Spreadsheet of opportunities

How do you feel as the year is drawing to a close? I am excited about my spreadsheet of opportunities. A list of ideas, visions, goals and plans for the future.

I was boarding a plane and in the gate lounge I heard one colleague talking to another and she indicated something on her laptop. She was smiling, eyes were shining and her tone was full of enthusiasm. In three seconds as I walked by I heard this snippet:

“This spreadsheet shows my opportunities”.

In that moment I felt as if I had been zapped by a burst of positive energy. I immediately thought – I would love having that woman on my team. And as I boarded the flight I started thinking about my own “spreadsheet of opportunities”.

The phrase makes me feel positive and productive. And this is how I am feeling about the last year and the one ahead. But as I listened to other people talk, in seats nearby on the plane, and as I got off the plane, I heard a different kind of talk… crticising and complaining, frustration and anger, rehashing of some disappointment, jealousy, upset and a flat tone. I saw many a sour looking face, or dreary tired looking eyes. I said to myself “I am so glad I don’t feel like that” or “I am so glad I don’t work with you!” or “You would drive me crazy and I bet your team are sick of you!”

Are you are in the Negative Land of W – wishing, wallowing and wasting time? Maybe thinking or saying:

I wish things had gone better.
I wish I had done better.
I wish I had more time.
I wish I had more money.
I am so glad this year is over.
I am dreading the coming days.
I hate this time of year – you can’t get anything done.
I am too exhausted to think.
I’m sick of reading about other people’s success.
I am so tired! I just need time out.

If this is where you are right now, you need to change your thinking. And this time of year is a perfect time to do that. Otherwise you are pulling yourself down and probably de-motivating those around you.

And even if you are tired it is the words you think and say that keep you stuck in a place where of course you are tired, and life is or becomes a drag. Work becomes a chore, and people around you become a pain.

You have to change your thinking and make other changes to your life. For a start – you can say to yourself: “Stop this negative thinking. I can make changes. I can move myself to a better state.” Maybe this has been one of the worst years of your life. But remember it is a passing phase, maybe the end of a difficult era. Tell yourself “Come on, you can do it!”.

You need to have the ability to get to the Positive Land of W – quickly and effectively so you are thinking:

I feel well.
I’m wiling to learn more.
I am working effectively.
It’s been a tough year but I am proud of what I achieved.
I am excited about next year.
There are so many opportunities ahead.
Next year is going to be a great year!
I made a difference.
I achieved my goals.

It’s that fantastic time of the year where you have the chance to review your past year, think ahead and plan for the future and enjoy the present holiday season, or do a big catch up.

Step 1: Define your goals for success
Whether it starts with a spreadsheet of opportunities or one particular goal, short-term or long-term… it always helps to define and list our goals and the specific steps for achieving them.

Step 2: Audit your scripts
List your positive and negative thoughts about the goals. Positive scripts lead to a fantastic feeling yet it’s the negative ones that operate much of the time and seem to be very powerful in impacting behaviour. Then you get paralysed and don’t do the planning and organising.

Sometimes we have goals but the strongest script messages are:

I haven’t got the time!
It’s not that important!
It’s too hard!
My positive scripts are strong.
This will be fun and challenging.
It’s something I have always wanted to do.
I will be proud of myself making this happen in 2010!
It puts me in a good mood when I have plans and priorities.
This is a great opportunity I will make happen.

Step 3: Script editing
The task is to focus on positive scripts. You need to remove or replace all those paralysis scripts and create positive scripts that will help you achieve her goals.

Step 4: Make it a habit
Commit to a friend. Get started now. Once started the rewards are there — and it motivates you to keep going. It’s great to be in control and be more efficient. Get over those paralysing scripts and have some fun achieving the goals you set today.

You choose whether you approach life, work, tasks, social situations with excitement and a fresh feeling or a tired jaded outlook. You choose the way you want to see things, and you set a role model for those around you either as a positive energised person with ideas, plans and motivation or as someone disappointed, exhausted or even needy.

So think about the words you choose, and your plans for the future. Talk to someone you admire about the future. Feel strong and proud. Maybe open up a fresh spreadsheet and head it “MY OPPOTUNITITES 2010” and enjoy what lies ahead. I am and I hope you will too!

View clip: Getting Motivated.

Eve Ash is the producer of Getting Motivated and the co-author of practical easy reading books published by Penguin Rewrite Your Life! and Rewrite Your Relationships! – See here.