Sara Fitts Reflects on 2008

This Week with Sara Fitts reflects on 2008 on this New Year's Eve afternoon. As is my tradition of many. many years I use this day to reflect on the past year and assess the entire year in this afternoon while planning the new year.

2008 had many good points, several struggles, and lots of opportunities for growth - both personal as well as professional. I had my best business year ever during 2008 from January to June. Then the economy hit me like it hit so many others. July was a real turning point for me. Then in August I accepted a position in DC Government with DCPS as a coach - actually, a professional developer. My business skills were used in a whole new way in an educational setting.

In October I reached a personal milestone that I had prepared for over a period of 18 months. It was fabulous - and still is! Lesson learned: planning, goal-setting, and implementation plans work!

Since August my routine has certainly changed - I rise before 3:30 a.m. and am on my way to my office even before 5:00 a.m. I arrive back home between 6:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. My routine is definitely different - and life is good!

If I had to bottom-line what I've learned in 2008, this is it:

• Faith is really the way to live life for me.
• New things don't have to be scary.
• One can definitely be fit by 50.
• When you love what you do, you do it better and you enjoy it much more.
• When you embrace what is difficult, it gets easier - and you find joy in it.
• When you look for the joy in everything, you find it.
• When you get out of the boat in faith, your feet really do stay dry. (Thanks Stuart!)
• Planning, goal-setting, action plans, and implementation of the action plan moves one forward faster than flying by the seat of one's pants.
• One can be older and wiser without being old.
• Escape is necessary - especially in the form of music, books, movies, and good conversation.
• Life is good - because (to quote my grandmother) nothing is ever so bad that it can't be worse.
• Results are the real returns on investments. So to invest in oneself is the way to go!

And looking to 2009, these are just a few of the goals I have:

• to learn French - and be able to speak it
• to maintain personal fitness and wellness
• to be as financially fit as possible
• to enhance my appreciation of art and music
• and to live each day to its fullest with no regrets

Thank you for indulging me on this New Year's Eve. I wish you much happiness and many blessings in 2009. Happy New Year!

Sara

Sara Fitts is a personal and business coach as well as professional developer. She motivates and coaches individuals and business owners. For a confidential appointment with Sara, please contact her @ thecoach@SLFConsulting.com or call her @ 703.791.4741. Visit www.SLFConsulting.com for more.

Get Your Personal Needs Met Once and For All

This Week with Sara Fitts looks at principle #13 of Thomas Leonard's 28 Principles of Attraction: get your personal needs met, once and for all.

The theory behind this principle is based on the thought that if you have unmet needs, you'll attract others in the same position. Another way of saying it is this: You have more needs than you know, and they are distracting you.

Why do we have unmet needs at all? Well, for one thing, most of us have been raised not to be needy. Being needy is not a positive thing; therefore, we haven't focused on our needs. This can be a huge negative, though. Because we all have needs - and it is OK to acknowledge these needs.

Needs are different from values. Simply defined, a need is what you must have in order to be your best. Needs are not optional for this very reason. No one can be attractive to others if they are not getting their basic needs met. Attraction just can't happen if unmet needs exist.

How do we get our personal needs met, then?

• Accept that we all have needs - and they are essential to our happiness and our own well-being.
• Identify the most important need we have. [Is it to be validated? Is it to be heard? Is it to have our work acknowledged?]
• Identify one additional need. [What else is important to you? What else must you have in order to be your best?]
• Acknowledge that these needs are important - imperative, actually - in order for you to attract everything you want in your life.
• Make sure our two most important needs are met every single day.

The benefits of getting our needs met are amazing. We will begin to be more open - and more attractive - to others as well as ourselves. And by being more attractive to others and ourselves, we will attract much more of everything we want in our lives and in our work.

Today's Powerful Question for you: What are your two most important needs and how will you get them met?

Eliminate Delay

This Week with Sara Fitts continues discussing Thomas Leonard's 28 Principles of Attraction with principle # 12: eliminate delay.

