Best Year Yet

by Diana Baysinger,  Best Year Yet Partner and Trainer

 
Each year at the end of December, I look forward to making my new Best Year Yet plan. I have been creating Best Year Yet plans for 12 years, and what I have noticed is how the paradigms that emerged each year tracked my growth and development. It has been an extraordinary ride through my 50’s and into my 60’s as I have grown more and more confident in the passion and purpose I experience in my life.

Eleven years ago when I was first introduced to BYY, I was celebrating my 17^th year as a successful Licensed Marriage and Family therapist in private practice, my sons had been launched into their own lives, and I was looking forward to kicking back and taking more time for myself and my own life. I had spent the majority of my life living up to other people’s expectations and so it was not surprising that the answer to Best Year Yet Question 4, my most limiting paradigm, was “Everyone else’s needs come first.”

I was not accustomed to thinking through what I wanted; I was more focused on what others wanted. The discipline of setting goals that reflected what I wanted in my life was challenging. My paradigm that year was ”I am important.” During that first year, I began to travel and took 4 weeks off during the summer to spend time with family in Maine.

These simple words led to more conscious choices, and it was the beginning of a mindset that has set me free to live what I know now to be my true purpose. It took me two years to relax into this new mindset as I moved from other limiting paradigms such as, “It is too hard to learn new things” to “I have all the resources I need to be successful.”

My “I am important” paradigm carried me through a year when my coaching business began to blossom. It took on a life of its own, and I was challenged to keep up with all the new things I was learning and using in my service. My work expanded from the United States into Europe and I spent time in the Netherlands with colleagues and friends. Thanks to my paradigm I took a 5-day cycling trip with friends down the Danube River.

By the 5^th year, I was feeling a shift from the conscious effort I made to live into the paradigm to a relaxation and trust in living from my paradigm.  I was more creative and aligned with trust in the higher good that kept presenting itself to me. I felt a reconnection with something that had always been present in my life and was now embedded in my daily practice.

My faith grew ~ Forward Action Inspired by a Trust in a Higher Power. During this timeframe, I developed new business partnerships and started working with non-profit organizations, colleges and a local foundation.

Over the last five years I have felt a depth of gratitude. Yes, even through the economic challenges, I have felt a depth of gratitude for the things that I cherish most: family, friends, fun, faith, health and service. My paradigms have kept me focused on these most valuable parts of life. When it comes to these things, I am a wealthy woman.

Recently, I was asked to step up and claim my role as a leader. I felt uncomfortable about the suggestion and yet when I was making my paradigm I challenged myself to break through the discomfort and take a stab at a paradigm that would reflect the suggestion. My first attempt at the new paradigm for 2012 was, “I am an extraordinary leader who makes a difference in the world.” I let that sit for a few days and all of a sudden the one that really resonated came to me and this is the one I declare for 2012.

“I lead from the inside out, making dreams come true
for myself and the people I serve.”

Once again my paradigm challenged me to move from an outside influence to the inside and align with what is most true for me. As you think about this year, think about the paradigm you want to live from, declare it and live it and watch the miracles of passion and purpose come alive in your own life.

If you would like to receive a free half-hour consultation with your BYYO plan for 2012, please click here and then write to me diana.baysinger@gmail.com to book a time for us to meet.

by Diana Baysinger

Best Year Yet has had an international presence for over 31 years providing service to thousands of individuals and businesses around the world. Our nearly 400 Best Year Yet Coaches and Program Leaders are known for helping people produce remarkable results in their personal and professional lives. You will find Best Year Yet Coaches in 25 countries including the United States, France, Nigeria, Greece, Italy, Germany, Romania, the United Kingdom and Australia. We have BYY Coaches in 32 states in the United States including Arizona, New York, California, Illinois and Nebraska. You will find Best Year Yet Online available in 5 different languages, English, French, Italian, Spanish and German. Click here to view the list of countries where our Best Year Coaches and Program Leaders are offering our programs.

Over the last 2 years I have had the pleasure of training 40 Best Year Yet Online Coaches from Russia, Italy, Kenya, the United Kingdom, Nigeria, Greece, Italy, Australia, Romania and the United States. What I know about these coaches is that they use Best Year Yet in their own lives and businesses, and they are committed to taking Best Year Yet into the lives of their clients. Best Year Yet Coaches can be found working with:

• Individuals, Couples, Managers, Retirees, Students, Teachers, Athletes, Leaders, Entrepreneurs
• Educational Institutions: Schools, Universities
• Non-Profit Organizations: Girl Scouts of America, Children Services, YouthZone, Women’s Crisis Center, Technical Assistance Partnership
• Large Organizations in these industries and market sectors: Banking, Healthcare Insurance, Media, Marketing, Financial Planning, Accounting, Retail Services, Telecommunications, Pharmaceuticals, Engineering, Real Estate, Food, Consulting, Manufacturing, Software, Internet Services, Music, Health and Wellness, Publishing
• Teams using our Performance Improvement and Appraisal system
• Governmental Agencies: City Councils, School Boards
• Leaders for leadership development

Here are a few of our Best Year Yet Coaches, who they work with, and the results their clients are experiencing.

