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.

Let us imagine that we are making our 2012 Best Year Yet Plan and have reached Question 6 – What Roles Do I Play in My Life? In my opinion this is a really important and crucial question and will play a huge role in how successfully we live our year.

A majority of us have a major day activity five days a week from Monday to Friday, and for some there is also additional work on Saturday and Sunday. Let us give this role the name of “Major Activity” and keep it aside for a while.  Now explore the other activities that we get involved in, such as Family, Friend, Self Coach or Caretaker, and close personal relationships such as Wife, Husband, Partner, Son, or Daughter.

All the other things that we do in our lives such as Community/Social activities, Charity work, Volunteering, Religious pursuits, Sports – playing and/or watching, Family and Home welfare and well-being (financial and physical), Artistic pursuits, Hobbies, Second or third jobs make up the remaining three roles.

Now let us have a look at how much time do we have in a week. There are 7 days in a week with 24 hours in a day which means that we have 168 hours in total. Let us make two main assumptions, firstly we sleep 7 hours per day and work 5 days a week working in total 40 hours and use 3 hours per day to get ready for work and travelling time – total 104 hours. We are effectively left with 64 hours per week to distribute across the 7 roles.

Time is an extremely precious commodity that is equal and fair to all beings, does not discriminate or play favorites, does not judge or criticize –  just simply exists. We know when the clock started but know not when it will stop, while knowing for sure that for all of us it will definitely stop.

Being aware of how much time we have at our disposal week to week and knowing the importance of life balance, we are in a better position to select which 7 roles besides the ‘Major Activity’ will help us live our Values and achieve the Results that we seek.

The next step I propose is to imagine an ideal week in which you have a chance to devote time and attention to each of your Roles. Map out each day starting with when you wake up to when you sleep and allocate time to each Role as appropriate and allow for other things that one has to do – such as pet care / exercise, housework, meals, shopping, reading newspapers /books/magazines, Internet, Mobile phones and Tablets and so on. You will be amazed how little time is left for the Roles that you decided were most important.

It is no wonder then that the Goals we set for ourselves are so difficult to accomplish because we have not matched the time required to successfully complete the Goals to the time that we have available.  Having a role to be your ‘Major Focus’ in the year is effectively selecting a role that will get your full Focus and Commitment and be first in line to get allocated the precious commodity – TIME.   This role must be the last thing that is sacrificed.

Recognize the time-wasters and let them go, be aware and never be stuck with Time on hand but nothing to do – carry your Best Year Yet Ppan with you at all times. Learn to say ‘No’, and find innovative ways to multitask so that you can get more from your day.

Make the most of every day and have your Best Year Yet.

This was a favorite saying of my dad’s – one we heard many, many times.  And yes, he definitely was a planner and an articulate intellectual.  But in this case, he was actually quoting Hannibal Smith (the George Peppard character) in the television series “The A Team,” which was his unlikely choice for favorite TV show of the 80’s.

I see a quirky irony in the fact that thirty years later I, as his eldest daughter, have made a career out of helping plans come together!  I too love it when a plan comes together, but I love it even more when a plan WORKS together.  Here’s what I mean by that:

A Best Year Yet plan is made up of four components:  Guidelines, New Paradigm, Major Focus, and Top Ten Goals.  When I help clients create their own plans, I encourage them to see how these components work together, integrating behavior, mindset, focus, and action to effect real change in their lives.  It isn’t always easy to draw those connecting lines, but when it happens, the impact is exponential.

I experienced this phenomenon in my own plan last year, and it motivated me all year long.  The connections began early in the process when I chose as a guideline “Read, Write, and Think,” based on a lesson I had learned in the previous year about the importance of setting aside time to contemplate deeper truths.  I am an avid reader of fiction, but I wanted to include more philosophical and meditative books on my reading list.  In addition, I wanted to use journaling as a way to record my own thoughts as I read.

When it came time to examine my biggest limiting paradigm and choose a new mindset for the year, I decided my biggest roadblock on the way to exploring the next phase in my life was my belief that

“Everyone depends on me to keep doing what I’m doing,
and I can’t let them down.”

This conviction, coupled with the idea that I’m nearing retirement age and “should” be slowing down, was definitely holding me back.  So I created my new paradigm:

“I’m in my prime and moving on”

as a way to shake off those limiting beliefs.

But then came the question, “Moving on to what?”  What did “moving on” mean?  Since I had no answer to that question yet, it was clear that what I needed was to move on with the exploration – to figure out what I want the next phase in my life to look like.   And to do that, I needed to give myself time for that exploration – for thinking about it, reading books that help me dig deeper, and journaling about the process.

This is where my Number 1 Goal comes in:

 #1.    Schedule ‘Prime Time’ weekly for reading, writing, and thinking.

Of course, there were nine other goals in my plan, related to growing my business, working with clients, volunteering for projects, planning a reunion, and managing my health; but the one that really captured my attention was this idea of Prime Time.  I was determined to follow through on this!

At the beginning of every month, I blocked out a half-day each week on my calendar, usually on Friday afternoon, and labeled it ‘Prime Time.’  I created a space in my home office with a big, comfortable chair and ottoman, a fleece blanket, a small table, and a lamp.  I selected from my bookshelf a few books that I had always intended to read and stacked them on the table, along with a journal, a pen and pencil, and some Post-Its.  Each week, when Prime Time arrived, I made a pot of tea, stepped away from the computer, and sat down in this new space to slow down and turn my attention to bigger things than responding to email.

Okay, okay, truth be told, it didn’t really happen every week.  Out of the 52 weeks in the year, I cheated myself out of Prime Time at least one third of the time; I scheduled a meeting with a client right over that spot; I decided to run an errand or two before starting – and used up all the allotted time; when I was the only one on a team who didn’t want to meet on a Friday afternoon, I gave in.  But over the course of the year, my commitment to Prime Time never lagged.  I always put it on the calendar and week after week, I renewed my determination to be accountable – to myself!

I was conscious all year of the synchronicity I felt between

          My Guideline:  Read, Write, and Think.

          My New Paradigm:  I’m in my prime and moving on.

          My Goal #1:  Schedule Prime Time weekly for reading, writing, and thinking.

And now I have moved on to my new plan for 2012; I have new guidelines, a NEW new paradigm, and new goals.  I did not keep the old ones, much as I liked the idea.  I forced myself to think of new ones, based on my most recent experiences, including the fact that I read several thought-provoking and inspiring books, wrote several articles and journal entries, and established Prime Time as an ongoing commitment in my calendar – a commitment I will continue to honor, at least two-thirds of the time!

And best of all, I DID gain a clearer understanding of what I want that “next phase of my life” to look like, and the top ten goals in my new plan are all about taking the first steps to make it happen.

I LOVE it when a plan works together!

Want to begin 2012 with your own Best Year Yet plan?  Click here to get started!

Do you remember the valuable life lessons you learned during your formative years?

Some of the most meaningful lessons many of us have learned came during our early childhood experiences “Kindergarten”.  In an excerpt from the book, All I Really Need To Know I Learned in Kindergarten, American minister and author Robert Fulghum shares a list of lessons normally learned in American kindergarten classrooms such as:

• Share everything.
• Play fair.
• Don’t hit people.
• Put things back where you found them.
• Clean up your own mess.

