Cool Beans SF

2006 is a year of big opportunity and advancement if you are willing to work hard and push matters to a conclusion. This is a year of action, therefore good judgment, efficiency in business and confidence is essential. Avoid letting your emotions or sentiment gain an upper hand in your dealings, but face facts. You may have to let go of some things, but this may be good in the long run. It’s also considered a harvest year. Seeds you planted eight years ago in 1998 that you have nurtured can come to fruition.

A new year always gives us that new surge of energy that makes us say “I’m going to make it happen this year!” More often than not, by March you’re feeling behind schedule and it snowballs from there. The way to avoid the snowfall is to have a plan. It doesn’t have to be a big plan, but if you fail to plan, you plan to fail.

Map out what you want to do for the year. Then break it down into three, six, nine or twelve month intervals. If you want to buy a house in September, what do you need to have accomplished by March? If you want a new job by March, what do you have to have accomplished by the end of January? Get the picture? The key is to work backwards.

For many 2005 was a great year. You became clearer on what you wanted and the foundation was laid for success. You took risks and achieved your goals. For many, new careers were formed. For those of you who took that leap you were pleasantly surprised. Things had a way of working out, bigger and better than you expected. Many of you laid the groundwork for things you wanted to manifest in 2006. Then, there were those of you who only thought about what you wanted to do, or came to the realization that what you were doing wasn’t working. Lastly, some of you had an important door closed in your face. All this is good believe it or not, because it made you look at your life. You possibly made overdue changes and planned bigger and better dreams.

This year offers more than just promise or hope. This is the year you can become the person you were born to be. Be willing to step outside of your comfort zone and claim the magnificent Being that you are. If you’re not sure where to start ask yourself the following question:

What is the highest good that my life is here to represent?

You can do this during meditation, while working out at the gym, driving, or before you go to bed at night. Asking this question opens you up to hear you Soul’s desire for your life. What will come is more than a job, or a career, but a mission to infuse into any and every thing that you do. It gives your life purpose and direction. Even if you’re already in a career that seems satisfying, there is another level to take it to. A deeper level. A level that will make what you do more significant and fulfilling things for others and the planet overall. It’s what you came to the planet to GIVE. We all have something to give. It may be as big as a cure for a disease, or as small as a smile to everyone you meet.

Make this a year that you go after your dreams, but make sure that your dreams contribute to your personal growth and the growth of others.

Doreene Hamilton is a Spiritual Muse!
A Spiritual Muse is one who is able to inspire and motivate an individual using spiritual gifts. Those gifts include Intuition, Clairvoyance, Healing, Business Savvy, and Good Ole Common Sense. Doreene Hamilton is fortunate to be blessed with an abundant supply of each.

With the spiritual foundation of an ordained Minister and a Business degree from Howard University and Doreene can spiritually and professionally guide you to create a marketing plan to promote your business, or change your life. She counsels, coaches, and lectures people on how to create a life worth living.

Her book “Spiritually Speaking, Get Over It!” captures the true essence of her work in an easy to use exercise format. In her book she goes through the seven necessary steps to empower yourself to “Get focused, Overcome your limitations and be It - the person you were born to be!

To inspire, motivate and empower are the trademarks of a Muse. Doreene Hamilton brings all those gifts to the table and more in her own A- Muse - ing way!

In spite of the fact that the Property Index service is actually a pretty young organization, doing business only since March 2007, they have established their expertise very quickly. On closer look, they’re a very informal organization entirely focused on offering informed instructions to anyone attempting to rent, buy, etc. property almost anywhere in the world. Their agreement: to assist you locate just what you are looking for very quickly and, as well, without hassle.

Real estate can be located wherever you want at the moment, possibly the really elite area being properties you can purchase in Spain. It should really be straightforward to write up the fun properties you can purchase in Spain, the argument for picking real estate here is properties on the market and the wonderful possibility of being able to live right amid this optimistic population.

