KATHY ARCHER
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You need to do these 5 steps soon for leadership confidence & composure

23/6/2022

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As you go about your day as a nonprofit leader, something may happen, and you may feel your body tighten. For example, your stomach knots up, your chest feels heavy, or your throat tightens or feels dry. Perhaps you overreact or shut down. This physical response may be a sign you may have just got triggered.
 
We often get triggered when something threatens our values. This response results when we feel something important to us is at risk.


Here's how I got triggered this weekend...
Let me give you an example. I value order. I like things to be in their place, and I like to have things tidy. However, this weekend I was triggered multiple times by mud on the floor and the result from when someone in my house who didn't think it was a problem not to clean their feet before they came in. (Can you guess who?)

We're in the middle of backyard renovations. Unfortunately, with this weekend's rain, my backyard was a mud hole. Each time my husband, the dog, or I came in, a pile of mud and dirt came with us. Because a sense of order is important to me, I would take my shoes off outside, ensure the dog's feet were clean before he came in and immediately sweep up any chunks of mud.


This is what triggered me...
On the other hand, my husband sees the mess as part of the process, so the mess doesn't bother him. So it's not a problem for him to walk around barefoot outside and come into the house. He values freedom, ease and relaxation. He likes to be barefoot, and walking around in the grass and mud doesn't bother him. The house will get cleaned eventually, so what's the big deal? 


Which camp are you in?
  • The mess triggers me 
  • My constant need to clean triggers him 
  • Likely, depending on which side of the fence you're on, you'll feel triggered by one of our perspectives.


This is how knowing my trigger helped me
Knowing that I'm triggered by disarray helps me manage my emotions and be somewhat humourous about my incessant need to clean. Aware that the tightness in my chest is building, I can manage my frustration with my husband by managing my self-talk, taking some deep breaths or distracting myself with something I enjoy. 


Jenessa's story..
During a coaching call the other day, my client Jenessa became aware that when others aren't accountable for their actions or in-actions, or their responsibilities etc., she is triggered. Jenessa feels her chest tighten, purses her lips, and sometimes clenches her hands. She laughed at the memory of pounding out a response to a chat message when she was annoyed with someone shirking their responsibility. 


Does either of these feel familiar to you?
Just as...
  • Disarray or messes triggers my value (need for) order and cleanliness.
  • Jenessa found that when someone weasels out of their responsibilities, deflects blame or dodges accountability, she becomes annoyed and irritated. 


This is why identifying your triggers is important
Identifying triggers is part of working with and understanding our values to help us be more emotionally intelligent and confident in our abilities. When you know what's important to you and what it feels like when that thing (i.e. order, accountability) is being threatened, it's easier to choose a response than react in a way you may regret later. 

Below you'll find steps to help you find the clarity around your value to help you be more intentional instead of reactionary.



5 steps to use your VALUES to be more emotionally intelligent 

Here is the process to help you find the clarity around your value to help you be more intentional instead of reactionary.

1 - Identify your values

2- Get an understanding of what your values mean to you
  • create a list of word strings
  • define your value with a sentence or paragraph

3 - Determine how your values show up in your life

4 - Pinpoint what's going on when you are aligned with your values or not

5- Get clear on what triggers show up when things in your life aren't in line with your values
 
This deeper understanding of your values helps you to manage your emotions, navigate tough conversations and focus on what matters most when it matters most!


One more example...
If you are trying to wind down a conversation at a meeting, you may value timeliness or efficiency. Your annoyance with those who are dragging the conversation out is triggering that value.

That's why you are:
  • Sighing
  • Internally rolling your eyes 
  • You may even send a private chat to your colleague about how the other person is dragging this on. 

Conversely, your peer may be
  • Looking to engage others - they may value contribution
  • Ensuring they have lots of ideas - they may value creativity
  • Trying to get that one person who never talks just finally to speak up - they may value inclusion

See how that all works together?

Need some help?
This month inside my membership, I added a worksheet to the Values Verification course, helping members identify their triggers. If this is part of what you need, or the five steps listed above, check out the course here and if you think it would be helpful, join the membership here.

When you join The Training Library membership, you'll become confident in your leadership abilities, learn to bounce back when adversity hits, discover how to be your best self and find a place to belong!
​
Becoming emotionally intelligent and confident in our leadership abilities takes time and requires skill development and increased awareness of what makes us tick! To do this, take responsibility for where you are and where you are going by creating your own personal and professional development plan. Intentional development is your path to success in both your leadership and life. 

Read this next:
The 8 most overlooked definitions in leadership and why they matter
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Mega resources to help you better LEARN how to LEAD your nonprofit team

16/6/2022

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I bet there are times you wish you could be involved in an engaging leadership experience? Not a one-off course, webinar or conference session, but an experience, over time, that deepens your learning!


In 2012 I did that. For 10 months, about 20 other leaders from around the world and I learned together, online and in person. Four times we met for a week at a time in California. Between those sessions, we met online and had partner projects that required us to meet in person with our partners. It was an incredible experience. It was also one of the most transformative things I've ever done. 