These lessons have served us well. They are helpful guidelines to live by as we grow, interact with others and follow our dreams. They support us to feel safe, sane and secure in the world. Just by following such simple advice will lead to more good outcomes and fewer of the bad ones.

Now as a grown up “life” is our classroom. It presents opportunity after opportunity to grow, follow our dreams and live the life we imagine.

In September, I started my second year using the proven goal setting system Best Year Yet Online (BYYO). The 10 powerful questions in this system are transforming and allow me to be responsible for the direction of my life. As Jinny Ditzler, author of the book, Your Best Year Yet shares, “Every single one of us has the energy, heart, soul and talent…everything we need to be the person we want to be”.  This being said, the self-directed BYYO questions effectively draw out lessons to live life on purpose.

The first three BYYO questions when asked with childlike curiosity reveal valuable lessons for personal transformation. This life changing exercise is instrumental to for creating future success.

These questions reveal the answers we seek from the “inside out”.  They encourage us to go within and listen deeply to our inner wisdom for direction. Wisdom is our guide when we are open, curious and willing to learn.

Let me share an example . . .

In the past, I had a tendency to give less attention and appreciation to all my wonderful accomplishments (ICF Coaching certification) and got bogged down in disappointments (lack of coaching clients). I would chastise myself and also underestimate my ability to unleash my true potential. Believe me, this behavior got in the way of learning the valuable lessons life had come to teach me. By behaving this way I actually was allowing guilt, regret and judgment to hold me back from living into my passions.

“There are no mistakes or failures, only lessons.” 

~Denis Waitley

“Say yes to the next step” is one of the most impactful lesson in my first year using the BYYO system. By this I mean to be in the NOW instead of getting into a state of overwhelm where procrastination can set in. Doing what is the right natural next action has kept me on purpose with growing a flourishing coaching business. In addition to other personal guidelines, “Say yes to the next step” serves as motivation for me to produce the results I want with confidence.

Following my guidelines supports me to build my confidence muscle. When I follow them, I honor who I am and I am always pleasantly surprised with the results I am able to achieve.

Now I see the mishaps in my life more as an “oops” than an invitation for punishment/self-criticism.  Disappointments when kept in perspective uncover supportive advice for success. Accomplishments, when honored, are the greatest source to leverage future success.

“Develop success from failures. Discouragement and failure

are two of the surest stepping stones to success.”

~Dale Carnegie

Recently, one of my clients revealed to me that once she accepted her own advice “Follow-thru with what I say I will do” she stayed motivated to file 7 years of delinquent taxes. She equates this major accomplishment with being a reliable and dependable person. In addition she feels joy, pride and confidence in her accomplishment.

“Inner wisdom is more important than wealth.

The more you spend it, the more you gain.”

~Oprah Winfrey

Join me in following these helpful reminders as you let wisdom be your guide.

• Live in the question: “What did I learn?” What did this disappointment come to teach me? Stay open to the answer.
• Be in a state of curiosity.
• Notice how your guidelines support you each and every day.
• Use your guidelines to strengthen your confidence muscle.

I love this time of the year! As the end of the year approaches, I’m preparing for the annual ritual of taking inventory and planning the next year of my life. I use a brilliant three-step approach from the Best Year Yet system that I like to describe as “face time.”

The first step is to reflect on the past year, specifically what I felt good about accomplishing. The second step is less pleasant because it requires an honest look at the disappointments.  The third step is the most fun because I get to choose what I want to celebrate this time next year!

I’ve discovered working this process provides the fuel I need for the next leg of my journey.

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.  Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking.  Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice.  And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.  They somehow already know what you truly want to become.  Everything else is secondary.” ~Steve Jobs

I’m working with a client named Josette, whose inspiring story is one of focus and perseverance.  She has not allowed the “noise” to drown out her inner voice.  In November of this year, she earned a passing grade on her thesis, completing the major piece of a stretch goal she created in 1993 (18 years ago). She started college in the early 1970’s with little direction, and eventually she quit school to pursue full time work, get married, and raise children.

When her two daughters reached elementary school age, she decided to return to college to resume focus on a personal goal.  She wanted to “walk the talk” as a role model to her beautiful daughters about the importance of education and being learning based.

For Josette it was one step at a time, one class at a time, year after year. It was always a challenge with her studies, their homework, and their afterschool activities.  Her struggles exacerbated with divorce after her long marriage, one daughter in college, and one on the way.

The divorce brought the financial challenge of keeping all three of them in school.  But a blessing came when Josette became employed by a company that provided tuition reimbursement.  Josette and her daughters split their tuition costs between student loans and parent plus loans. According to Josette, “I met every obstacle head on because I had but one focus:

Obtain my degree and make sure my daughters obtained theirs.”

Over the course of a few years Josette lost both her grandparents and her dear sweet mother who passed in 2005.  Her mother became her champion and encouraged her regularly to continue her studies.  In one of their last conversations, her mother admonished her, “Don’t quit going to school.”  Her mother knew she had taken off a quarter to spend time with her in her last few months.

During the years of 2005, 2006 and 2007, Josette and her daughters obtained their undergraduate degrees. In early 2012 Josette will earn her Masters degree in Leadership and Management, and she then intends to pursue a Doctorate degree and fulfill a life dream of becoming a university professor.  She wants to help influence young minds to think, to be creative, and to be challenged.

It is Josette’s response to common life events
that is uncommon and remarkable,
as she holds steadfast to her dream.

Several years ago I had a dream of coaching others.  During the past decade, I’ve worked in real estate in both sales and leadership roles, and I have a special passion for these professionals who work tirelessly on the front lines for their clients. So this year I launched my coaching business.

There were times when I wondered if the timing of my new venture was right, given the challenges of my self employed target market. I held fast, determined that Realtors and others needed my services today more than ever.   So I stayed connected with them, I listened to what their needs were, and I provided different mediums of coaching and training (live and online).

In 2011 I introduced 60 new clients to the Best Year Yet Online (BYYO) goal planning and tracking tool, and I’m honored to be coaching groups and individuals. I love what I do, and it feels good to finally be following my heart.

If you’d like to get started on your personal Best Year Yet goals for 2012,
please register today for my special 2 for 1 bonus offering:

https://www.bestyearyet.com/byyo/register.cfm?referral_code=1198f

All the Best,
Cindy Bostick
Mobile:  760.953.1269
Website: www.cindybostick.com
Email: cindy.bostick@bestyearyet.com

All dreams appear impossible until someone makes them happen. ~ Barry Neil Kaufman

I believe it was Winston Churchill who once said that the two saddest words, which formed a phrase in the English language, were ‘if only…’

When I was a kid, I’d have ideas and make a mental note of them only to find that anything up to 2 years later, someone else had made that idea a reality. ‘Hey, I thought of that,’ I’d say to myself. Yes, but I didn’t take any action!

As I grew up, I learned to start noting down those ideas which were really important to me. (I wouldn’t have called them ‘goals’ – they were what you scored when playing soccer). Some I’d follow up, some I wouldn’t.

