Four Types of Goals You Need to Know

Writing down your goals will clarify your intentions and improve your chances of achieving what you desire.

The four types of goals are:

#1 Habit goals - simple directions to follow.
Examples:
Meditate for 20 minutes
Exercise for 30 minutes

#2 Deadline goals
Examples:
By June 1, complete the scuba certification exam
By 12-31-20, have X dollars in my investment account

#3 Visionary goals - inspirational goals that aren’t necessarily measurable.
Examples:
I’m a visionary
I’m the most respected productivity coach in New England

#4 Skys-the-limit goals - think big!
Examples:
I’ll announce “And live from New York - it’s Saturday night!”
Bring my sons to the Superbowl
My net worth is $23 million
I’m a black belt in jiujitsu

If you want to achieve great goals, you’ve got to use many different types of goals. What are a few of your habit goals, deadline goals, visionary goals, and skys-the-limit goals?

Daily Inspiration for 10-22-20

Daily Inspiration 10-21-20

Daily Inspiration 10-20-20

Ep 50 - Manage Your Busy Life Like a Delicious Three-Course Meal

Do you the experience beauty every day? We’ll delve into the secret to crafting a fulfilling life. We’ll cover such subjects as: project management, creativity, the benefits of gambling, increasing self-control, the connection between innovation and imitation, jazz legend Gary Peacock and his approach to peak performance, and we’ll hear about a a yacht worth $570 million dollars.

Episode Notes:

8:00 Jazz bassist, Gary Peacock on Creativity

Wakes and funerals can be inspirational

10:00 Mary Poppins’ Role of Governess

11:00 Innovation Needs Imitation

12.30 Benefits of Gambling for Older Adults

13.30 Increasing Self-Control

16:00 David Geffen’s Yacht

Best wishes in your pursuit to manage your busy life with purpose, creativity, and fulfillment.

Ep 49 - Your Legacy Starts Today

We’re thinking big in today’s episode! What’s your legacy? You’ll hear inspirational stories related to: the accomplishments of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, a world-class puzzle-making company, a beautiful quote by actress Cynthia Nixon, poet Audre Lorde’s explanation of the roles she plays, Tootsie screenwriter on storytelling,  of the classic film Tootsie’s experience of storytelling as a child, and a quote by entrepreneur and actress Taraji P. Henson.

Life Purpose Podcast Episode Notes:

Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s Fondness for Antonin Scalia

3.30 RBG on Work Life Balance 

4:20 RBG and her imagination

6:00 Stave Puzzles: world-class puzzle maker

7:00 Cynthia Nixon

8:00 Audre Lorde

9:30 Tootsie Screenwriter on storytelling

11:00 Taraji P. Henson

Sara Safari Interview

“When they write the history of my reign, sweet sister, they will say it began today” - Viserys, Game of Thrones

These stories about living your life purpose, productivity, and mission were curated so you can start living your legacy now! 

Manage Your Busy Life Like a Delicious Three-Course Meal

Inspiration comes from the oddest places! I read an article in the New York Times today as I waited for my son at the skatepark and had to race home and write this for you.

The article wasn’t about personal productivity, work life balance, or time management. It was a chef’s process for composing a three-course meal and it absolutely connects with a crucial concept related to creativity and project management.

The author was inspired by the memory of a salad he ate while in Normandy, France. He explained that when you create a multi-course meal you must pay careful attention to balancing flavors and textures throughout the meal. The meal must have a progression and momentum to it. He chose to start light then delve into deeper flavors and end with something slightly sweet. He was inspired by old cookbooks, a walk through the super market, and a sudden flavor craving he sensed in himself.

This is very similar to my approach to musical composition and project management.

Project Management in Seven Stages

1. Identify the Spark

2. Gather

3. Brainstorm

4. Structure

5. Action

6. Refine

7. Celebrate

Once you have your spark or your primary inspiration, you must gather your materials. You can’t just bring them together - you have to connect with their innate beauty and value. If you want to be more productive - start cultivating beauty in your life. Tap into your passion and purpose and you’ll never have to complain about email in-boxes, to-do lists, and other paltry stuff.

Appreciate how your materials complement one another and how they contrast. How does one material or experience lead to the next?

The 3-course meal described in the article is: beet and tomato salad with scallions and dill, pan-roasted duck with wild mushrooms, and lemon tart with a touch of lime.

Now, consider taking this beauty-appreciating approach to your roles and the management of your busy life. Just like one course leads into the next in fine cuisine, you must enjoy the flow between all the hats you wear. Your roles are your materials - your main ingredients. What happens if you have shitty ingredients? Bad food. The same goes for managing your life. Choose your 16-20 roles very carefully.

