Create positive habits for the New Year

I was asking myself the question today why so many of us love the idea of setting new year resolutions for the new year  and as the  year progresses some of us fail to execute what we committed  to do everyday. When you look back at the goals you might achieve half or not at all. I often ask why are we kept doing this ourselves year after year.

We are all creatures of habit.  In fact, most of what we do every single day we do unconsciously on auto-pilot and it is very difficult for new habits to become second nature.

So “Make Tomorrow Today”

We know, setting goals are easy, execution the goals are another story, despite our good intention and excitement we still fail. Why?

What we are lacking at time are:

·         The drive

·         The motivation

·         The encouragement

·          The passion to achieve it.

·         The Desire to get it

·         The purpose  why we need to achieve

The key to achieve your goals are to:

 Plan Well!+ Prepare Well! + Execute well!-> SUCCESS outcome

Well, here is a little tip that I use to easily help myself create new habits and routines that I want to stick to daily.

1. I use Google Calendar, if you have not tried it just go to   http://calendar.google.com

2. I enter the item that I want to remember into Google Calendar and I make it a task that repeats every single day.

3. I then request Google calendar to auto mail  me a daily reminder.

I have used this to develop powerful new habits such as:

·         My daily exercise

·         Reviewing my goal list and affirmations every day (I even add my goals and affirmations into the 

               description so that they end up in my inbox and I can review them instantly)

·         Set events and appointments

·         Share my calendar with my partner, clients  and public (our seminar events)

So, take full advantage of http://calendar.google.com and start creating new success habits today.

How To Plan Your Fantastic Year 2013

New Year 2013- Pyrmont
Photographed by Henry Lam

Last week we talked about setting purpose goals & your New Year resolutions. 

Today we would like to share with you our strategies for setting your purpose goals. So that, 2013 is a year full of real purpose and is the year for you to focus on executing those tasks that will get you to where you want to be. 

So what can we do to make the New Year a fantastic one?

The answer is....it's entirely up to you! You can choose to go with the flow, whatever happens happens (que sera sera!) or you can choose to make a big difference this year and be the key driver and steer the direction to where you want to be. 

There are things we can and can't control and we don't have a crystal ball to understand what our future holds. However, if you really want to have a purposeful & fulfilling year, you can certainly set purpose goals and strategies to take you where you intend to be.

So what ever you do, don't delve on the past as last year was history. Right now you have the power to do something about it and do something meaningful for your life.

Here are the OPIC steps to making the most of 2013.

1.  Set your Objective or Goal area using the nine priorities in life

Using the 9 priorities in life will help you to set goals that are important to you. Although there are 9 areas, some may not be appealing to you or relevant to you right now, so just choose the areas that you want to focus on.

Once you have selected the areas, it is now for you to priortise the areas. List the one that is most important to you first and then the rest.

This year we set goals in all nine areas. We have already assigned goals we would like to focus on in the particular months. There is no right or wrong way to assign your goals. You need to be honest to yourself and set a realistic time frame for you to do. Some of our clients prefer to just focus on one area at the time this way they can give more attention to each goal. Other clients focus 2 to 3 areas at the time. At the end of the day you know how you like to work and so make it fun and exciting and reward yourself once you reach the priority areas.

Here are the 9 priorities in life

1. (MBS) Mind, Body, Spiritual (Health & Fitness)
2. Relationships
3. Family Connection
4. Business & Career
5. Financial Competency
6. True Wealth
7. Gratitude  
8. Fun & Refresh
9. Leveraging Time

The 9 priorities in life are just a great way for you to get started, so you can add more or remove some; it's entirely up to you. Focus on the areas that matter most to you.

For each of the life areas you've selected, choose one or two goals that you'd like to achieve in 2013.

2. Plan your Steps & Tasks

Once you are happy with your Life areas (select at least 5 areas) you can plan sequential steps to help you reach your goal. If the goal is too big then you can chunk it down into sub goals so it is easy for you to implement the tasks. At these stages think about what you want to accomplish in those areas during this year.

3. Implementing your Steps & Tasks

The key to this step is to execute your goals within a time frame. Look at ways on how to implement the tasks you have set in each goal. Who else can help you to do the task and by when would you like to complete those tasks. It's a good idea if you could get help too such as, outsourcing the task to other experts who can help you reach your goal.

