There is no try – for a Happy New Year!

I gave up on New Year's Resolutions years ago.  It's not that I'm a pessimist; it's just that it never worked!

You see, I always thought that New Year's Resolutions was about giving up stuff, and trying to do things differently.

So I would write the list.  Does this sound familiar?

• Stop eating junk food.
• Watch less television.
• Read a book a week.
• Give up smoking.
• Get healthier.
• Get a better job.
• And so on…..

And it never worked.

What's the problem?  Well, this list, or any list like it, is just too general, too negative and not at all easy to follow.

Then I realized that the story I was telling myself was looking at the past critically, but not really creating a new story for the future.   You see, if you want make positive change, you need to create a new story.  And that story needs to be encouraging, specific and uplifting.

Here's an example of a New Year's Re-Story!

2012 will be magnificent.  I will embrace the abundance in my life and welcome a healthy, fulfilled and enriched version of me! This means:

• I will exercise regularly – walk my dog twice a day and go to Zumba classes 3 times a week (fill in your routine here!).
• I will continue to read books that feed and encourage my creativity – (list 5 books here!).
• I will cook with my kids regularly and broaden our healthy choices with more salads and fresh fruit, and home baked cakes and cookies for treats!
• I will explore the following business opportunities (list here those ideas that you haven't looked into fully yet!).

Lisa Bloom, PCC

Do you see the difference?

Most importantly, remember the wise words of Yoda, "do or do not, there is no try!"

Lisa Bloom, PCC is founder of Story Coach Inc. and the Certified Story Coach Program.  Download her ebook ‘Using Stories to Get Great Clients’ at http://www.story-coach.com.

Creating a new habit for the New Year

Some researchers say it takes as little as 21 days for a habit to form (this certainly depends on the person, and perhaps more importantly, on the habit).

Regardless, forming a habit it strictly that: you have the power to start (or break) habits. The start of New Year often has people thinking about changes they want to make in their lives. Many a good-intentioned resolution winds up being lost or forgotten in the busyness of day-to-day life.

However, if you were to do something differently in 2012, and you were to begin today, you could (potentially, or at least be well on your way to…) have a habit made of this action before January is over. Pretty great thought, huh?

What is something you would want to make a habit of in 2012? Maybe it’s something like daily journaling, working on/updating your business or marketing plan one more hour per week, or meeting a coaching peer for lunch at least once a week for accountability purposes.

No matter what it is for you, start today and make a goal to stick with it for the next 21 days—just to see what happens.

Happy New Year!

A new way to market yourself

Fresh beginnings…we all love them. There is something so promising about a blank slate. Maybe that’s why so many people make resolutions at the start of each New Year.

As we march through the remaining days of 2010, our minds inevitably think about what we expect or hope to accomplish in the New Year. Maybe we want to lose ten pounds, eat better, exercise more, start writing that book, get over your fear of public speaking, make new friends, create a better work-life balance and build a social media platform all in 2011. So many resolutions start strong only to fade into some distant memory before we flip the calendar page to February.

It seems that often, the problem with keeping a resolution is lack of ongoing support and accountability. As a coach, that’s where you come in. Use this time of year to your advantage and market yourself and your coaching services as that accountability needed to make resolutions stick.

Want some research to back this up? The latest study from the ICF found that people are turning to professional coaching to attain goals in their personal and professional lives. More than two-fifths (42.6 percent) of the ICF Global Consumer Awareness Study’s respondents who had experienced coaching chose “optimize individual and/or team performance” as their motivation for being coached. Following this reason was “expand professional career opportunities” (at 38.8 percent); “improve business management strategies” (at 36.1 percent). The study also showed that coaching is being used to help people increase their self-esteem/self-confidence and manage work/life balance.

Not only is coaching allowing people to attain their goals, but coaching has proven to be a very satisfying experience as a result. The study also found that 83 percent of respondents were “satisfied” and 36 percent were “very satisfied” with their coaching experience.

Right now is the perfect time to market your coaching services to clients wanting to meet their newly made resolutions. Couple these findings with examples of how coaching can help them reach their goals and resolutions (through goal defining, action plan creation, accountability, etc.).

What about you? At the start of a New Year, do you find yourself working with clients on reaching their New Year’s goals?

How do you plan to market yourself to new clients in 2011?