Hello everyone and thank you for joining me for this month-end episode on goals.

As I mentioned in the June month-end update on goals episode, I took myself through my goals process to see if I my goals are still in alignment with what I’m really trying to accomplish in my business and my life and there were a few tweaks.

And there are some more tweaks this month which will also drive the theme of this episode which is going with the flow with what life is presenting to you. Let’s dive in to the progress I’ve made on my goals so I can explain everything that is going on.

Focus area #1 Increase profitability in my business

Goal: have a net income (earnings minus expenses) of $80,000 minimum this year.

With the help of my mastermind group and going through my goals review I have 4 sub-goals for this goal. These sub-goals are, by year end:

1. Have had 12 new Executive Leadership Coaching clients. This is coaching that focuses on leaders within organizations to help them with their performance and happiness at work. I already have one new client that fits this category and have the potential for another next month.
2. To do 10 corporate workshops. I have done 4 thus far this year and at this point have 4 potential workshops coming up.
3. Promote the DIY products that are on the website for sale. I’ll be working with my VA in the coming weeks to put together a marketing plan to see this through
4. Do two more group programs by the end of the year. I’m looking to do a virtual group program in the fall and will also be doing a live workshop – half-day or full-day, I haven’t decided yet.

June’s Profit and Loss report showed an abysmal net profit of $922.38, way far off from the average $6700/month required to see a net profit of $80,000.

As I am bringing on more organizations as clients I’m also experiencing more delays in payment. I invested more time in proposal writing and follow-up meetings and communications and I’m realizing my prices for organizations are also going to need to reflect the larger investment of time and travel required. It has been a really good learning experience and I’ve already changed some of the language in my documents to reflect the expectations.

Focus area #2 Build more strength and endurance

Goal: do 1000 Spartan-regulation burpees in good form within one workout by October. Separately, do an unassisted pull-up before the end of this year.

This past Friday I did 750 burpees in 3:10:55. I’m still on track to complete this goal by October but in the last month I experienced pain in the back of my knees a couple days after my burpee workout and I hit 750 burpees in my second attempt, not my first attempt. The first time I tried I got to 705 and had to stop. I lost good form and I was completely spent.

For the pain in the back of my knees I consulted the Personal Trainer in my BNI group and we figured out what was causing it and the solution – I need to have a wider stance when I jump in and out of the push-up position and pay attention to keeping my feet straight. My heels have a tendency to come together causing my feet to form a V-shape when I jump out of the push-up position and into the squat.

For this and several other reasons I’ve decided to hire Alex as my personal trainer and nutrition counselor. His certifications and experience working with endurance athletes made this decision easy to make. The only thing I have to figure out is timing and schedule as the gym he works out of is 30 minutes away from my home and as you can imagine I have a wonky schedule at times.

As for my failed first attempt at 750 burpees, there was a reason for that too: my mental attitude. You’ve heard me talk about this before. If you don’t have the right mental attitude you will be working against yourself and your goals and that was true for me that day.

There have definitely been things going on in my life that my brain noodles over. However, the day of my workout it was like my brain couldn’t let any of it go.

I was having arguments in my head with people who weren’t in the room. I was getting annoyed with myself because I knew what was happening and what the consequences would be if I didn’t change my attitude. I had small victories and then would realize I was doing it again. Half way through my workout I was exhausted – not from the workout, from the war that seemed to be raging in my head.

My second attempt, even though the temps and humidity were higher I was in a different place mentally and I achieved my goal. The lesson for me here that I keep learning and practicing over and over again is to always work on my mental game. For me that looks like meditation, walks and runs in nature, taking really good care of myself physically, making time to nurture my relationship with loved ones and frankly, letting go of the things I don’t have control over.

That was the mental angst I was experiencing that day. There are some things I do not have complete control over and I need to accept that because resisting it is only causing me stress.

Getting clear on what is and is not in my control will help me to take on going with the flow. From that place I have more peace and more power and can stop wasting my energy and mental space on trying to change what is.

I think I may have to go back and reread Byron Katie’s book Loving What Is.

For pull-ups I have not get graduated to a lower weight pull-up band but instead of stepping into it I’m now putting a knee in so that’s a little bit of progress. I let Alex know I also have this goal so we’ll be working on my pull-ups as well.

Focus are #3 Romantic Partnership

Goal: Be in a committed monogamous relationship with a man.

To recap, when I did my goals mini-course I identified qualities that would help to take me to my goals. Those qualities are being aligned, feminine, social, focused, disciplined and committed.

Then I identified the daily practices that would help me to develop these qualities. Many of the practices had to do with my self-care: sleep, a lighter schedule and transition time between meetings and activities.

I set the intention to take better care of myself this summer so my best self and the self that enjoys being feminine and social can come forth.

And guess what? It’s working. I am meeting more men that I had before, making more quality connections and overall enjoying myself more. It doesn’t hurt that my burpee workouts are making me feel more confident overall and more present in my body as well.

Focus area #4 Live Events

This goal has changed as I am having a hard time connecting with Emily leRoux and it was getting to the point that pulling off this event in only 3 months was going to take such an enormous effort it would have likely ended up hurting me and my business rather than helping.

Go with the flow, right?

I am still going to do 1000 burpees by October but the completion of this goal will not be tied to an event.

I am also still committed to doing a Women Taking the Lead branded event this year. In doing the goals mini-course as a part of my review process I realized how important live events are to me. This is an area where I shine and I feel an enormous connection with the participants of the workshops that I do.

Goal: Do a live workshop in the 4^th quarter of this year.

I haven’t committed to any particular topic yet but given that time of year a workshop on creating and achieving your 2019 goals would not be inappropriate.

How are your goals coming along? If you’re not 100% happy with your goals or your progress I’m going to suggest doing my goals mini-course. You can find out more about it at womentakingthelead.com/goals. And as a thank you for being a listener of this podcast you can use coupon code goals10 to get $10 off.

Before I go I want to share with you something very personal that is going on in my life and may impact the release schedule for this podcast. It’s also part of the reason I’ve made some changes to my goals.

A little over a month ago my mother was diagnosed with stage 1 breast cancer and will be having surgery to remove the lump in her breast next week. My mom is positive and optimistic but after a hormone test her treatment was changed from surgery and radiation to surgery, chemo, radiation and pills. It’s a little disconcerting.

I’m still trying to understand everything and will hopefully be chatting soon with my sister-in-law who has been an oncology nurse. My family is rallying together so I’ve got a lot of support but for me there’s still some confusion and uncertainty so it’s a little draining.

However, I am taking control where I have control and working on letting go of the things I don’t have control over, and there’s a lot of things I don’t have control over in this situation.

This was one of the things going through my mind during my failed burpee workout.

I am committed to continuing to bring you great content, though it may not always be each and every week.

If you have any topics you would like me to cover please let me know. I am always looking for fresh ideas and this is a way you can support me and the other women listening to this podcast.

Please keep me, my Mom and my family in your thoughts and prayers and know that you are in mine.

As always I hope this was of value to you and here’s to your success!