Do This to Keep You Motivated Towards Your Goal

When I taught special education, the IEP team would come up with a set of criteria to be able to consider the goal mastered.

That criteria usually sounded like this.

“Between now and July 30th, Ceri will, when given a change of pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters be able to count the change correctly up to one dollar with 90% accuracy in three out of four attempts.”

If you’re having a hard time staying motivated toward a goal, there’s a good chance I know what you’re NOT DOING!

Keep reading, this is IMPORTANT!!

Let’s break down what I’ve learned about goal setting from my time as a special education teacher to understand what you’re NOT DOING!

  • Make the criteria very specific. I didn’t just say count change. I said, “When given a change of pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters… count the change correctly up to one dollar.” Sometimes the goal would be set to count only pennies and nickels and up to 50 cents. Even the goal of learning to count change needs to be specific to know what has been mastered and when.
  • Determine ahead of time what mastery will be. Because we are human, there are going to be mistakes, That’s why I wrote goals that said, “with 90% accuracy in three out of four attempts.” With money, I often set the criteria for 100% accuracy in 3 out of 4 attempts, but things like answering reading comprehension questions might have been 80% accuracy in 4 out of 4 attempts. This means the criteria for mastering reading comprehension at a specific grade level is consistently scoring 80% over time (4 out of 4 attempts).
  • Set the time frame for what you will learn (do) and when you will learn (do) it. “Between now and July 30th” Ceri will…”

And here’s the TRICK to the time frame.

Let the time frame be your guide, be your motivator, something to help you know if you’re making progress, not the final word or deflator.

If a child had not mastered the goal by the time set, we didn’t give up on or abandon the goal. We kept working until we mastered it. If a child hasn’t mastered the goal in a certain time frame, they still make progress. The child had learned things to help them, and if they keep working at it, eventually they become the master.

Let the time frame keep you focused, but stay focused on the PROGRESS, not the time frame!

I don’t teach you this to make goal setting feel EVEN MORE complicated.

I actually tell you this to help you feel more CONFIDENT and motivated in your goals.

It’s so helpful to know exactly what you need to do and how often, in what amount of time, and with what accuracy to master a goal.

We’d master and stay motivated to a whole lot more goals if we took the time to make them very specific and create room for being human.

What if your goals sounded more like this?

Between now and August 30, 2023, I will post 3 out of 7 days on Instagram with 90% accuracy.

That means you shoot to post 3 times each week and over the time set (between now and August 30th,) you have 10% wiggle room for your humanness.

Between now and Aug 30, 2023, when given a consultation, I will close 2 out of 4 calls with 100% accuracy.

I know you’re goals might not sound like this personally but take a look at them and ask…

  • Is the criteria of what you will do very specific? Not just close “more” consults or post “more” on social media.
  • Have you determined what you will consider mastery? 100%, 80% 3 out of 4 times… it’s up to know, but now ahead of time.
  • Have you set a time frame for when you will reach this goal and allow that time frame to help you stay on track towards your learning/progress, rather than defeat you?

The Worst Thing That’s Ever Happened

Have you ever known a school teacher to quit mid-school year?

Six years ago, I was that teacher!

We are natural storytellers, and we often use that gift to our detriment.

I told myself the worst of stories about quitting.

I’m done for in the state of Utah.

I’m never going to get another job.

No one will ever trust me again.

To make it worse, I was supposed to begin working at the neighboring school district the next year. But since I quit, I just knew I ruined that opportunity.

The day after I quit, I got a call from the same district. They’re asking me if I’m available for an interview for a work-from-home teaching position.

Quitting mid-year freed me up for one of the most significant opportunities of my career!

During that job work-from-home position, I developed many of the skills and confidence I use now in my coaching.

Because that position had flexibility, it provided me the time to certify in life and business coaching.

Because of quitting, I am here, helping other women take chances, make changes, build confidence, and create a business and motherhood they love.

“The more we practice looking in the rearview mirror and finding gratitude for the hard times we’ve experienced; the more we start to change our programming.”

Learning from the hard times is when the intensity of our fears in the moment of difficulty, will diminish!