As I’ve grown older, I’ve realized what makes the difference between setting goals and achieving them is how they’re phrased. Anyone can set a goal. It still surprises me how many people – especially those in senior leadership positions – don’t set SMART goals (you know: Specific, Measurable, Relevant, Achievable, Time specific).

I have coached many successful clients in their chosen field, from bestselling authors to senior executives and board directors in well-known organizations. Yet, when it comes to setting a goal or their Top 10 goals for the next 12 months in the Best Year Yet process, the goal itself is…well, a little vague. Some people are more ‘left-brained’ (logical, linear thinkers); others are more ‘right-brained’ (creative, non-linear). We know this and the impact it has when addressing a certain situation or goal.  Although these are very capable and intelligent individuals, they can sometimes struggle with the simple SMART concept of goal-setting.

Interestingly, if they are in business, they may be better at setting an organizational goal that is SMART. Yet if they are setting that goal specifically for themselves, that skill escapes them.

I have a sense that it’s something to do with what that goal actually means to them. As ‘Supercoach’ Michael Neill would describe it, as soon as the ‘wow’ factor makes an appearance in our thinking, it both excites us and scares us into thinking that it’s impossible for us to achieve that goal. And what happens in that instance is that an individual will note it down because it’s important to them, but then can become vague and wishy-washy about some of the specifics, or the measures, or realistic milestones required to achieve that goal – to make that goal real.

Let me give you an example. I worked once with a client who was a business coach and trainer and had always wanted to write and have her book published. We went through the process of making her annual plan, and when it came to choosing this goal, the language of the goal became all very vague: it was as if the fear of not achieving that goal (of potentially receiving many rejection letters from publishers) was impacting her massive ability to write a great book and for it to be accepted on merit. We worked together in getting the phraseology of this goal right, getting the intention and timeline down so that she was happy with it. And then we did a deal together. If I supported her in writing the book (which frankly she wrote with ease by herself, using all the resources that Best Year Yet’s PRO system has to offer), then the very act of writing it was what she could control, she would become ‘committedly detached’ from what came next.

She felt empowered, excited, fulfilled and just overjoyed by writing a good book on time and on schedule. Then she sent it off to a targeted list of publishers. And then…the rejections started coming in – from all of them! Yet in one coaching session, whilst reviewing what they said (some were standard rejection letters, one or two were more specific), I suggested she re-read one such letter, and imagine it wasn’t personal, i.e. it wasn’t to her. She did so, and what became clear was that here was an opening for a conversation from the editor. She picked up that letter and wrote back, asking if she could buy the editor a coffee and just ask a few questions. The editor agreed. And within 3 months, certain elements of the book were re-written and the book was accepted for publication. She has since written three additional business management books, all of which have sold out.

So the learning’s here are:

• Include in your one-year plan, goals that have that ‘wow’ factor.
• Allow yourself to be supported and to acknowledge what the goal means to you, even if it does generate uncomfortable feelings.
• Some goals will feel a ‘stretch’, but they’re the ones which mean the most to you.
• Set your intention (your goal(s) and take care of what you do have control over (in this case, the draft of the book).
• Become committedly detached – take all possible actions you can to further your goal, whilst imagining you’re doing it for someone else. Receive the feedback and take the next step without it meaning anything against you personally.

This doesn’t apply just to ‘creatives’ or writers. I’ve worked with business people who have wanted to start up their own successful business and have come across just the same emotional journey as this writer did.  And through similar challenges, to have their businesses be great successes; as well as individuals in organizations who have turned round failing businesses into highly profitable ones. The one thing they all have in common has been the more precise the goal is, the more engaging and powerful it is. Looking at that goal regularly and connecting with that ‘wow’ factor you had when you first created it, and remember the SMART acronym as you set your Annual and Monthly Goals.

And me? Well, I learn from my clients too. I’m not that kid anymore who saw ‘his’ ideas made real by others. I’m already through the first draft of my first novel. When the working title ‘Damaged Goods’ is published in 2013, you can be sure I’ll be letting you know.

To your success!

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.

A book title can conjure up all sorts of fantasies and wishful thinking because, after all, a title’s purpose is to attract readers.  Sometimes the promise made by the title is not kept, but in the case of the book The Four Hour Work Week by Timothy Ferriss, it is.

If you’re like the average citizen of almost any developed country, you’ve spent your work life on a daily eight hour cycle, and the prospect of piling eight hours of work each day into four hours a week has to be an attractive proposition.  You may question how it could be possible to work so few hours a week, but Ferriss does a masterful job of explaining his formula and several key principles that work for him. I’ll address just two of these principles in this post because they get at the core of his philosophy of life and work.

KNOW WHAT YOU WANT AND NEED

For the author, being rich does not only refer to having massive amounts of money.  In fact, he’s defined the “new rich” as those who live the life they’ve designed including time for activities they love and just the right amount of money necessary to pursue them.  Being rich then refers to a state of mind and a set of priorities that make room for pursuing passions, hobbies, and the things you’ve always wanted to do but often put off until later — or maybe taking a vacation or beginning retirement.

Ferriss believes that a deferred life is a wasted life.  He rejects the notion that anyone has to wait for some future milestone in order to live the life of his or her dreams.  He believes in the power of now and pursues his love of travel and his thirst for excitement, adventure and risk-taking now.  In the process of living his dream life, Ferriss has become a kickboxing champion, a world-class tango competitor, and a scuba diver, among others.  He has been able to pursue these activities while most of us restrict ourselves to our work-a-day lives.

You might ask:  How does Ferriss sustain himself?  Does he live off of the interest from his investments or courtesy of a trust fund? Neither option applies, and that brings me to a second principle that guides the author’s “new rich” life.

MOVE PAST THE LIMITS OF WHAT YOU THINK IS POSSIBLE

Ferriss has fashioned his life around a principle that for many people seems impossible to achieve.  The idea that you can build your work around the elements of your desired life sounds inspirational to most, and absurd to others.  Yet, this is exactly how Ferriss’ four hours of work per week works.

He’s decided on his priorities that include days, weeks and even months at a time available for what you would call his leisure activities, but he defines these activities as normal, regular and everyday. In order to live this way, Ferriss has outsourced the 80% plus of the regular, customary tasks that entangle most people and burn up a bunch of time, which include reading email, servicing customers and being available to everyone on a 24/7 basis.  He simply does not allocate more than four hours of time for these tasks each week.

Ferriss usually spends four hours on Monday’s checking the few emails he does get – especially those that have bubbled up for his personal handling because they exceed the authority of his virtual, outsourced handlers who care for most of the day-to-day tasks for him.  He’s designed his working model with outsourced resources so that he can spend Mondays resolving major problems, communicating with friends and family and dealing with whatever is necessary to maintain the life and style he’s designed for himself. Luckily for Ferriss, issues requiring his intervention are few and far between.

Here are some of the reasons Ferriss’ “life by design” model works for him and can work for almost anyone:

• He’s automated his business life so that few personal touches are required of him.
• He’s empowered outsourced people, who handle 95% of his business problems, to do whatever it takes to resolve customer issues.  Once their defined dollar threshold for giving customers credits or refunds and caring for any other problems is reached, then and only then are issues referred to Ferriss.
• The people Ferriss communicates with regularly, including family and friends, understand that Monday is the day to reach him so their feelings are not hurt or egos bruised because of no response from him during the rest of week. He has educated those in his life to accommodate the life he’s designed.
• If an emergency arises, he’s put a process in place for him to respond, and emergencies are the exception, not the rule.