Delay is increasingly expensive - and very unattractive both personally and professionally. It is extremely stressful when we are waiting on someone for information, service, or just a call back. It is also stressful for the person who is causing your delay - because they are very likely overwhelmed and paralyzed by delay themselves.

Eliminating delay will create much more peace - personally and professionally - as well as increase productivity and efficiency at an incredible rate. Eliminating delay will create space in your day - and give you much more time for what is most important to you. Eliminating delay will automatically reduce your level of stress as well as the stress levels of all whom depend on you.

Eliminating delay will make you more attractive - more attractive to your colleagues, your customers and clients, your employer or employees, and your family and friends. When you are more attractive, more things will come to you - more time, more money, more fun, more peace, more space. If you will eliminate delay, you will attract more of everything you want in your life and in your work.

How can you eliminate delay? There are many ways to eliminate delay - and here are a few to get you started:

• Refuse to "talk it to death" and just get it done.
• Respond immediately to all requests, if possible. Otherwise, schedule specific times to return phone calls, emails, requests for information, etc.
• Refuse to keep an inventory of "To Do" items. Instead, keep up with your list of to-do items and get them done.
• Face your fears and reduce personal processing time to get things done. Perfection really doesn't exist - revision can occur later. Just start the project and refuse to fear the project.
• Prepare in advance for possible delays. Have a plan to address them.
• Filter out negative thoughts and words.
• Automate and simplify your processes as much as you can.
• Find out what you are waiting for - the real reason for your delay.

The most important way to eliminate delay is this: the mindset has to change. The paradigm must shift. We have to really want to eliminate delay in order for it to happen. We have to make all the changes that are necessary in order to be successful in this principle.

I really think that eliminating delay is one of the most important things we can do in our lives and in our work. We can eliminate delay in all areas of our lives and work - we can eliminate delay in forgiveness, in acts of kindness, in offering peaceful solutions to conflicts, in making simple phone calls or answering emails. How many times in any given day have we delayed doing what needed to be done? We all can eliminate delay - and we need to begin right now!

Create a Vacuum which Pulls You Forward

This Week with Sara Fitts discusses principle # 11 of Thomas Leonard's 28 Principles of Attraction: create a vacuum which pulls you forward.

Thomas always said that being pulled forward is attractive, but pushing forward is not.

It really is much easier to be pulled forward as opposed to being pushed. I don't like feeling pushed and I'm sure you don't either. If we can create a vacuum that pulls us forward, then we have positioned ourselves for success.

There are many ways in which we can create a vacuum that pulls us forward. One way is to be driven by a vision rather than just a goal. We can all have goals - and certainly should have goals! - but when we can have a vision and see the end result clearly in our minds, we can be pulled forward quicker and easier. The best way to do this is to simply begin with the end in mind. Then hold onto the vision and keep it clearly in your mind's eye. Let the vision pull you forward.

Another way we can create a vacuum that pulls us forward is to surround ourselves with those who bring out the very best in us. When we design our own support team and stay away from negative people as much as possible, we are clearly better set up for success.

Yet another way to create a vacuum to pull us forward is to unhook ourselves from who we were. Rather than focus on who we were we need to focus on who we are right now. Let go of the past and live in the present. By doing this simple thing, we can create a powerful vacuum that will pull us forward.

The point of these principles of attraction is to make us better in all aspects of our lives. Whether we embrace one or two of these principles - or whether we take one each week - the effort of doing something different can be powerful.

If we can create a vacuum which pulls us forward, then we can attract more of everything we want in life.

Deliver Twice What You Promise

This Week with Sara Fitts continues with principle #10 from Thomas Leonard's 28 Principles of Attraction: deliver twice what you promise.


I really like this principle of attraction because it is quite possibly the easiest one to implement as well as the easiest to get immediate results from. It's quite possibly the best advice any of us can use in life as well as in business. Deliver twice what you promise.


Deliver twice what you promise. How can you do this?