Remember to look at your goals and see if you are hitting the target. Good goals leads to tasks that keep you moving forward to your dream and not just going in circles and achieving nothing.

 4. Make a Commitment to your goals

To be able to achieve what you set out to do, firstly you need a big commitment from yourself. This is to frame your mindset so you can commit to those tasks. For example one of the commitments is that you could set aside 5 hours a week to focus on executing the tasks you set out for the week.

Now let's look at some of the goals we set out for the 9 priorities in life you can too use it as a guide to start your goals:

1. (MBS) Mind, Body, Spiritual (Health & Fitness)
•  Mind- Learn:  photoshop-1 Feb  and video workshop-1 June
• Body- Hire a Personal trainer- 14 Jan
• Spiritual-Visualisation for 10 minutes every morning
2. Relationships- Spend quality time with my partner. Romantic dinner once a month, 2-3 holidays together this year. Our engagement in  6 January.
3. Family Connection- Visit mum & dad every two weeks and spend quality time with them.
4. Business- Launch new ArtSHINE website in March, ArtSHINE branding products in April, Launch Ebook in June and ArtSHINE creative magazine in November.
5. Financial Competency-  Pay off one credit card, set up self manage Super in Jan. & purchase an investment property by June.
6. True Wealth- Fund raise to support Lymphoma Australia.
7. Gratitude- Thank and respect people around me and do my  gratitude journal daily
8. Fun & Refresh- 4  holidays a year and spend time with friends & family
9. Leveraging Time- focus on the importance things, recruit an intern to help with ArtSHINE and invite more creative guest posts.

Want to learn more about how to set purpose goals for 2013? 

It’s as simple as 1... 2... 3...

1. Like  ArtSHINE's Facebook page

2:E-mail Quantum Compass  Goalsetting@QuantumCompass.com.au or contact vinh@quantumcompass.com.au  or  +61 410 636 138

3: Contact Vinh for a no cost, no obligation coachingsession:

 COaching  Discovery Survey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ArtShineDiscovery

Have you set Your New Year's resolutions or purpose goals Yet?

Happy New Year everyone and thanks for visiting ArtSHINE's blog. Your support means a tremendous amount to us at ArtSHINE. 

The starting of a new year is very exciting for you and maybe for others, a little nervous, little lost and may even lack focus and purpose.

For us at ArtSHINE there's surely a psychological New Year day effect that gives us the excitement and motivation to work towards our new year goals for 2013.

So, have you set Your New Year's resolutions or Purpose Goals yet?

If you did not get the chance, you still have time. Setting new purpose goals don't have to wait for the new year or a special event.  In fact you can set new goals at any time, there is no such thing as it being too late to set new goals either!

So do it now!  You have not missed the boat at all. You might feel like you did. It's all in your head, just because the new year has started already, that does not mean that you are late for setting your purpose goals.

"We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think"- Buddha

However, New Year is definitely a great time to set new goals.

That's why so many people set New Year's resolutions or goals at the start of a new year. This is because the new year is a new beginning and you too can start the New Year with a clean slate.

If you don't know where to start and not sure how to set purpose goals that are well balanced for you business and personal life, we’re here to give you some helpful tips so you can get start it.

Setting goals is not hard, the hardest things are to execute those goals so you can get where you want to be. This is where the majority of people fail to take action. Poor execution will delay and even stop you achieving your goals.

The goals you are going to set will be well balanced and full of purpose so that it will empower you to execute those tasks so you can move forward in achieving your goals in 2013.

From our experiences, we've learned that our lives can easily  get unbalanced, therefore  at ArtSHINE  we set our goals based on "The 9 Priorities in Life".  These 9 areas will help you create a well-rounded personal and Business Lifestyle.

Consider the 9 priorities in life when setting your goals:

1. (MBS) Mind, Body, Spiritual (Health & Fitness)
2. Relationships
3. Family Connection
4. Business & Career
5. Financial Competency
6. True Wealth
7. Gratitude  
8. Fun & Refresh
   
9. Leveraging Time

Set goals in each and every area.  It will give you lasting success and be well-rounded in all 9 areas of life.

