Sometimes all it takes for a fresh start is a new perspective. It’s easy to get stuck in old habits that keep you doing the same thing day after day, and this can quickly lead to boredom…but your life is an amazing thing! There’s no reason at all to be bored, perhaps you just need a fresh outlook. You could take a vacation and escape from your usual routine, but maybe you don’t have the time or money for a trip right now. Instead, try getting a new outlook on your regular routine and see if it helps you shake things up a bit. It’s worth a shot!
Walk around with a camera. Carry a camera around with you for the day and start taking pictures of the things you see everyday. By looking through the lens you’ll automatically see things in a different light, and what used to be just a park bench is now an artistically arranged photograph.
Take a different route. It’s easy to get stuck in a rut when you literally follow the same path day in and day out. Tomorrow, try driving a new way to work, or walking to a different coffee shop, or shopping at a different grocery store. By mixing up your routine, it will start to feel less…routine.
Lie upside down. It may sound silly, but I’m always amazed at how different the world looks when I’m upside down. (How do those people walking on their heads??) Give it a try, and see if it doesn’t rejuvenate your view of the world, and it will also remind of how imaginative you used to be as a little kid. Win-win!
Learn five new languages. Okay, maybe not learn them, but I find it incredibly cool to look up basic words or phrases in a handful of different languages just to see how different things you say everyday can sound. Bonus points if you write down the phrases and start sprinkling them into your daily conversations!
Play host. Plan a trip for friends or family to come visit you and show them around your town. Chances are you’ll have a great time doing things you do all the time because it will feel brand new with your out-of-towners. And you’re likely to find a whole bunch of new things to do in your town that you never knew about before, because who takes the time to look for new things to do in their hometown? Oh, that’s right, you do. So kick yourself out of your routine and get out there!
All the best,
Margo Winton
My3Goals Blog Manger
I recently saw in a commercial that the average person had 25 friends in 1980. Today, the average person has over 200. 200 friends! There is just no way that anyone can be close with 200 people. 200 acquaintances, perhaps, or 200 friends-but-we-don’t-know-anything-about-each-other. It’s a lot of effort to stay in touch with that many people, and I feel like many relationships suffer the consequences of people spreading themselves to thin.
So how do you keep your friendships strong? How do you make sure that you stay close with those 25 people from 1980? It can be especially hard as people grow and change and chase their dreams in a different direction from where you’re going. One thing I’ve found that really helps is Facebook, which is ironic because it seems like Facebook is also the culprit of this upswing in friend-count. But Facebook has wonderful features that can help you keep in touch with your friends who might be far away. I studied abroad for a few months last year and when I got back, all of my new friends lived all across the United States, so what we did was create a message thread on Facebook that we could all read and contribute to. A year later and we’re still all catching up on the thread – in fact, three of my friends will be visiting me this week!
When I feel like I’m drifting away from my friends who live nearby, I generally don’t turn to Facebook; this is the occasion when you need to make that extra bit of effort. I know you’re busy, and your friend is busy, and you both have lots of other busy friends, but make time. You need to eat lunch anyway, so why not meet up with a friend? Or go out to see a local theater performance together instead of watching reruns on TV by yourself. Or call up your friend to go shop at a local flea market or vintage store instead of online shopping at home. Or meet your friend and hit a bucket of balls at the driving range instead of watching ten hours of the US Open at home. Or…anything! Just make the effort, think of something new and fun that you can do together. Show your friend just how important they are to you.
It’s a wonderful thing to have a lot of friends, but it can put stress on the friendships that mean the most to you. Make sure you identify who those people are, and do everything you can to take care of those relationships.
All the best,
Margo Winton
My3Goals Blog Manager
Sometimes I feel like Mother’s and Father’s Day can be a little underappreciated. They certainly come at a busy time of year, with kids starting summer vacation, graduations, parties, barbeques and all sorts of other distractions. When I was younger I didn’t really take the time to make these days too special for my parents, but now I’ve come to realize how wonderful it is to really celebrate your parents and all that they do for you because there is a whole lot of unappreciated, behind-the-scenes work that Mom and Dad do for us as we grow up, and the least we can do is take a day to thank them for it.
My family generally doesn’t do a whole lot on Mother’s and Father’s Day, but we do make an effort to be together. Spending time with your parents is very likely the best gift you can give them, and the thing they want most – show up on their doorstep with a big bow on your head and see if I’m wrong. Family dynamics are often completely different from one family to the next, but love is pretty much universal. Perhaps we all express it differently, but it’s there. And giving up your time to be together is a wonderful, wonderful gift.