1. Cut your promised time in half by getting back to everyone in exactly half the time you originally promised. If I tell you I'll get back to you in an hour, I'll really get back to you in 30 minutes or less. If I tell you a project will take a month, I'll really get it done in 2 weeks.



2. Double your promised results by adding quality, service, and time on task. Customers and clients will absolutely love this because it's like getting a "2 for 1" deal. If I tell you I can help you increase sales by 15%, I'll really help you increase sales by 30%.



3. Arrive early and stay late - in order to get the job done. Never watch the clock to the point where you run out on a client or customer at their expense.



4. Keep your word, and then some. Always add your own brand of value to your customer or client - or your neighbor, for that matter.


5. Consistently exceed people's expectations - as well as your own. Believe in your work and in your ability to deliver.


6. Never limit yourself - or what you can do for others.


7. Be sincere in your delivery. Be authentic - or else it will never work for you.


8. Instead of talking too much and telling too much of what you can do for your customer or client, just do what you can do. Actions really do speak louder than words.


9. Under promise and over deliver - simply for the joy of it. Enjoy what you can deliver - and do it.


10. Stop talking about it and get it done. It's all about the results.

If you really want to attract more of everything you want in life, deliver twice what you promise. It really does work when you are sincere and enjoy what you can deliver for others.

Get a Fulfilling Life, Not Just an Impressive Lifestyle

This Week with Sara Fitts continues with Thomas Leonard's 28 Principles of Attraction. This week we are looking at principle # 9: get a fulfilling life, not just an impressive lifestyle.

It really doesn't matter what car you drive, what designers you wear, what house you live in, where you vacation and how many times you travel in a year. You may have an impressive lifestyle - and that's fine. However, in the bigger scheme of things, all that doesn't matter at all if your life isn't fulfilling.

I believe that there is a huge distinction between living a life and having a lifestyle. The two are often interchanged and some feel are mutually exclusive. Thomas asked the question, "How much of my life is being consumed by my lifestyle?" and I think the question is powerful.

What are you really about? What do you really want to accomplish in your life? What about your life isn't really you at all? Interesting questions that need to be answered if you are going to attract all that you want in life.

Try this exercise - and see what happens.

1. Take an hour and sit in a quiet space and connect with yourself.
2. Write down what your own ideal life would look like.
3. Who would you really be? Where would you be? How would you feel? What would you do?
4. After an hour, stop the exercise. Let some time pass - and go back and read what you wrote. Tweak it as necessary.
5. Start living your ideal life. Don't hesitate.

Remember that a fulfilling life is not about an impressive lifestyle. It's so much more than that!

Much more to come from Sara Fitts......

Become Irresistibly Attractive to Yourself - and Attract More of What You Want

This Week with Sara Fitts continues the focus on attraction with the 8th principle from Thomas Leonard's 28 Principles of Attraction: become irresistibly attractive to yourself.

What does this mean exactly? It means that in order to attract any bit of what we want in life, we must look the part, play the part, feel the part, and be the part. We need to show up as if we already have attracted what we want. We must become irresistibly attractive to ourselves in order to fully attract what we want in life.

How do we become irresistibly attractive to ourselves? The answer, as far as I'm concerned, is this: Whatever it takes to make us feel empowered and 100% engaged in life is what we need to do in order to become irresistibly attractive. It is whatever makes us feel the very best about ourselves.

What makes you feel empowered and engaged? What makes you feel good about yourself? How do you see yourself in your mind's eye when you are feeling your best? Are you 10 pounds lighter? Is your hair a different style, cut or color? Are you wearing clothes that fit in a certain way? Are you smiling? Are you happy? Do you portray your happiness to others? How do you make other people feel when they are around you? Are you positive or negative in your thoughts, words, and actions? Are you irresistibly attractive to yourself?

One of my clients puts this principle in this way: If you were in a crowded room, would you ask yourself out?

I look at it this way: What qualities and attributes are attractive to you? Do you possess these same qualities and attributes?