When you learn to set goals regularly, you will be less vulnerable to the winds of change that blow unfocused people in all different directions in life. 

Tune in next week, we will share with you our strategies for setting your purpose goals. So that, 2013 is a year full of real purpose and is the year for you to focus on executing those tasks that will get you to where you want to be.

2013 could be your best year ever!

Do You Have A Big Plan In Place For The New Year?

Here is some food for thought if you're planning to increase sales and profit in your Art  & Design business.

Remember, while some strategies may have an immediate impact, most will take months to generate results.

Before you get started with the marketing strategy, Firstly you need to clearly define your ideal customer.

Knowing your ideal customer will help you decide the marketing strategy that will help  you generate more ideal leads for your business.

Increase Leads:  We highly recommend you to have a combination of short, medium and long term lead generation strategies in your business.

By implementing these strategies at different stages it is also more manageable and  measurable.

For example; The time it takes to drive more leads will be depended on the type of marketing technique and the nature of your business. 

• If you use more direct marketing methods  such as direct mail, e-mail and phone could take a month to generate leads and a systematic referral strategy could begin to pay dividends in a week or two (short term). 
• Arranging a strategic alliance with another business or association could take 3 to 6 months to really impact the lead flow (medium term). 
•   Attending more tradeshows could take months to a year depending on the tradeshow schedule.(long term) 

Better Conversion: Seeing improvement in the conversion or close rate from prospects to clients could be very quick, or extremely long depending on the sales cycle of your art &  design practice.

A design business with a short sales cycle could see a rapid increase in conversion with some sales training and the development of a unique selling proposition (USP) and guarantee. Once the techniques are effectively implemented, they could have an immediate impact on the bottom line because clients decide relatively quickly.

However, if you are a Licensing artist, those same sales technique improvements would take much longer to reach the bottom line because the sales cycle could be 6 to 12 months or more. The key is to expect to see measured improvement a full sales cycle AFTER your business has effectively implemented the enhancements.

Average Transaction  Size: This will also generally follow the sales cycle. If a cross sell or upsell is integrated into the sales process, results could be seen within the typical sales cycle. "Would you like fries with that?" Could have an impact the day it is implemented.

Average Annual Number of Transactions Per Client: The time to see an impact will vary greatly by the nature of your design business. The key to remember is that multiple transactions depend on the first experience going well!

Profit Margin: Profit margin can be impacted almost right away with the right strategy. For example, If your business negotiate a handbag order with a 5% less in the cost of goods from the manufacturer, it can go immediately to the bottom line. A 5% increase in prices will also increase profits as soon as it is implemented. Many  Art & Design businesses have not increased their prices for years and have watched it erode their bottom line. The New Year is the perfect time to review and  align prices with the value you provide. Eliminating habitual discounting in the sales process can also have a major impact. Overall the profit margin often offers the fastest way to bottom line impact.

If we now take a second look at our plans for a fast start to 2011, you can see that it starts with actions taken right now. 

For Art & Design businesses with longer sales cycles, the early 2011 results will be a result of actions taken in third quarter. If your business has a short sales cycle, there is still time to get off to a fast start in 2011. If your business has a sales cycle measured in months, there is no time like the present to be taking ACTION to impact the second quarter.

Remember that a 1% improvement each week equates to a 67% improvement in a year. 

So Make Tomorrow Today!

Need help with your  business planning for the New Year?

Want to learn more about planning for the new year the ArtSHINE's way?

It’s as simple as 1... 2... 3...

1: Like  ArtSHINE's Facebook page

2: Come along to the next “Action Planning” workshop.

    E-mail Quantum Compass: ActionPlanning@QuantumCompass.com.au  for details of the      

    next half day session near you.

3: Contact Vinh for a no cost, no obligation coaching session: 

    www.surveymonkey.com/s/ArtShineDiscovery

Tips for Shinning Start for the New Year 2012

The New Year is all about being feeling refreshed, reconnected and renewed. 

The New Year presents you with the great opportunity to take a good look at where you are right now and where you want to be at the end of 2012.  The best way to get started first is to review your goals or set new goals within a parameter.