Here’s an example of embracing the beauty of each role in a typical morning.

• Visionary: putting on my creativity hat when reading the paper and soaking in all the ideas

• Chef and Dad: making breakfast for my sons; timing, subtlety, sequencing, movement

• Writer: coordinating different elements and focus them into a coherent written piece

• Entrepreneur: allowing empathy to come to the surface while writing copy for my web site

• Meditator: surrender, stillness, openness, and a gentle focus

Exercise: Create a list of unique attributes you bring to each role.

Creativity and Cooking Articles

Project Management Stages
Art and Creativity in Cooking
Connection between cooking and innovation and creativity
Redefining creativity with cooking
Cooking and mindfullness

Approach your busy life with the love and care of a master chef composing a Michelin-star-deserving meal. Project management, work life balance, and creativity depend upon combining various elements into a whole that magnifies the beauty of all parts.

What I Learned About Goalsetting from The Twilight Zone

The original Twilight Zone series is a masterpiece. They made 156 episodes featuring countless actors including Burgess Meredith and William Shatner - two of my favorites. A while back, I set a goal for myself: exercise on the treadmill every day while watching an episode. I’d do this for 156 days in a row. And I’d post a blog post about a self-development lesson I gleaned from the episode. The first two days were awesome. On the third day, we lost power and I didn’t exercise, Then came bunch of other excuses.

I severely underestimated the commitment required to achieve my goal. We often don’t realize what will be required. My goal was simple and clear. enough. It was exciting and far-reaching. I was all in! But ultimately, I exerted on 1.28% of the effort required to fulfill the goal! Two divided by 156 = .0128 and when multiply by 100 to get our percentage.

This isn’t to say I can’t hop back on and continue with my goal. I’m always inspired by addicts who display the strength to start a new streak.

Grant Cardone has an exciting book called The 10X Rule: The Only Difference Between Success and Failure. and his main point is that we should multiply the effort and commitment we believe is required for any worthy goal ten-fold. Your goal will take 10x more effort, 10x more time, 10x more motivation, 10x more vision, and 10x more accountability.

I attacked my Twilight Zone exercise goal with baby effort and I came up severely short. With the above formula, you can figure out the commitment needed for any goal. Seeing that measly, pitiful number of 1.28% had an effect on me. Don’t get discouraged - hop back on - but with increased resolve.

Goalsetting Links:

Grant Cardone’s Goalsetting Book - The 10X Rule
Undermining Goalsetting and Goals
Mindtools Goalsetting Insights
Kanbanize Article on Underestimating Goals for Projects

Have a friendly relationship with the journey of your goals. When your goal whips your ass, come back tougher tomorrow. I loved what Sara Safari said as a guest on my podcast regarding goals: you have to become as big as your goal or vision in order to meet it. Yes! We must monitor the pacing and effort we’re using in the pursuit of our big goals. Trevor Lohrbeer, another excellent podcast guest, talked about adjusting pacing of one’s pursuits toward goals, as well. These are vital skills you need to achieve your goals and get on track with goalsetting and goal attainment.

Are You a Storyteller? Critical Thinking and Creativity are In-Demand in Today's Job Market

Murray Schisgal, playwright and screenwriter, passed away recently. He wrote Tootsie - the classic comedy starring Dustin Hoffman! His obituary described when he first learned he was a storyteller. As a child, he couldn’t fall asleep until he heard a story. So, he made up his own. He took the random scraps of the day - the experiences and events he recalled - and cobbled them together with a single thread and created a story.

That’s the simple process for starting an audio journal. Scribble down interesting thought throughout the day then explore them each night into an audio recorder. Five minutes and you’re done!

Critical Thinking Links:

Soft Skills and Critical Thinking Needed
HBR Critical Thinking Article
Defining Critical Thinking in the Workplace
Hiring Problem Solvers and Critical Thinkers

The act of connecting seemingly disparate ideas will help you practice these skills daily! Spend time connecting ideas - have a theme or motivational phrase for the week! Have a theme for the year! Reflection, critical thinking, and creativity are hot commodities in the job market!

Ep 46 - Kindness Starts with Me: An Interview with Amy Kraus, Motivational Coach for Kids and Parents

Amy Kraus, Founder of Kindness Start with Me, is a coach who empowers kids to love their authentic self. She shares awesome tips for self care, work life balance, time management, finding our authentic self, and much more.  

Related link:

Kindness Starts with Me