Tag Archives: goals

Reflections and Resolutions: Building a Better Future, One Category at a Time

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Image by Simon from Pixabay resolutions

Less than three weeks before the year draws to a close.

It’s a perfect time to reflect on the journey traveled and set the course for the year ahead.

I’ve found that breaking down my life into specific areas has helped me focus on what truly matters.

Here are the eight categories I use for my year-end review, and perhaps they can inspire you too:

  1. Faith: Reflect on your spiritual journey.

Have you nurtured your faith this year?

Whether through prayer, meditation, or community involvement, acknowledge the growth and set intentions for deepening your spiritual connection in the coming year.

  • Family/Friends: Relationships are the cornerstone of a fulfilling life.

Take stock of the time and effort you’ve invested in your family and friendships.

Consider ways to strengthen these bonds and create lasting memories together.

  • Wealth/Investing/Income: Assess your financial goals and achievements. Celebrate the wins, learn from the losses, and adjust your financial strategies accordingly. Whether it’s saving more, investing wisely, or exploring new income streams, aim for financial growth in the upcoming year.
  • Lifelong Learning/Books/Music: Learning is a lifelong journey.

Consider the books you’ve read, the new skills acquired, and the music that has inspired you.

Set ambitious yet achievable learning goals for the next year, be it picking up a new instrument, diving into a new genre of books, or exploring different forms of art.

  • Care of Self: Your well-being is paramount.

Reflect on how you’ve taken care of yourself physically, mentally, and emotionally.

Identify areas for improvement and commit to self-care practices that promote a healthier, more balanced life.

  • Politics: Stay informed about the world around you.

Reflect on your engagement with politics and consider how you can contribute positively to your community.

This could be through volunteering, advocating for causes you believe in, or simply staying informed and participating in civic activities.

  • Fun & Optimistic Living/Writing: Life is meant to be enjoyed.

Take stock of the moments that brought joy and laughter.

Embrace a positive mindset and look for opportunities to infuse more fun into your daily life.

If you enjoy writing, consider journaling your experiences and thoughts as a way to preserve memories.

  • Daily Life Support – Must-Do Items: Sometimes, routine tasks can be overlooked, but they are the foundation of a well-organized life.

Reflect on the efficiency of your daily routines and adjust where needed.

Streamline tasks to create more time for the activities that truly matter.

As you work on this year-end review, remember that it’s not about perfection but progress.

Embrace the lessons of the past year and use them as stepping stones toward a more fulfilling and purposeful future.

Make 2024 your best year yet!

Thank you for reading this post.

Get started today.

Good luck next year!

Can Banjo and/or Guitar be learned later in life?

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Can Banjo and Guitar be learned later in life?

Yes, it can be learned.

The problem when learning at almost any age, especially later in life, is that we compare ourselves to the best of the best.

· I want to play banjo like Earl Scruggs, but it isn’t going to happen.

· I want to play lead guitar and be in a famous band, but it isn’t going to happen.

For years I have been a closet player. I would not play in front of people.

I played many songs, but as I now know, I was not playing them well. I certainly was not playing with good timing.

Several years ago, I decided to take a 6-week course in Bluegrass jamming. There were about six adult learners that signed up and showed up for the class. It was a real eye-opener.

We all were in the same boat, adults who never played in front of or with others. It was a tough inner fight to go to the class, stay at the class, and show up for the rest of the classes. I am glad I did. One lady never returned after the first class.

Later as the classes progressed, the instructor said it was interesting to watch us the first couple of sessions. Some people had to be reminded to breathe. That was me for sure.

As we progressed, it became easier. I even led one song and sang a couple of bars. I won a prize for stepping out of my comfort zone.

After the six weeks were complete and we graduated, I felt as though I was ready to go out and jam. The problem was that there were few places to go. I live in Texas, not a lot of Bluegrass jamming going on.

Over the past several years, I have noticed an interest growing in Bluegrass music. I have heard of several jamming groups but never attended.

Recently I moved to a new community; they have a Bluegrass band that plays within the community. They have weekend driveway gigs periodically, and I have met several members of the band. I was invited to jam with a couple of members of the group.

Wow! Even though I had gone to and graduated from a jam class, I was not prepared for this, but I thought I was.

They were very supportive people; they had all been beginners at some point. I had learned only the basics of jamming etiquette. I was still not prepared to jam and stay on time with others, but I was learning. I now attend weekly jam sessions with two of the band players. 