How can you become irresistibly attractive to yourself? Really think about it - and define what would make you irresistibly attractive to yourself. Then put it into practice.

Become irresistibly attractive to yourself - and attract more of everything you want.

Market Your Talents Shamelessly

This Week with Sara Fitts features the 7th principle from Thomas Leonard's 28 Principles of Attraction: market your talents shamelessly.

This principle is difficult for most of us - but it really shouldn't be. After all, if we don't tell others how good we are at what we do, we will not attract what we want. Now this is totally different from bragging and rudeness! What I mean is that we should market ourselves and our talents by simply deciding what we want others to know - and then tell them exactly what we want them to know about what we can do for them.

My simple little formula for marketing your talents shamelessly is simply this:

1. List all of your talents, skills, and attributes.
2. Then draft a paragraph or two describing how you utilize your talents in order to help others. Be as specific as possible.
3. Develop a tag line - and use it every single time you speak to people.
4. Make a list of all the groups within your personal and professional network. Contact them and simply "re-introduce" yourself to them - letting them know what you can do for them and/or for people they know.
5. Follow up with everyone - and specifically tell them what you can do for them and others.

Market your talents shamelessly. Live up to your billing. And experience attraction. You will attract more business, more opportunities, more of everything. And success will be a by-product.

Affect Others Profoundly

This Week with Sara Fitts looks at principle # 6 of Thomas Leonard's 28 Principles of Attraction: Affect others profoundly.

I think we can affect others profoundly in a number of ways - some negative and some positive. My focus is only on affecting others profoundly in positive ways. We can enhance the way we affect others and here are some simple ways to do that.

• Listen twice as much as you speak.
• Say what you mean.
• Put a positive spin on everything - and still be realistic.
• Be realistic.
• Don't make judgements about people or their actions. Accept them as individuals.
• Get rid of negativity.
• Say something that matters every single time you say anything at all.
• Create win-win situations.
• Stop participating in win-lose situations.
• Personalize things instead of using generalizations.
• Recognize the contributions of others - and acknowledge them (both the contributions and the person).
• Reward hard work.
• Empower others.
• Focus on the goose and not on the golden eggs. People are always more important than the products they make.
• Make others feel special and important.
• Expect to find the best in others - and you will.
• Never miss an opportunity to tell someone how much you care about them and what they mean to you.
• Assess the value that others bring to your life - and then acknowledge it to them.
• Say "thank you" often - and mean it.
• Remember names.
• Remember that enthusiasm spells the difference between mediocrity and accomplishment.
• Loosen up and enjoy life - this will really affect others profoundly.
• Be authentic.
• Be consistent - 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
• Think outside the box.
• Extend your boundaries.
• Be more frightened of old ideas than new ones.
• Embrace new opportunities.
• Encourage others at every opportunity.
• Be bold.
• Be courageous.
• Be honest.
• Celebrate others.
• Smile.
• Be pleasant.
• Enjoy life - and enjoy living.
• Laugh.
• Make it about others and not about you.
• Give instead of take.
• Leave things better than you found them.

As you can see, my list can go on forever. But it really is all about the little ways we can all affect others profoundly. The ways themselves do not have to be profound in order to have profound effects.

When we affect others profoundly in positive ways, we will attract more of everything that is good in this world. I wholeheartedly believe this. Success is simply a by-product.

Add Value for the Joy of It

This Week with Sara Fitts focuses on principle # 5 from Thomas Leonard's 28 Principles of Attraction: Add value for the joy of it.

Too often we fail to find joy in what we do - much less add joy in our lives intentionally. So this principle seems to make a point to me personally that we can add joy to our lives and to our work simply by adding value for the joy of it.

