By Kim Ades
RISMEDIA, January 8, 2009-I was sitting in traffic with my son recently, when he asked me a pointed question.
“Why did we go this way?”
“We always go this way,” I pointed out.
“But it’s not the fastest,” he said.
“No, not today,” I agreed.
I surveyed the parade of cars ahead of, and behind us. Tensions were mounting, and not only in our car. People hung their heads outside their windows to see what the hold-up was. They were late for appointments. They were anxious to get home. They wanted to get moving.
One car, clearly impatient, swooped onto the shoulder. Picking up speed, the sedan glided along until it disappeared from sight. My son gave me a questioning glance.
“No, absolutely not,” I said. “We are not going to break the law just because we’re late.”
“Why don’t we use the GPS to re-route us,” he remarked. “Then we could get off this road and get to where we’re going.”
He had a point, and one that resonated with me far more deeply than getting through this traffic jam. After all, don’t we all sometimes get stuck? Wouldn’t it be great to re-program ourselves and go down a different path, or take another route if the one we’re on isn’t working?
That is exactly what we need to do! When we are stuck, when there are obstacles in our way, we need to envision a different kind of thinking, one that will re-route us for success. We need to use our internal GPS to get us to re-direct our thoughts and get us back on track and not stuck in a traffic jam, and certainly not swooping on to the shoulder.
But just what is the equivalent of a vehicle GPS that will help us reach our professional or personal goals?
Journaling is our GPS device.
When we journal we are actually mapping out the details of our lives. We can see where we have been and see the routes we need to take to get to our destination. As we all know, when we travel, we run into traffic jams, construction, weather conditions; there’s the scenic route, the direct route, there are stops to make along the way. And, so it is with our lives.
First of all, we have to know what we want; that is our destination. Once we have made that decision then we may contemplate the various ways to achieve our goals. This may take us along many routes, and have many pit stops along the way. As we collect this information and detail it in our journals we are able to see the routes clearly and determine our objectives and best options to arrive at our desired goals. You get the idea!
Today’s market offers the perfect example of the need for a GPS system. The market is cold, the economy is failing, industries are suffering….There are many obstacles standing in the way of our success. How do we navigate our way with these kinds of conditions?
First and foremost, we must change our thinking. Challenging times require a different kind of thinking. The strategies that you previously used to get from point A to point B are not longer going to work, and it is imperative that you find a different route to achieve your sales goals.
Journaling is the GPS that will direct you to your goals. It’s very powerful and more effective at driving results than anything else I have ever seen. When you start to understand the role that you play in the outcomes in your life, things start getting better and keep getting better.
With journaling as your GPS you’ll avoid the traffic jams on the route to success.
Kim Ades, MBA President of Frame of Mind Coaching, and her team of experts have created an online coaching program called FOM52. You are guided about what to write about weekly and an experienced coach reviews your work and makes comments and suggestions to help you make significant changes in your life.
For more information, visit www.fom52.com or you can contact Kim at kim@fom52.com.
