Goal-Setting 101

/ Cynthiagarden

The most important thing to remember when setting your goals is WHY you are setting that goal. You may have more than one goal, but the Reason for setting the goal is the motivator that will get you there.

There are a lot of articles written about goal-setting techniques. There are, in fact, many techniques involved. Your goals have to be realistic, attainable, measurable, and time-sensitive. But if the reason for wanting to reach a particular goal is not motivating you to action, the goal fails the first test…that of being realistic.

One of my goals is to own a Lincoln MKZ. I like the way that car looks and feels when I drive it. I like the way the interior looks, the way the car handles, and the way people look at me when I’m in it! These are the Reasons I want the Lincoln MKZ, rather than some other car.

Get it?

What is Your WHY? Why are you doing what you are doing with your time and energy and money?

The First Thing you should do when setting goals for yourself or for your career, is determine Why you want it. What will you do once you obtain it? How will it benefit you? How will it make your life better? How can attaining that goal benefit others?

This is Goal-Setting 101.

Advertisements

The Prison Doors are Open!

/ Cynthiagarden

Walk out of the prison created by your anger, fear, hurt, disappointment, criticisms, resentment and pain. You CAN walk out now…Good news! The prison doors are open.

Anger, fear and negative feelings can rob us of our destiny. They are powerful enemies. And no matter what you do, someone will always come along to discourage you, or persecute you, or tell you ‘you can’t do it.’ Another person may even do something hurtful, or disruptive to your progress. But only you can control the outcome of those experiences. You see, it’s not what happens to us that determine our success in life. It’s Our Response to What Happens that determines our success in life.

Don’t let the actions of others stop you, or hinder you. Find a way around that road-block! There is Always a Way!

Depend on the Power Within, and not on someone else, to get you where you want to be. Fight your way through the storm and on the other side, the sun is shining. No, really…IT IS ALWAYS THERE. Reach for it. Go for it!

Selling Something?

/ Cynthiagarden

Do You Have Something to Sell?

All of us as human beings have Something To Sell…It may simply be our smile, our contagious laugh, a talent or a gift to share, or you make things with your hands. It matters little Who You Are. We all have something to offer the world to make it a better place.

It is my opinion that criminals and people who do harmful things as a routine, have failed to look within and find the God-given gift they are purposed to share with others. Therefore, they share the evil within, instead of the Good. And that is a shame. Because those evil thoughts and intents will follow them into all Eternity.

But for those of us who chose to search within for the Good things we have to share, our Eternal Life begins Here on Earth, as we plant seeds of love and hope.

Let this Holiday Season be one of Giving. I’m not thinking of things that money buys. Rather, I’m thinking that the Gifts that we cannot buy with money are the most precious and eternal.
Give someone what you have been given by God. Your Talent, Your Smile, Your contagious Laugh create memories that last forever!

How to Have a Strong Future

/ Cynthiagarden

There have been all sorts of scary predictions about the future. My thing is, if I spend energy and time worrying about the future, in light of the fact that tomorrow may never come, I am wasting valuable time!

Why worry about what I cannot change? Instead, I prefer to spend my energy and time worrying about the things that I CAN change. The people that I surround myself with, the places I go, the things I do with my time…all should contribute some type of benefit to my life.

I Release my fears about the Future. I choose who will be in my company, and work toward avoiding communication with negative or oppressive people. I spend my time thinking of creative ways to arrange my life so that unpleasant places can be avoided. I complete tasks that must be completed, looking forward to doing something pleasant with my time once the unpleasant task is finished.

Does this sound childish? Maybe so. But unless we learn to live out our time here on earth as a little child, we will continue to be stressed out and fearful of the future.

I choose to live my life with joy and anticipation for the future, as a little child would anticipate Christmas, and enjoy every minute of every day, because I do not know which one of these days will be my last. I encourage you, my friends, to do the same!

Happy New Year Every Day of Every Year!

Standing Out in a Crowd Gets You Paid

/ Cynthiagarden

Passion gets attention.