I have attended an actual jam session at the county courthouse.

This jam session was an awakening for me. The group meets on the steps of the courthouse every Saturday morning, weather permitting. At my first visit, about 15 musicians showed up, 6 or 7 guitar players, three fiddle players, a dobro, and several other instruments, all there to play bluegrass music.

I was the only banjo that day. I again had trouble breathing but stayed to see how their jam worked. We were in a large circle, some people standing some sitting. I had a stool and sat.

As we progressed around the circle, each person turned to suggest a song for the group to play. I told them, Cripple Creek. I could barely get the melody out of my banjo, but I made it through my first song.

Everyone, there was accommodating and had good words for my continued playing with the group.

I watched and listened and tried to keep my banjo in time with each song I heard. There were many songs I did not know, and I had to sit there and not play. I found this the same problem for other players; I wasn’t the only one.

I went back the next week and got through two songs, not my best playing but better each time. This group with varying members has been playing at this venue for over thirty years.

If you are an alone player or closet player, I highly recommend finding others to play along with and jam. Having internet access to songs and practicing along is good but getting out with real people is the way to learn and advance.

I have also restarted the guitar. I played in high school many years ago. I plan to take my guitar to jam sessions soon.

I am now in my early 70s and can’t wait to go to my next jam session.

Do you have a later-life learning experience to share?

Do you have a system to record Life experiences?

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“Life is a collection of experiences, people met, and books read” – according to Jim Rohn

Have you heard of and followed the extraordinary life and business philosopher, Jim Rohn? 

I have read his books, articles, listened to tapes, and attended his seminars. 

One article captured my attention and prompted a change in my behavior many years ago.  

Jim Rohn talked about the habit of writing down daily life experiences. He described his early journaling as a process of continuously writing things down all day long so that he wouldn’t forget the thought of the moment. 

He wrote on scraps of paper, napkins, post notes, anything he could find. Then he put them in a drawer. He then described having a drawer full of information that was not neat and was hard to organize.

We all want to remember and save ideas of the moment. Many of us either forget the idea later, or like Jim Rohn, we have a great collection of paper scraps with notes.  That was me.

Jim Rohn changed and thought it best to journal, in a sense, all day long. He started keeping a notebook at his side to jot down notes and thoughts of the moment.

I decided this was something worthwhile and started carrying a notebook with a daily date and began writing whatever thoughts I had that seemed essential to keep. Some days hardly anything. Some days I filled two pages. 

My books are messy and not organized, but I have a chronological method of getting experiences on paper. Generally, each month I go back through the past one or two months looking for ideas’ thoughts, or things that still seem significant.

I talk to people who want to start journaling but don’t know-how. This method has been working well for me. I have taught it to others.

I have books of my life experiences, and I attest to it –“Life is a collection of experiences, people met, and books read.”

Start keeping a daily running book of life, and you will be astonished at how you and your life can be changed and influenced.

Make 2022 your best year yet!

Let me know your thoughts.

How will you finish the year 2021? Will you be happy or sad? Will you be building New Year resolutions early for 2022?

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Here are four tips to think about:

  1. What happens if you do not meet goals?
  2. Why not choose to end each day being drained?  Know that you gave it your all.
  3. Do not work through the rest of the year making excuses.  Get up, get out and keep moving.
  4. Simplify your life and surroundings to be able to focus and get results you want. 

You will find next year even easier to set and achieve your goals

Make 2021 an awesome year!

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I hope we all have a great 2021! 

However, we all need be mindful of the COVID-19 virus and do our best to help contain it and see it go away.

We have new opportunities to handle new challenges, and need create new ways of living and improving life.

I like the start of a new year.  I get out all the notes and scribbled thoughts I wrote down last year and especially the thinking and planning time I spent in December as to what I expect 2021 to be and where I plan to be by year end.  I review my short-term intermediate and long-term goals.  I organize and rewrite them for easy and frequent review.

Think about these areas of your life when setting out for the new year:

Work, Family & Friends, Finance, Faith, Self-improvement, Health, Other — Something you have been wanting to start.

Here are several tips to keep your goals moving for 2021:

1.   Write goals down and make them easy to find.

2.   Look at your goals and make time to work on your goals daily, even if you spend only a few minutes.

3.   If a goal seems too hard, revise it. Or look at breaking it to smaller parts to work on.

4.   Never give up — Make 2021 your best year yet!

How many times do you call a prospect?