Best Year Yet Coach Scott Miller is in Phoenixville, Penn USA. He is the owner of The Growth League. Scott joined BYY in 2010 as a result of using his own BYY plan for 2 years and working with a BYY coach. The results he experienced inspired him to create a BYY business plan for his own business. Over the last year Scott has taken BYY into Puroclean businesses around the country. Scott helps owners and their teams achieve success through his experiences in franchised business systems and by using BYY proven, web-based performance management software named Producing Results Online® or PRO for short.

Here is what one of his clients said:

“Before you started helping us we were almost like a ship in the ocean without a rudder or sail. Now we have those and have set a course to where we want to go. You have been a huge help for us with this regard. I opened the puzzle up, dumped it out and you showed how to put each piece in the proper place. Also, we are so much more organized with our employees. Everyone knows their specific jobs, and we keep going over these in our regular staff meetings. All in all, Scott, you have my office now where I thought we would be in a year from now. I’m looking forward to a long and prosperous relationship with you so every year will be My Best Year Yet. Thank you for everything.”- Bob 

Best Year Yet Licensee, Program Leader and Coach Thea Polancic is in Chicago, Ill, USA. She is a co-owner of Clearspace, LLC. Thea created her own BYY plan in April 2002 by using “Your Best Year Yet”, a book written by Jinny Ditzler co-founder of Best Year Yet. When she went to the Program Leader’s Training in July 2002, Thea had already achieved her biggest “long shot” goals. She credited her Paradigm Shift and use of her Guidelines as the biggest contributors to her success. As a BYY Coach, she believes that the one-page plan works on you and provides structure for setting goals that are inspirational and exciting.

“Most people have never created a plan from inspiration.  BYY helps us swing out from plans filled with should’s and other peoples’ desires to what is most true and authentic for us.”

Thea can be found working with leaders of mid-market companies. Her clients are busy people with full lives and focused on results. She assists clients in becoming focused on personal and professional development. As a result of working with leaders has led to a natural progression of working with teams. Team members have expressed relief that their leaders care about their development and this has resulted in increased team effectiveness and overall success for the company. Some of the results of Thea’s BYY Coaching include:

• Client’s marriage
• Couples starting their families
• Launching of a dream job
• Starting an entrepreneurial business
• Receiving  $3,000,000 funding

Best Year Yet Licensee, Program Leader and Coach Andrew Duncan is the owner of Goaldtime Management located in York, England, UK. He works with teams from board level to strategically important leadership teams and frontline sales teams. His first experience with BYY in 2001 was as a Sales Director and member of a BYY client Team. In 2004 he started his own consulting business and also became a Best Year Yet Program Leader. He works with teams and is increasing his service in executive coaching and mentoring. All his clients come from recommendations.

Andrew is a true product of the product. He creates his own BYY plan every year and believes the creation of the one-page plan “starts a yearlong journey in living the plan and producing desired results.” He and his adult children meet monthly for their reviews, and they serve as coaches for each other.

He sees the Monthly Performance Review in the Best Year Yet Team Program as a vehicle that embeds the desired behaviors that move the plan from development to delivery through discipline and coaching conversations; a total results focus. Andrew believes that the true measure of any team is that it achieves the results it set out to achieve, every time.

Some of the challenges that his clients have experienced in their business include:

• No team alignment
• Too busy being busy and not producing desired results
• Lack of trust
• Lack of true accountability
• Performing as individuals, not as a team

The greatest impact BYY has had on his clients include:

• Leadership skills are enhanced
• Team members understand their commitments and do what they say they are going to do
• Team alignment
• Better decision making
• Increased trust
• Being proactive in a reactive market

 These are some comments from his clients:

“Our team has made significant strides forward in achieving our best year so far and certainly without the BYY programme we would currently be struggling to deal with the pressures facing us.  The most significant milestone has been the development of trust amongst our team to an extent I have not experienced before in my career.  The structure drives delivery and accountability, this coupled with Andrew’s personal experience and approachable nature generates excellent and tangible results which all teams can benefit from”.  - Victoria