That “worst thing that’s ever happened to you,” what are you enjoying now because you went through that experience?

The next time you tell yourself the stories of “this is the worst thing ever”, zoom out a minute and consider that you could be wrong.

Who’s That Girl?

I’ve recently become a fan of the show “New Girl.”

One of the episodes I watched recently was about two people deciding to “go all-in” on their relationship. 

Their “all-in” included leaving their friends and moving to Mexico and did a few crazy things that they wouldn’t normally do for the sake of “going all-in.”  At one point in the episode, they were captured by the Mexican police for their choices. To show their commitment while they were in “jail”, they all put their American passport in the shredder. 

What crazy things have you found yourself doing for the sake of “going all in? 

Going all-in on your business and motherhood doesn’t mean that you are doing it all! ⁠ 

Going all-in is when you intentionally decide from your priorities what you’re going to do to get the results you desire. ⁠ ⁠ 

Going all-in is staying committed to those actions and results! ⁠ ⁠ If the actions of your day aren’t getting you closer to the results you desire in your business and motherhood, I encourage you to take inventory! ⁠ ⁠ 

Going all-in is evaluating your actions. ⁠ ⁠

Ask yourself, what can you do less of and still reach your results?⁠ ⁠

What actions can you do without, hire out, assign to a child, reconsider, or consider a huge bonus if you do them? ⁠ ⁠ ⁠ 

This past year I decided to hire out three services that have saved me hours and hours of time and mental energy.
  • ⁠I got a grocery delivery service, and as of today, it says it has saved me 29 hours in the past 6 months. ⁠ ⁠ I’m pretty sure that’s a very, very low estimate of time saved!
  • I also purchased a social media scheduling service. This posting service has saved me at least 20-30 minutes each day and the price was under $100. Besides coaching, it’s seriously the best business purchase I made in 2020. 
  • You know the third one right? I hired a coach to help me stop feeling like the “new girl” and strategize what I need to continue, and start doing to grow my business the way I want!

If you want to go all-in on your business and motherhood, but still feeling so new (even though it’s a while); I invite you to click here to schedule a free session with me.  

Coaching will help you go all-in with purpose and a plan.  We will discover the results you desire and make a plan for you to make that happen.  

Ready to go all in?  

Ready to start approaching your motherhood and business with direction, a plan, and intention?  I

I’m currently adding clients to my waitlist, so if you think you want on my list, schedule your free consolation to find out for sure just how done you are at feeling like the “new girl!”  

6 Lessons I Learned From Dressing Up

Over the years I’ve learned many incredible lessons from dressing up.

Halloween, the season of dressing up, made it seem appropriate to share these lessons with you now!

My children are older and past the age of dressing up and trick-or-treating. I don’t know yet if I miss it! I kinda think that I don’t!

However, they aren’t past the age of throwing a party.

I will be hosting the High School Crowd on Friday and the Jr high goblins on Saturday. Lots of pizza, treats, games, messes, laughing, and scary movies will be happening!

Does anyone want to come over and help!?

Lesson #1: Don’t Let Excuses Hold You Back

We had just moved from West Virginia to Utah.  

This picture was taken on my girls’ second day of school.  The first day was the Friday before, and they went to school with wet hair because our power went out.

It’s their second day of school in this new state, and it’s spirit week. 

  • They didn’t let the excuse of being new hold them back. 
  • They didn’t let the excuse of “people won’t know what we look like” hold them back. 
  • They didn’t let the excuse of “what if no one else dresses up” stop them.
  • They didn’t let the excuse that we didn’t have lots of time to prepare hold them back or the fact that the Costume box was buried underneath a slew of other boxes in the far corner of the storage unit convince them not to participate. 

There will always be an “excuse” that we can hold on to keep us from doing what we desire to do. 

What excuses are you holding on to that’s keeping you from going after your desires? 

Lesson #2: It’s never too late to get started!  

Record snowfall and very low temps the day before Halloween canceled trick-or-treating this specific year.  It wasn’t until November 4th that our state finally gave the OK to allow children to head out and collect all the candy. 