CREATE YOUR OWN “LIFE BY DESIGN”

Ferriss’ book and his life demonstrate that clarity about what is most important to you and a commitment to change your thinking about what is possible are what’s necessary to achieve a this kind of breakthrough.

Paradigms – your collection of beliefs about how things are and how the world operates – can either empower you to achieve a bold vision of your ideal life or stop you dead in your tracks.  Ferriss has shared his version of a successful life free of the constraints associated with how things are supposed to work.  He’s proven that by rejecting limiting paradigms about what is possible, he’s been able to shape a life that puts work in its proper place – inside of the lifestyle he has chosen.

You too can build a life that work fits into. The alternative is to work all the time wishing you had a better quality of life. Perhaps Timothy Ferriss’ version of the “new rich” life is not for you, but just be sure that you know how you want your life to work.

Get the support you need to take the first step, and know that the Best Year Yet system, built on transformational principles, is tailor made for just this kind of breakthrough!

Imagine you get an email from your coach. He reminds you of your commitment to work on your goals regularly. He makes you feel good about your achievement and offers wisdom about self management. You may tell your coach to do more for you, for example, send you reminders about when your goals are due. All this creates a positive pressure that supports you to walk your talk on your way to having your Best Year Yet.

Welcome to the world of PRO, Producing Results Online®.

PRO is cloud software designed to help you track your Best Year Yet plan. You use PRO for 12 months after finishing your Best Year Yet Online workshop. It helps you drill down from your annual goals into quarterly, monthly and even weekly goals. Working with PRO on a regular basis will create a positive habit for you to focus on what’s really important to you – no matter if your plan is focused on your person, business or all the goals in your life.

One of my coaching clients has asked PRO to email his monthly plan to his close friend he meets later on for a drink. When he entered the bar, his friend approached him saying, “Hey John, did you really go to the gym three times this week? Yes? For sure you need a big beer now!“

I use PRO to track my own goals and look at my achievements. Just like in an airplane pilot, I can see how I’m doing on my journey. Year to date charts tell me if I’m flying in the green, yellow or red zone for each goal and help me navigate to stay on track. On a quarterly basis, I also check the traffic lights in PRO. They tell me what goals need extra attention over the coming weeks.

Recently, I had a conversation with an HR manager on the role of individual values in an organization. We talked about how both individual and organizational values are important. However, if you ask some executives to state their five most important values, many will not be able to do that without further thinking. Do you know your personal values? Good! But do you reflect on them regularly? PRO will make sure you don’t forget them by giving you a tool to rate your progress on actually living your values.  On a quarterly basis PRO helps you check how you’re doing on your personal values. What could be more important to you?

Whenever I log into my own PRO plan, it helps me to clear my mind. The Best Year Yet Online workshop has supported me setting my goals, and PRO makes sure that I track my progress on a regular basis. And — believe me — creating the positive habit of looking back on achievements and focusing on my top priorities in the near future is so powerful!

Even as a person who has used Best Year Yet for many, many years, I sometimes need to check back into the Resources section in PRO to refresh my view on my self management. What should I consider in order to set smart goals? How can I be more accountable to my team? The documents reviewing the principles of personal and organizational transformation always need review, and the short audio files from founder Jinny Ditzler inspire me every time I listen to them.

So, how would you prefer to work with your coach? What kind of interaction rhythm would be most valuable for you? Would you prefer to receive reminders at the end of the month? Or any day you have set an appointment with yourself to review your goals? It’s all up to you. Be your own pilot and check your instruments regularly. It all depends on your answer to the question ~

 How committed am I to having my Best Year Yet?

This article offers an introduction of a wonderful life planning tool to accomplish what you want in your life. Whether you are a business owner, professional, executive or emerging leader, student, parent, teacher, it can work for you.

Let me ask you this question: if you had to sum up your life experience in one year, would you say it was inspiring; right on track; stuck, challenging or stressful? The truth is Greatness resides in you ready to express your innate potential to be, do and have whatever you desire. Why not live into it?

Many people set goals. Some they accomplish and some they do not. Sometimes they do not reach their goals because they are not clear about what they want, their goals are not challenging / achievable or they are not inspiring goals.

No matter where you are in your life experience you can achieve your goals when you use an effective goal setting system designed for success.

A system provides order, saves time, and requires less energy and costs less. It is an organized established procedure which produces results no matter who is using the system. So, what if you had a goal setting system that you could follow with ease and get results, would you use it? Of course you would. Let me share a brief story about one of my clients — I will refer to as Regina.

When Regina reflected on her accomplishments/disappointments from the previous year, she discovered she had been making the needs of her family, job and church a priority over her own needs. She was living her life saying “yes” when she really wanted to say “no.” This meant neglecting her physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. Regina’s dominant question during our coaching session was: “How am I ever going to give my new business a chance to succeed if I feel so out of balance?”

Now Regina has an empowering one page plan to have a more balanced life and she is well on her way to making this year and every year her best year ever.

It is because of success stories like Regina’s that you can also benefit from following a system to reach your goals. Best Year Yet® is a proven, fun and interactive goal-setting system originating from the book Your Best Year Yet®!:  Ten Questions for Making the Next Twelve Months Your Most Successful Ever by author Jinny Ditzler.

“Everything in your life is there as a vehicle for your transformation. Use it!” Ram Dass, Author and spiritual teacher

A Three Part System

What’s inside this three part system that makes it so powerful?

Best Year Yet® is powerful because it is a system. Following this system can become as natural for you as a healthy body digests food.

Part 1 – First create a one page plan

You start by answering 10 questions that will guide you to create a concise blueprint for your next 12 months and experience a personal transformation. The questions answered will allow you to:

1. Appreciate your accomplishments and disappointments in a way that highlights useful lessons.
2. Let go of any mental and emotional barriers to your personal success and discover what you are really capable of.
3. Shift limiting beliefs to more empowering beliefs to operate from your true Greatness.
4. Clarify your most important values and roles in life for better decision making.
5. Select and write down your top ten goals that align to your important values and roles.

Part 2 – Work your plan and track results

What would you say increases the likelihood that you will accomplish your goals? You are able to do what you know to do when your goal setting system allows you to track and stay accountable. The exclusive online software PRO (Producing Results Online) used in the Best Year Yet system acts as a compass to easily track progress weekly, monthly, and quarterly. The beauty of using this system is that you will always know where you stand.

Imagine having access to someone that will support you to get results and overcome any potential obstacles or barriers to achieving your goals.  Some individuals benefit from hiring an Accountability Coach to keep moving forward.

Part 3 – Learn to Become a Master at Producing Results

To stay motivated and encouraged, establish a discipline of reading / listening to self-improvement books/tapes as you become a master at producing results.  The Best Year Yet system includes an exceptional audio series to maintain a CAN DO ATTITUDE.