How can we add value? There are many ways. Among them, both personally and professionally, can be found in this short list:

• Kind words
• A smile
• "Please" and "thank you"
• 2 for the price of 1
• Buy 1, get one 50% off
• Free gift with purchase
• An extra coaching session
• More time
• More service
• "Extra" services
• Lunch or dinner
• Face time
• Phone time
• Gift cards
• Personal notes
• An unexpected voicemail message

Anything of real value is appreciated by just about everyone. And the pay off we get is exponential. The secret is that the value must be given authentically. When we give value for the sheer joy of it, we get so much more out of life in every aspect.

Build a Super-Reserve in Every Area of Your Life

This Week with Sara Fitts looks at Thomas Leonard's fourth of his 28 Principles of Attraction: Build a super-reserve in every area of your life. Each of these principles works to attract more of everything you want in your life and in your work. By utilizing any one of these principles, you will attract more to you. When you combine any two or more of these principles, you will have even greater success in attracting more of everything you want in your life and in your work. So over the next 24 weeks or so, you will have your own personal arsenal of attraction principles that will open more doors for you than you can ever imagine. The real secret here is to be open to the possibilities and make the most of the opportunities that appear right before your eyes.

Build a super-reserve in every area. What this means to me is simply this: Stop limiting yourself and extend your boundaries in all areas of your life. Build more time into your schedule so that you can have more energy. Build more space into your life so you can accomplish more. Build a larger network of support so you can experience sustainable achievement. Build greater friendships with everyone - so you can have a fuller and more fulfilled life. The list is infinite when you stop and really think about it.

Build a super-reserve in every area. Some people think this only applies to money. Of course, some money is necessary in order to live day-to-day; however, money is really not the main focus of this principle of attraction. But it certainly doesn't hurt to build a super-reserve of it, either! In this regard, saving as much money as you can would not be a bad thing.

Build a super-reserve in every area. Time is definitely a huge struggle for a lot of us. There are several ways to build a super-reserve of time - even in the most harried of lives. Some simple ways to build a super-reserve of time is to know what is most important to you - and to live in that authenticity. If your family is most important to you, find ways to visit with them and make each visit worthwhile. If your spouse is most important to you, find ways to express that even when you are running from one task to another. Whatever is most important to you should drive your goals and actions. [Of course we all must earn a living, but we must find ways in which to live in congruence with our values.]

Build a super-reserve in every area. Health, wellness and fitness cannot be taken for granted. We must build a super-reserve especially in this area, I think. Everything we do is a reflection of our health, wellness and fitness. We need exercise, the right foods, rest and recreation - for creativity, for simple movement, for the ability to work and live, as well as for sustainable strength to keep us going for all our (hopefully) long lives.

Build a super-reserve in every area. This is something that we all need to seriously think about - as it relates to attracting more of what we want in our lives and in our work. What do you plan to build super-reserves in? What do you need more of in your life? What do you need less of in your life? Really think about this - and then do something about it. Delay is increasingly expensive - and time is getting away from us. Start building super-reserves today - and see how the principle of attraction works in your life and in your work.

Over-Respond to Every Event - and Attract More of Everything

This Week with Sara Fitts continues with the third of Thomas Leonard's 28 Principles of Attraction. Over-respond to every event. When we over-respond to every event, we leave nothing undone; therefore increasing the probability of success in our endeavors - both personal and professional.

What does it mean to "over-respond" to an event? Basically, it means doing everything possible to ensure successful accomplishment of the intended goal or objective. Some ways include:

• Following up and following through on all correspondence and calls
• Confirming all appointments
• Assuming nothing - and asking specific questions
• Assuming nothing - and repeating back what you think you heard
• Dropping in on new customers or clients
• Dropping in on former customers or clients
• Implementing a 3-pronged approach for follow-up: email, call, card or note
• Implementing a 3-pronged approach for marketing
• Going the extra mile - whether it's a dinner party or a business meeting - making it special and making the person on the receiving end feel important

There are many ways to over-respond to every event. And when we do, it shows that we care about our business life and our personal life - and the lives of those we touch.

So to re-cap the first three components of my Simple Little Formula for attracting more of everything we want in life and in business,

1. Become incredibly selfish.
2. Unhook yourself from the future.
3. Over-respond to every event.

Put these three principles in play in your life this week, and see what happens. My prediction is that you will experience more in your life and in your work.