Another thing I love about Mother’s and Father’s Day is that you can reinterpret what they mean a little bit to make the day special for a wider range of people. Send your mother-in-law a bouquet of flowers. Write your grandfather a letter telling him how he’s been a guiding light in your life. Give your favorite teacher a card thanking them for being your mentor. Take the day to thank the all mother- and father-figures in your life for helping you along. Sometimes we don’t tell the people closest to us how much they mean to us, which is unfortunate because they’re the people we should be telling the most. Take this time to tell your loved ones not only that you love them, but why you love them. And spend the day celebrating them.
All the Best,
Margo Winton
My3Goals Blog Manager
I consider myself to be a very fortunate person. I have experienced a lot of wonderful things in my lifetime, one of them being that I have been able to live in San Diego for the past four years and enjoy all of the fantastic things that this part of the country has to offer. But I have to admit that I haven’t taken full advantage of my time here; you might even say that I took it for granted. Sure, I went to the beach a lot and I went on adventures with my roommates here and there, but I don’t think I really pushed myself to get everything I could out of San Diego. I never even made it to the San Diego Zoo – although I did check out Sea World!
One thing that I wish I had done was to realize that my time here was limited, because I knew that I would be moving back to the Bay Area at the end of my college career. I feel like there is a lot of San Diego that I didn’t get the chance to experience, and I have no one to blame but myself. I guess I kept thinking to myself that there would be more time later, that I could go explore on another weekend. But now I’m out of weekends, and there is still a lot left unexplored.
The only way I can think to remedy this is not to make the same mistake when I move home. The San Francisco Bay Area is one of the most wonderful places to live in the world (hometown bias!) and there is so much to do and see. I don’t want to let it get away from me like San Diego did just because I think “I can do that later.” NO! Do it now! Grab a friend and head out of the house, and do something! You’ll always regret the things you didn’t do more then the things you did.
So whether you just moved to a new city or you’ve lived in the same place your entire life, whether you love your home or you think it’s terribly dull, give it a chance. Look up your city’s tourism board online, join your local Groupon.com, make a Bucket List, do whatever you need to do to get some ideas for fun things to do in your hometown, and go do them! And if that doesn’t do it for you, take a look at My3Goals and find a goal that suits your interests, and then go find a way to make that goal an achievement. Take advantage of what you have at doorstep. And have fun!
All the Best,
Margo Winton
My3Goals Blog Manager
I came across this website a few weeks ago and I haven’t been able to get it out of my head. As a recent college graduate, I’m at a point in my life where I’m very lucky to be able to look around and take the time to start figuring out what I want. And honestly, what I want right now more then anything is to really enjoy my life. I want to work hard and accomplish great things, but I want to enjoy it, too. So a website titled “The Eight Irresistible Principles of Fun” is hard to pass up, and for good reason; the advice it offers is exactly the sort of validation that I’m looking for at the moment. The encouragement and support to have fun. The great thing about it, though, is that you don’t need to be a 22-year-old without a life plan to take advantage of the lessons this website offers. You just have to be open to it’s ideas. You have to be willing to take the initiative, and recognize that you want a bit of a change in your life. If you’re already having fun, major kudos to you! If you’re not, then take a look. See if it works for you – I promise that video is much more interesting then the rules simply laid out in print below, so consider this just a little teaser…
1 Get focused – stop hiding who you really are.
2 Get focused – start being intensely selfish.
3 Be creative – stop following the rules.
4 Be creative – start scaring yourself.
5 Use your wisdom – stop taking it all so damn seriously.
6 Use your wisdom – start getting rid of the crap.
7 Take action – stop being busy.
8 Take action – start something.
Looking for more? Pop on over to My3Goals to find some more encouragement. What you’ll also find is a community of like-minded people offering support for you to follow your dreams and help for you to get the best you can out of life. Good luck, and see you there!
All the best,
Margo Winton
My3Goals Blog Manager
Here we are, almost halfway through the calendar year, and many of us are still diligently pursuing our New Year’s Resolutions. For those of you who are still taking your yoga classes, or have learned basic phrases in Mandarin, or are still making the effort to be bolder in your risk-taking, good for you! But for the rest of us who somehow stopped practicing our resolutions don’t fret. They can be difficult to stick to. Maybe you just don’t have the right inspiration, or maybe you didn’t pick the right goal. Whatever the reason, you’re in good company. Here are a few reasons why people don’t follow through on their resolutions, and perhaps you’ll gain some insight on how to achieve your goals on the next go-round.
