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”

Happy New Year! This is the last blog post for 2009, and I am looking forward to a wonderful 2010!

The New Year means many things to different people. It may mean a fresh start, a time to set goals or resolutions for the future, clearing out the clutter, quitting bad habits or a beginning to daily affirmations and gratitude.

New Year’s Day is a time to get started on your goals and ideas for the future.  It marks the beginning of a calendar year when people begin anew and put their past behind them.

So, what are your goals for the New Year? Do you have big dreams and goals you would like to achieve in 2010, or at least get started on them?  You may have goals such as:

• Adopting a child from another country
• Being more environmentally conscious
• Building a new home
• Building friendships
• Buying a beach house on the coast or summer cabin in the woods
• Buying a new car, boat or RV
• Donating more to charitable organizations
• Finding a new career
• Getting into shape
• Getting more organized
• Going on a cruise or other vacation
• Losing weight
• Owning your own business
• Paying off your credit cards
• Putting your children through college
• Quitting smoking
• Redecorating your home
• Running a marathon
• Saving money for retirement
• Spending more time with your family
• Starting a new hobby
• Starting a new relationship
• Working from home
• Writing your first book

Whatever your dreams may be, it’s important to have a plan to achieve your goals and make this your mantra:

Live a

• Purposeful life by
• Optimizing your time
• Writing down what you want, and
• Empowering yourself to
• Release negative thoughts and fears.
• Dream big, build
• Relationships, take
• Immediate action and
• Visualize success
• Every Day!

Happy New Year!

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”

Have you ever asked yourself, “What is my purpose in life?” Sometimes it takes years to figure out.  I was on that road to finding my purpose for a long time before I stumbled upon it a few years ago.  It had been staring me in the face the majority of my life, but I just didn’t recognize it.

Sometimes your purpose is hidden in the day-to-day activities of home, work and leisure.  It is often difficult to recognize, and may be cleverly masked behind something you don’t enjoy, for instance, your job.

Discovering your purpose requires taking a close look at your current interests, as well as searching deep into your past – as far back as your childhood.  There are four elements I find extremely helpful in defining purpose:

1. Your childhood. When you were growing up, was there something that you had always dreamed of doing?  Did you want to be a doctor, a nurse or a police officer? Did you wish you could fly an airplane, win an Olympic gold medal, or be a singer in a band?  Your dreams as a child may be directly related to something you want to do now.

The desire to be a doctor or a nurse may indicate that you enjoy helping people.  If you wanted to be a pilot or an athlete, you may prefer adventure and taking risks.  The dream of singing in a band may signify that you enjoy taking center stage and music is important to you.

2. Strengths gifts and talents.  Do you have a particular gift or talent that is unique to you?  Is there something that others say about you that highlights a particular strength?  Input from those who know you best (i.e., family, friends and co-workers) can be very enlightening.

These strengths, gifts and talents that are unique to you, are keys to defining your purpose.  Personality type and strengths assessments can also aid in discovering your purpose.

3. Your values. These may include beliefs and customs that originate from your family and your background, but are all relevant to discovering your purpose.  For instance, your childhood dream of being in law enforcement may indicate community, justice and rules are strong values for you.

4. Your roles.  I’m referring to your roles at home, at work and in the community.  Are you a parent or grandparent at home? Are you a manager or committee member at work? Are you a scout leader or fund-raiser in the community?  Taking a look at your roles at home, work and in the community, and determining which roles you value the most, can help you in defining your purpose.

When you discover your purpose, it’s like watching a wizard pull a rabbit out of a hat.  You anticipate it is in there somewhere, but when it becomes visible, it’s a big surprise – and like magic! Finding your life’s purpose can help you gain clarity on your long-term goals and help you make positive changes in your life.

My challenge to you is to discover your life purpose.  Take a good look at the four areas described and see if you can find some hidden magic in there.

To Your Success!

Kay L. Fontana
“The Grandcoach”

P.S.  For  more information on finding purpose, please go to my video page to watch “Purpose in Life.”

On November 19, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln gave his noted Gettysburg Address at Soldiers’ National Cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.  Although you may not reside in this country, there are lessons to be learned from Lincoln, the 16^th President of the United States.

Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was born into a poor family in a one room log cabin in Kentucky.  When he was nine years old, his mother died of milk sickness.  He and his father, who later remarried, moved a few times during his younger years, but later settled in Springfield, Illinois.

Years after his first love, Ann Rutledge died of typhoid fever, Lincoln married Mary Todd in 1842 and would have 4 sons together.  Two of his sons died before his death, one at age 4 and another at age 11.

