The Latest News, Views, and Gurus
Vol. 2, No. 4
Happy Anniversary, Sisters (and Brothers)!
We, Ann Leach and Michelle Beaulieu Pillen, co-authors of
Goal Sisters: Live the Life You Want With A Little Help From Your Friends, are celebrating our 1st year anniversary of publishing the book! Woo hoo! As we look back over the past year, we find ourselves reminiscing about the small- and medium-sized goals we accomplished to achieve our super-sized goal of selling the book: strategizing and planning, making tons of phone calls, holding appearances, creating the Web site, facilitating GS groups. Whew, what a ride it’s been! We could not have done it without your support. Thanks much for that!!
Join us in celebrating the book’s first year of life by taking time to celebrate your own successes. How? By doing this month’s activity!
* * ACTIVITY: CHALK UP YOUR SUCCESSES! * *
Many of us forget to give ourselves credit for all we have recently achieved. This is your chance to pat yourselves on the back with someone who knows what it took for you to accomplish all you did - your Goal Sister! Set a meeting with her for some time in the next 2 weeks. Meanwhile, purchase some sidewalk chalk (or borrow some from your kids’ stash!).
When you and your Sister meet, take 15 minutes to discuss and write down all of the successes you’ve each had in the first quarter of 2005. Big and small, count them all! Perhaps it’s a work promotion, releasing that last 10 pounds, letting go of a draining volunteer commitment, reading one book for fun, etc. Whatever it is, jot it down!
Celebrate these accomplishments by going outside and drawing them on the nearest driveway, sidewalk, or any chunk of available concrete! Use different colors for different achievements and be sure to draw a fun border of flowers or stars around your creations. Let the ‘world’ celebrate with you while give yourselves credit for your persistence and efforts during the last quarter!
If you feel like it, email us your lists of successes. Better yet, take a picture of your sidewalk creation and email it to us. We’d love to celebrate with you!
* * MICHELLE’S STORY * *
Lately I’ve had problems finding the time to just sit and be still. I seem to have a thousand things on my To Do list, including: finishing a case study report, doing my timesheets, updating the Goal Sisters and KIS PTSA Web sites, helping with the latest PTSA fundraising activities, driving my daughter to her service club meeting, buying birthday gifts for friends (it’s in the mail, Tomas!), creating a PowerPoint presentation, preparing to leave on a 8-day business trip. The list is never ending!
Somewhere along the way I forgot about how much I value having the time to just sit and be still. Thankfully, my Goal Sisters helped me to confront the fact that I’ve let myself get too busy. Lani reminded me about something I said in Chapter 3 of the book. “Do you remember that story on needing to let go of volunteer commitments?” Ouch! She’s right – I have been saying, “Yes” to too many requests of my “free” time. Lisa nudged me to determine which volunteer commitments to release. So, I spent time last week journaling and doodling about what to keep and what to release.
I decided that I don’t want to release any of my current volunteer commitments: I like contributing my time and skills as a PTSA member at my son’s school, I prefer to volunteer as a referee instead of as a coach for AYSO soccer, and I’m committed to getting the word out about Goal Sisters even though it’s not a profit-making venture.
While remaining committed to all my volunteer endeavors, I’ve decided to put more effort into the activities that I’m passionate about. So, I will focus my attention on fundraising for the PTSA and cut back on helping with various programs at the school. I will referee 1–2 games on Saturdays and cut back on attending Monday night referee meetings. I will put more effort into creating a 2006 GS Calendar and cut back on the frequency of newsletter writing, Web site updating, and other marketing activities.
I know that committing to changing a behavior and following through with those commitments are two different beasts. Fortunately, I have Goal Sisters to keep me accountable and support me as I purposefully make room in my life to just sit and be still.
* * ATTENTION GRABBING GURUS * *
Given that this is our book’s publication anniversary, we decided to go ‘back to the beginning’ and remind you of the Goal Sister Principles, found in the back of the book:
We believe you can:
~ Start where your strengths are
~ Release the limiting beliefs that have held you back
~ Increase your awareness of your ‘stuff’ and work through it
~ Work toward your goals alone, see what happens, and then ask for support
~ Hold the high vision for your Goal Sister
~ Practice acceptance and give thanks for all that you are accomplishing
We believe in YOU!
* * GOAL SISTERS HAPPENINGS * *
Members of the Zeta Tau Alpha sorority who live in the Midwest will be on the campus of Southwest Missouri State University on April 23rd at 10:00 AM when Ann presents their regional conference’s keynote speech on
Goal Sisters and Goal Gardens. If you’re a member of this sorority, or know someone who is, be sure to say ‘hi’!
If you’re a writer (or feel like you’re ready to declare yourself as a writer!) and you live in the Kansas City, Missouri area, please come to the National Association of Women Writers regional meeting on Monday, May 9th at 7:00 PM. Ann will be speaking to the group about the Goal Sister writing process and how to market your book! Email her at ann@goalsisters.com for more details.
Would you like to connect with a Goal Sister in your city or town, but need help from us to do that? Contact Michelle at
michelle@goalsisters.com and she’ll be happy to post your request online on the GS Group page at www.goalsisters.com/bio.htm. If you live in Chicago; Enfield, CT; Raleigh NC; King of Prussia, PA; Joplin, MO; or Indianapolis IN, Michelle can help you connect with women who have already approached us with their requests!
So, what’s next for us after we’re done celebrating the book’s 1-year anniversary? We’re moving forward with a new marketing approach that affords us the opportunity to focus on other big goals in our lives. To do that, this newsletter will be published quarterly instead of monthly. Ann will continue facilitating GS groups, but making fewer appearances for
Goal Sisters. Michelle will continue updating the Web site on a monthly instead of weekly basis and focus her attention on creating a 2006 GS calendar.
While our newsletter may no longer be in your mailbox every month, we would still love to hear from you regarding your progress, your stumbling blocks, and your successes anytime you want to share them!
Onward and upward,
Ann and
Michelle
P.S. Please forward this newsletter to all the phenomenal women you know! 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.
_____________________________________________
Subscriber Information and Privacy Statement
You can get on or off the newsletter list by following the instructions on our site's Home page.
You can also request removal by sending an email to unsubscribe@goalsisters.com.
This newsletter is sent only to confirmed double-opt in subscribers who have signed up at goalsisters.com or who have emailed a request to be added. This mailing is part of a recurring series of monthly email newsletters.
By the way, Goal Sisters does not sell, rent, or loan subscriber information to any third party. Period. 