It’s one of the truly sought after property markets at the moment, and considering the beauty and wonderful climate surrounding you round the clock, how could you be wrong! Real estate in Spain is steeped in history, this area of the world is home to a good many sophisticated nations.

Only 20 years ago there was merely a dribble of Britons looking for properties in Spain. Just ask any one single person who has chosen to move to Spain and they will tell you the same thing. Many would prefer to view it as a simple fad and others prefer to view it as a approximating to an addiction! Patrons actually moving to this area extend from young families keen on a new challenge to older people who intend to enjoy themselves and chill out.

Note that there might be troubles when attempting to purchase properties in a foreign country — there are dozens of procedures to master whether planning, paying a visit or signing up. If you only miss but a single procedure this could escalate wide-reaching troubles plus, of course, preeminently, financial loss.

Obviously, as is to be anticipated with this well-liked region, properties may be pricey in this region which is, of course, clearly on account of the increasing market pressure. Despite this the client is spoiled in a destination so richly blessed by cheerful countryside and fun surroundings. Definitely it offers everything you could really itch for, and lots more.

The Property Index site has a vast range of property for sale in Spain, view the range online.

Le Querciole is a bed and breakfast in Barberino Val D’Elsa, located in Strada di Quercia al Poggio, 1 - Loc. Monsanto

Le Querciole is a beautiful country house in the heart of Chianti, just a few kilometers away from Siena, San Gimignano and Florence. Built in 17th century, it has been meticulously restored to its full glory a couple of years ago.

It is the ideal place to spend a couple of days in total relax, stroll around its breathtaking countryside on foot or on bike. Roberta and Valeria will warmly welcome you and will make your stay a pleasant experience.

The price includes taxes and breakfast, served in the kitchen or on the veranda (weather permitting).

The wide garden offers spectacular views of the vineyards valley below; just a short walk from the house, guests can sun-bathe around the 12 m x 6 m pool, idyllically located within the garden area and surrounded by vineyards and olive trees.

Throughout the house there are common areas, such as the large sitting and living room, comfortably furnished, with an open fireplace and reading area; the large kitchen, with all comforts for our guests’ use.

Each room has been refurbished in typical Tuscan style, and each has en-suite bathroom.

Outside a grassed terrace with tables and barbeque overlooks the swimming area and offers spectacular views of the Tuscan landscape. On request we can organise horse riding tours and excursions to the nearby cities.

Le Querciole is just a few kilometers away from Florence, Siena, San Gimignano, Pisa. The nearest airport is Florence Amerigo Vespucci/Peretola, just 35 minutes drive, while Pisa airport Galileo Galilei is at 55 minutes drive.

In the vicinity of Le Querciole, guests find tennis courts, golf areas, horse riding areas and bike rentals.

HOW TO GET HERE
From the Motorway A1, either from the North (Milan) or South (Rome), take the exit identified as FIRENZE CERTOSA
As you exit the Motorway take the first on your right, a free toll motorway FIRENZE – SIENA.
Take the exit POGGIBONSI NORD
Follow the signs to MONSANTO
Carry on for about 7 km till you get to Castello della PANERETTA
After 1 km turn left, follow the road, and the first house on your left is “Le Querciole”

Other than Le Querciole, you can browse our offers for other accommodations in Barberino Val D’Elsa, from cheap to luxury, togheter with Tours all over Italy; tourist information about Italy can be found on World 66

Most managers are familiar with the setting up of goals or objectives for their teams or departments. However there remains a lot of speculation on why Objectives are needed, who needs to have objectives and finally how to go about forming the perfect objective.

Objectives are generally a list of one or more statements, each statement a clear definition on what has to be achieved. There can be Overall company objectives, department objectives, team objectives and even personal objectives. Objectives, especially short term objectives brings immense clarity about the immediate future to the team and how they are going to be affected.

For example, an Olympic 100 m sprinter knows her goals. If the sprinter were to run without purpose or objectives, she would have been mentally exhausted. By knowing the objective of the 100 m dash, she is able to maintain the tempo and the focus needed.