So don't waste this New Year spirit. Take advantage of a fresh start and just like a fire work celebration it gives you the boost of extra energy that can assist you begin the New Year strong and also to hold on the momentum toward the tasks and goals you want to achieve this year.

We all have goals and dreams to achieve, whether you want to get organised, build a new system for your business, de-clutter your studio or home, or even to lose a few pounds from over indulging yourself during the holiday season. 

To assist you achieving your goals and aiming for a fabulous 2012, we would like to share with you the following tips.

Each of these tips are useful and they can make a big impact to the way you feel and operate your business lifestyle throughout this year.

So before we start sharing, we want you to understand this statement:

"Less is more, focus on and real purpose"

Here are the 3 tips:

1.     Less is More in 2012.

Learn to let go and get rid of things. Don’t be a hoarder. The less stuff you have means you can get things organised easier and quicker. If you start to adopt this routine, fewer things also means less clutter which will give you more time to plan and everything has a place and is more organised. Your thinking will be clear and calmer and you can focus on your business and personal tasks much better too. 

Do this exercise:

List 30 things you would like to de clutter in your business and personal. Your goal is to trash them with 30 days. You can start with a slow pace and de clutter one or two tasks, as long as you are committed to execute those 30 tasks in 30 days. When you think about it, you only need to do one task per day so it’s not hard to do at all.

2.    "The urgent  vs The important things"

People who are good at time leveraging usually do more of what matters and less of what doesn’t. Therefore you need to learn the difference between the Urgent things verses the Important things.

Urgent things demand your time but can usually wait, even when they seem like emergencies.

Important things move you in the direction of your dreams and goals.

A clear focus on the difference between the urgent and the important will be critical to your future success in this, or any other business. And a clear understanding of the activities you undertake that are important rather than urgent will see you succeed sooner. We all have 24 hours a day no more and no less. The difference for you is how are you going to leverage or use the time?

So focus on the importance things  and you'll never see the urgent things again.

Do this exercise:

Create a To Do list daily for the next 30 days. Review the list and take off tasks or things that don’t add value or purpose to your goals. If you are still unsure then ask yourself this question:

If I ‘m doing this task will it bring me close to my dream or will it  take away from my dream?

So keep focused on doing the tasks that matter.

3." Delegation & Motivation"

 If you are overworked and try to do everything in your business, now is the right time to plan out how you can delegate some of the work to your team or out source to people who can help you with your day to day operation so that you can start working on your business instead of working just in your business.

Learn to delegate tasks to people who can do the job for on your behalf. You’ll be surprised that by delegating you can reach your goals faster.

For example for home what can your children do for themselves  from this year onward? Take turn to take out the trash? Do the house work? 

By delegating or set tasks for them to do you are teaching them useful life skills  and as the same time you are freeing some time for you do do something else.

What about your business partner or spouse? review what you both doing right now and share the work load. The new  year is the best time to  re negotiate your tasks around business or personal with your partner(s).

Outsource some of your business. Can you afford to pay someone to do the book keeping, or marketing, get a cleaner to do the house keeping etc?

I know it sounds quite a lot of work and at the begin of the process it will take a lot ofyou time to get helpers, but later on down the track you’ll be rewarded with more time for the important things in your life like spending more quality time with your family.

So by following these tips you will see a change for  the better in your business lifestyle. You will be free from clutter, a more organise space for you to work and a clear head when you are working on your business.

So, take advantage of the New Year Spirit – and start implementing these tips now.

Want to learn more about  start up  business coaching? 

It’s as simple as 1... 2... 3...

1. Like  ArtSHINE's Facebook page

2:E-mail Quantum Compass  Businesscoaching@QuantumCompass.com.au or contact vinh@quantumcompass.com.au  or  +61 410 636 138

3: Contact Vinh for a no cost, no obligation coachingsession:

 COaching  Discovery Survey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ArtShineDiscovery

A New Year Message from Quantum Compass & ArtSHINE

Sign off for 2010. 

Thanks all for your friendship and support. Share 

&

Enjoyed this NYE and all the best to you and yours families. 

Onwards& Upward in 2011

Best Wishes

Vinh & Stuart

at

Quantum Compass & ArtSHINE

 

Make Tomorrow Today!