Are You Making Excuses?

Dear Friend,

"Some favorite expressions of small children: "It's not my fault...They made me do it...I forgot."

Some favorite expressions of adults: "It's not my job. . . No one told me. . . It couldn't be helped." True freedom begins and ends with personal accountability." -Dan Zadra

Do any of the following sound familiar? • If I didn't have a work dinner on Thursday then I could start my diet on Monday. • If I had more money then I would be happy. • If I had more time in the day I would be able to get my projects completed • If my boss gave me more praise then I would be satisfied. • If there wasn't so much traffic then I would be on time. • If my spouse didn't travel as much then I would be able to exercise. • If I had more than one hour I could... -Clean the closet, -Write the proposal, -Organize the garage, -Take down the holiday decorations...and on and on the list goes. If any these sound familiar, then you (like me) suffer from what I call the "if only" syndrome. It is the voice in your head that says, "if only" something were different then I would be able to do what I need to do. It is easy to make excuses, to blame others, or even to shirk responsibility in the name of a loved one or even traffic! However, when we make excuses we release ourselves from accountability. We create a story of why we are justified in not doing what we know we need to do. When we stop making excuses and hold ourselves accountable for creating our own dreams, we begin to transform our lives. We transform our lives by actually achieving what we set out to do and not using others as an excuse or placing blame on them rather than ourselves.

Consider this hilarious children's poem, All My Great Excuses, by Kenn Nesbitt. Perhaps there is a lesson for us adults?

I started on my homework but my pen ran out of ink. My hamster ate my homework. My computer's on the blink. I accidentally dropped it in the soup my mom was cooking. My brother flushed it down the toilet when I wasn't looking. My mother ran my homework through the washer and the dryer. An airplane crashed into our house. My homework caught on fire. Tornadoes blew my notes away. Volcanoes struck our town. My notes were taken hostage by an evil killer clown. Some aliens abducted me. I had a shark attack. A pirate swiped my homework and refused to give it back. I worked on these excuses so darned long my teacher said, "I think you'll find it's easier to do the work instead."

Make it Happen

This week I ask that you consider how you can make your life excuse-free. Examine how you can accept accountability for getting exactly what you desire...and don't let your boss, spouse, child, or friend be the excuse for you not accomplishing a particular goal! Blessings to you, Margaret. P.S. Encourage your friends, family, and colleagues by sharing this newsletter with them and invite them to subscribe! Direct them to www.MargaretPundmann.com where they can sign up. Margaret Pundmann is a life and business coach, speaker, and author The Emerging Woman. Please feel free to forward the "Powerful Living, Powerful You" newsletter to friends and colleagues, but please forward in its entirety. The "Powerful Living, Powerful You" newsletter is written and distributed by Emerge Enterprise. Copyright © 2008 Margaret Pundmann. All rights reserved. www.MargaretPundmann.com.

Accountability - 5 Questions to Answer

Dear Friend,

We (live) in a culture where accountability, learning to accept responsibility, admitting mistakes and learning is critical to us.

~Anthony Zinni

So far this year we've reviewed our lessons from 2008, built a vision for 2009, created a plan to support our vision, cleaned our slate so that we have room in our lives for our 2009 dreams and goals. This week I want to ensure we have accountability to reach our goals. As much as we need to be diligent and persevere there will be times when we lose focus of our vision. In these times we need to have appropriate accountability to support us in regaining focus. In fact according to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, people who attend meetings lose three times more weight than those who go at it alone! What this means is that when we have support we are more likely to achieve our goals. This week I want to ask you to consider what accountability you can build into your life that will support you in attaining your goals.

5 Questions to Consider

Who in my life will support my vision?

Friends Family Loved Ones Coach Colleagues Trainer Mentor

What activities will serve as accountability?

If your goal is Business Growth Activities that may hold you accountable: initiating a specific number of sales calls each day, attending valuable networking events each week or month, following-up with potential clients If your goal is Volunteer Work/Cleaning-Up Tasks Activities that may hold you accountable: scheduling the dates/times of your work-hours every four weeks, finding inspiring activites, scheduling a party, cleaning up to your favorite music or a book on tape If your goal is Weight Loss Activities that may hold you accountable: hiring a personal trainer, attending group meetings, creating a food journal, exercising with a friend or in a group If your goal is Balance Activities that may hold you accountable: creating a schedule of when you will work and when you will spend time with family, setting reminders on your calendar, before you say 'Yes' to a new project take 24 hours to consider if this is consistent with all of your goals

When will I have accomplished my goal?

We need specific measurable results to know we've reached our end pointThis means a desired revenue number, a desired weight, a goal of how many hours we will have volunteered, a specific plan for what areas of our home, office, or car must be de-cluttered Consider some goals may need an end date to aim for as a target Why is this goal important to me - what is my underlying motivation for achieving this goal?

Consider writing a letter to yourself about why each of your goals are significant to you and what each of them mean to you For each goal know what your larger motivation is and create a reminder of your motivation - with a picture, with writing, or even little notes around your home

How will I celebrate once I've achieve my goal?

Celebration locks in our success and can act as a "carrot" so to speak encouraging us to persevere Create a plan of what your celebration will be. If you have a larger goal - allow yourself to have mini-celebrations along the way

Make It Happen

This week take some time to review each of your goals in the context of the five questions above. The fundamental question is, "who or what will provide accountability to keep me on track to reach my goals"! Think creatively to establish the appropriate accountability in your life so that you may accomplish your goals and make 2009 Your Best Year! Blessings to you, Margaret.

How Can You Create A Clean Slate?

Dear Friend,

"A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step." ~Lao Tsu   This is the second full week of the New Year. Many of us view this year as an opportunity to have a tabula rasa, Latin for "scraped tablet" or in other words a clean slate. This clean slate enables us to forge ahead and create new things in our life. However, a clean slate doesn't come just because it is a new year. We can be available for fresh starts, at many points in our life irrespective of the calendar. Yet, often we must get-rid-of in order to be ready for a fresh start and to have a clean slate.   This week I'd like you to think about what you need in your life in order to have a clean slate for 2009. Having a fresh start will allow you the space mentally, the space physically and the space emotionally to accomplish the goals you've created for the coming year.   In the last three weeks I've asked you to reflect on 2008 - celebrate what worked and identify what you want to change, I asked you to identify six goals for 2009and last week I asked you to create a plan to achieve your goals. Together we have visited the past to gather lessons, we've gone into the future to contemplate what you want to accomplish in 2009, and we've focused on what steps you need to take to accomplish your goals.   This week, I'm asking you to step into the present. Consider what in your life needs to change or what space you need to open up in order to follow through with your plans and ultimately realize your goals for 2009.   Consider what type of space you need - mentally, physically and emotionally and how might you achieve this space? If you need mental space perhaps you make some quiet time each day on your drive to and from work, savor meditation, or enjoy a yoga class. If you need physical space perhaps you take ten minutes each day this week to de-clutter the surface of your desk, organize your mail, or file 2008 papers. If you need emotional space, perhaps laughter with some friends, service to those in need, prayer, a romantic comedy, or a good run in the cold crisp air will give you breathing room. You may even need an entire day of rest. Consider taking a sabbatical-day or a sabbatical-afternoon so that you have the space and rest to clean your slate mentally, physically and emotionally in the best way for you.   Make It Happen Make a conscious effort to examine what type of space you need in your life. Take this week and search your soul for your truth, what you need to make 2009 Your Best Year! Only you know exactly what you need right now. Blessings to you as you create your tabula rasa.

Blessings to you, Margaret.