Lincoln’s formal education consisted of about 18 months of schooling; however, he was self-educated through reading books.  His dedication to reading led to his interest in law, and worked toward starting his own law practice in Illinois.

Along with his work as a lawyer, Lincoln’s list of accomplishments includes his position as an Illinois state legislator, a member of the United States House of Representatives, a two-time candidate for election to the U.S. Senate, and 16^th President of the United States.  His successes also include leading his country through the American Civil War, preserving the Union and ending slavery, just to name a few.

Despite his limited formal education and the emotional hardship from the loss of his mother as a child, his first love, and the loss of two of his own children, Lincoln overcame great obstacles in his life to become one of the greatest presidents in history.  So, how was he able to do that?  His purpose and passion, I’m sure, had everything to do with his success.

Lincoln’s passion for the written word prompted him to educate himself by reading a list of books which included The Bible, Aesop’s Fables, The Life of Benjamin Franklin, Pilgrim’s Progress, Robinson Crusoe, and The Life of George Washington.  He also read from the works of Shakespeare, Byron, Poe, Euclid and Milton.  His passion for learning paved his way to his career in law and politics.

Lincoln undoubtedly found purpose in serving his country and freeing the slaves.  His Gettysburg Address and the Emancipation Proclamation, and his passage of the 13^th Amendment to the Constitution were proof of his dedication and commitment to all people of this country.

Abraham Lincoln remains to be an icon in American History who lived his life with purpose and passion.  Now, what is your purpose and passion?  My challenge to you is to discover your purpose and put it to use.  If you already know what it is, great!  If not, stayed tuned for more on that topic.

To Your Success,

Kay L. Fontana
“The Grandcoach”

In recognition of Veteran’s Day today, as well as U.S. Marine Corps Day, yesterday, November 10th, I would like to express my heartfelt appreciation for our Veterans and their unwavering loyalty and patriotism.  Veterans are true examples of goal-oriented individuals who exemplify resiliency and purpose, which is defined by their motto and/or core values.

Each branch of the armed forces has its own motto or set of core values.  The U.S. Army’s motto is “This We’ll Defend.” The Navy, although without an official motto, is often cited with “Non Sibi, Sed Patriae,” or “Not for ourselves, but for our country.”  They also abide by the core values of “Honor, Courage and Commitment.”

The U.S. Air Force defines their core values as “Integrity First, Service before Self, Excellence in All We Do.”  The U.S. Coast Guard’s motto is “Semper Paratus,” or “Always Ready,” and the U.S. Marines are recognized by “Semper Fidelis,” or “Always Faithful.”

Veterans are, by the truest sense of the word, heroes.  They put their country before themselves, and sacrifice many things in their lives to defend the rights and freedoms of the citizens of their country.  Therefore, I want to share some lessons I have learned from veterans, and how we can all apply these strategies to carry out our own goals.

I have had the honor and privilege of knowing a few veterans in my life, including my own father who served in the U.S. Marine Corps during World War II.  The stories, of the time he served in the marines, were examples of “Honor, Courage and Commitment” as defined by the Marines’ core values.

During his time on the small island of Tinian, he (as well as all veterans have done throughout history) sacrificed a great deal to defend his country, including the food, water and shelter we take for granted on a daily basis.  He continues to share his stories with pride to this day, as he should.  He risked his life and escaped gunfire, bombs, disease and death, yet still lived with a positive attitude to achieve his own personal goals. After all, he was, and always will be, a Marine.

That being said, there is one commonality that our veterans in all branches of the military share that helps them sustain the obstacles of war – they work together as a team.  Being part of a platoon, a unit, a squad, an infantry, a group or a section of any branch of the military, means being part of a collaborative effort for one common goal.  When people work together for a common purpose, they gain support from one another.  This is true in the military as well as for everyone else who sets out to accomplish a goal.

When setting goals, it is important to select people to be part of your “dream team” that can encourage, mentor and lend support in the achievement of your goals, as well as allow you to help them in the same manner.  Gaining support from other individuals has been proven to increase the rate of success as well as decrease the time required to achieve a given goal.  Remember, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

In the words of Confucius, “He who wished to secure the good of others, has already secured his own.”

Semper Fi

Kay L. Fontana
“The Grandcoach”

P.S. I invite you to watch this brief 3 minute video, “A Tender Warrior,” from Simple Truths.

After a month of anticipation of Halloween by my grandson, I began thinking about how this holiday of costumes and Trick or Treat related to setting goals.  You’re probably wondering how I can possibly connect the two.

Question: What is the biggest thrill about dressing up for Halloween? Answer: Pretending to be someone else for a day.  Now, I am not suggesting that you spend your days pretending to be someone else that you’re not.  There is some sense of reality when setting your goals and moving through life.

