond measure

I am powerful beyond measure

Take action: Write out as many of these as resonate with your values and read them 100 times over the next month. Record those that still resonate with you on your phone and play back to yourself 100 times over the next month. I guarantee that you will notice a huge difference in your self-esteem, attitude, and ability to accomplish more steps in reaching your goals faster.

Becoming a Renascent Boomer

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  1. Spend Time with Yourself

The catalyst for change does not happen in a vacuum, however, decisions are all yours.

Acquire Knowledge

Your best thinking got you this far. You are where you are because you planned on being there. Either you planned, or failed to plan. Either way, you made the decisions that got you to this point.  If you are not where you want to be at this point in your life, critique the person who looks back from the mirror. Playing the blame game wastes precious energy and thinking bandwidth. As Philip Roth wrote as the last line of Portnoy’s Complaint, “yes, and?”.

We all have an innate natural tendency to look for something or someone to blame. It is programmed into our psyche. Paranoia is just good thinking when you know the Saber-toothed tiger is out to get you. However, the past is just a thought occurring in the present. It is not what we did in the past that counts as much as what are we going to do from here that will make the difference.

We all have the innate ability to also look towards solutions to the current situation rather than wallow in remorse and regret. Regret is merely a wishful thought that something could have gone differently in the past. As humans, we have been endowed with the ability to take charge of our thoughts. The discipline of focusing on a goal can replace any negative thought, like replacing a song in your head with another song.

Studies have shown that people who acquire knowledge from books, audio programs, and mentors develop the grit to stay the course in new endeavors.

Define and write down the areas in which you need more information in order to make decisions. Remember though, that the purpose of research is to come to a conclusion. Successful people make decisions and then set about making them right. Even decisions that do not pan out lead to further knowledge and better future decisions.

Study

Once you have defined the areas in which you need more information, swarm all over it to collect as much knowledge as possible. You can become an expert quickly by getting clearer on your goals. Examine information for  relevancy.  Write down, or record everything, as you go. I listen to audio programs while walking on the treadmill. While listening and working out, I want to capture ideas as they come. I use a second recorder to digitalize ideas for future review and incorporation into my research and writing. Developing a system for retaining and retrieving information is critical. Creating research folders and files online where they can be accessible from any device, for instance on Microsoft One Drive, not only makes them accessible but provides one location versus multiple locations that need to be remembered.

I use Evernote extensively to store information for later retrieval and review. Experts tell us that the challenge is not recording information, it is retrieving information. Evernote is useful because you can file web pages, emails, and documents from anywhere, without creating files whose names or locations have to be remembered. You can search thousands of pieces of information, quickly, with just the words that you are looking for.

  • Start a habit of filing information for further review. Use the free app Evernote. Research news articles and file into Flipboard as well. I use Google Alerts to have the latest, articles sent to me every day. I have been able to research thousands of contributors. See Boomer to Zoomer on Flipboard. https://flipboard.com/@jasfrank/boomer-to-zoomer-ohmgnibpz.
  • Design your knowledge storage and retrieval system. Make information accessible across laptop and phone. Use external storage as well as backup to protect records.

Plan

As you acquire more knowledge and study the contributions to your goals, write out a plan for accomplishment. My mantra is “If it is not written, it is not so”. I suggest not making it perfect as it will change with time. Just get it in a binder or word document. Remember that the plan is in sand, while the goal is in concrete. There is an old saying, tryers try, and doers do. Saying, “I’ll try is the same as, I’m not going to do it. Writing out your goals and plans, over and over, will embed them in your subconscious and release the power of accomplishment. You have a reticular activating system in your brain that allows you to drive, for instance, and still locate the doctor’s office. Incredibly, you don’t have to leave the office and say to your brain, now look for somewhere to eat lunch. Your brain will automatically stop looking for the doctor’s office sign and automatically focus your awareness on signs for restaurants. Trust your mind to help you focus.