1. Too Big of a Resolution
Some resolutions like losing weight or learning a new activity are too broad and can take months to achieve. If your resolution is too big, you might not be able to focus on it and eventually let it go thinking it is too hard to achieve. Try making simpler and more focused resolutions such as losing 5 pounds in 2 weeks or learning how to play one song on a guitar every month.
2. Not Personalizing your Resolution
If your resolutions are not personalized to you, it’s easy to find an excuse to get out of the resolution and forget about it. To achieve a goal, you need to want it to the point where you understand that you need to spend time and effort to pursue it. Try answering questions such as, why do you want that resolution? And how will you feel when you achieve it? These will help you be clear about the significance of the resolutions so you can achieve them.
3. Not Writing Them Down
To understand you resolutions, it helps to write them down. If you don’t write down your resolutions, they will remain vague and that will end up in poor results. Describe the resolutions in detail and state why you want to accomplish them. Having a concrete idea of your resolutions will result in successful outcomes.
4. Insufficient Resources
Having resolutions with no resources on how to achieve them will be a problem. Whether you need advice from a fitness trainer, or need to take classes, it is important to find resources that will help you achieve your resolutions.
5. No Plan For Success
A New Year’s Resolution is about achieving a goal, and having a plan on how you are going to achieve your resolution is important. Try making a plan with realistic expectations, steps, and procedures on how you are going to accomplish your goal.
6. Lack of Motivation
To follow through on your resolutions, you must be motivated. Many times, people don’t understand why they want to achieve these goals. Understanding why you want the goal will help provide motivation to follow through.
7. Lack of Support
Not having a support group can make it hard for one to achieve goals. Support is necessary to help get through tough times and you will have a greater chance of success if you have family and friends who support your goals. Talk to people in your life about what you are trying to achieve and see how they can give you both moral and tangible support.
8. Having No Accountability
Accountability creates a mood of responsibility and discipline. If you are accountable for your actions, you will more likely have a need to achieve your goal. Tell your family members and friends what your resolutions are going to be and make yourself accountable for the results. If you publicly announce your goals, you will have a greater desire to attain that goal.
9. You Can’t See your Resolutions Everyday
Even if you write down your goals, you can still forget about them. Put your resolutions in a place where you constantly are reminded about your goals. Try posting your list of goals on your desktop or in your email. You will create a physical environment that will help you realize your goals.
10. Not Reviewing Your Resolutions Periodically
You have to keep reviewing your resolutions to check up on your progress. This is a good way to remember all the goals you need to achieve and if you have not been able to achieve a goal by a certain time, you can take a break and evaluate what you did wrong and figure out new steps on how you can fix it. Check your progress every month and make a new plan if necessary. Even if you don’t achieve 100% of your resolutions by the end of the year, you will achieve at least 70% or 80%, which is better than giving up on your resolutions which equals to achieving only 0%.
My3Goals was established to connect people who want more from life with the coaches and tools to get there. My3Goals is a great way to follow through with your New Year’s Resolutions. The site offers coaches with great advice at your fingertips. You can post goals in your profile and fellow members can join these goals as well so that you will build up a great support network. Read inspirational articles and blogs written by experts in the field. See and share amazing videos, links, and photos that will keep your spirits up and motivate you to reach your goals. Take action! Ask a question. Start a blog. Join a group. Start a self paced learning program. You’re never alone. There are coaches, experts, and other members of the community to help, so join My3Goals today!
All the best,
Tavishi Agrawal
& Margo Winton
My3Goals Blog Manager
What is inspiration? The dictionary defines inspiration as: an inspiring or animating action or influence, or something inspired, as an idea. As correct as this definition is, I feel it is necessary to include the other important aspect, which is the effect that inspiration can have on others.
It’s important to remember the energy that is created as a result of being inspired. It can lead to many great things, and can drive an individual to do the extraordinary. Now with the internet, inspiration can be found everywhere. There are endless websites that you could turn to, depending on your personal interests, but here are some places to start.
1. Facebook.com
Even though Facebook is meant purely as a social media network, there are many places where inspiration can be found. Staying connected with old friends may lead you to reconnect with them and catch up. Simply talking with people about their goals and aspirations may further inspire you to pursue your own. The amount of pictures all over Facebook can also play a part in inspiration; sorting through a friend’s photo album of their life-changing trip around the world just might inspire you, too.
2. QuotationsPage.com
Many people find inspiration in the words of wise individuals from the past. Quotations Page offers many inspirational and in-depth quotes that can give the reader a different or unique perspective on life, relationships, goals, or whatever they are pursuing.