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I read the following about sales people:

44% of sales people give up after one “call”, 22% give up after two “call’s”, 14% give up after three “call’s”, 12% give up after four “call’s” — 92% give up after four “call’s”!

Only 8% of sales people go in and ask for an order a fifth time, or more.

After 35+ years of selling, and owning my own business I can attest to these numbers from both sides as sales person and company owner/purchaser. 

As sales person I knew that there were customers needing my product. However, I quickly found that timing was crucial. After a year or so of walking out too soon, and not going back, I learned that timing was everything. 

Maybe the customer wasn’t thinking of buying my products that day, maybe the budget wasn’t set, maybe, maybe, maybe. I had to keep talking with them until I received an ultimate “NO NEED EVER – GET OUT AND STAY OUT!”, — or — an Order!

As owner of my own business for more than 15 years, I had countless sales people call only once and never come back. I believe from experience that the above statistic of quitting after the first call is not correct, the number is much higher than 44%. 

let’s go with the above. If only 8% of sales people call more than 5 times on a prospect — it is no wonder why these 8% get 80% of the business.

If you are certain a customer needs your product — You need to be hovering and creating some form of non-confrontational awareness to that customer. I have had people wanting me to contact once per week, once per month, others, once per quarter, Etc. Always try and find an approach that keeps you in the “Awareness” zone.  Not pestering, no whining, not in the way. 

Learn this and your sales will soar. 

Make 2019 your best year yet!

Sales Tracking for 2019! A cookbook and system for the year!

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Time to get ready for a really great sales year 2019!

Hopefully all are closing the year 2018 with goals met or exceeded.

I will be publishing a free, monthly sales tracker. If you want to review the sales tracker SIGNUP your email address.

Fist month January 2019 will be sent first week in December.

 Get ready to make 2019 even better!

Make 2019 your best year yet!

Signup for SalesTracker

2019 Sales behaviors — A Cookbook!

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For years, I have been writing about the power of measurement for a sales person. Daily behaviors completed daily will produce results — For “SALES” and can be used for other measured items.

Good sales training is needed, to learn the skills of selling. However, a good mechanical “Nuts and Bolts” tracking system is needed to get-on and stay-on track.

My monthly sales tracker that provides for sales goals for the month and a tracker is available. I will send a copy to any sales person wanting to see and try it out. First Month January 2019 will be available and sent early December.

Go to the signup page and subscribe.

The excel spreadsheet will be provided free and will be available each month after for the year 2019. My request is that you look at it and decide if it is something that fits your sales life style. If not just send me an email.

Signup here!

Goals — Are yours written? Are you working them daily?

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After much reading, discussing and watching I am convinced that over 95% of people going into a new year don’t have written measurable goals for the year.  Many or probably most have heard this and know the importance of goal setting goals, still not written down.

If you are a sales person and say “Wow! I need more sales to make my year!” — You may be out of luck. If your sales cycle takes longer than 10 weeks from start to close to shipment, you are running out of time.

Now is the time to begin looking toward the New Year 2019. Begin by setting an appointment with yourself for 30 – 60 minutes. Get blank paper or a blank computer screen and begin writing your thoughts and ideas for accomplishment next year. This first cut at goal setting doesn’t have to be neat — just take time to think about and write your ideas and thoughts down. My beginning session is usually quite messy and unorganized.

Put this information away in a place you absolutely won’t forget where it is so that you can retrieve it, early December.  Then set an appointment with yourself for 30 – 60 minutes early December and get your list out.

In December you will be amazed at the progress you will have already made toward thinking about and planning your goals for next year. Your fist list may be messy, but you will be ready to define and refine the list. You will be subtracting, adding and modifying the original set of goals. Make the list a little neater and resolve to begin your goals and measure your goals.

Why do I believe in doing this? It’s because I use this method every year and then I set a tracking system and measure progress. This works!

Try for yourself and get into the 5% group of people who actually write and strive to achieve their goals. Remember a lot of “Luck” goes along with a lot of preparation.  

While continuing to build my own goal system I have found and in process of reviewing a software program that looks very promising — Click and have a look 

I’ll comment further as I look at this software — Let me know your thoughts.

Make 2019 your best year yet!