This is the time when many set New Year Resolutions. It is a time when our ‘clocks’ reset and we start a new year again with renewed vigour and enthusiasm. It is also a time when we promise to achieve something new. We make resolutions (promises) to lose weight, stop smoking, spend more time with loved ones, learn a new language, take up a new hobby, etc. etc. etc. The list is endless.

In many situations these resolutions are forgotten as life takes over and we resume ‘normality’. We might promise to get back to the resolutions at some point in the future, possibly after we get past some ‘blocking’ incident. I read once that a New Year’s Resolution is a todo list for the first week in January.

The problem is that in some situations, when we stop pursuing our resolutions, we feel sorry. We might even blame ourselves or consider our inability to achieve the result as a failure. Some might even say things to themselves like “I knew I couldn’t do it” or, “I never achieve what I set out to do”. Very limiting and degrading statements. They are statements that we then use to beat ourselves up with as we take on other tasks during the year. So why should we put ourselves through that? Why bother with New Year Resolutions at all?

New Year Resolutions can be very beneficial and rewarding if we do them right, follow through and achieve them. We feel motivated as well as a huge sense of achievement when we successfully complete them. This success can even propel us to achieve more, to take on more challenges. In short, achieving our targets help us to realise more in our lives.

So if they are so good an idea, why do so many of us not see our resolutions through? Why do we end up in situations where we feel that we have failed?

Did you know that the success (or not) of your Resolution depends on how you phrase the actual promise?

It’s true.

When deciding on New Year Resolutions we tend to use vague, non-committal language that gives us an ‘out’ if we need it. We tend to say things like “I should stop smoking” or “I must lose weight” or “For the New Year, I could join a Gym and get fit for the summer”. All great desires, but saying things like “should”, “must” or “could” we are not committing to out goal, we are merely expressing a wish.

If you want to make a New Year’s Resolution succeed you need to commit to it. Wishful language doesn’t do this. In order to give yourself the best chance of success your resolution must:

1. Be expressed in terms of commitment, e.g. “I WILL stop smoking”
2. Time based, e.g. “I WILL stop smoking by Easter“

With these two simple steps you are both committing and setting yourself a deadline for the success of your goal. Once you have set your resolution in this format, you have given yourself a commitment and a deadline. This means you will be able to track your progress, realise how you are succeeding and use that as a motivator to reach the goal.

But there is a longer term benefit to setting and achieving your goals; self-belief. By achieving your goals you will be proving to yourself that you CAN set your mind to something and CAN achieve it. This will build your confidence and self-belief which will open you up to tackling new goals and ACHIEVING THEM.

And it all starts with how you phrase the goals/resolutions you set at this time of the year.

Why not use the start of 2013 as a time for a New Beginning for YOU?

You might surprise yourself and 2013 might be the beginning of a New You…

Happy 2013!!!

So we are coming to the end of another year and 2012 will soon be consigned to memory as we embark on the adventure that is 2013.

As we count down to the end of 2012, how was it for you?

In today’s busy and very fast paced world, do you take time to reflect on what has passed and what is to come? Have you challenged yourself to review your progress against your plan.

In the commercial world, it is common practice (or, at least it should be!) to review progress against the strategic plans that were set which inform management on the overall direction of the organisation. But what about the most important organisation of all; YOU Inc?

In work, we follow the procedures aimed at delivering corporate results and driving the company forward. We develop KPI’s (Key Performance Indicators) so that we can see when things are going well, or not, against the plan and, during periodic reviews, we adjust our plans as the business environment dictates in order to achieve our goals.

So why done you do the same for YOU?

Now is the perfect time to have your review meeting. Take time to check where you are going in life.

• What is/are your long term goals?
• Where do you want to be at the end of 2013?, 2014?, in 5 years?

Take time to review what happened over the course of 2012.

1. What positive things happened for you over the course of the year?
2. What negative things happened for you over the course of the year?
3. What positives/learning can you take from both the positives and negatives over the year?

Over the last 5 weeks I have had the pleasure of working with a group of 20 people seeking to upskill and return to the work place. They have joined a FÁS traineeship programme that will see them undergo 22 weeks of intensive Supply Chain training which will be followed up with 16 weeks work placement. The participants come from a wide range of backgrounds and ages.

The start of the programme, like any other, was a time of fear and trepidation. However, all shared the same concerns; (1) that this would not be “just another FÁS programme” and, (2) that the programme will lead to full time jobs at the end.

Despite having formally lectured at various levels of Supply Chain Management for a number of years, I too came to the programme with some fears and trepidation, namely, this would be my first time facilitating training on a full time basis (20 weeks, Monday to Friday). It would also be my first time working with a group of unemployed people as well as my first time brining ALL my Training, Coaching and NLP skills to a live process.

From the outset, I saw one major issue that had to be dealt with; the perception that these people had that they were attending “just another course”. Speaking with them, it was easy to feel the sense of doom and absence of hope that many in our society (as well as societies around the world) are experiencing, i.e. “what’s the point?”, “there’s nothing [jobs] out there”.

What was needed was a serious change in perception. This was my first FÁS course and I too was aware of how FÁS training courses were perceived. However, I was also able to point out that “this was my first FÁS course” so by default, it would have to be better, i.e. if I hadn’t facilitated one before, the course would be different. My challenge was to make it a ‘good’ different for each participant.