What I am suggesting is to use your imagination and dream, just like a child dressing up to Trick or Treat on Halloween.  Use your creative genius to envision what it is that you want out of life.  What do you truly desire?  What are your biggest dreams for the future?  How are you going to get the mother lode of candy?

In Napoleon Hill’s book, Think and Grow Rich!, his “Fifth Step toward Riches” is Imagination. In his book he stated:

Ideas are the beginning points of all fortunes.  Ideas are products of the imagination.

He also stated:

Transformation of the intangible impulse, of desire, into the tangible reality,
of money, calls for the use of a plan, or plans.  These plans must be formed with
the aid of the imagination, and mainly, with the synthetic faculty.

The synthetic imagination is one that reorganizes old ideas into new ones.  The creative imagination is where inspirations or hunches are derived.

So my challenge to you is to put on your thinking cap, reflect on your passion and purpose, and let your imagination run wild.  Pretend you already have what you desire, and reflect back on how you got there.

To your success!

Kay L. Fontana

P.S. For more information about creative and synthetic imagination, go read, Think and Grow Rich!

Last night, my husband turned on “The Sound of Music” (1963) on TV, which is one of our all-time favorite movies.  We encouraged our grandson to watch it with us because it is an Academy Award winning classic, and we knew he would enjoy the children singing because he loves to sing.

It is a story of Maria, played by Julie Andrews, who leaves her life in an Austrian convent to become the governess to Navy Captain Von Trapp (Christopher Plummer) and his seven children.  On her way to her new home, she is feeling much anxiety about leaving her life at the abbey, and taking on her new role.  She breaks out in a song called, “I Have Confidence,” by Richard Rodgers.  Here are a few verses I’d like to highlight:

What will this day be like? I wonder.
What will my future be? I wonder.
It could be so exciting to be out in the world, to be free
My heart should be wildly rejoicing
Oh, what’s the matter with me?

I’ve always longed for adventure
To do the things I’ve never dared
And here I’m facing adventure
Then why am I so scared?…

…Oh, I must stop these doubts, all these worries
If I don’t I just know I’ll turn back
I must dream of the things I am seeking
I am seeking the courage I lack

The courage to serve them with reliance
Face my mistakes without defiance
Show them I’m worthy
And while I show them
I’ll show me

So, let them bring on all their problems
I’ll do better than my best
I have confidence they’ll put me to the test
But I’ll make them see I have confidence in me…

…And mind me with each step I am more certain
Everything will turn out fine
I have confidence the world can all be mine
They’ll have to agree I have confidence in me…

—Strength doesn’t lie in numbers
Strength doesn’t lie in wealth
Strength lies in nights of peaceful slumbers
When you wake up — Wake Up!

It tells me all I trust I lead my heart to
All I trust becomes my own
I have confidence in confidence alone

I have confidence in confidence alone
Besides which you see I have confidence in me!

I believe behind every good movie, there is a lesson to be learned.  Here, it is “Release Negative Thoughts and Fears,” strategy #5 in the Powerdrive to Success model.

Many of our fears are derived from the unknown.  We don’t know if something will turn out good or bad, so we reject the idea for fear of failure or a bad outcome.  However, when we fear, we miss out on some wonderful opportunities that could have tremendous positive impacts on our lives.

Lessons learned: 1) Have confidence, faith and trust that pursuing your goals and dreams will bring about positive change, and 2) believe in yourself.  If you don’t believe in yourself, no one will, so hold your head up high and moved forward.  In Maria’s case, she overcame her fear,  found her true purpose away from the abbey and became the next Baroness Von Trapp and head of the Von Trapp Family Singers (true story).

My challenge to you is to take action on your goals today.  What is holding you back and why? What is the worst thing that could happen if you move forward?  When you succeed, what positive changes will that bring in your life?  I would love to hear your comments!

To Your Success,

Kay L. Fontana, C.C., M.A.Ed.

P.S., I encourage you to consider investing in “Put Your Goals Into POWERDRIVE: 10 Keys to Getting What You Want Out of Life.” It will help you define your purpose, and put your goals into action!

August 2009 marks the 40th anniversary of the Woodstock Music and Arts Festival in Bethel, New York.  Saturday, was also my husband’s birthday and he wanted to see the new release of Taking Woodstock in the theater, so we went to see it.

For those of you who have captured the essence of the actual event in the orginal documentary released in 1970, the movie re-enacts some of the same scenes from the actual footage. Even though I would have liked to hear more of the original music, the new version was very captivating in that it focused on the behind-the-scenes planning and implementation of the event, and how the visionaries managed to pull it off.