At the beginning of this article I asked you, “If you had a goal setting system that you could follow with ease and get results, would you use it?” Check out this video to learn more about getting results with the Best Year Yet Online system at http://www.coachingforgreatness.com/products/

Incredibly, the Best Year Yet system works for individuals, non-profits, educators, Fortune 500 firms, executive boards, derailed teams, newly formed teams, and entrepreneurs in every industry. What our top clients all have in common is a fundamental dissatisfaction with their current results and a commitment to experience a positive change over a reasonable period of time.

If you’re open to discovering new ways to get the results you want in your businesses and life and you’re eager to put new lessons into practice, Best Year Yet is for you! You know that real sustainable change doesn’t happen with a quick fix, but rather as a result of a well thought out plan that includes the “A” word. Yes, I’m talking about “accountability,” folks. Please don’t cringe because it IS the game changer.

So, let’s examine a few diverse real life situations that our clients have worked through using the Best Year Yet system:

Her world was turned upside down after the breast cancer surgery. She was filled with fear and felt like her dreams had vanished along with her breasts until she discovered the Best Year Yet Online (BYYO) tool during the post surgery treatment protocol. She accessed the online goal setting tool in the privacy of her home and in one and a half hours, she had created her plan and was re-focused on goals that pointed to an exciting next 12 months. Her mental state transformed from being a victim to thinking about what she wanted to accomplish. During the following year, she made an intentional career change and spent a week in Maui!

A team leader of a large real estate office rolled out a campaign to increase productivity and profitability for both the agent and owner. Morale was down along with home prices. The productivity campaign targeted agents who wanted to earn $100,000 over the following 12-month period. During the very first quarter, 70% of the “$100K club members” generated closed production, 49% opened new escrows, and 40% acquired new listing inventory. The agents used the Best Year Yet system to create their specific production and personal goals. Once the goals were set, weekly and monthly group accountability sessions were scheduled. The positive peer pressure of this group is working and many of are on track to experience a phenomenal year in real estate sales.

One of the most exciting examples of using Best Year Yet occurred in 2001 when an accomplished mountain climber set out to achieve a life long dream of conquering Mount Everest. In addition to the treacherous terrain and unforgiving climate, this climber faced a unique challenge: he was completely blind. He organized a 19 member team of world class climbers to help him achieve this goal. This team worked with a certified Best Year Yet Program Leader to develop a strategy for the daunting journey. After three months, the group achieved their goals and made history in the process. The expedition not only included the first blind climber but also a 64 year old climber who was the oldest man to ever reach the summit in 2001.

Are you seeing the possibilities for yourself and your family right now? How about your organization or your board of directors? Welcome to the power of the Best Year Yet System. Its application is universal and your results are limitless!

“Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.” ~ Harriet Tubman

Please click on the link below to register to create your personal Best Year Yet Online (BYYO) plan. This is a 2-for-1 bonus offer and includes a free coaching call with me to fine tune your plan.

https://www.bestyearyet.com/byyo/register.cfm?referral_code=1198f

Imagine or remember that moment – you’ve answered the 10 Best Year Yet questions and you have your one page Best Year Yet printed out and staring back at you. You feel as if you’ve gone through a satisfying and fulfilling journey. In the first half of the journey, you began to realize how you operate in life, and how that has a big impact on the results you’ve obtained in it to date. You’ve maybe experienced some ‘aha’ light bulb moments as well. You’ve decided on your top Guidelines by which you’ll live the next 12 months. You’ve created a new mindset or Paradigm for living those 12 months and beyond; and you’ve created your Top Ten Goals which, when achieved, you’ll look back on a remarkable, fulfilling and life enhancing year.

There may be that frisson of excitement and you may be saying to yourself, ‘if I accomplish all, or even just some of this, I’ll feel great (or insert any phrase or adjective which you’d use).

And then? There may be that familiar little inner voice of doubt – or determination. How are you going to make sure that you do achieve these goals? How will you feel if you do? How will you feel, if for some reason, you don’t?

Having experienced some of these thoughts myself the first time I completed my first BYY plan, I can empathize.

Remember, though, what the process of Best Year Yet consists of:

1. Make Your Plan. Well, you can put a big check mark next to that one.
2. Track Your Plan. Remember, as part of your Best Year Yet package, you get free interactive online access to our planning system, Producing Results Online (PRO).
3. Become an expert at Producing the Results you want and need in your life. We’ll come to this one shortly.

Your next step is about becoming familiar with PRO, by making your specific SMART goals (as well as weekly or quarterly, should you wish) that lead you towards achieving you annual goal. Then at the end of each month, you can review how you’ve done and score each monthly goal, so that you can keep a record of  how much you’ve achieved and if there’s anything extra you need to be doing to get you back on track next month, if you feel you’re a little behind schedule.

Now about number 3 above – becoming an expert in producing those results you want in your life. Within PRO, you have a 12-part audio program to support you on making your Best Year Yet plan really live. Listen to Jinny Ditzler, Best Year Yet’s creator, take you through 12 key lessons – one per month – to support you throughout the year. The more you listen, the more your plan takes on its own life and becomes you. It’s not just something that you do and feel good about. As you take action, you become it, and it becomes you. It’s a living thing.

Below, I’ll share what I and my clients know works, from our own personal experience. How do I know? Well, firstly, because I didn’t follow them initially (guilty); and secondly, because I now use them, and they keep me on track, and my plan alive and successful.

Firstly, though, a couple of confessions from me about some of the common pitfalls that you may come across – learned from personal experience.

1. Failing to actually look at your plan! Yes, I know it sounds obvious; yet with that wonderful warm afterglow of completing my plan, I felt great about it. And then…ahem, well, life got in the way. I found myself doing all the important and urgent stuff at work and at home. I was so busy with doing all the urgent things in my life that I wasn’t always doing the important things. I wasn’t using PRO. I wasn’t looking at my plan. I hadn’t even put my plan anywhere visible (being almost protective of it and concerned that others might see it!).I caught a glance at it 3 months into the year and felt more than a little foolish. Any progress I’d made was by being a victim of a miracle! From that time onwards, I started listening to the Producing Results audio lessons several times per month and using PRO — realizing what a great tool it was.What I’d been doing in those first three months had been investing in my limiting paradigm/s and beliefs. It was almost as if I didn’t deserve to achieve what I really wanted. I was achieving what others needed — especially at work. However, my wants and needs had been coming in a distant second.
2. What I’d also been doing in those first 3 months was failing to call for help. I realized that I needed to share my plan with people who would support me. At the time, I had a highly successful international career in international book publishing. And, my major focus was to be a writer. So I decided to write a 50,000 word first draft of a novel in a month. I used PRO, looked at my plan daily, and made myself accountable to my support group by telling them my plan. They were great! They even lent me the keys to their houses when they were away on holiday. I dismissed the idea of starting a short-term holiday letting business (!) and had some great places to write. I not only completed my 64,500 word first draft in 29 days, this is the magic of Best Year yet, I was also hugely successful in other areas in my life — including closing two major contracts with new clients.
3.  So, the common pitfalls I always help my clients to avoid are:

• Failing to look at their plan.
• Failing to call for help when they need it.
• Giving up on themselves because they’ve experienced a setback. (We all do at some stage and having a coach or some support available generates a massive return on your investment).
• Letting their fear (or, in my case, pride) stop them from contacting my support group for help.
• Investing in their limiting paradigm or beliefs. Even some of the smartest people I know do this unconsciously.
• Forgetting their Guidelines and their own wisdom. (Use PRO regularly, or even get yourself a coach – or team up with someone whom, you know will always keep you focused.)

