The Latest News, Views, and Gurus
Vol. 1, No. 1
Hello Readers,
It’s us – Ann Leach and Michelle Beaulieu Pillen, co-authors of
Goal Sisters: Live the Life You Want With A Little Help From Your Friends, coming to you from our book’s online home at
www.goalsisters.com. You’re receiving this newsletter because you subscribed, someone you know forwarded it to you, or you found the link. However you got here, welcome to our new monthly newsletter, where the focus is on YOU! Are you ready? Let’s go.
* * THE BEST SUMMER EVER! * *
Has it been? It’s not too late to complete those projects, take those steps, and schedule your celebration of summer goal accomplishment! Two months ago we asked you to consider time-limited goals in a variety of categories. Two things we’d like you to consider as the end of summer nears:
1) If you have met or will meet your summer goals, schedule a time to celebrate! Does that mean you throw a big party? Maybe! Or will you simply give yourself an hour to hang out at a bookstore, get a massage, or buy that pair of shoes you’ve had your eye on? Whatever it is for you, congratulate yourself on accomplishing your goals! Please tell us how you celebrated by emailing us or signing our
Do Tell Us page.
2) Not quite there yet? That’s OK! It’s time to stop and regroup, Sister. Which summer goals do you want to continue with? Which ones could be shelved for a while? Take your journal and your cup of iced tea or coffee to a comfy chair and spend some time writing down what you want to focus on in the next three weeks and the actions you’ll take to make that happen. You’ll be celebrating soon!
* GUEST GRP MEMBER: KAREN MCGLAMERY *
Our guest this month is Goal Sister group member, Karen, whose story is found on page 101 in our book. Without further ado, here she is:
I can't believe I've been a Goal Sister for over 2 years! How time flies. The funny thing is, time flies whether you're setting and achieving goals or not. Being in the Goal Sisters group has helped me learn that I am responsible for my life. It's so easy to let life happen around me with all the daily demands of work, family, phone calls, laundry, meals, and meetings. I know that in my "pre-Goal-Sister" days, months of daily life washed over me without me ever stopping to think if it was all heading where I wanted it to go.
This last year has been a great one for my massage business. I met my goal of how many clients I wanted to see in a week, so I’ve set my new goal a bit higher. It’s been fun getting to know people that have become my clients. And it's wonderful to have people say “thank you" and mean it when you do your job well! I wish everyone could experience that. Other areas of my life are also good - I'm exercising regularly, have lost weight, and am eating healthier. I'm learning to fly fish with my husband. My mom and I enjoy walking and eating breakfast together twice a week. I’m "de-cluttering" my house room by room, which feels wonderful!
Karen will be our guest Sister in future newsletters, where she’ll share updates of her goal progress and how she uses the support of her Goal Sisters. Thanks for being a part of this, Karen!
* * EXERCISE: STEPPING IT UP, SISTERS * *
Want to have fun taking small steps toward your big goals? You can with your Goal Sister or your group of Sisters! Here’s how: before your next meeting, schedule and keep a 2-hour appointment with yourself to sit quietly with your journal. Begin visualizing the Big Picture of your life’s goals for 2005. What are you doing? What’s bringing you joy? Who’s with you? Open your journal and write about (and maybe draw) the picture you’re visualizing.
[Extra Nudging: If you’re having problems generating your Big Picture for 2005, refer to chapter 3 of the book for guidance.]
Once you are clear on your 2005 goals, identify the small steps it will take to accomplish it. Do this by setting goals for September that will put you on the path to overall goal achievement and/or write down what small steps you would like to accomplish in the next three months. As you do so, complete the following sentences:
1. On December 1st, I will look back on the last three months and see that I...
2. The small steps that I took toward my goals were...
3. The accomplishments I will be most proud of are...
At your next Goal Sisters meeting, take turns sharing one of your 2005 goals and three to five small steps you intend to take toward that goal in this next quarter. If you’re having trouble generating small steps, ask your Sister(s) for help when it’s your turn to share.
* * MICHELLE’S STORY * *
My summer is almost over. The new AYSO soccer season started last week, school registration at two different schools happens this week, and it won’t be long until my children are asking, “When are we going shopping for new shoes and school supplies?”
Not only is my schedule becoming jam-packed, I’m also feeling the push to do everything I intended to do with my kids this summer that I haven’t yet done. Like, sewing with Zoë. I’m taking another step toward that goal today by moving the sewing machine into my study (which took two weeks to think about cleaning and two weeks to do it!), and later this afternoon, driving to the fabric store to search for patterns and material.
Then there’s my goal with Kanoa – to exercise daily, which has taken a backseat to my Career and Goal Sisters responsibilities. Today, I’m choosing to not beat myself up about not meeting my exercise goals over the past month, and instead, I’m biking with Kanoa this morning to the hardware store and bank.
Do these small steps matter? Yes they do! I’m no longer just thinking about taking a step or focusing on all the days I didn’t take a step – I’m doing them and that’s progress!
* * ATTENTION GRABBING GURUS * *
This month’s attention grabbing personal growth guru is Byron Katie, co-author of
Loving What Is: Four Questions That Can Change Your Life. Her phrase – “Everyone is a mirror image of yourself – your own thinking coming back at you.” – reminds us of how easy it is to stay stuck in our thinking by focusing our attention on other people’s problems and how freeing it is to admit that the real problem resides in something we don’t like about ourselves. It is also the only thing we can change. Thanks for the nudging, Byron!
* * GOAL SISTERS HAPPENINGS * *
New Goal Sisters groups are forming in Joplin, MO! Join Ann for an 8-week Goal Sisters group experience beginning the week of September 6th as she leads a new lunch hour group and a new evening group. Contact Ann at
ann@goalsisters.com or (417) 624-3363 for the dates/times/locations of these new groups. Feel free to spread the word!
That’s a wrap for this month! Please continue visiting our Web site for updates and sharing, and let us know how you are doing. We’ll support you as you take the small steps toward your big goals and celebrate your goal successes with you!
Onward and upward,
Ann and
Michelle
P.S. Please forward this newsletter to all the women you know who are ready to amp up the fun and focus in their friendships while transforming themselves and their lives! Thanks!!
Copyright © 2004 by Ann Leach and Michelle Beaulieu Pillen, Ph.D. All rights reserved. No part of this Web site may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise.
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