How to Coach Yourself to Create Success

• Is your life not giving you what you want and need?
• Are you always so busy doing things that you have little time to think?
• Do you sometimes find friends and family demanding rather than a source of pleasure?
• Is your schedule so full that you have to keep going and can't stop to savor your achievements?
• Do you wonder how it got like this and what you can do instead?

The following Five Step Plan will give you the tools to create the life you want.
Step One: Focus on the Future.
Take some time to imagine what your best life would be like.
Find a quiet time and place and give yourself 10 minutes visualising your ideal life.
If images come easily, just let them go and follow them to see what is created in your mind's eye.
If you prefer description, then you can write about your ideal day, then ideal month, then ideal year.
What happens? Who else is there? How do you feel? What is your environment like? Now, decide on one small step that you can take to get started.
When you do this exercise regularly you can gradually build in manageable changes to guide your life in the direction that you want.
Step Two: Create goals and write them down.
Making good use of your time is essential.
It is so easy to get swept along by events.
People who have clear goals are more satisfied with their lives than people who react to events.
You will need to make your goals have 3 stages: long term (anything from 3 months to 5 years away) medium term (a month or two ahead) and now goals which decide your day by day efforts.
Writing down your long term goals makes it much more likely that you will succeed.
Get yourself an attractive journal so you can make and review your goals regularly.
Make each goal positive, active and measurable e.
g.
By September 10th I will have completed my IT course and be using my new skills everyday.
Medium term goals are steps along the way and which will help you to break down what you need to do into manageable stages.
Now goals are the day to day things we want/need to do to keep our goals on track.
You can make a list for the day, ticking things off is very satisfying.
Step Three: Get Support.
While you can only plan for yourself, and be responsible for your own actions, it's great to get support.
Include others in what you do and ask for their help.
Offer support in return.
Finding out what friends and family think of your plans can provide useful ideas and feedback.
Offering something in return will move everyone forward and create a great support network.
If you are a parent, you can set your children a great example by showing them how you plan to improve your life.
You can help them learn to make their own plans which are a great lesson for life.
It's never too early to start.
Step Four: Deal with Setbacks.
Being prepared emotionally and practically to deal with setbacks will keep you on the road to success.
When you make changes to your life there are losses as well as gains.
If you are aware of what may happen you won't get ambushed.
Try this 4 part exercise.
Write down the answer to these questions.
· What will I gain when I get my goal? · What will I lose when I get my goal? · What will I gain if I don't achieve my goal? · What will I lose if I don't achieve my goal? This will help you to see the advantages and disadvantages of your current plan and will highlight how to make a plan which is both attractive and sustainable.
When you apply this 360 degree analysis you will be sure that your plan won't collapse at the first setback.
Step Five: Celebrate Success.
You may have big plans for the future but you will be more likely to succeed when you focus your attention on the present and fully appreciate each step along the way.
Don't put off living life until you get to your goal.
People, who do this, tend to set themselves unrealistic goals which make life today joyless and hard work.
Giving up then becomes much more likely.
Having daily Now goals makes sure you can live fully in the moment and enjoy what you are doing and feel proud of yourself.
Set aside a few minutes each day to take stock of your achievements.
Perhaps while you are cleaning your teeth or doing some other easy task which leaves you free to think.
Find at least 3 things each day that you are pleased about.
Once you have those positives in mind congratulate yourself.
Say this affirmation to yourself for each one.
I am proud that I have...
Congratulations you are now well on your way to creating the life you want rather than living the life that is forced upon you.