Now, I’m not here to critique the movie, or tell you if you should or shouldn’t see it.  Movies are all personal preference; however, if you are going to see it to for the musical flashbacks, you may be disappointed, although I wasn’t.  The point is on the purpose and vision of this event.  The movie was created based on the book by the same name by Elliot Teichberg, a local resident of  Bethel, New York, who was instrumental in organizing the event and obtaining the location.

To make a long story short, Michael Lang, who was 25 at the time and the producer of the Woodstock Festival, had a vision of bringing in a list of the most recognized musicians in the world to perform in front of thousands of people.  The 3-day event of peace and music, would take place on Max Yasgur’s dairy farm in Bethel.

Elliot Teichberg was helping his parents take care of their run-down motel and attempting to save it from foreclosure when Michael and his partners came to town to establish a location for the festival.  Elliot was the head of the local chamber of commerce at the time, and was responsible for organizing his own local rock festivals in Bethel every year.  Having some experience in event planning, he was the perfect person for the task.

Michael, accompanied by Elliot, and his partners and staff, pulled off an event that surpassed the 186,000 tickets sold, and was attended by an estimated 450,000 people.  His vision put a mark in the history books that is still celebrated 40 years later, and is considered one of the greatest moments in popular music history.

How did they do it? A commitment to their purpose and setting goals to achieve success.  Michael and his partners were committed to their purpose of music production and building their business promoting concert events. He and his partners in Woodstock Ventures continue to produce and promote events today.

Elliot’s purpose was that of continuing the tradition of his local music event while attempting to save his parents motel.  His desire was to help them out so he could move away and pursue his own dreams.  Forty years later, Elliot’s recount of his experiences were made into the movie.  Both Michael and Elliot were successful at achieving their goals.

The moral of this story? Don’t give up on your dream no matter how outrageous it seems. Discover your purpose and passion and focus on your goals to make your dreams come true.

What are your goals and dreams for the future? My challenge to you is to define your purpose and set your goals.  Think big and put your goals into action. If you are unclear on your purpose and passion, I invite you to look into my e-book, “Put Your Goals Into POWERDRIVE: 10 Keys to Getting What You Want Out of Life.”

I invite you to leave your comments.  I would love to hear about your goals and dreams!

Warm regards,

Kay L. Fontana, C..C., M.A.Ed.
“The Grandcoach”

P.S. Make sure to read my blog posts, “What Is Your Purpose?” and “The Problem With Setting Goals.”

I facilitated a workshop on happiness today, and began thinking about the comparison between setting goals and happiness.  I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase, “the pursuit of happiness?”  To me, that phrase conjures up images of walking down a long, endless path, looking for something that will never be found.  What does it mean to you?

Happiness is not something that can be found under a rock, in a store or by winning a lot of money.  I once heard that a pay increase at work only brings personal satisfaction for an average of 19 days.  I believe that to be true because the typical 9 to 5 job only offers pay increases once, maybe twice a year, and they are usually so minimal that it doesn’t balance out the current economy.  Once the realization of the impact of the pay raise is clear, it is no longer satisfying. Hence, the modern movement toward entrepreneurship; there is a sense of accomplishment, achievement and happiness that comes from creating your own wealth.  What are your thoughts?

Happiness comes from within – from empowerment.  Empowering yourself means that you are allowing or permitting yourself to be happy.  It’s a conscious decision to be that way.  Yes, there are factors in life that contribute to unhappiness – life changing events and personal influences – but isn’t it true that people can ultimately choose to be happy?

Happiness also comes from finding your purpose and setting goals. You can experience happiness by taking part in activities that are in direct alignment with your purpose and goals.  What can you do to make this happen?

Success in life is also a conscious decision.  We can either accept the way things are, or do something about it to make changes.  The same goes with happiness.  You can stay in your doom and gloom, or you can step up to the plate and make changes in your life.  If the latter is the case, then Hurray! I applaud you for taking the next step.

My challenge to you is to create happiness in your life.  What is it that makes you happy? For what are you thankful?  What brings you peace? And, what can you do to make changes in your life to be happy?  Daily gratitude is a wonderful habit in which to cultivating happiness. Turn those negative thoughts into positive ones, as I described in my e-book, “POWERDRIVE to Success: 10 Keys to Getting What You Want Out of Life.”

I invite you to leave your comments.  I would love to hear about your happiness adventures!

Warm regards,

Kay L. Fontana, C..C., M.A.Ed.
“The Grandcoach”

P.S.  Check out “Don’t Worry, Be Happy“  blog post by The Grandcoach