Not everyone can do something like that, but we can create learning experiences for our teams. Not training per se, but an experience where you learn, grow and develop over time.  


I am blessed to be working with a large group of nonprofit leaders for nine months to help them become inspiring leaders. Inspiring leaders motivate and engage their teams, so they enjoy their jobs and do meaningful work together. 


One of the first things I covered with the participants of the Inspiring Leadership group was the four fundamentals of leadership. They are the base for the future of the work we do together.


Even though you may not be involved in a group program, you can benefit from these fundamentals and use them over the next several months of your leadership journey. I'll give you a brief overview and share some suggestions that you can do to work on yourself! Then you can create your strategy and plan for growth.


The 4 fundamentals of leaders

Be yourself

As teenagers, we spent a lot of time figuring out our identity, answering the question, who am I? But as we mature, we have spent more time conforming to what's expected of us than who we are and are more focused on; how do I fit in? As such, we've often lost touch with who we are.


The first thing I do with individuals or teams is help them identify their strengths, values and morals. Understanding what makes you tick, thrive, and the triggers that make you react is fundamental to inspiring, motivating and engaging others. 


 Suggestion: Take time to consider:
  • What are your strengths?
  • What are your values?
  • What is morally and ethically right for you?


Extra Resources for The Training Library membership members: 
  • COURSE: Values Verification: Validating What's Important to You
  • COURSE: Understanding your VIA Signature Strengths
  • COURSE: Understanding your VIA Signature Strengths

 Develop yourself

Ongoing personal and professional development is critical. For example, when I was in the ten-month leadership program, we had a list of required reading, each had a coach, and we learned A LOT about leadership and ourselves. At the end of the course, I committed to continue learning to be a better speaker and joined Toastmasters. I'm still involved!


 Suggestion: Create your learning plan
  • What will you learn?
  • How / where will you learn it from?
  • How will you practice what you are learning?


Extra Resources for The Training Library membership members: 
  • COURSE: My Training and Growth Annual Analysis
  • WEBINAR: Create Your Quarterly Goal Setting & Planning Strategy!
  • WEBINAR: Develop your personalized curriculum for Leadership Development


 Take care of yourself 

Taking care of yourself is critical for effective leadership.
  • You can't be composed when you are hangry. 
  • You won't be focused when you haven't stood up in 3 hours. 
  • You can't be decisive on 4 hours of sleep. 
When you don't take care of yourself, your body won't be able to endure the demands of leadership.


 Suggestion: Commit to wellness
  • Start with micro-moments of wellness
  • Create wellness habits
  • Focus on balancing, not balanced


Extra Resources for The Training Library membership members: 
  • COURSE: Wellness AT Work
  • COURSE: Bouncing Back from Leadership Adversities
  • WEBINAR: The 5-Minute Self-Care Strategy for the Swamped Gal


Teach others to do the same

If you want the best for and out of the people you work with, they need to be themselves, develop themselves and take care of themselves. Teach, role model and mentor these habits to them. 
 
 Suggestion: Coach your people
  • Ask them about their strengths, values, and ethical approaches. 
  • Infused learning and growth conversations into regular supervision
  • Ask them about what they need to do to be at their best and help them apply that 


Extra Resources for The Training Library membership members: 
  • Course: Staff Supervision That Transforms
  • WEBINAR: Creating Comfortable Coaching Conversations
  • WEBINAR: Team Morale: Confidently boost the mood of your team!


Starting the journey of mastering these fundamentals is critical for you to BECOME confident in your abilities, BOUNCE BACK when adversity hits and BE your best self!
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The 5 components of an effective leadership goal!

8/1/2021

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I was working with a client this week, let's call her Divya, to develop her quarterly goals. 

The Goal: Reduce hours working
The Outcome: Increased work-life balance
The Strategy: To delegate more

It's time to delegate more!
Seems simple enough, right? If you have too much to do, give some of it away. We all know that it's not quite that simple, so I asked her what roadblocks might get in the way of that?

It's not that easy!
Quickly Divya indicated she was worried about overwhelming her staff if she delegated more to them. If that's the case, then she's going to fail at her goal before she even starts. Even though Divya wants to reduce her hours and wants to delegate more, her thoughts will get in the way, and she won't do it.

Our beliefs get in the way!
Our coaching turned to examine her beliefs. A belief is a thought you keep thinking. In this situation, Divya kept thinking she would overwhelm her staff if she delegated more to them. This assumption had become a habitual way of thinking. When we looked more closely at that perception, Divya realized there was some truth to it, but there was more to the story.
A belief is a thought you keep thinking
Our beliefs aren't always right!
After some coaching, Divya came up with these 4 realizations.
  1. If Divya delegated more to her managers, it would help them grow, develop and advance in their careers.
  2. Divya also needed to teach her managers how to delegate to their employees. She realized she'd been role modelling an "it's easier to just do it yourself" way of leading. 
  3. There would be times when it became clear that if Divya were to delegate to her managers, it would be too much for them and their employees. Then it became clear that that was an issue for Divya to bring to upper management.
  4. If Divya delegated more, it would allow her to get out of the weeds of micromanaging. Instead of doing the work of line managers delegating would enable Divya to move more into leadership functions.  
You may need to change what you are thinking!
The thing that Divya was missing, and that I am guessing you might be missing is that to achieve a goal, you need to not just look at the outcome you desire and the strategy that you will use to get there but that you will also look at what mindset shifts you need to make.