That being said, be passionate about whatever you are doing. This is the key to “selling yourself.” If you want to get noticed, if you want to sell a product, service and get paid for your talent,

Do It With Passion.

I know a Blues singer, who plays the guitar in New Orleans…another blues singer who plays the guitar in New Orleans. There must be at least a thousand of them.

But this young man, no older than 35 years old, sings the blues like he was born at the turn of LAST century! He has so much feeling and passion in his voice when when he sings, and he has a 7-string guitar that has been altered to increase the depth of its sound…that the sound he produces in his music grabs the listeners’ ears, and hearts and sometimes, the soul. (I told him that I want him to sing the blues for my loved ones when I pass away!)

He’s originally from Denver, Colorado…and after living in New Orleans for only a few months, he has grown in popularity and is performing twice as often than when he arrived in town just 7 months ago. He is standing out in the crowd of blues-singing-guitar-playing musicians! He’s doing his thing with passion. He’s getting noticed and getting paid.

Believing in the Positive Will Bring the Positive into Your World

/ Cynthiagarden
Simply affirming that everything is perfect in my world positions me for success. I’m not lying to myself, or deceiving myself.
Let’s say, for instance, that I have no money in the bank. ‘Everything is perfect in my world.’ That’s my affirmation and I’m sticking to it. Why? Because having no money in the bank allows me an opportunity to discover new ways to make money. It forces me to do something constructive about the situation.
Let’s say, for instance, that I have a back ache. ‘Everything’s perfect in my world.’ The pain in my back forces me to take a look at the reason for the pain. Do I need to correct my posture? Cut back on my alcohol consumption? Drink more water? Get better support for my feet? What is it that’s causing my back to hurt? Should I just go see a doctor?
I found myself at the public clinic, waiting to see a doctor. I met other people who had been waiting longer, people who had more pain than just a back ache, people with no family or friends to help them, all sorts of people. I also found myself talking and listening to other people, and at the end of the day, I left the clinic with some brand-new, thought-provoking experiences, along with a prescription from the doctor.
The reason for a lot of my problems, I found, was fear. Fear brings on constriction, limitation, hesitation and pain & discomfort. So, whatever the circumstances are, everything is perfect, because everything works together for the good of the person You love the most…Yourself. You are the creator of your universe. When you simply love and accept yourself, wherever you are today, in whatever circumstance, the Love alone, will see you through the darkness to the Light.
When you look for the hidden treasure in every situation, you will find a blessing in all things.

Love Yourself, Love Your Work.

/ Cynthiagarden

There is a saying that ‘if you love the work that you do, it’s not work.’

How true! And when it comes to music, you have to love it in order to make any money with it.

When I was a child, my mother forced me to take piano lessons. I hated it. Practicing the piano seemed to always give me headache. And pain in my head grew worse whenever my music teacher told me to ‘count out loud.’

“1, 2 & 3 -4…” My eyes are starting to tear-up!

But once I matured a little, and discovered that I could get paid cash money for playing the piano, practicing ‘mysteriously’ became Fun! I actually sought professional help and soon counted the beats effortlessly…Hmmm…What happened to the headaches?

This was the age that I began to style my own hair in (different ways, I may add), and to wear make-up. I was somewhat popular, and enjoyed hanging out with other musicians. By this time, I actually liked myself more than I did when my mother combed my hair and forced me to go to the music class. Could liking myself have something to do with liking the musician that was becoming? I already knew music theory; now all I needed was more practice. I’d been taking lessons for so many years that I had “musician-friends.” Bottom line: I liked myself, I had friends who play music, and SURPRISE! I could earn money playing the piano!!

Practicing was not a struggle anymore, and with the increase in practice, I began to sound a lot better!

Loving yourself and loving what you do with your time go hand in hand. If you have a job that is stressful, find something that you LIKE to do that you can earn money doing…Find something that others need, that you can create.

Because if you love what you do, your sounds, your creations, your ideas, and your expressions will be memorable, and people will be willing to pay for what you have to offer.

So, get out there and start Falling In Love!