How do you stay focused on your goals?  Sometimes it can be a challenge when your life is filled with distractions, which is the case for most people.  It is almost an art form to be able to tune out distractions and keeping a clear head when life is filled with the demands of family, work, home, school and general daily living.

There are some important steps to staying focused on your goals and staying on task.

1. Decide what you want in life.  Whether it is a better job, financial security or health and wellness, you must determine your ultimate desire and connect with your purpose and passion.  What is it that inspires you?
2. Schedule your time for optimal efficiency.  What time during the day are you most creative or most energetic?  How can you best utilize that time to get the most accomplished?  Schedule other mundane tasks during your down time.  It is also beneficial to coordinate with others (at work or at home) time when you are available to assist them.  Communicate your time with others to avoid being interrupted during your productivity time.
3. Determine what daily and weekly tasks you need to complete in order to stay focused on your goals.  Writing down and scheduling your tasks into your calendar can assist you in keeping on track with your goals.
4. Believe in yourself.  What steps do you need to take in order to empower yourself to accomplish your goals?
5. Stop the negative self-talk and remove yourself from negative situations.  Replace them with positive daily affirmations and positive influences or inspirations.  Read motivational or inspirational quotes and books to help you stay positive.  Associate yourself with positive people who will support you and believe in your.
6. Never lose sight of your dreams.  Imagine your dreams of which you need to focus. Ask yourself how badly you want to see your dreams become a reality.
7. Connect with people who can help keep you accountable for your goals.  When you check in with someone to report your progress, you are much more likely to stay focused on your goals.  Think about who you can work with to help you achieve your goals?  What positive people in your life are available to assist you in achieving your dreams?
8. Stop procrastinating.  If this is an issue, determine why you are doing so.  Ask yourself what is holding you back from moving forward.  Then make a commitment to reach your goals.
9. See your goals in front of you daily.  Are you reminding yourself frequently of what it is you want? Can you see your goals in front of you?  Visualizing your dreams will help you stay focused on your goals.
10. Develop daily habits for success? Are you doing things consistently every day so you can achieve your goals?  It takes roughly 21 days to develop a habit, and when you develop habits related to achieving your goals, you will stay focused and on target.

Staying focused requires a clear understanding of your purpose, goals and dreams.  By having a plan or strategy, you are more likely to stay focused so success comes naturally.

My challenge to you is to use this 10 step process to help stay focused and achieve your goals.  For more information on how to put this strategy in place, I encourage you to go to http://bit.ly/powerdrive.

Have a Grand Day!

Kay L. Fontana
“The Grandcoach”

Success is almost totally dependent upon drive and persistence. The extra energy required to make another effort or try another approach is the secret of winning.

~ Denis Waitley

As we start winding down  toward the end of the 2010 Winter Olympics, we are inundated with talk of winning – who’s got the gold, the silver and the bronze, and how many medals each country has earned.  There is an art to winning, and it’s not just athletic ability.  It’s about having the mindset to win.

Many of these athletes have dedicated their lives to reaching the Olympics, and have even stated it was a childhood dream.  It became their passion and their focus.

In order to achieve success, the athletes worked long and hard, as their parents did, driving them miles and miles to attend daily practice, balancing work and family and dedicating their time and money to provide them with opportunity.  That indicates commitment, perseverance and habit.

To overcome defeat, as they all have at one point or another, they had to believe in themselves and continue their work to achieve their ultimate reward.  That shows attitude, belief and discipline.

To continue down the road that led them to Vancouver, B.C., they had to face the ultimate challenge – the results.  Would their scores be good enough to win the Gold, Silver or the Bronze?  That is the truth. In the truth lies the bottom line:

The greatest accomplishment is not in never falling, but in rising again after you fall.

~ Vince Lombardi

These athletes, whether this was their first Olympics or their third, will continue to strive for success each and every time.  They won’t give up, they won’t quit, and none of them will fail.  They achieve success by continuing to compete regardless of their medal status.  They will refine their technique, practice their craft, visualize their goals and continue to practice daily habits for success.  They may even return to the grand event in 2014.  That is the art of winning.

To all Olympic athletes, present, past and future, and all of your families, I salute you.  You are all winners!

Now I invite you to watch this brief 3 minute video, “212°: The Extra Degree.”   I hope you enjoy!

To Your Success!