So, if those are the pitfalls, what are the ‘Do’s’? What can you do to ensure the achievement of your BYY plan? Here are some of what I, my clients, and many others have used over the years:

1. Find someone to support you. I used a coach after those first 3 months in my first year and have done ever since. The return on my investment is enormous.
2. Share your top 10 goals and monthly goals with the person – or people – who will support you.
3. Copy your plan and carry it with you. Reduce it in size so that it fits in your wallet or purse and laminate it. That way you can look at it easily each day. It takes time for you to fully become your new Paradigm or Vision (or Mindset). Reminding yourself of it regularly speeds up the process immeasurably.
4. Use the PRO online system. Reviewing and acknowledging the progress you’re making on at least a monthly basis, gives you a great burst of positive energy and self confidence. This increases your probability of success significantly.
5. Keep a record (possibly in a separate word document) and look at it regularly so that it reinforces the progress you’re making – as well as scoring your monthly goals in PRO.
6. Listen to the Producing Results Audio program every month. When you listen to each month’s lesson several times in the appropriate month, it’s pure gold.
7. Periodically carry out the Traffic Light Review system in PRO.
8. Be honest with yourself however challenging the answers might be.
9. Allow yourself to be supported – be it by it by a friend, family member, or ideally your coach. It’s an investment, not a cost!
10. Request a copy of the new PRO User’s Guide from your BYY coach or from www.bestyearyet.com

A true story to close with…

A client of mine used all of the above for the first 2 years of his new business. He had great success, was acknowledged by his clients, and had built a business worth £250,000. In the third year, he wanted to use the BYY system on his own. I was genuinely delighted for him. Yet 6 months into the year, he called me and shared that things weren’t going so well. We analyzed why. He realized that he’d got out of the habit of the 10 Keys to Success above. We started reintroducing them and by the end of the year he had more than made his sales and profitability targets. I can’t emphasize it enough. He did the work that generated his success. He just needed the support that was right for him.

You have the capacity to generate what you want in life. Just follow the 10 steps above and find a support that’s right for you.

To your success,

Mike

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!

Over the past 15 years, I’ve been invited to participate with and, in some cases, lead the boards of several nonprofit organizations. And, I have had the pleasure of contributing to many breakthroughs in partnership with my committed colleagues.

Volunteer Leaders Make the World A Better Place

In my experience, I’ve learned that volunteer leaders often share basic attributes and qualities necessary for service. Included on this list is a strong affinity for the organization’s mission whether it serves people, animals, or our world as a whole. I’ve also found that most volunteer leaders want to leverage their social capital and skill sets to solve society’s ills. Accountants, lawyers, social workers, doctors, corporate executives, and other professionals will link arms with members of their networks to add value where it is needed.

Overpromise and Underdeliver

Although there are many talented, caring, and dedicated people who serve as volunteer board members, there are often significant gaps that occur between their good intentions and actual results.

In the absence of performance evaluations and salary decisions that represent leverage for traditional leaders in business, volunteer leaders must rely on their skills as influencers and enrollers of others in order to get anything meaningful done.

The old maxim that busy people are called upon to do and give more is often very true for those who volunteer, and these leaders are often members of multiple boards and other volunteer efforts that sometimes leave them with competing priorities and general overload.  As a result, promises are sometimes made but not always kept; and, performance gaps can halt an organization’s progress or even threaten its existence if the gaps are significant enough.

Creating a Context for Meaningful Conversations

Volunteer leaders need a method of engaging other volunteers in conversations that provide a context for communicating expectations and encouraging high levels of commitment without making demands.

Best Year Yet®, a planning and goal-setting program that is committed to enhancing the performance of nonprofits worldwide, provides a useful and effective template for initiating this action, as the following six steps will demonstrate:

1.       REVIEW PAST SUCCESSES, BREAKDOWNS, AND LESSONS LEARNED

A reminder of the accomplishments of the past and missteps that provide wisdom for the future can often get volunteer leaders refocused on their shared experiences and accomplishments to date.

2.       CREATE GUIDELINES FOR THE FUTURE

Best Year Yet® provides guidance for crafting simple but memorable instructions or pieces of advice that will help to keep all members of the group on track.

3.       DEFINE STRATEGIC GOALS

Shared priorities will move the group forward and demonstrate the interdependence between and among volunteer members and the organization.

4.       COMMUNICATE STRATEGIC GOALS THROUGHOUT THE ORGANIZATION

Communication of the plan of action to volunteer leaders and throughout the organization clearly defines the gaps to be addressed and encourages buy-in at all levels.

5.       ALIGN INDIVIDUAL CHAMPION, BOARD  AND ORGANIZATIONAL GOALS

The Best Year Yet® program encourages a spirit of group ownership by documenting the connections between and among volunteer leaders and the larger organization and its employees.

6.       CONDUCT REGULAR INDIVIDUAL AND GROUP ASSESSMENTS

Easy-to-use online performance assessment tools record and report on actions taken, results completed, and remaining gaps to be filled.  Everyone with a need to know is informed on progress, and positive peer pressure encourages onward movement of identified goals and tasks.

Nonprofits at times live or die as a result of the efforts of volunteer board members, and finding and using a method of communicating performance gaps and successfully addressing them is essential for the ongoing viability of these organizations.

The Best Year Yet® program supports volunteer leaders by providing: a structure for ongoing information sharing; data on the status of goals, projects, and programs; and, a disciplined approach through a goal tracking system that is easy to use, transparent, and transformative.

For volunteer leaders who desire to make a difference for humanity, Best Year Yet® can fill the gap between sincere, well-meaning intentions and bona-fide results. I’ve witnessed its impact on groups I have worked with long enough to believe in the power of Best Year Yet® for moving volunteer leadership groups from challenges to breakthroughs.

The concept of Gold Time is one I am passionately devoted to – and one I am usually frustrated by.  Over the years as a Best Year Yet coach, I have facilitated so many discussions to help clients recognize what constitutes Gold Time in their lives – the activities that are Not Urgent, but oh-so-Important.  The things that are so easy to procrastinate but, if attended to, will make the biggest difference in the quality of their lives.

My understanding of the meaning of Gold Time expanded exponentially when I visited Best Year Yet colleagues in the Netherlands and found that they defined Gold Time as the opportunities we give ourselves to recharge, refresh, and re-energize.  I realized that we Americans, who are all about “making every minute count” in the name of productivity, often use Gold Time as a reason to wear ourselves out and be even less productive!  Ever since my Dutch colleagues opened my eyes, I have been preaching to my clients about “Dutch Gold Time,” and insisting that Gold Time is as much about rejuvenation as it is about the next big project.

I could even be called an authority on Gold Time – but that is such a laugh!  I struggle as much as anyone with putting Gold Time into practice.  When it is 11:00 at night and I am frantically preparing for the next day’s meeting instead of getting a good night’s sleep, or when I am using my most productive time (the hours before noon) to read and organize the emails that have filled up my inbox, I am my own worst Gold Time example.