“Andrew has helped me to cut through the ‘noise’ that often gets in the way of achieving results that matter most in my life.  Setting clear goals with monthly actions and the discipline of a monthly review with Andrew as coach to challenge my activities, has helped me to remain focused on delivering results in areas that I value most.  For example, I set a goal to become fitter and this led to an action to start running.  Within 2 months I was able to run 5k three times a week from having undertaken little exercise for years.  My renewed fitness and Andrew’s coaching, has spurred me on to a new goal to complete a trek to Kilimanjaro which will fulfill one of my lifetime ambitions.” –David

Now that you have received a brief overview of where you can find a Best Year Yet Coach, I invite you to get started with the Best Year Yet 3 step process: Make a Plan, Track the Plan and Become a Master at Producing Results. Click here and you will be on your way in joining thousands of people around the world who are living their Best Year Yet!  You will receive a free ½ hour consultation with this registration.

by  Diana Baysinger

When I think about the word ACCOUNTABILITY,  I see the words A, ability, and count within the word.  This helps me understand the word accountability as an ability to count. What that means is that we all have an inherent ability to make things happen in our lives and the questions we need to ask ourselves are: 

• Am I content with what is happening in my personal and professional life?
• Am I living in alignment with what is most important to me?
• Am I making my life count?

If you answered no or not really than a dose of accountability is just what you need. Being accountable takes character, courage, and honesty.  When we count on ourselves to show up on time, fulfill our commitments, face and resolve challenges, and stay faithful to our values we make our life count and the world around us becomes a more positive place in which to live and work.

Accountability is a mindset and a discipline.

There are three ingredients for accountability: clearly defined goals, a plan for implementing the goals, and a commitment to results. These become the measuring cup for making your life count. When we fall short on these three ingredients it can cause guilt and depression instead of the joy and fulfillment that accountability can bring.

I have been a licensed marriage and family therapist for over 28 years and have seen some clients placed on medication for depression and anxiety when what they really needed was a plan for their life or work and a system of accountability. They were looking for a change and needed a commitment to a plan designed to produce the changes they wanted in their personal and professional lives.

One client, Joe, was feeling overwhelmed by his work/life demands and was not only losing sleep he also was feeling disconnected from his wife, children, and the things that brought him pleasure.  Joe was feeling depressed and felt guilty because he owned his own home, had a loving wife, healthy children, and had a job — and thought all of that should have made him happy. His mindset was all about, “I don’t want to live like this and I don’t know what to do.” He felt trapped in a job that was not meaningful and yet did not have the courage to research other options.

Four Steps to being accountable and making your life count

Shift Your Mindset

Joe learned to shift his mindset from what he “ didn’t want” to what he “did want.” He wanted more connection with his wife and children. He wanted more meaning to his work. And, he wanted to reclaim those activities that brought him pleasure. Once he shifted his mindset to what he did want, he described that as a “burden being lifted” from his chest.

Set Clear and Defined Goals

He started to set goals for greater intimacy with his wife, planned activities with his children, and took time to volunteer in settings that brought back a sense of purpose and fulfillment.

Create A Plan for Implementing the Goals

As his plan was implemented, his energy began to rise. Joe’s creativity became more active and he was able to meet the challenges at work.

Commit to Results

He was being held accountable to those actions through our ongoing conversations. The results Joe began experiencing replaced the feelings of depression and guilt with a sense of direction, momentum, and fulfillment.

It takes courage to speak up when we are off course and that is just what Joe did. He knew he wanted a different experience and took the steps to shape his life differently and get the results he wanted.

It is important to surround yourself with others who have a high level of accountability and are models for making life count. Create a community of people you can trust. Spend time with them on a regular basis and share your goals, your successes, and your challenges; and, know that they will do the same.

Be courageous, open, and honest because you are ultimately what makes your life count. What we learn and what we apply becomes a practice and what we practice becomes our life. Take a moment and think about your accountability practice.

Are you stuck in excuses and blame? Or, are you practicing accountability which focuses on self-responsibility and rigorous action?

If you are interested in making ACCOUNTABILITY come alive in your own life join the thousands of people who have used Best Year Yet.

Click here

https://www.bestyearyet.com/byyo/register.cfm?referral_code=388g

and receive a free ½ hour accountability consultation so your plan can . . .

MAKE YOUR LIFE COUNT!

People who are extraordinary are present to the moment, see magic in simple things and have a deep appreciation for the life they have been given. They leave an imprint and touch others by their very presence. Being extraordinary means we experience the ordinary and add a little something extra to it. It has no age limit. As a matter of fact, children come into this world as extraordinary miracles. I only have to remember the first time I held my granddaughter to remember the gift of being present to that moment, the awe of looking into the eyes of the next generation and the gratitude I felt for the life cycle. That was an extraordinary experience.

