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ShortCuts To Success Working Smarter Not Harder September 2007 Dear Ryan, Welcome to the September issue of ShortCuts To Success, helping you to get everything you want in business and life, quicker and with less effort. It's been another fun summer month.  I just returned from four days of camping near Yosemite at the Strawberry Music Festival and next weekend I'm off to Eugene, Oregon to visit family.  My father and I have the same birthday (Sept. 13) so we like to get together and celebrate.  He always reminds me that I was his best birthday present ever.  This year we plan to rent some Harleys and take a motorcycle trip, maybe to Crater Lake.  This month's ShortCut is on The 11 Most Common Mistakes People Make When Setting Goals.  Do you set goals?   Goal setting is one of the most powerful things you can do to chart the course of your future and increase your success.  Many people don't set goals because they've tried it before and been disillusioned.  Perhaps you tried setting a goal and something didn't work out and you decided goal setting doesn't work; or maybe you concluded that goal setting works for other people, but not for you.  If so, you were probably making one more of the following common mistakes. . . The 11 Most Common Mistakes People Make When Setting Goals Mistake #1 -  You didn't write it down.  You probably forgot about it.  In any case, you probably didn't focus on it very much. Mistake #2 -  Your goal was a wish.  You didn't commit to achieving your goal.  You didn't make a plan and follow your plan. Mistake #3 -  You didn't track the progress towards your goal. Mistake #4 -  You set too many goals at one time.  Instead of increasing your focus and clarity, your goals led you to being scattered, unfocused, and overwhelmed. Mistake #5 -  You didn't set a deadline for your goal and this led to procrastination. Mistake #6 -  You set a long term goal and didn't set related short term goals (milestones) leading to achievement of the larger goal. Mistake #7 -  Your goal was unrealistic.   It wasn't achievable. Mistake #8 -  You didn't take action on your goal immediately.  You didn't use your initial inspiration and clarity to establish a habit of taking action towards your goal, and therefore you never really got started. Mistake #9 -  Your goal was too vague.  It wasn't measurable.  There was no way to know whether you achieved it or not.  Therefore it didn't provide clarity on where to focus and what actions to take. Mistake #10 -  Your goal wasn't inspiring.  It wasn't a true reflection of your values and your passion.  It wasn't authentically you.  Or maybe your goal was too easy to achieve and therefore not inspiring.  Your goal will be inspiring if it's a bit of a stretch - just the right amount of challenge; and of course, something that reflects YOUR values. Mistake #11 - You had no accountability.  You didn't tell anyone about your goal and you didn't ask anyone to hold you accountable.  You also didn't hold yourself accountable. For a more in-depth discussion of goal setting, why people avoid setting goals, and how to overcome any resistance you might have, see the article I wrote in 2004 on How To Have An Extraordinary Life. Now that you know the 11 most common mistakes people make when setting goals, you can easily avoid them.  I hope you're inspired to set some goals!  I've created a simple online questionnaire that will help you establish your top three goals for the next 6 months.  You may be surprised at how quickly and easily you can set three meaningful, measurable, and inspiring goals.  Take a few minutes now to set some goals and it just might change your life. . . *** KNOW YOUR TOP 3 GOALS *** Take the free 5 Minute Quiz and download your Free Goals Report! Get it here: http://www.FreeGoalsReport.com/quiz.asp?id=2043 www.RyanEliason.com ShortCuts Archive About Ryan Testimonials Benefits of Coaching Contact Ryan Ryan Eliason has been a professional, full-time Life and Business Coach since 2003, successfully supporting hundreds of clients to produce extraordinary results in their businesses and personal lives.  An entrepreneur since a young age, Ryan has founded several successful businesses and a non-profit.  He developed his unique ShortCuts approach through 15 years of business consulting, designing and leading workshops, and working with both coaching and therapy clients. He received his formal training with the renowned Coaches Training Institute in San Rafael, California.  He is also a certified Master Hypnotist, massage therapist, polarity therapist, and Transformational Therapist through the Heartwood Institute. more "The result was amazing: in just three months, I increased my client load 45%! If you really want to achieve your goals, I highly recommend you call Ryan." -Kimberlee Foster more testimonials

Successful Goal Setting and Tracking I'd like to share an example of successful goal setting from my own life.  When I started my coaching business in 2003, I set a goal to have 20 clients within 6 months.  But I didn't stop there.  I also set a goal to get 3 to 4 new clients each month and I set up a system to track my progress.  I started a support group of coaches building their businesses and we checked in by phone on a regular basis, providing a system of support and accountability.  I also created a simple one page tracking sheet that I posted on my wall.  I updated the tracking sheet every time I got a new client, and it was exciting to watch my progress.  It was also very helpful to have a visual reminder of my goal.  This helped me to focus and take action on a regular basis.  The result?  I had 20 clients in 6 months and 23 clients in 7 months.  I had a full business and a good income in a shorter time frame than 95% of all coaches. I encourage you to set up a visual tracking system for the next goal that you set.  I am going to give you access to a couple of free downloads for tracking sheets that I have used.  There are many ways to track a goal visually, so be creative and make your own tracking sheet if one of these doesn't meet your needs.   Client Goal Tracking Sheet:  This is the form I posted on my wall and used to track the progress towards my client goal.  This is a Microsoft Word Document.  Download it here: http://www.ryaneliason.com/docs/clientgoaltracking.doc Net Worth Goal Chart: This is the form I use to track my progress towards my goal of having a net worth of over $1 million.  This is a Microsoft Excel Document.  Download it here:http://www.ryaneliason.com/docs/networthchart.xls Trust me, setting up a tracking system for your goals will make you far more successful.  You can use my forms as templates and modify them to work for tracking progress towards any goal.  You will need to set up a system for updating your chart on a regular basis.  I update my Client Goal Tracking sheet every time I get a new client or a current client completes their work with me.  I update my Net Worth Goal chart every 3 months.  I get a reminder email from my Yahoo calendar every three months.  This Month's Raving Fan Vika Teicher Thai Massage Teacher and Therapist www.vikatouch.com Ryan helped me double my number of clients, double my income, and create a stable and reliable client base. Now I know how to market myself effectively and I no longer panic if I have a slow week. If I need to find new clients I know what to do - all of the mystery and struggle is gone. Our coaching helped me create a wonderful relationship too. I was single when I started coaching and Ryan helped me get clear about what I wanted from a partner and a relationship. From that clarity, we developed a dating strategy, and eventually I met my love. We got married a couple months ago and are about to leave town for a nice long sabbatical in Europe where we hope to start a family! In addition to these successes in work and love, I've accomplished many other things. . . read full testimonial I hope you enjoyed this issue.  More importantly, I hope you take some action based on this newsletter.  Take just 5 minutes now and do my online questionnaire and download your Free Goals Report.  You'll be glad you did. Take care and enjoy the change in the seasons!   Ryan Eliason Life and Business Success Coach 831-425-1111 coaching@ryaneliason.com www.RyanEliason.com For FREE INSTANT ACCESS to my 70-minute audio seminar and 43-page workbook on How To Have The Best Year of Your Business and Your Life, simply enter your email address below and click "go". I will guide you through the 28-steps to make this the best year ever, including more profit and more time off. You will also receive a FREE trial subscription to ShortCuts To Success, my highly acclaimed once-per-month newsletter packed with practical tips to get more done with less. Your email address will be kept confidential and you may unsubscribe at any time. Claim Your FREE Information Email: home | testimonials | why hire a coach? | articles & resources | about ryan | contact