Some examples closer home. An R&D wing may focus on a higher degree of purity of their product, or a better tensile strength . A sales team may focus on better sales numbers or growing market share. An HR department may focus on better employee satisfaction or lower attrition rates. A maintenance team may define a higher degree of machine uptime or service availability. The Customer relation representatives may aim for better Customer satisfaction levels.

Each team striving to achieve set and clear Team objectives leads to overall improvement in the company, in small ways but a clear push forward has been established. Managers no longer has to rely on vague notions of good work. The performance of a team is clear and measured by verifying if the objectives are achieved.

A company would do well to have all teams and levels to define objectives for themselves and to make sure that they complement each other. Why is it necessary to have the entire company in it? Consider the Sales Manager has set sales goals for 2005, and the Product Development Manager has not made any goal to release the product on the beginning of 2005. The lack of the Product development manager’s objective is going to affect the Sales managers goals.

How do objectives benefit the team members. The best boost a team can have is “knowing” that it achieved its objective. I said this earlier in the case of the 100m sprinter. For this boost to happen, it is important for the manager to clearly communicate the objectives to team members at the appropriate time. For example, if the objective is for the year 2005, the manager should have communicated this to the team at the start of 2005.

It is important for the manager to periodically communicate to members the progress of the objective. For example, a sales manager should communicate the acheivement of the annual sales figure to his team, at least monthly.

And finally, the manager should tell the team whether the objective was achieved or not at the end of the time period. If it was not achieved, a good manager would know it prior to the actual end of the time period. Corrective actions and preventive actions would be taken.

Lets assume that the manager realises midterm that the objective is tough to attain. She may change the sales strategy if the strategy is at fault. She may change personnel if required. Maybe the sales brochures were inadequate.

In some cases, the sales may be falling behind due to reasons beyond the sales managers control. For example, the product has some problems. She will then notify the product development department who will initiate corrective actions. In this case, the Objectives set by the Sales department, has actually helped drive corrective action and eventually helped the company save its sales figures.

Managers should involve team members in the setting the objectives process. Team members may have the grass root knowledge in knowing whether a objective is actually achievable or not.

How to formulate objectives? Ideally objectives should be SMART, having 5 characteristics

S - Specific

M - Measurable

A - Achievable

R - Realistic

T - Time Bound

S - Specific

The objective should be specific and not vague. For example, an objective of “99% network uptime” makes it specific to a Network Maintenance team than a “High network uptime”. A receptionist can have an objective of “Picking up calls by the 3rd ring”

M - Measurable
It should be possible to measure the achievement. This is the area where managers get confused. An objective of “Achieve Highest possible speed” for a car is not measurable, “Achieve 250 miles an hour” is measurable. It follows that if an objective is set, there has to be a method to gather data and prove that the objective has been achieved.

A - Achievable
Always set objectives higher than what has been achieved, but not so high that it can never be achieved. That is why a 99% uptime is more achievable than 100%. Or a 0.5% error rate is more achievable than a 0%. Thats why, setting achievable objectives improves confidence in a team than an unachievable one. The closer you get to a near perfect score, the more difficult it becomes. It may be very difficult to get from a tolerance limit of 99.2% to a 99.7% figure.

R - Relevant
The objective should be relevant to the team or department it is being formulated for. For example can a Maintenance team achieve 99% customer satisfaction? No. They can probably keep the network up. But in doing so, they are helping the Product design team achieve customer satisfaction. The Maintenance wing would be better off having a Relevant objective for their team like “99% uptime”

T - Time Bound
Managers should set goals which are time bound. A Sales Manager can set a goal which says “Annual sales figure of 30,000 washing machines”. The “Annual” part makes it time bound. Otherwise, the team wouldn’t know when it has to achieve the target.

