Was 2009 Your Best Year Yet?

POWERFUL LIVING, POWERFUL YOU This Week's Topic: Was 2009 Your Best Year Yet? This Week's Topic: Was 2009 Your Best Year Yet? Dear Friend, "There's no disaster that can't become a blessing, and no blessing that can't become a disaster." ~Richard Bach Can you believe we are upon the New Year? 2010 is nearly here, and 2009 is almost behind us. This week I want you to review 2009 - the truth - the things that worked and the things that didn't. By reflecting upon where we have travelled we can acknowledge the things that worked and continue them in 2010. As importantly identifying where we have faltered allows us to adjust what didn't work. What were your goals in 2009? Was 2009 Your Best Year Yet? Before we leave this year, here are seven questions to consider: 1) Did you achieve what you set out to in 2009? 2) What were your successes? 3) What were your failures? 4) Have you credited yourself and celebrated your successes? (The 31st might be a fun time to do this.) 5) Have you made note of where you stumbled? Are some of these goals moot? 6) Describe the best version of you...how do you live up to that daily? 7) If you could meaningfully change one thing in your life what would it be and how might you make that change? (This must be something authentic...not a should or an ought to...) Make It Happen This week I hope that you have joyous celebrations with your family and friends. Keep your focus tuned into the blessings in your life. Treasure each family member and celebrate what they bring to the table of your life. Try to find a few quiet moments before and after the fun to consider the questions above. We will use your answers to these questions as a basis for planning 2010. Regardless if 2009 was your best year yet or if it left a lot to be desired keep your eyes on the bountiful blessings in your life. Next week we will focus on creating your vision for 2010! Blessings to you for a warm and joyous Holiday! Ignite Your Fire - 8 Week Challenge !!!Your Challenge is Over!!! Wow you have arrived! It is time for you to celebrate your success...don't minimize what you've accomplished. Celebrate what you achieved and take a few minutes on the 31st to celebrate where you've travelled over the last 8 weeks and over the last year!!! 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 of numerous articles on living your most powerful life. Stay tuned, Margaret's first book for emerging women will be available for pre-order in the coming weeks. To ensure you receive our newsletter each week, add Margaret@MargaretPundmann.com to your address book or your approved list of senders. 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.

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.

2009 - Your Best Year Yet!

Dear Friend,

A goal is a dream that has an ending. ~ Duke Ellington

I hope you are having a joyous Holiday Season! Last week I asked you to reflect on 2008 - the truth of your year - both what worked and what didn't work. (Click here if you missed these questions.) Now that you've honestly answered these questions you can begin to ponder what you want your life to look like this time next year. This week let's create a vision of where we want to go into 2009. Once we paint this picture into our consciousness - we can break the vision into pieces.

When we develop ideas of what we want to accomplish, we need to ensure that our goals are complimentary. In other words we want to ensure our goals don't negate each other, but work together. For example, if one of your goals is to triple your business revenue and another goal is to coach little league for all three of your children - these goals might not realistically go together. Or they might. What I am asking you to do is to get real now - so that you don't create unreasonable expectations for yourself and then play the blame-guilt game with yourself next year.

First things first - close your eyes and begin with your vision. Ask yourself the question - what would you like to accomplish in 2009? Consider the following areas of your life -

• Love and Relationships,
• Health Life,
• Physical Environment,
• Work Life,
• Financial Life,
• Spiritual Life.

Over the next week I ask that you think of your vision and write down at least one goal for each area of your life. Once you have your list of at least six things that you want to accomplish in 2009 - see if they are symbiotic - do your goals go against each other or work together? Next week I'm going to ask you to put some planning around each of your goals so that once the proverbial ball drops and you've finished your champagne you can get focused and get to work on your goals for 2009.

Make It Happen

This week consider six things that you want to accomplish in 2009. Over this next week continue to celebreate all of the things that went right in 2008. Enjoy and savor the abundant blessings in your life. As you think about what you want to accomplish in 2009 - be real with yourself. Set challenging, inspiring, and yet reasonable goals for yourself. For each goal ask yourself the question, Who do I need to be to accomplish this goal?

Blessings to You for Your Best Year Yet!

Let's Review 2008

Dear Friend,

I don't care how much power, brilliance or energy you have, if you don't harness it and focus it on a specific target, and hold it there you're never going to accomplish as much as your ability warrants. Zig Ziglar

Can you believe we are less than two weeks away from the New Year and the Holidays are upon us? Where does time go! This week I want us to review 2008 - the truth - the things that worked and the things that didn't. By reflecting we can find the things that worked and continue to do them in 2009. Additionally, we can adjust what didn't work so that we get different results in 2009. What were your goals in 2008? Before we leave 2008 and begin to think about 2009 here are 10 questions to consider: 1) Is what you are doing in your life - personally and professionally - working? 2) Are you getting the results you desire? 3) Are you fulfilled? 4) Are you enjoying your life? 5) Are your relationships nourishing and flourishing? 6) Do you take time to relax? 7) Are you growing as an individual? 8) Are you getting spiritual nourishment? 9) Do you make yourself a priority? (See article on self care.) 10) What is really important to me? (See article on blessings.) Once you have taken time to reflect upon these ten questions consider the following: If you could change one thing in your life what would it be and how might you make that change?

Make It Happen

This week I hope that you have a joyous Holiday with your loved ones. Keep your focus on the blessings in your life. Treasure each family member and celebrate what they bring to the table of your life. Try to find a few quiet moments before and after the fun to consider the questions above. We will use your answers to these questions as a basis for planning your 2009.

Regardless if 2008 was your best year yet or if it left a lot to be desired keep your eyes on the bountiful blessings in your life.

Next week we will focus on creating your vision for 2009!

Blessings to you for a warm and joyous Holiday!