3. Youtube.com
Youtube is also a great place to find inspiration. Because of networks like Youtube, talent that might have been easily overlooked can be exposed through just an internet connection and a computer. Many extremely talented and inspirational videos are constantly floating around Youtube, whether it may be a new musician that no one has discovered, or a sentimental video, or an inspiring slideshow.
4. Deviantart.com
Deviant Art is another great place to find inspiration. It is a network of online artists that share their work amongst each other. These are all open and can be viewed by non members also. There are so many great pictures on this site, from sketches, paintings, and drawings to ambient and abstract art. For a visually inspired person, Devientart.com is a great place to find inspiration.
5. Creativedepart.com
Creativedepart is a website that connects many artistic resources and news into one website. Geared towards designers, this website covers an array of design websites that are not only inspiring but are very informative for this niche of designers.
6. Flickr / Photobucket
Flickr and Photobucket, along with many other websites like it, allow users to upload photos for others to see. It is an online community that is great for inspiring photos and pictures. By looking at other people’s forms of art, it channels great new ideas to you that can be utilized as a springboard to create your own works of art.
7. Purevolume
Geared for musicians, Purevolume is a network of musicians and solo artists that allows people to post their music on the internet. It is a great way for musicians to interact with each other as well as get their music out there. Many other artists have been inspired by hearing music on Purevolume; whether they are already more widely-known musicians or beginning artists.
8. Myspace
Myspace Music, much like Purevolume, aims to create a social network and also helps promote musicians. They are also a great source of inspiration to many others that are starting out as well.
9. Blogs/forums
Getting involved in a blog or several blogs is a great way to be inspired. Many people gather inspiration from blogs because blogs are groups of people focusing on the same goal or interest. Because of the fast growing rate of the internet, there are blogs and forums about almost any topic you can find. This makes them a great source of inspiration.
10. My3Goals
My3Goals is another great way to find inspiration. It is a social network created for self help and maintaining personal goals. It allows users to connect on a personal level, as well as embark on goals as a group, or individually. With the help of life coaches, My3Goals is a great place to begin looking for that inspiration that you need.
All the best,
Evan Leong
& Margo Winton
My3Goals Blog Manager
If you are like me, the mere idea of finding a job in this economy is a daunting task. Nevertheless, let’s look on the bright side, shall we? With the unemployment rate gradually declining (from 10.0 to 9.7 in January 2010, according to CPS), new job opportunities are booming, just waiting to be scooped up by the determined and well-prepared. So if you’re truly passionate about finding your ideal job, taking that initial step by browsing through the handful of job search sites should be a breeze. In a short amount of time, the job seeking process should prove to be less of a grueling task and more of a fruitful experience. With the seemingly infinite number of job search sites out there on the internet, it can be difficult to know where to start, so here are five useful job search sites to cater to your specific employment interests.
1. Net-Temps.com – A site targeted towards those in search of a full/part time gig – and even a temporary one. With temporary help services currently on the rise, perhaps you should consider this an option. By automatically providing a list of available jobs in your local area on the main page, Net-Temps has already done part of the work for you.
2. Yahoo! Hot Jobs – A popular site with great resume building tools and interactive polls and Q&A features, sharing the search with thousands of others makes the journey more fun.
3. Linked In – The social network of the business world, Linked In provides you with a place to post your resume for other professionals to see. By utilizing employee referrals and other networking features, Linked In stays true to the old saying “Relationships Matter.”
4. College Recruiter – This simple site is ideal for college students because it features detailed links for internships and entry level jobs for recent graduates.
5. Jobfox.com – Easy, step-by-step navigation, this site is a no-brainer. The sign-up process can be a tad overwhelming, but the results are worth the effort. Also, if you’re an unhappy employee, the site even includes an “invisible” profile feature that will keep your resume hidden from your current employer while you’re searching for your potential new job.
Whether you’re looking for a part time job to pay the bills or for the job of your dreams, mustering up the courage and effort to look is only the first step. Any one of the aforementioned sites will make the job seeking process a lot less stressful. However, if you’re looking for something more particular, browse through some niche job search sites to satisfy your specific career needs. And if you don’t know where to begin your search, take some time to browse through internet forums and online communities to help spark your interest.
For instance, My3Goals offers interactive support from professionals and other people who are looking for new careers – just like you. Read and comment about successful (or continually ongoing, for that matter) experiences in job seeking process from other members of the community. Discuss interviewing tips or ways to enhance your resume to ultimately maximize your chances of landing that perfect job. No one should have to go through anything alone so let’s all join in together.
So, good luck and score those jobs!