  • Take the time now to write out goals and plans and refer to often. The more places you have your goals starring back at you, the sooner you will reach them.

 2. Define Your Motivation & Passion

Defining your motivation and passion are the starting points of all success. Without the direction of goals and why you are doing them, your life will be in constant limbo. You will be confused as to what to do next. There are three types of people in life. Those who make things happen. Those who watch things happen. And those who say, what happened? The confused mind stops you from being a goal-seeking organism and forces you into being merely part of the group of people who are in constant wonder of what’s going on.

Major Definite Purpose

Although this may seem like a daunting task to determine, there are definitive steps that you can take to unveil the things that drive you to get moving. Some simple questions, answered quickly, will begin to take you in the right direction.

  • If you won a lottery of ten million dollars, what would you do?
  • If you only had six months to live, what would you do?
  • If you knew you could not fail, no matter what, what things would you embark on?
  • What things do you want to be remembered for? In five words, write you epitaph on you gravestone.
  • Write out your three most important goals, right now.

Complete a List of Values

Creating a list of values and grouping by importance will help you narrow down into descriptive words those things that matter most to you in life. Print this list and circle all the value words that resonate with you. You can also make your list of important value words in a text file or word document. Once listed, transcribe into no more than five groups.

For example, a group heading might be Integrity. The words that describe Integrity might be Benevolence, Encouragement, Inspiration, Leadership, and Giving Help. Finally, give each group an action verb as in, Exude Integrity. The addition of the action verb will drop all those words into your subconscious as a command for your subconscious to follow. You will begin to feel Integrity every time you encourage, inspire and lead others. You will have a feeling of completeness and your self-esteem will go up.

core-values-list-pic

As a result of these two steps, you will begin to identify and build on what motivates you and gives you a feeling of passion for your goals.

List Your Goals. Select 5 and Avoid All Others

Once you have completed the first two steps, write out your top 20 Goals as of right now. Next, select the top five goals in terms of immediate importance. It is common to discover that many goals are actually sub-goals of a larger goal. Now, here is a challenge for many people. Anything other than those five goals needs to be discarded and avoided at all costs. Those are the areas that rob us of our time and leave us unfilled with regards to the most important goals we have.

3. Create Success Habits

Creating the picture in your mind’s eye of the way you want to live will provide motivation. Cultivating good habits is what makes you stay the course.

 Health

Healthy eating, exercise, and a good night’s sleep. These are areas of life over which we have some of the most control. Researchers have determined that forming a positive habit in a small endeavor will translate into better habits in other areas.

Personally, I find it easiest, not necessarily easy, to adjust habits and gain increased self-confidence around health habits. Just by eating a balanced breakfast leaves me with a feeling of increased confidence. Nutritionists say that we are always only one meal away from being on track of a healthy diet.

Getting on a treadmill at the gym, or at home, for 20 minutes will begin a new habit. Not that long ago, when I made a new decision to get serious about exercising again, it took me a week to work up to spending 30 minutes on the treadmill. However, by diligently working on that specific habit, I reached 90 minutes of cardio at a time. That habit alone strengthened my eating habits and enhanced a better night’s sleep. Over time, I found myself going from thinking of exercise as a chore to being time allocated to my wellbeing. Once it was seen as a reward and a positive experience, I could not stop. It was no longer something I had to do. It morphed into something that was part of my long-term goal of enjoying every day alive. Although it took discipline to get started, focus and concentration paid off.

Focus & Concentration

Focus and total concentration are the two greatest rewards of self-discipline. Armed with a definite purpose and a goal with which to replace negative thinking, it only takes daily focus and concentration to accomplish great things in life. One of my best time management tools is to remind myself that if I say yes to this shiny object in front of me, what am I saying no to? It takes very little time for me to refocus back to the things that are the most important. The use of daily and monthly markers help many people stay focused.

Time is a limiting factor for all of us. The older we get, the more that time takes precedence over money. I use visual markers that keep me focused. I put a marble in my pocket and carry it around for a month. I then replace it and store the previous one. Watching marbles mount in a jar is a keen reminder of where I have been and where I want to be.

