Throughout the years, I have learned that making resolutions only sets us up for failure while setting intentions sets us up for success.  The other night I walked participants through the very same steps to setting intentions and writing a personal mission statement that I personally take each year at this time so you can enjoy an equally healthful and successful year. 

We discussed:

• Six easy steps to setting intentions so you can set yourself up for success;
• A powerful shift in consciousness from I should to I choose to;
• What difference in the world you want to make today and everyday;
• And, as an added bonus, we discussed how to write your own personal mission statement for 2011 and beyond.

Here’s the link so you can listen right now:

IA9688_01182011160352281_1052470.mp3

And, here are the sample templates I discussed (without you writing them down):

"To ... [what you want to achieve, do or become] ... so that ... [reasons why it is important]. I will do this by ... [specific behaviors or actions you can use to get there].”

"I value ... [choose 1-3 values]... because ... [reasons why these values are important to you]. Accordingly, I will ... [what you can do to live by these values].”

"To live each day with ... [choose one to three values or principles]... so that ... [what living by these values will give you]. I will do this by ... [specific behaviors you will use to live by these values].”

Post-Call Assignment:

After you listen to this call, I want to hear from you! What’s one action you’re going to take right now with regard to setting intentions or writing your personal mission statement?  Email me at info@appelbaumwellness.com with your answer.

I look forward to hearing from you!

This was the theme of the University of Arizona’s memorial service last Wednesday in the wake of the Tucson, AZ shootings on January 8. President Obama’s speech was moving, inspirational and filled with important messaging on how we should treat our fellow human beings.  I cried, cheered and felt chills throughout it all.  This was one of his finest moments.  Now the healing begins in Tucson and nationwide.

It saddens me that it seems to take tragedy to bring our community and nation together. What if each of us took the responsibility to be our best every day? What if each of us chose to see the good in people instead of the bad? What if we agreed to disagree with fervor but not with violence? What if we became a community of human beings wanting the best for each other?

I really like University of Arizona’s theme “Together We Thrive.”  One of my mottos in wellness coaching and my personal life is “thrive in forward movement.”  Let’s improve our connection to others by being our best selves every day.  Let’s stand collectively in the face of good, not just bad, and together we will thrive!

As many of you know from your corporate backgrounds, a mission statement is a brief explanation of what an organization does. It clarifies who the company is, why they exist and what they do. In a nutshell, it explains the company’s reason for being.

Have you ever asked yourself, “Who am I?” “Why do I exist?” “What’s my purpose?” These are relatively common questions we tend to ask ourselves yet often experience difficulty when trying to answer them.  So why not answer them by creating a personal mission statement for 2011?

During my upcoming FREE teleclass, Never Make or Break a New Year Resolution Again, as an added bonus I will teach you the necessary steps it takes to create your own personal mission statement.

So let’s define who you are and want to be, identify your strengths and recognize your gifts so that you can create your own mission statement and achieve success in the New Year and beyond. Click here to learn more and register.

Did you all have a wonderful New Year’s celebration?  Since I like to stay home – it is amateur night on the roads with too many drunk drivers – I celebrated with an array of take-out Chinese appetizers and a bottle of Champagne while watching movies on TV.  Amidst the celebration, I began to solidify my thoughts for this New Year.

In lieu of making resolutions, I opted to set intentions.  Intentions set me up to behave in a certain way of my choosing so that I can succeed in the coming months.  I realized that resolutions were only setting goals that I thought I should without any desire for true success to sustain them.  This is a secret I learned years ago and now want to share it with you.

How would it feel to have the burden of keeping resolutions off your shoulders?  Instead, how would it feel to be proactive and choose what you want to accomplish and who you want to be?  What if I told you there are no mistakes and you can’t fail?

Join me on January 18 for a FREE teleclass to learn how being intentional can set you up for success in 2011 and beyond!  Click here to learn more and register.