Kay L. Fontana “The Grandcoach”

It is rapidly approaching the New Year. It is just weeks away and it is time that many people begin to focus on their New Year’s resolutions.  So, I want to ask you one thing – how successful have you been in the past on achieving your New Year’s resolutions?

I have read in various documents that only a small percentage of people actually carry out their New Year’s resolutions beyond the first few weeks of the New Year.  I believe that lack of focus and a game plan are partially responsible.  The other part is a lack of a clear understanding of their purpose and passion, and not being specific on what goals or resolutions they want to achieve.  Let’s face it. If you set a goal to secure a new job in 2010, wouldn’t you want to know what job would be most suitable for you?

I want you to think about your goals, and what you envision your life to be like in the future.  What are your dreams?  We’re going to do a little exercise to determine what your big dreams and goals are, and use this exercise to help develop your goals for the future.  To do so, we’re going to focus on 4 separate areas in your life: business and career, finance, personal and wellness.

For each of the following questions, I want to you write down what your dream life would be like if you could live it right now.

Business and Career: What type of work will you be doing? Will you have a high-paying corporate job, or will you be working from home?  Will you be working part-time or full-time?

Finance: What will your finances look like? How much money will you be making per year? How much money will you have in savings? Will you have a nice nest egg for retirement?

Personal: What type of home will you own? Where will you live? What will you do for leisure activities? What will your family structure be like? What type of car will you have? Where will you go on vacation?

Wellness: How will you feel? How will you look? What foods will you eat? How will you exercise? What will you do to relax and enjoy life?

Now, I want you to think about what it is that is preventing you from achieving your dreams.  Is it money? Is it lack of focus? Is it procrastination? Is it lack of purpose? Is it negative self-talk? What is it that is standing in your way? If you remove those obstacles, will you be committed to achieving your goals in 2010?

Many of us just need a little “kick start” to get us going.  If that is the case for you, I invite you to take part in 2 free teleseminars that I’m offering next week:

On Tuesday, December 15th at 2pm Eastern, I’m offering: “Put Your Goals Into Powerdrive: 10 Keys to Achieving Success in 2010.”

On Thursday, December 17th at 3pm Eastern, I’m offering: “Got Stress? Get Relief Now! 6 Strategies for Peaceful Easy Living.”

Click on the Teleseminar name to register and find out more information.  I hope to “see” you there!

To Your Success,

Kay L. Fontana
“The Grandcoach”

I am constantly amazed and intrigued by Tiger Woods.  When he was out for knee surgery, golf just wasn’t the same.  Others felt it as well as noted by the golf attendance and television ratings last year.

Tiger is, by far, my favorite sports figure of all time, and is the only person who has the ability to keep me glued to the television for any length of time.  I watch very little TV, but when Tiger is on, I am totally captivated by the game, and rooting for him every step of the way.

Today ended the Buick Open in Michigan where Tiger Woods added another win for his 69^th career PGA Tour victory.  At the age of 33, he trails Jack Nicklaus’s record by 4, and Sam Snead’s by 13 – two all-time greats in golf history.  I have never seen anyone so focused on their work as Tiger is on his golf, which is why he is the #1 golfer in the world.

So why does this sports icon get my undivided attention during his game? I believe it is his commitment to the sport, his ethical values and his focus on the game.  In regards to his focus – he has the ability to tune out distractions and strategically strike a golf ball, sending it sailing to his determined location.  Does he miss? Yes, of course.  He wouldn’t be human if he didn’t now and then.  But, when he does hit the ball off the fairway, or miss an 8 foot putt, you’ll hear me say, “Focus, Tiger, focus.”  He is all about focus.

He has mastered his game better than anyone I have ever seen, in any sport.  Along with extraordinary focus, Tiger has purpose, commitment, goals and vision.  But also, he demonstrates impeccable ethics and values, including integrity, honesty and philanthropy.

In 1996, he and his late father, Earl Woods, established the Tiger Woods Foundation to help youth reach their goals.  His foundation offers programs, scholarships and grants to support youth and help their dreams become realities.  Exhibiting his family values of “caring and sharing,” his philanthropic efforts extend much further than his foundation.

Tiger Woods – a man with big dreams, focused goals, extraordinary skill, unswerving integrity and a tremendous heart.  He is a true example of someone who has put their goals into POWERDRIVE!

For more information about the Tiger Woods Foundation, go to http://www.tigerwoodsfoundation.org/