It is the choices we make between birth and death that make us extraordinary. I have been blessed to know people who have lived fully after the age of 90. One extraordinary 91 year old woman lives in Indiana. She lives in her own home, still drives herself, volunteers at her church and works 2 days a week at a hospital gift store. Each morning she spends ½ hr on the treadmill, completes a practice of stretching and closes her routine with meditation. She claims her longevity is a result of healthy living, strong family and community support and a positive attitude. So you see, we all have the ability to be extraordinary.

I dare you to be extraordinary! Accept the challenge and your life will change in ways you only imagined. It is really not as daunting as it may appear, it requires three things:

• Find your passion and purpose and live it full out.
• Align your thoughts and actions with your dreams.
• Take healthy risks and step outside the box.

FIND YOUR PASSION: Imagine a time in your life when you felt a sense of joy, a sense of purpose or a deep sense of connection to something that you valued. For me it is the ocean. I grew up in Massachusetts and spent summers on the South Shore of the Atlantic Ocean. I didn’t realize the significance of that passion until I moved out to the desert and felt something missing in my life. It became clear to me what was missing when I was floating on a mat in a swimming pool and felt this deep sense of calm. I knew then that I needed to find places in Arizona that would reconnect me with nature and the sound of water. I began visiting lakes and creeks around the state and discovered the most sacred of places. I dreamed that some day I would create a sacred space in my own backyard that would include colorful flowers, birds, rocks and running water.

ALIGN YOUR THOUGHTS AND ACTIONS WITH YOUR DREAMS: We carry perceptions, assumptions and stories in our minds and we believe they are all true. Our belief or attitude translates into action. Attitude and action creates experience. Experience produces results and the cycle gets reinforced. When was the last time you had a dream, a dream of something you wanted in your life?  One of my clients had such a dream.  She is a very talented Adult Education Teacher teaching non-credit writing classes at a local Community College. She had found her passion and purpose, loved what she did and received outstanding evaluations from the class members as well as the Department Chair. She was looking for a career change and was advised to apply to the Community College as an English teacher.

She had always dreamed of teaching college credit classes but believed that she needed a Master’s Degree to teach at that level so she never pursued her dream. She had settled for teaching Adult Education Classes and the pay that went along with it. I encouraged her to take a risk and assigned her the task of researching the requirements for the teaching position of her dreams and she discovered that she did not need the Master’s Degree. Her belief had held her back, the dream was set free and she went on to teach the credit classes at the Community College.

In the last 10 years there have been significant results from brain research. Through brain mapping we can see the connection between how we think, how we feel and how we behave. An intriguing aspect of the research shows neurological patterns that emerge in the prefrontal cortex with thoughts and words and their impact on our emotional experience in the limbic system. Beautiful and uplifting words create neurological patterns in the limbic system that are different from negative words demonstrating the power of how we think and its link to how we feel.

What is your dream? Dream the dream and use your imagination to bring it alive. Imagine the details of the dream, your thoughts, feelings and actions. We become extraordinary when we allow ourselves to dream and align our behavior to attract what we truly want.

TAKE HEALTHY RISKS AND STEP OUTSIDE THE BOX:  15 years ago I completed a vision board that had a beautiful spa-scape on it. At that time I had no idea why I placed it on the board but it gave me a connection to nature and the things that were most important to me at that time in my life. I had never done a vision board and it was fascinating to see what emerged. I stepped outside the box of my limited backyard space and limited budget and let the dream flow onto the board. I placed the vision board on my garage wall and for 5 years the vision board greeted me everyday with the colorful rock garden and the waterfall.

The dream of creating a sacred space in my backyard was set free 10 years ago. It is a simple English garden in the backyard surrounded by the sound of running water that nurtures my soul and brings delight to all who visit. I have hummingbirds outside my kitchen window and they are what greet me now in the morning. My roses find their way to the office and into the homes of friends and the fragrance of the honeysuckle in the walkway brings delight to my neighbors. And all of this is still in Arizona, home of the cactus, prickly pear and desert.

11 years ago I took the risk to join Best Year Yet and create my first one-page plan. I have created my plan every year since and work with a Best Year Yet partner who keeps me focused and accountable. That decision has brought extraordinary experiences into my life and today I not only live my own dream, I have the privilege of working with clients who have discovered their dreams and are making them come true.

Now, I double dare you to engage in some of the exercises above or sign up for your own Best Year Yet Online plan and set your dreams free so you too can dare to be extraordinary…………..