The Goal: Reduce hours working
The Outcome: Increased work-life balance
The Strategy: To delegate more
The Mindset Shift: Delegating helps not just me, but my managers and our team
​
Use the Inner Guidance Cycle to shift your mindset
We then worked on operationalizing this goal into a daily habit that would lead to Divya achieving success. Divya realized there was no magical number of things she needed to delegate or even types of things. It was more about being intentional about her workload and the process of delegation. She created a habit to help her proceed through the Inner Guidance Cycle. 

At the end of the day, Divya will work through the INNER GUIDANCE CYCLE:
🔹PAUSE
  • Grab her notebook with her running To-Do list and sit down for 3 minutes.
🔹PONDER
  • Make a few notes about a delegation choice point in her day.
🔹PIVOT
  • Consider if the thoughts helped her and her team get to where they needed to go considering work-life balance, program goals, and staff developmental needs.
🔹PROCEED
  • If something she realized needed delegating, she'd either do it or make a note to follow up on it. 
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The Goal: Reduce hours working
The Outcome: Increased work-life balance
The Strategy: To delegate more
The Mindset Shift: Delegating helps not just me, but my managers and our team
Daily Habit: Note where I delegated, thought about delegating or struggled to delegate and what my thought was about that

It's your turn!
Take time to work through your goals for the upcoming quarter. Notice I don't say for the year. A year is a bit long to really do the deep dive work here. You can set annual goals, and you should. But then break them down to how you will work on that goal each quarter.

More Help
  1. Set your quarterly goals with the help of this webinar in The Training Library.
  2. Become a member of The Training Libary here for ongoing help with your personal and professional development
  3. Book a 1-1 coaching call here
  4. Listen to this week's podcast: Goal Creation Magic​

Make this year the year to achieve some remarkable leadership goals!
Remeber, there is more to goal setting than just writing a sentence down. Also, strong leaders develop their own personal and professional goals AND work on them! Please don't assume your performance appraisal goals are enough. There are likely more details that need flushing out to help you truly feel more confident, composed and comfortable leading with integrity!

If you need help with that, message me here!
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2020 Year End Reflection for Women Leaders

24/12/2020

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Women leaders: It's time to review 2020 

It's time to take stock
Regardless of what's happened, as each year comes to a close, most of us take stock. 
  • What happened that we want to mark in some way? 
  • What do we want to bury and forget? 
  • What lessons can we take with us into the coming year?


You may do some of this reflection in bits and spurts throughout the coming days. That's a good start. Talk to those around you as well. What's been meaningful, hard or joy-filled for them? 


Set time aside for intentional reflection
I also encourage you to do a bit more of a formal review of your year. Without sitting down being intentional about it, you'll miss opportunities to see where and how you've grown. Snippets of reflection may leave you hopping over key lessons or significant moments of happiness, pride, joy and connection.


I strongly encourage you to find an hour in the coming days to review 2020. If you can, take out a piece of paper, a journal or a document on your computer. Note key areas you want to review and then take some notes. ​
Try answering these questions
One of the best ways to review is to ask yourself questions. Try these 3 to start:
  • What were my biggest challenges this year?
  • What were my biggest areas of growth this year?
  • What were the biggest lessons I learned this year?
2020 self reflection exercise
Want to dive even deeper?
If you are in The Training Library, I just released this month's session: Goodbye 2020. In it, I included a worksheet with several questions to reflect on. 
  • Additionally, I provided some insights and training on grief and loss, change and provided some reflections on how to help you process what's still causing you inner turmoil.


If you aren't in The Training Library, feel free to join now. It's a great time to dive into some of the lessons, worksheets and training to help you put your best self forward in 2021.


When you join, you'll get the first two weeks free to check out everything, try out the courses and decide if it's right for you. 
I'm convinced it will be if you want to have someone on your side available and support you and your leadership growth in the new year. 


You get the best of my work!
The work inside of The Training Library is my passion, my love, and I put my heart into each of the sessions. I want you to excel, transform and live and lead in the most authentic way you can! 
I am adamant that no one should have to do leadership alone!
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​I'm on your team!
Are you ready to make 2021 your year?
Make 2021 the year that you put your personal and professional development a priority. When you do, you'll find that you will begin to really enjoy impactful leadership!
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My Favourite Books of 2019

31/12/2019

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Make reading a part of your 2020 leadership plan!

Ongoing growth and development is a critical component of leadership! You should be reading! Maybe you think you don't have time. Make time! Seriously. Create tiny pockets of time that you can read or listen to a book. It will change both your leadership and your life!
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​📚My Favourite BOOKS of 2019 📚
LEADERSHIP
  • Lead Yourself First: Inspiring Leadership With Solitude - Raymond M. Kethledge, Michaell S. