Date: November 17, 2010 
 
Situation: 320 down and 45 days to go in 2010.

Objective: Develop a massive action and implementation plan to ensure that you finish the year strong!

We are all staring down the barrel of the same reality - the clock is ticking and no matter how you look at it, there's only a few months left in this calendar year.

You must consider the remaining 45 days of this year as a now or never opportunity to finish the year strong, exceed expectations, and for some use it as a final chance at redemption.

Let's cut right to the chase, by looking at the results of your actions year to date, that REALITY tells you if you have been successful or not in achieving the goals you set earlier this year.

As it relates to your goals, your demonstrated actions have allowed you to be in one of three positions.

You have either:

1. Exceeded your expectations of what you thought you could achieve.
2. Met expectations of what you set out to accomplish.
3. Fallen below your desired expectations of what you wanted to accomplish.

Regardless of the position you are currently in, you CAN have the best month of your life. But you must do a few things in the manner presented in the next few paragraphs.

As someone who coaches many people each year, I'm well aware that we all began this year with great hope and determination. I'm also well aware that most of these resolutions come to nothing!

The Solution

So what specifically can you do in order to achieve personal and business success? Work harder? Longer? You don't stand a chance of succeeding with that strategy, yet that is exactly what the majority of people will do.

Why not do something entirely different, why not focus on saying NO!

Consisting of two letters and one syllable, the word "No" can be considered to be one of the most powerful words in your vocabulary. It's the easiest word for setting a limit, holding firm to boundaries, and being clear about what you will or will not do. It is a word of pure power that is both inner and out directed.

You will be a lot more productive once you recognise that:

1. "No" is not a dirty word, negative word, nor is it a selfish word. Learning to say "No" is liberating as it frees up your time to focus on your key priorities.
2. You are in complete control of how you spend your time and your life. Saying "No" allows you more time and energy to pursue your goals and wildest ambitions.
3. Saying, "No," increases the value of the things you say, "Yes" to.

Your success over the next 45 days requires a short "Yes" list, and a long "No" list. The key is an awareness and prioritisation of your "Yes" list, and firm boundaries around your "No" list as QUICKLY as possible.

Saying "NO" is the most strategic decision you can make. You improve yourself, your family, and your organisation's effectiveness—

IMMEDIATELY!

"No" is empowering because it simplifies. You will succeed on the basis of what, where and how you say "no". And "NO" allows you to get more control over your daily life and activities—IMMEDIATELY!

We need to say "NO", but we're not very good at it. In business we give it another name - "prioritisation" or "strategic planning" - back to day-to-day activities and we quickly forget what we prioritised and planned. We end up letting the "no's" creep back in.

For the remaining 45 days of the year, you must decide to give "NO" the strategic resolve it deserves!

The following are fifteen simple, effective and empowering strategies (personal and professional) that you can use to get results— IMMEDIATELY! These 15 strategies are the brainchild of Gary Ryan Blair, also known as "The Goals Guy":

1. What strategies, initiatives and activities will you say "no" to?
    
   There is great feeling, focus, empowerment, and impact when everyone agrees on paper the activities that will not be done. Pull out a piece of paper and list all of the superfluous activities that can slow down, or prevent progress from happening altogether. Everything is fair game; absolutely nothing is sacred in this exercise. Simply put, if it does not advance you forward, then say no!
     
2. What meetings will you decline or delegate?
    
   List every meeting you have in place for the remainder of the year and determine which you will NOT be attending. Meetings consume large chunks of productive time, most are run improperly and inefficiently, and most can be declined or delegated to someone else.
    
   This requires a conscious, deliberate decision as in order to maximise your time and performance, you need to remove the time hogs!
     
3. What relationships will you not keep?
   
   The way you manage your relationships has an enormous impact on your ability to perform at consistently high levels. Identify the top three energy-draining relationships, that you are committed to saying "no" to for the next 50 days. Then focus on creating strategies to free yourself from each of them. You have to wisely choose where, how and with whom you spend this final quarter, and how much time you spend with each.
     
4. What measurements will you ignore?
    
   Say goodbye to all lagging KRAs and ONLY pay attention to measurements related to customer satisfaction and the key actions that directly drive sales, profit, operating expense and ROI.
     
5. What customers will you not target?
     
   Identify your IDEAL prospect, client or customer and quit chasing every opportunity as it's a complete waste of time and resources. Once identified, you must then articulate who you will NOT target. Finally, make decisions on segments of your customers that deserve "VIP" treatment, and those who do not.
     