Here are some sample objectives - For a teacher - “90% pass marks for yearly batches” - For a bus driver - “99% on time scheduled stops every month”. For a CEO - “50% market share by 2006″, For a product development manager - “Getting down customer maintenance requests by 50% by 2006 end”

“Do not let the future be held hostage by the past.” -Neal Maxwell

Nothing can be more disabling to your success than your tendency to live in your past.

How many times have you wanted to start something new in your life when the voices in your head started telling you that you can’t do it?

Yesterday is history. We must always focus on the present if we want to change. This is the biggest secret to letting go of old patterns.

I challenge you to resolve to let go of your past right now. Repeat to yourself, “Be Here Now.”

The simple act of refusing to let memory hold you back can help you overcome addictions, develop new skills, take action on a dream or express your genius to the world.

No matter who you’ve been in the past you can create the you that you want to be NOW.

Do it!

Rasheed Ali (#1 Adversity Consultant) and Bill White (Syncronicity Expert) have just launched http://www.SleepYourWayToRiches.com — a powerful new success and wealth creation website and http://www.SolutionCoach.com –
a powerful business and success coaching site.

The band plays Auld Lang Syne, the celebration takes place in Times Square, you have a great dinner with champagne, you kiss your partner and welcome the new year, and you are ready to live your dreams in 2006.

Will 2006 really be a good year? The truth is that a year is not good or bad. It’s just a year with twelve months filled with 365, twenty four hour days. It does not say, I am ready to make you happy, healthy, successful, or wealthy, It does not help you create harmony and live your dreams. Even though the new year will present you with great opportunities, ninety percent of you will find that nothing will change. Most of you will actually forget about your New Year’s resolutions within the first few days of the new year.

Don’t be discouraged. This new year will not catch you by surprise. You are excited and confident because you have a plan right now. You know what you want and you intend to make it happen during the next twelve months. You have action steps in place for your family, your business, your health, your finances, your fun times.

That sounds good, doesn’t it? But how do we change old habits? It’s not as difficult as you might think.

First: Use positive self talk. “Of course I can.” “There’s no time like now.” “I’m in charge of me, not my habits.” This thinking will help you move past your perceived obstacles.

Second: Create a clear habit changing goal. Think about the benefits your new habit will help you create.

Third: Reward yourself. When you realize your new habit is working, celebrate, pat yourself on the back, smile. Your positive attitude will make your new habit permanent.

Fourth: Keep on keeping on and you’ll awaken one fine morning living the life of your dreams.

Yes, you will succeed because you are inspired. You have taken the time to plan from the end. You can see your vision clearly in every detail. You are thinking green lights all the way to your goals. In the words of Emerson, “You become what you think about all day long.” 2006 is no longer just twelve months with 365 days. It’s your year and you are beginning right now to live your dreams.

“Each one of us has a fire in our heart for something. It’s our goal in life to find it and to keep it lit’. –Mary Lou Retton
“Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up”. - Thomas Edison

Allan and Barbara Kenyon are Personal and Business Coaches who help their clients live their dream life. Allan was a certified instructor for eighteen years with the Carnegie organization and he received coach training with Coach Training Institute. Barbara holds a Masters Degree in Counseling and is a Graduate of Coach U. The Kenyons work with success-minded men and women who want to achieve their personal or professional goals faster than if they were to go it alone. Their clientele include professionals, executives, entrepreneurs, business owners, sales people, and people in transition. Their coaching focuses on goals in the areas of career, money, retirement, health, relationships, getting organized, and life balance.

The Kenyons offer a 30 minute complimentary telephone coaching session so potential clients can decide if their coaching is for them. They can be reached at 402-423-6777 or by E-mail at KenyonCoaching@aol.com Their website is http://www.kenyoncoaching.com

Goals are a great tool for motivation. But if you don’t use them correctly, they can also be a source of frustration. Goals are only empowering if they are used properly. So how do you make a goal into something that is a benefit for you?

Goal-setting strategies are important especially for to help you create the type of success you desire and deserve. Here are five goal-setting techniques to help you realize them.

1. Balance Your Goals: In your life you will have personal development goals, personal finance goals and things goals. Don’t neglect any of them. It is ok to want things, but don’t forget to balance those pursuits with your own growth as a person. All of these goals are important so be clear about all of them and make them real for you.
2. Plan Actions From Your Goals: Goals are not items for your to do list. Your goal is what you are striving for. Plan specific actions that lead you towards those goals. Use the goals to provide your compass for those actions. When you plan actions for the day you can easily tell if they’re going to be effective if you have clear goals to compare them against.
3. Share Your Goals: If you were an archer, would you keep it a secret that your goal is to hit the bull’s-eye? Too many keep their goals a secret. Share your goals with people who will support and encourage your aims.
4. Write Down Your Goals: Make your goals real by recording them. Put copies of your goals on index cards and keep copies in the car and in the bathroom and review them regularly. Make them the center of your focus. Don’t just set them and then ignore them. Your goals are like a compass to tell you which way to go. The exciting part is that you get to chose the alignment of your compass.
5. Don’t Give Up: Your goals and the actions you take to get them are different things. Don’t be afraid to try something, fail and try something else. Take effective and massive action to meet your goals and understand that any true goals will take many steps to achieve. Sometimes you will make a misstep, but that doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with the goal. Everyone makes mistakes, but it’s only those who abandon their goals who don’t achieve them.

Dave Saunders is an author and speaker on motivation and finding balance between body, mind and spirit. Visit http://www.the-time-management-guy.com and receive free time management and goal setting tips.

In The One Minute Millionaire, authors Hansen and Allen state that in order for success to be achieved one must establish congruence. Congruence is when things come into alignment, but not just arbitrary things, three very specific things. First, your desire…you have to want it. Second, your belief…you have to believe (have faith) that you can get it. Lastly, self-acceptance… you have to know and feel that you deserve to have it.

They sound simple, and it’s easy to understand the reasoning behind them, but this is why so much self-sabotage occurs. One thinks that they’re in alignment, while suppressing a tiny niggling fear or question of doubt. Just one such doubt or a wishy-washy thought on one of any of the three key areas is enough to de-rail your success.

So how does one overcome the doubts and defeat self-sabotage?

When Desire is Your Nemesis

Explore if you’ve really bought-in to your goal. Is it your goal or someone else’s? Will it make you happy, or are you trying to fulfill an obligation, taking an easy way out, or just not feeling 100% about it? A classic example of this is when a son or daughter follows a career path to please a parent, even though they’d prefer to do something different. Make sure your goal is truly your heart’s desire.

Do you really believe that?

Wanting a goal and believing that you can actually achieve the goal are as different as night and day. Many people want success, but how many really believe that they can become the next Donald Trump or Bill Gates? It’s not lack of desire, but lack of belief.
Perhaps they are not sure how to proceed with the goal, or are unable to see how to afford the education to get started, or think they don’t know the right people to contact. Whichever the case, these scenarios all work to weaken the belief system. Work on confidence building and add tools to your arsenal to combat limiting beliefs. If you approach your goal from what you DO have instead of what you think you don’t have a positive shift will occur.

But am I Really Worthy?

Do you ask yourself if you’re worthy to succeed? Many people compare themselves to the previous generation. “My parents had a very small home and only one car. My spouse and I have a 3,000 sq. ft. home, two cars, 1 or 2 incomes, and a boat, so we should be happy.” Why? Should you be happy with less than you could achieve simply because it is more than others have? Only you can answer that question for yourself. Perhaps there is an underlying belief that wealth is the equivalent to greed? If you don’t believe that you deserve to have success and everything that comes with it, success will remain elusive.

Congruence

Congruence is the key to reaching all of your goals successfully, whether they are goals of career, personal growth, or love. Triumph stems from your inner perceptions. Getting to know yourself honestly and wholly can unlock the doors to the happiness and success that until now, you’ve only dreamed about.