  • Develop a new method today to help you stay focused on your goals. Write goals out daily and have pictures where you can see them. Reading your goals aloud helps enormously. Seeing the lifestyle you want or the healthy-you looking back from the edge of the bathroom mirror further embeds into your subconscious the grit necessary to accomplish great goals.

4. Find Resources

The greatest gift I received from post-secondary school was learning how and where to get information. With today’s Google search, we can gain information quickly and abundantly. There is no excuse for not finding helpful resources any longer.

Books, Audio, Video

Charlie Tremendous Jones has long said that we will be the same people, five years from now, except for the books we read and the people we meet. I will add audio and video programs from myriad sources as well.

Many years ago, one of my salesmen loaned me a set of tapes by Brian Tracy on sales. After absorbing the material, I increased my company sales by 500% in one season. The information came at no charge, however, the application of the resource made an enormous financial gain for the company. It is not enough to gather knowledge. You must take action on it by applying it to your endeavor as quickly as possible. The faster you apply and fail, and apply and fail, the faster you will succeed. To increase your success rate, increase your failure rate. Babe Ruth was the greatest home run hitter at the same time as being the greatest strikeout king.

  • Make a decision now to get started on finding resources for you immediate goal. Write it down. Start a list, now. Remember the starting point is not as important as the point of starting.

Like-Minded People

Convey your goals only to people who can help you achieve them or encourage you to achieve them. Spanx founder, Sarah Blakely, refused to tell her family what she was starting for over a year because she suspected they would be critical of her endeavor and dampen her spirit.

Napoleon Hill encouraged people to create an alliance with those who can help you accomplish your goals. That is why I believe coaching is so important. When I need counseling on an important issue, I  reach out to a board of advisers that I have. Most do not know they are on my board and I can change advisers whenever necessary. One thing is for sure. If you see a turtle on top of a fence post, it did not get there by itself. We all function more effectively in a cooperative environment.

Researchers have determined that inspiration from others is a critical component of developing the grit to stay the course on goals. That inspiration may come from contemporary encouragers or someone from the past. Many a successful person, regardless of their field, has been able to point to a historical person who has made a major impact on their thinking.

  • Identify five people who can assist you in starting and completing your most important goal. Write out what you want to ask of them and contact them today. Remember, it is always carpe diem.

5. Reward Yourself

Thomas Edison said, “There is no substitute for hard work”. I don’t mind working hard if there are rewards along the way.

Ask for Kudos

Waiting around for others to notice our efforts and to congratulate us is like sitting in a field with open mouth, waiting for a cooked chicken to fly in. It is just not going to happen. Successful people know when they have done a good job and have no problem asking for what they need. Remember, you will never G-E-T until you A-S-K. There is nothing wrong with sharing your success with like-minded people. They will be the first to congratulate you.

Give Mini Rewards Often

Use break times for rewarding yourself for small changes. Complete a task before allowing yourself that much-coveted swim in the lake, or drive to the store. The point is to associate the reward with a win on your road to accomplishing a goal. Your subconscious will want to repeat the feeling of accomplishment and association with the reward, making it easier to form a new habit. The more rewards associated with completion of a task, the stronger the desire to complete the entire goal.

Express Gratitude to Self

Expressing gratitude to yourself is not only a reward, it has been shown to improve longevity. Most of us did not hear this enough as children, I’m so proud of you, or, really great job. Saying you are proud of yourself, or that you like yourself, reinforces your belief in yourself, which has been scientifically shown to increase your grit level toward achievement.

  • Say aloud, I like myself, I like myself, I LIKE myself. Eventually, this will get driven into your daily thinking. Remember, Others cannot like you more than you like yourself.

These five keys are not all that areas that need to be internalized for success, however, my take on it is that they are absolutely essential. To learn more, sign up for my upcoming book The Renascent Boomer – A Tsunami Rising.