Stay tuned for more to come!

Unhook Yourself from the Future in Order to Have More of Everything

This Week with Sara Fitts continues with the 28 Principles of Attraction from Thomas Leonard. This week we discuss the second of his principles: Unhook yourself from the future.

I firmly believe that too often we focus on tomorrow and next year and 5 years from now - at the expense of today. If we can simply unhook ourselves from the future and focus on today and the immediate needs of our lives and our work, we will attract much more in our lives and in our work.

The benefits of unhooking from the future are many - but the ones that readily come to mind are:

1. Living more in the moment - experiencing more of the immediate.
2. We actually get more done - because our focus is actually more narrowed in the present.
3. We can "zoom in" on today - and avoid the trappings of being too focused on the future.
4. We can actually assess and evaluate our efforts and results today - and make the necessary changes that will affect the future.
5. We can break down our big goals into bite-sized chunks and can get ahead much more easily.
6. We can see results faster when unhook ourselves from the future.

While I believe in setting long-term goals (both personally and in business), it is often too easy to get so wrapped up in the future that we can forget the joy of each day. Days can become a blur when we focus too much on the future. When we unhook ourselves from the future, we can actually enjoy the journey so much more.

So try this exercise in your personal life and in your business life. For 1 week unhook yourself from the future. Concentrate your efforts on the day-to-day routine and the daily tasks that must get done. At the end of each day, assess and candidly evaluate where you are. Begin each day with a clear plan of what must be done today - and keep yourself unhooked from the future. The old adage "Don't put off until tomorrow what you can do today" is a form of this philosophy, I guess.

Unhook yourself from the future - and have more of everything in your life.

More to come.....

Become Incredibly Selfish - and Attract More Business

This Week with Sara Fitts is going back to the basics to create more ways for self-employed professionals, entrepreneurs, and small business owners to bring in more business in this economic climate. Thomas Leonard's 28 Principles of Attraction form the basic tenets for my suggestions. Thomas was my coach and mentor - and a very dear friend - who taught me so much about business - and life.

The principle that I'm focusing on this week is: Become incredibly selfish.

Selfishness doesn't have to be a bad thing. It actually can be the best thing you can do for yourself, your family, your business, your life. When you put yourself first and make you and your business a priority, all kinds of amazing things happen.

How to become incredibly selfish in your business environment:

1. Cut loose all clients who drain you. Do it today, if possible. The energy you gain will bring in more clients almost immediately.
2. Ramp up your qualifying requirements. Just because business may be slower right now doesn't mean you need to jump on just any live client or customer. Be extremely selfish about who you "allow" to become a client or customer.
3. Do only the things that bring in the best business - in other words, rid your environment of all the systems that aren't working for you. Be incredibly selfish about what you do in your workplace. If a system isn't working, get rid of it.
4. Become incredibly selfish by surrounding yourself with only the best staff. Get rid of non-performers today. Cut back on negativity and everything (and everyone) who isn't moving the business forward.
5. Become the best personally and professionally that you can become - and stop at nothing in order to be the best. Hire a personal trainer and a personal coach - and develop your full potential. Begin the process today - because it will take longer than you want it to take.

By becoming incredibly selfish, you will start to see business results fairly quickly. It must become a mission for you - not just a fad to try for a day or two. This mindset must pervade everything you do in order for it to bring in more business for you.

If you'd like to know more about becoming incredibly selfish, contact me directly - and I'll give you an hour of my time to work on your business.

Sara Fitts

Get in Gear for a Fabulous Spring

This Week with Sara Fitts is dedicated to making the most of the springtime and moving forward - regardless of the economy. I say this with all due respect and with all common sense; however, I truly believe that what we focus on expands - hence my focus on getting in gear and getting the economy moving rather than ringing our hands and suffering in the "what-if" mentality.