And yet, in spite of all the times I DON’T practice what I preach, I am aware that there are many ways I have shifted the way I am living my life to honor and make time for the things that matter most to me.  In the spirit of acknowledging my accomplishments (another Best Year Yet principle), please allow me to share a few of them, in case one of them might work for you:

• Monthly and weekly plans – By sticking to the discipline of setting monthly and weekly goals, I can regularly remind myself of the outcomes I think are important this year, and get specific about the steps to achieve them.
• Doing the “Big Rocks” first – Each week I identify two or three Important and Not Urgent goals and block the time on my calendar when I will work on them instead of all the pressing and endless details demanding my attention.
• Morning walk – I have reorganized my morning routine to (almost) always include a 20-minute walk outdoors, which gets my blood pumping, gives me time to meditate, to review the day before, plan the day ahead, and notice the beauty of the natural world around me.
• Prime Time – For the past few months, I have blocked out ½ day each week as “prime time,” where I step away from the computer, stop working (no matter what!) and find a comfortable place to read, write, or just think.  I’m not always successful, but when I do make it happen, it rejuvenates me!
• Travel – I plan ahead every year for at least one international trip and several long weekend trips to achieve my favorite guideline, “Get out of town!”
• Time with family – Connections to extended family are important to me, and I love to organize gatherings of relatives – whether it is for dinner at my house or a major retreat at a resort.
• Breakfast with friends – Every Friday for the past 15+ years, I have enjoyed breakfast with three good friends.  It is often the only time we see each other in our busy schedules, but it has allowed us to stay closely connected and invested in each other’s lives.
• Dinner with my husband – Several nights each week, John and I carve out of our separate and busy days the time to cook a real meal and sit down together at the table with a glass of wine and without television or newspaper.
• Retreat – Every October, I go to the mountains with a small group of friends for a week with no agenda.  We take along our hobbies and books, and spend six days just enjoying time alone and time with each other.
• Leaving the office for lunch – I find that this simple but intentional way to clear my head, provide some breathing space, and perhaps connect with a friend, is less and less common in our culture and therefore deserves to make the list!

I must confess that, as I write each of the items on this list, the voice in my head quickly lists ten other related things that I WISH I did but do not.  And, of course, that’s where the frustration comes in.  There are so many ways that I want to do better – to take on a new project, to exercise more, to play fewer computer games, to spend more quality time with my husband, to watch less mindless TV.  Isn’t that what we always do to ourselves?  We always think we should be doing better — achieving more, relaxing more, eating healthier, on and on.  And, we spend a lot of energy beating ourselves up over the things we are NOT doing.

So just for a moment, I am taking a break from all that self-blame.  I am celebrating all the ways that I do honor Gold Time and recognizing what it means to me.  Yet because it is so precious, I understand that I will always want more Gold Time and I will never give up; each time I consciously choose to eliminate an unimportant task to make the time for another activity that is important to me, I am making my life that much richer.  And that is worth the effort!

For as long as I can recall, I have had a knack for seeing possibilities — an innate talent that has served me well, especially as a Coach. It doesn’t matter what the circumstance, issue, or problem, people can count on me to see things from a differing perspective – broadening their own perspective. It’s the way I’m wired, and a good thing too because the C-suite and senior team clients I work with value the coaching I provide on expanding this skill for themselves.

You see, we trip ourselves up with our so-called issues and problems when we look at them from just one perspective – the perspective we are accustomed to. I’m a great fan of Albert Einstein’s quote: “You cannot solve a problem from the same consciousness that created it. You must learn to see the world anew.” I love to illustrate the point of this quote with our Best Year Yet Beach Ball Principle.

We have a gigantic striped beach ball sitting between us. What color is the beach ball from your perspective? You might say, “Blue.” And, I will quickly quip back, “What on earth are you smoking? It is red, definitely red!” You might agree that there might be a red stripe. And, you know that only because you’re imagining the beach ball from a broader perspective. For example, a knowledge or former experience of seeing a beach ball from a distance versus seeing the whole ball. It clearly has several different colors, including white. This illustration becomes a metaphor for us as we continue to work together. Later, in a future coaching session when we are discussing a problem situation, I will trigger with “what color is the beach ball” — reminding you to step back and view the issue from a broader point of view.

Let’s say the problem is with a major customer, I might suggest to you that you jump into the shoes of your customer and ask you to take on their perspective. What is it that they perceive? What is most important to them from their vantage point? Or, what might another industry do with a similar situation?

It’s not always easy to just jump into another’s shoes to take on another’s perspective. There are tactical skills involved to do so. The first involves attentively listening. You must provide full attention to what is being said and what is not being said. Tap into your intuitive gut to capture what is between the lines. Turn off your chattering mind to truly listen to what is being conveyed. Absolutely, skill #1 – required!

Another way that I might help you re-wire your thoughts (broadening your perspective) is using a dose of Appreciative Inquiry (AI). If you’re not familiar with this process, I highly recommend Sue Annis Hammond’s book, The Thin Book of Appreciative Inquiry. The manner in which I use AI is first asking you the question: What can I appreciate about this issue or problem? In the example cited above with the VIP customer, I would apply AI and state, “It’s great that the customer came to your company to tell you what’s not working rather than simply not renewing their contract.” Continuing with AI, we would sharpen your focus by asking the following questions:

• What’s not quite right yet?
• What is it that needs to be improved?
• What is the first thing we can do to make it ‘right’?

Through these reflective questions, we gain a helicopter perspective of the issue. . .up, round, and underneath, pulling back to get a BIG picture view. I like to equate this to the pie of life. We all have a slice of pie of what we know (e.g., how a plane flies), and then another slice of what we know that we don’t know (e.g., how to build a jet engine). However, the largest portion of the pie of life is what we don’t know; we couldn’t even fathom, nor have access to knowing. Our perspective is built and created from what we have experienced, what we have learned, and our imagination. Our perspective broadens when we learn new things, have new experiences, and expand our imagination. Amping up the power of our imagination is the added value we bring to work, and to solving problems. This brings to mind another favorite quote, from Abraham Maslow, helping drive home my point (pun intended):

If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail.

I leave you with this Dose of Coach Dory:

• What problem are you facing today?
• What appreciative thought can you reach about this problem? In other words, what is the opportunity that it births for you?
• Where are you seeing your world anew?
• What are you doing today to cultivate and nurture your (and your team’s) imagination?

Like millions of viewers, I was curious about the theme of Oprah’s farewell show. After 25 years, what more could she talk about that we hadn’t already heard? I wondered. Well, she got right to the point and spoke about the power and responsibility that we have to add value to others in terms of our talents and our energy. She said to her audience, “Carry what you’re supposed to be doing forward.” A perfect final message…

I call it Personal Responsibility (PR) and it starts with you. It’s an inside job and unless you’re committed to developing yourself to the next level, you could be robbing your loved ones, your business, your community, and the world of your influence.

Social experts tell us that the most introverted individual will influence 10,000 people in their lifetime. This is an amazing statistic! John Maxwell actually describes leadership as influence. I like this definition because it drives home the point that everyone influences someone else. Adolf Hitler was a leader and so were David Koresh and Jim Jones. Martin Luther King, Jr., Winston Churchill, and John F. Kennedy were also leaders. Each of these men had followers who believed and trusted in them.