We could have decided to bail because Halloween wasn’t held on the day that we expected…BUT we would have missed so much!  

How many times have you said, it’s too late to __?

  • Start a business
  • Head back to school
  • Parent in a different way
  • Try something new in your business
  • Switch over your email provider
  • Change your niche
  • Start hugging your teen more
  • Create a business schedule that works

It’s never too late to get started!   

If it’s a desire in your motherhood, in your business, or your personal goals, don’t let the expectations that it “should” happen by a specific time or that it’s “too late”,  keep you from going after what you want.   

Lesson #3: Be your own judge, there isn’t a right or wrong way!

Who really knows what qualifies as an “ugly sweater” anyway?

We appoint a judge for each ugly sweater party, and we allow them to crown the winner. 

There are no other rules than their opinion.  

Guess what?

That’s the same principle that I encourage you to apply to your motherhood and business as well!

You get to be the judge of what’s working and what’s “ugly” for YOU in both YOUR motherhood and business. 

Appoint yourself to be your own judge!

You’re the only one qualified to decide if what you’re doing is working and getting you the desired results you want in all your life roles. 

No one has the same results for their business and motherhood, so it WILL LOOK DIFFERENTLY for everyone!  

If you’re the judge, on a scale of 1-10, how “ugly” is your business and or motherhood currently? 

Lesson #4: Because you “want to” is a good enough reason!

When my kids were little, they didn’t need a reason to dress up or to create something incredible.  They got out the consume box whenever they wanted. They didn’t wait for a “reason” such as Halloween or Spirit Week. 

On this snow day, they created an adorable play of an old couple that was reminiscing about their wedding day. 

The grandpa asked the grandma, “Why did you marry me?’ Replied, “Because I wanted to”

Because you want to is a good enough reason to go after something you desire. 

Finding the why, it’s all the rage and the thing business coaches hone in on a lot! I agree, the WHY is essential!

However, I also think because you want to is a significant enough reason as long as it motivates you to get the result you desire! 

Lesson #5: Don’t be afraid to speak up!

If it’s a desire or a passion, don’t be afraid to speak up and share it with others.  

That desire was put inside of you for your reason. 

Bonus lesson… keep it simple. 

This costume, Tape Face, was a massive hit with my students. The best part, it took about 10 minutes to create, and I didn’t have to buy a single thing.

We often complicate our motherhood and business, making it more challenging than it has to be. 

The next time you’re trying to solve a problem, ask yourself, “how can I make it simple?”

Lesson #6: Be authentic!

When most 9-year-olds were dreaming of dressing up as princesses, the latest fashion doll, or a bride, my cute 9-year-old wanted to be a police officer. 

She didn’t care what others were doing or what was “typical” of girls her age.  

She did what made her happy!

My Queen of Hearts was cast in the local play during this time.  

She was cast so perfectly!!  

As she as on that stage, being the VERY BEST sarcastic and demanding Queen of Hearts I had ever seen, I whispered to my husband,
“they nailed this casting role; it’s like she’s not even acting!” 

She was confident enough in herself to give this role all her sass!! And she had a lot!  

Be you, even if it’s not “typical” business practice or what “all the other moms” are doing. 

Be confident in your role as the CEO of both your motherhood and business.  

We are much happier when we are true to us and our desires, not everyone else’s.  

What Parking Spot Are You Aiming For?

The Parking Space and the Teenage Driver 

I recently had the opportunity to help my 15-year-old learn how to park a car.

As she unsuccessfully tried over and over 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑 to park between two lines, I finally decided to ask her,

“What parking spot are you aiming for?”

Her reply was, “Whichever one I end up in!”

If we are not aiming for a specific “parking spot” in life, how will we know the actions to take (when to swing the car out, when to turn the wheel, when to straighten the wheel, what speed to go) to allow us to end up in the “space” we want?

Are you willing to be in whichever spot you happen to land in, or do you want to take control and be in the spot you WANT to be? 
Goals give us focus, something to aim for, a destination.

Decide ahead of time which parking spot you’re aiming for so that you can create a game plan to navigate into that spot successfully.