All the best,
Vivie Nguyen
& Margo Winton
My3Goals Blog Manager
Almost every website you’ll visit now also has an option to “follow on Facebook” or “retweet” on Twitter, and it seems that the two sites are EVERYWHERE. While the sites may have started as pure personal entertainment, they’ve grown into something much more influential. There are many great ways to use these networking sites in order to improve many aspects of your life, all of which involve connecting with people. We are living in a technological era that is changing and expanding all the time, and it’s important to utilize our resources in order to better your life.
With over 400 million active users, all over the globe, Facebook is the easiest way to connect with people online. Here are some ways that you can let Facebook help you:
1. Find your friends. Whether it be somebody you met the other day, or a childhood friend, Facebook makes it easy to keep in touch and connect or reconnect.
2. Share common interests. You can join groups or become a fan of different pages that represent what is important to you. In the process, you may find people with similar interests and shared goals.
3. Communicate. With the ability to send messages, write on walls, organize events, “poke,” and “like” items, you can easily talk to anybody at no cost.
4. Share. Pictures, videos, links, blogs, notes, you name it!! Share multimedia with your friends in a second.
5. Promote. Talk about what you care about, and use Facebook to promote it. You may be promoting a cause, a business, or your personal beliefs. Express your interests to 400 million people at the click of a mouse.
Twitter is also a way of connecting with people in a short to the point manner. Basically, it’s a site dedicated to status updates, but it has also become one of the easiest and most popular ways for businesses and individuals to share information with a wide audience. Here are some ways that you can use Twitter to improve your life:
1. Keep in touch with your friends. Let your friends know how what you’re doing and/or how you’re feeling. And you can let all your friends know all at once.
2. Make plans. Twitter is an easy way to mass communicate with people.
3. Get immediate feedback. Twitter can function as a tool that allows you to get advice about traffic, weather, or anything else from none only but your friends.
4. Share information. Twitter allows you to follow news, business, organization, and celebrity sites. This can help you stay on top of current events and pay attention to what’s important to you.
5. Stay in touch with the world around you. Now that practically every news source, television network, and corporate company has a Twitter, it’s easy to keep up to date with the constant flow of information coming your way.
My3Goals shares many of the aforementioned qualities, but also focuses on positivity. It’s an entire social networking site devoted to helping you find what you need to be your best self and support you in your growth. Through status updates, challenges, goals, and Q&A’s that are all based on staying positive and improving yourself, you can connect with people in a way that can only benefit you.
All the best,
Jane Lee
& Margo Winton
My3Goals Blog Manager
We all have that one friend, you know the one, who always seems to be smiling no matter what the circumstances are. The one friend who you can tell is so confident about their place in the world, and satisfied with how they get to live their life. How did they do that? The answer could be luck, or pure personality, but perhaps this friend has simply learned how to be happier. Perhaps they are able to step back and look at their life, asses how to fix the problems they have, and know how to be happy with the problems they can’t fix. This is by no means an easy process, but it is an essential one to living a fulfilling life, and it is something that life coaching can help you discover.
Deciding to use life coaching can actually be the best decision of your life. Here are just 5 reasons why….
1. Accomplishing and Achieving Goals:
By using life coaching you can set, measure and achieve the targets you’ve always wanted to achieve. Life coaching allows you to set goals and follow strategies to achieve them. In fact, now you can actually measure your set goals through websites like My3Goals where you can find tools and techniques to assess your life, track your progress and be connected to a community of coaches, experts, and other members that are there to help.
2. Making Fewer Mistakes And Gaining Clarity:
With life coaching, you’ll not only gain clarity on any life situation but will also make fewer mistakes allowing you to get ahead in life faster and live the life you’ve always wanted to live. Life coaching helps you realize what you really want in life and helps make it into a reality.
3. Happiness and Satisfaction:
Life coaching helps reduce problems and stress in life. It helps you attain long-sought after goals and integrates all aspects of your life around what makes you the happiest thus leading to a happier and a more satisfied you!
4. Productivity and Finances:
With life coaching tools and techniques you can increase your chance to make more money because you will increase your ability to choose a better career, save more money, get that promotion and even start your own business in order to live the life of your dreams!
5. Fulfilled Life and Better Living:
By using life coaching on a regular basis you will be able to identify your life’s vision and purpose. This will in turn lead to a better quality of life that is full of positive energy, is well balanced and is more meaningful and fulfilled.
All this can start happening to you right now, it’s really simple and all you need is to make that one small step like I did by using life coaching online in the comfort of my home at the time when I really needed that push to succeed! Check out My3Goals and see what it can do for you!
All the best,
Bhawna Sharma
& Margo Winton
My3Goals Blog Manager