Small business owners, entrepreneurs, and self-employed professionals are extremely aware of the economic climate right now - regardless of industry or specialty. And that is a given. However, I propose that we all (I'm self-employed, too) refuse to focus on the doom and gloom and instead focus on getting in gear with the hopefulness of springtime.

Perhaps it is the Easter season or perhaps it is the spring or maybe it's just more daylight at the end of the workdays that has given me new hope and a feeling of hopefulness - even in the midst of bad economic news. I am forging ahead with a new sense of purpose and am encouraging my clients to do the same.

How can small business owners, entrepreneurs, and self-employed professionals get in gear and move forward right now? Here are some simple ways to shift the focus to the more positive aspects of our work.

• Relieve your stress. Work out, exercise, engage in a sport or hobby, read a novel, watch a movie. Do anything that gives you a different perspective. Relax and enjoy some recreation.

• If you have extra time as a result of lost business, take time to re-connect with your spouse, your friends, your family, your neighbors. Make the most of the time you have - every single day regardless of why you have extra time.

• Volunteer in your community. Give something back to the community where you live or where you work. Be a mentor or tutor in a school. Coach a sport.

• Make better financial decisions. Seek the help of financial experts. Save money everywhere you can. Cut costs everywhere you can. Cut back on your personal expenses where you can. Cut back on your business expenses where you can.

• Revise your business plan to reflect the changes you need to make as well as those changes you have already made. Your business plan should be a working document and tool for your success.

• Limit the amount of time you watch the news and read the financial and business reports. Remember, what you focus on expands!

These ramblings of mine today may help some of you - and some of you may think I've actually lost my mind. But I firmly believe that what we focus on expands. And I personally am focused on success and not failure.

I challenge all small business owners, entrepreneurs, and self-employed professionals to focus on success and all things positive and motivational - and to move forward in a spirit of hopefulness and newness in this springtime.

International Coaching Week 2008

This Week with Sara Fitts announces and celebrates International Coaching Week 2008 this week. The purpose of International Coaching Week is to highlight the benefits of coaching - both business coaching and personal coaching. As I celebrate my profession this week, I plan to provide several free resources as my personal contribution to the profession.

Coaching is a forward-moving process that faciliates growth and development while targeting specific areas in one's life and in one's business. The coach has many roles within the coaching process. Some of the roles that a coach plays are:

• motivator and cheerleader to keep you focused and moving forward
• confidential sounding board
• personal advisor and confidante
• accountability
• wake-up call when one is needed
• personal team builder
• a trusted source that provides different perspectives
• a trusted colleague for self-employed professionals
• candid commentator who holds nothing back
• facilitator that moves you forward and helps you get solid results
• someone who asks the hard questions - and expects answers
• someone who asks the hard questions - and gets the answers

Coaching is a powerful tool for any business and any life - at least the ones who want to improve their results, their bottom line, and their productivity. This week there are many opportunities to sample my style of coaching - and I invite you to join me as I celebrate International Coaching Week 2008.

As a reader of this blog, you are invited to schedule a free coaching session with me. Please contact me via my website (http://www.SLFConsulting.com ), via email (thecoach@SLFConsulting.com ) or via phone (703.791.4741). I look forward to showing you the power of coaching this week.

Are you Helping or Hindering Your Progress?

This Week with Sara Fitts asks an extremely important question related to your future success. For those of you who know me personally, you know that I almost always ask questions that are open-ended and powerful; however, today I am asking a powerful question that is of the either/or variety. Are you helping or hindering yourself? Are you helping or hindering your efforts to grow personally and professionally? Are you helping or hindering your staff and their efforts? Are you helping or hindering your own business?

I believe that in order for us to be as successful as we possibly can be, we must be 100% candid with ourselves - first and foremost. We cannot tell ourselves that we are the best in our field if we clearly are not. We cannot tell ourselves that our employees would follow us into battle if they won't. We cannot be less than 100% candid with ourselves if we are to attain the success we are capable of experiencing.