I was also faced with the challenge that, at the start of the process, the participants held a view that there is no work available for them. Some have been unemployed for a number of years. All have been using a ‘scatter gun’ approach to job hunting by applying for everything they saw. That approach lead to continuous rejection which fed their belief of no hope, no jobs, etc, etc.

So what happened?

The first week of any FÁS course is ‘red-tape’ week, i.e. induction, where all the Health & Safety, Means of Assessment, Course information, etc. is gone through. It was an ideal opportunity to begin the process of creating an integrated group who are sharing a journey. It was my first opportunity to demonstrate that this course would be different, not in a good way, but in a GREAT way. We spent part of that time working on both the participant’s course and personal perspectives. It was challenging breaking down the obstacles of (sometimes, years) of negativity to let the participants see, that they actually have got options.

Week two of the process focussed on CV prep and personal development. It was fun challenging their perceptions and watching the lights go on as they came to realise that they were actually going about things the wrong way for them. Virtually all admitted to using the ‘scatter gun’ approach to finding work. As time went on, this approach became more desparate and even less focused, which further fuelled the “nothing out there” belief. Experiencing this phenomenon first had was a real eye opener for me. Here was a group of intelligent, hard working people who want to work, but feel that at every turn, society, the government, life has turned against them. Things had to change!!! But How??

The first hint, came when the participants began working on their CVs. Not one person highlighted their skills, achievements or what they could bring to a job on their CV. I had seen this before when working with a client who was trying to become an Assistant Director of their organisation. They had listed their roles and previous companies, but not a single point about what they had achieved, i.e. NOTHING that would encourage a prospective employer to say “wow! we need to meet this person”.

It may be an ‘Irish thing’, but we really seem to have a problem stating our accomplishments. It might be out of a sense of ‘fear of being found out’. It may also be as a result of the, sometimes misguided rule that a CV must not exceed two pages.

Working with the 20 people in the group, we re-wrote their CVs, everyone listed their duties and achievements for each role they had worked in and then added a Profile paragraph at the start of their CV. The key for each person after that was to take time and actually READ their own CV.

The effect was dramatic.

People actually began to realise what they could bring to a prospective employer. For many it was the first time they actually SAW their abilities in black and white. As one person put it “I have never before considered what makes me shine for an employer”.

The times, they were a changin’. The participants became engaged. They developed a Learning Agreement between themselves (which included a rule “Ban Negativity!!”).

There was even an encounter with the Center’s Training Manager. When he came to address them and started speaking of how difficult things were, one of the quieter members of the group, raised his hand and told the Manager, “I’m sorry, but we don’t accept negativity in this room”.

Next up was the approach to employers. Each participant must find his/her own work placement. Armed with the new CVs and determination, they began contacting companies. After only 5 weeks of their 22 week programme, over half of the group either has secured, or is in discussions with prospective employers (which they don’t actually need until February 2013). One amazing aspect is that some of them are lining up possible work placement companies with a view to deciding which will be the best option for them for both experience and/or permanent employment. There’s a turn around.

In fact, since the course began, two of the participants have received offers of some temporary work and after discussing the matter with the companies in question, they have decided to stay on and complete the course first.

The first 5 weeks have been a journey into the unknown for us all. Together we will journey another 15 weeks before parting ways. The new-found determination and focus of these people has been an inspiration to me as well as the fact that I can see the results of working with people in adverse situations, changing perceptions and challenging existing and unhelpful belief patterns.

The next stage of the process will be the first of a rigourous assessment period (in the space of 4 months, the participants will undergo 7 written tests AND will have to complete 4 written assignments). Time to deal with the nerves and fear associated with examinations.

Bring it on!!!

You have probably heard the saying “Can’t see the wood for the trees” which implies that you are too close to a problem to see the solution. It is widely used to encourage people to take a step back and take time to review. We are also familiar with the term “there are two sides to every story”

Unfortunately, my experience with clients is that even when they take that step back, they still tend to focus on the problem rather than the positives, i.e. they only look at on side of the story. Focusing on the problem only makes you feel worse and increases the perceived ‘gap’ between the issues and the solutions.

Here is a very simple solution to help you focus on the solutions rather than the problems;

• Take a coin and place it on your desk, night stand, or somewhere where you can leave it for a period of time.
• Look at the coin. What do you see? You see one side (could be heads or tails). When you look at the coin and notice one side, can you see the other side? No because it is against the table. So you are only looking at one side, right?
• Now here comes the physical part of the exercise. Get ready. Deep breath…..
• Turn the coin over.
• Now what do you see?
• You see a different face of the coin. It is the same coin, but a different side of it (aka, a different perspective). Now where has the original side gone? It is still there (on the other side of the coin), but you can’t see it.

Now turn the coin over. What have you done? You have taken positive action which will enable you to focus on the other side of the coin (that’s the practical bit). You have also turned the negativity ‘off’ by turning that face of the coin into the table. So you are now looking at your business, life or both and you are only focusing on the positives and on the actions you can take.

(Authored by InnoChan Solutions and taken from an Advice piece supplied to Supply.ie)