Events influence us as well. I’ll bet you can recall exactly where you were and what you were doing when you learned about the planes crashing into the twin towers on September 11, 2001. My husband and I were in Los Gatos, California scheduled to fly out of the San Jose airport on September 11. Instead, we rented a car and drove home in a state of shock on that tragic day. Where were you?

We influence others and we are influenced by others and too often, we aren’t even aware of it. Several months ago in a Best Year Yet workshop, I met Karen (not her real name), a woman who looked frightened and apprehensive as I described the process she and the others would go through that morning. Individually, this group would answer 10 questions that would result in a personal one page plan or blue print describing results they wanted to achieve in the next 12 months. Karen later told me this workshop event changed her life. She never experienced the kind of love and nurturing she deserved as a child; therefore, her adult life included making poor decisions in her relationships. Karen was carrying a lot of baggage.

Today, it warms my heart to be around Karen and watch her interact with others. We live in the same community and attend some of the same local events. She is a different person. She easily smiles and connects with others. I watched her literally transition from a caterpillar to a butterfly.

Karen shared that her biggest ‘Aha!’ from the Best Year Yet workshop was in learning that she is the one in control of her destiny and that her past doesn’t dictate her future story. Karen has gotten out of an abusive relationship and she loves her newfound freedom and power. And, guess what . . . her ability to develop herself to a higher level is causing ripples, affecting those in her life in a positive manner. What a great Personal Responsibility (PR) story!

Imagine in your mind the picture of a wheel. The center is the source of movement and unless the hub of a wheel speeds up, there is little change on the outside. Every change at the center affects what happens at the outer layers and the effect of even a small amount of effort at the center brings about great change and beyond.

What about you? Every time you learn to listen in a new way, the quality of your communication improves. Every time you remember your plan and the different results you want in your life – and you match your actions to those plans, there is transformation. What you do matters. You aren’t invisible. What you say is heard and repeated. You are in a position to influence in positive ways as never before in your life. How will you develop your PR?

“I am done with great things and big plans, great institutions and big success. I am for those tiny, invisible loving human forces that work from individual to individual, creeping through the crannies of the world like so many rootlets, or the capillary oozing of water, which if given time, will rend the hardest monuments of human pride.”
~ William James~

When was the last time you stopped racing around, checked your energy level, and recharged your batteries?

I’ve discovered that many clients get the most value from using Best Year Yet by developing a personal habit of looking back and getting ready for the next steps. I call this habit a Pit Stop. You pause to find more motivation, more clarity and direction for the future.

What do you normally do during a Pit Stop at the fuel station?

• You clean the front window in order to have a clear view on your road ahead. In Best Year Yet, this is learning your lessons to get a clearer view of how to take your next steps
• You get garbage out of your car and buy some new food for your next journey. In the monthly or weekly reviews of Best Year Yet, you think about achievements in the last period and your goals for the next phase.
• You fuel your tank. In Best Year Yet, you create guidelines derived from lessons learned and get more aware of your Limiting Paradigms. Creating a new paradigm inspires you with the motivational energy that will feel like fuel as you get started.

Sitting behind the wheel again, I normally feel refreshed, motivated for the next step, ready to go! The same feeling is created during a monthly or weekly planning session using the Best Year Yet Online cloud software “Producing Results Online” (PRO).

So what is your personal Pit Stop Strategy? How many times a year do you slow down, check the oil, and fuel your tank? What helps you develop the habit of doing these stops even when you’re busy?

Here’s how you establish a new habit:

1. You do it for the first time. After that, ask yourself: What feels good about it? What is valuable about this? What helped me doing this?
2. You plan your second time and set an alarm to be reminded. In PRO, this can be done by creating automated emails to you or your team.
3. You do it again and do it better because you have learned from the past. Then ask yourself, what felt better than the first time? How can I do more of that? What helped me do it and not to procrastinate?
4. You plan your third time, and then your next one . . .

For Best Year Yet clients doing the online workshop is the first time they really look back and ask themselves the important questions about the past. The second time they do that review after month 1 of their plan. My clients say it’s easier every time they do it and that it’s great because it’s done in just a short time.

It takes me 15 minutes to do my monthly review and another 10 minutes to plan my week. The daily routine of reshuffling my To Do List to progress those weekly goals takes another 10 minutes a day. But hey, guess how much time I save by being clear in my mind! Imagine continuing your journey with a dirty window!

For some people getting reminders from a system or a peer is helpful enough. Some need a coach in order to develop real habits. Psychological theory says that after 21 days of daily routine things become automatic for you.

When will you do your next Pit Stop? If you use PRO, have you defined the pit stops for the whole year?

So have a safe and joyful journey!

An often-made observation to teams and individuals, who protest that they haven’t got the time, is that ‘we can all make space for the things that are important’. But is what we actually do truly important? Is it really more valuable to spend time sending that last e-mail rather than getting home to do my share with the kids? Is going to the mall (again) a more significant contributor to my life than going to the gym (at last). Do I really want to continue this endless, meaningless phone call with such a mean-spirited gossip when I’m already late for my mother/child/date/lesson/ book club/supper/etc.?

Many of us spend a lot of time doing only what’s in front of us rather than what we dream about doing because:

• ‘They’ need me to do it
• ‘They’ will think badly of me if I don’t
• It’s easier/safer/cheaper to do this rather than what I really want to do
• I actually don’t deserve any better.

Getting the life you want is as much about dealing with limiting beliefs as it is about time management’ it’s about the ‘why’, as well as the ‘what’ and the ‘how’. The Best Year Yet methodology focuses very clearly on the importance of defining the roles in our lives, for two significant reasons. First it gives a sense of direction and purpose and secondly, it causes us to unearth what’s getting in the way. ‘Where in my life am I not getting what I want?’ ‘What am I doing or not doing that allows that to happen? ‘How do I rationalise, excuse, justify etc., those behaviours?’

Contained within the approach to roles is the persuasive counsel to have ‘Me’ as one of them. To this role falls the task of looking after yourself; your well-being, your recreation, attaining your vision, ensuring that you stay in good enough shape to look after everyone else in your life and to get what you want. So in the get-a-life stakes, start by being clear about how you want that life to be shaped – Questions 6 and 7 in the Best Year Yet process which define your eight key roles, and which of those is the major focus. Be robust in choosing some roles that you truly want rather than trapping yourself in roles you feel obliged to adopt – ‘hardening of the oughteries’ is a debilitating condition at any age.

Think deeply about each of your chosen roles. Ask yourself ‘am I mentally prepared to be as successful in doing this as I know I deserve to be?’ If ‘yes’ then great; get on with planning your goals. But if not, then stand back and observe what’s going on. Be honest with yourself about what you are allowing to happen that is impeding your progress. Things you do yourself; things you allow others to get away with. And then by digging deeper into the honesty chest, grasp the paradigms that are making this OK. (Scan back to the second paragraph here for some ideas.)

Until you grasp this nettle and change these limiting beliefs, you will not get the life you want and deserve. Revisit page 79ff in ‘Your Best Year Yet!’

~Peter Baxter

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…………..