Are you helping or hindering your progress? Take this morning as your own personal example. Did you set yourself up for success or did you set yourself up for failure? Did you get up on time and get to work without unnecessary hassles within your control? Did you schedule a 9:00 a.m. meeting that you know you should have put at 10:00 a.m. - since it's Monday and you know how things go on Monday mornings when you've been away since Friday afternoon? Did you overbook your calendar today? Did you over-promise and under-deliver?

Are you helping or hindering your progress? Do you have a staff that is paid to support you? Do you help them or hinder them? Do you thank them for their support - even if they get paid to do their jobs? Do you hang in there with them to meet the deadlines? Do you help them or hinder them?

Are you helping or hindering your progress? Are you doing everything you can to forward your momentum? Are you doing anything to sabotage your success?

The question that I ask you this morning is not intended to be negative in any way; it is meant to be provocative and motivating. We all have improvements to make in our lives and in our businesses. And we owe it to ourselves and our employees (if we have them) to do everything we possibly can to move forward. This same question was asked of me yesterday - and I'm answering it - and sending it along to you as well. It is a powerful question with almost infinite possibilities for massive, exponential growth in all areas.

So, I challenge you to answer this question candidly - and listen to the answer. Are you helping or hindering your progress?

More to come.....

Setting the Right Goals Makes All the Difference

This Week with Sara Fitts focuses on setting the right goals for your small business in order to get the best results in 2008. Another way of putting this might be found in this quote that I like to use with my clients: If we do not change direction, we are liable to end up where we are headed.

The Simple Little Formula I use with my clients to set goals is basically this:

1. Begin with the end in mind. On December 31, 2008 where do you want your business to be? What results do you want to achieve? What is your vision of your business one year from now?
2. Be specific. Use concrete language. Instead of saying "increased revenue" state how much of an increase in revenue is needed or desired. Be as specific as possible. If you aren't specific, how will you know if you have succeeded?
3. Make your goals measurable. Use specific criteria in order to know whether or not you are successful in your actions. How will you know your plan is working? How will you know it isn't?
4. Make sure you can reach the goals you set. Are they attainable? Is it realistic to believe that you can achieve the results you want? It is highly unlikely to increase revenue in 1 year by 200%. Make sure you set yourself and your small business up for success and not failure.
5. Break each goal down into specific actions with deadlines for each action. This is the crucial piece that so often gets left undone. Give yourself time to reach the goal by putting a plan in place that will provide opportunities for success.
6. Hold yourself accountable for all aspects of the goals, plans, and deadlines. You must be accountable for the results you plan to get. Know that you are accountable for your results period - good or bad. But set yourself up in order to get the best results possible.
7. At the end of each deadline time frame, assess and evaluate your goals, your actions, and your results. Are you heading in the right direction? Do you need to make any small changes? Do you need to change direction? Are you pleased with your progress? How big is the gap between where you are and where you need and want to be? How can you improve?
8. Each quarter review your numbers and your current results. [You may want to do this monthly instead.] Candidly assess and evaluate each piece of the overall plan. Make the changes that are necessary. Do the work that needs to be done in order to make 2008 your best year yet.
9. Setting the right goals makes all the difference in your life and in your business.

If you would like to schedule a strategy session, please contact Sara L. Fitts to arrange it.

http://www.SLFConsulting.com 703.791.4741

Get in Gear for a Great 2008!

This Week with Sara Fitts wishes all of you a wonderful New Year! In order to make 2008 a great year, here are some questions that may guide your action plan and help you get in gear for the New Year!

• What accomplisments are you most proud of in 2007?
• What didn't get done in 2007?
• Did you have any disappointments in 2007? What actions or inactions led to them?
• What is the biggest change you want to make in 2008?
• What change (or changes) in your behavior patterns will be necessary in order to make the biggest change in 2008 a reality?
• What needs to happen on your part in the next 30 days in order to be ready to achieve the results you want in 2008?

Get in Gear and make 2008 your best year yet!