6. What competitors will you not follow?
    
   Way too much time is lost by following and focusing on too many competitors and so-called guru's. Identify the top three and immediately remove yourself from all of the other email distribution lists, blogs and other related communications. When you play the game of paying attention to the entire set of competitors in a large industry, you spend too little time focusing on what is most important, your customer and key performance indicators.
     
7. What websites will you not visit?
    
   Web sites are like magnets and leeches, as they draw you in and suck away productive time. Pull up your list of favourites, delete most of them and keep only the ones of greatest value. You must institute a "No Surfing" policy and stick to it.
     
8. What money will you not spend?
    
   Put yourself on a budget as every dollar spent should be thought of as an investment towards greater operating income - even petty cash. With this in mind, what things, or even entire budget categories, will you not spend?
     
9. What trips will you not make?
    
   It's hard to deny the power of 'showing up' in person as great things happen when you show up and interact with customers and colleagues. Nonetheless, trips consume massive chunks of time and money. Therefore, consider how you can use technology to replace trips, and only travel when it can make a big impact towards your primary goals.
     
10. What foods will you not eat?
     
    Reaching the next level of performance and productivity begins with how you manage energy. It's disturbing to see the immense amount of human and corporate potential squandered due to the misuse of energy. Unhealthy eating habits, lack of exercise, negativity, sarcasm, unfocused goals and strategies are all contributing factors to energy loss. As obvious as this seems, we often fail to take into account the critical role of energy in our lives. We are all reservoirs of energy, and everything we do requires that we use it wisely. So it's imperative that you focus in on your nutritional intake and exercise. Eliminate any food, or drink that compromises your energy levels.
      
11. What excuses will you not engage in?
     
    Excuses drain energy, time, production and profits. Have a brutally honest conversation with yourself and determine the excuses or behaviours that you must do away with. This requires heightened personal awareness, but you must identify the thoughts and behaviours you want to demonstrate and say adios to the rest.
     
    I'm aware that it's easier said than done, but you will NOT be able to achieve your true potential by fighting for and repeating useless behaviour.
      
12. What will you not say?
     
    Develop the habit of saying NOTHING that does not move the 'agenda' forward or uplift others. Speak ONLY of the solution, and waste not a second on the problem or blame. By consciously choosing 2 or 3 things not to say this year (or ways to say them), you can ironically discover what's 'missing' from your leadership effectiveness. You will also save a lot of time and mental energy which can be directed towards more useful activities.
      
13. What thoughts will you not entertain?
      
    Remember that which does not move you towards your goal, takes you away from it. Therefore remove those thoughts that are limiting, defeating or downright negative and consciously choose to replace them with thoughts of abundance, optimism, and positivity. Don't tolerate negative thoughts or conversations from yourself or others. When they present themselves, remove them immediately in the same manner you would from the rain coming through a window. Simply put, shut it down fast!
      
14. What television shows will you not view?
      
    If there was ever a time hog that needed to be slaughtered, television tops the list. How many hours do you think you spend watching TV in an average week? A couple? Three or four? More than twenty? If you stop to think about it, those TV hours don't take long to add up. In even a moderate TV-watching household, it's simply amazing how many hours are spent in front of the box.
      
    The solution—go cold turkey!
      
15. What will you no longer tolerate from yourself or others?
     
    Saying "no" and meaning it is the easiest word for setting a limit, holding firm to boundaries, and being clear about what you will or will not do. Identify the standards you wish to measure your life by and refuse to lower or negotiate at anytime, nor for any reason. No is a tool of liberation and empowerment so use it with absolute authority.

Use the veto power of "No" regularly and with volition as it's a powerful strategic weapon that you can use to maximise your results in the final 45 days of this year.

Natalie Lincolne is a Master Results Coach and owner of Incredible People Coaching. Qualified in neuro-linguistic programming, Ericsonian hypnosis and Myer-Briggs Type Indicator, Natalie is a respected human resource practitioner and consultant whose passion is to help women move powerfully forward in all aspects of their lives. Natalie is currently facilitating a 45-day "Strong Finish" Challenge (starts November) for only $50, so if you're serious about finishing 2010 with a blast, send an email requesting more details.

For more information see: www.incrediblepeople.net

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Natalie Lincolne is a member of the Australian Women's Mentoring Network. Visit Natalie's full AWMN Profile (login required).