Eva Gregory is the author of The Feel Good Guide to Prosperity.
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I don’t really know what the problem is, but for some reason my Internet keeps on going down. I try everything that I can to fix it but it just keeps, not working. It could be that my daughter keeps messing with the cords, or maybe it’s just that there are so many people on the net tonight. It seems that as soon as everybody got of work they rushed home tonight to see what was going on in the election. I tried to do all the necessary things to fix the problem, but nothing seems to be working. When the Internet is busted, I feel like the world is over, and there is no coming back. It is almost as bad as being stuck somewhere with no cell phone. You just feel so disconnected for the rest of the planes and all of your friends. But I do have to say that, with no Internet, I have no work to do. It is actually quite liberating not have to do the work. But I know that I need to get it fixed right away. Its just one of those things that you just have to deal with, grunts through it, and get it done. The only problem is that I don’t know how to fix the problem. I have to call the Geek Squad to get it done.

I remember Air Force Basic Training. My Training Instructor not only wanted to teach me the military way, but he also wanted to break me down so that he could rebuild me according to the needs of the military. These are two of the underlying premises of your first few weeks, or months, of your time in the military. Actually, I enjoyed it, but then Air Force Basic is only between six and eight weeks. The other branches have much more extensive training programs that can last for months.

However, the idea here is that, I have been thinking about various challenges presented to myself, and others, over the years and comparing these challenges to the state of the individual at the end of the challenge. It is most interesting to note that, like Basic Training, you are either strengthen and ready for your mission, or you’re washed out or pushed back to the beginning to re-experience your training.

— Challenges —

I have been hit with many challenges throughout my life; however, the one thing I can say, now that I made it out the other end, is that I am much better for it. Of course, life continues to throw odd little challenges every day; however, I have come to realize that it is my responsibility for creating the circumstances for the challenges and my choice as to whether I want to deal with them.

Any time that you remain quiet and still, challenges will rarely appear. This, because, you’re not moving and your space in life is stagnant. However, true challenges only occur once you decide to move forward. When you move, you create an imbalance that must be rebalanced, thus creating friction. Once you gain some momentum, the friction becomes inconsequential and balance returns to accommodate your new state of forward movement.

— Education —

Every time you move toward a goal, the Universe acknowledges your movement and immediately establishes a path of travel. It literally defines the future events and situations based on your current decisions and actions. However, this path can be seen as the curriculum necessary to prepare you for the ultimate objective. Indeed, the Universe won’t tell you whether you should pursue this path; however, it will throw lessons in the way to ensure that you learn what is necessary for your ultimate chosen objective.

— Re-Invention —

We are always ready to hold on to who we are and what we have. It is a safety zone and a way to keep things comfortable and easy for ourselves. But, sometimes this safety zone can stifle us and eventually kill our will.

The difficulty in handling challenges is in our ability to adapt and adjust to the circumstance and to a new view of ourselves. In every challenge comes an opportunity for growth and change. This growth is a way to prepare us for our future and to open new doors for experience and further growth. Once you learn to embrace this growth and your new self, you will be able to move forward in life with ease.

— What’s next? —

Challenges provide us with an environment of change. They make us stronger. They force us to use our creativity to devise new ways of doing things. They help us to grow and be better than we were before. Learn to adapt as challenges present themselves. Don’t allow the challenge to define you. But, as you move through the circumstance and conquer the challenge, identify the important issues of benefit for yourself and incorporate those lessons into your life.

Accept, adapt, and become a newer and better person for every new lesson. Once you look back on your life, you’ll find that you’re not only a better person, but you also made it to your objective!

About The Author

Edward B. Toupin is an author, life-strategy coach, counselor, and technical writer living in Las Vegas, NV. Among other things, he authors books and articles on topics ranging from career success through life organization and fulfillment. For more information, e-mail Edward at etoupin@toupin.com or visit his sites at http://www.toupin.com or http://www.make-life-great.com.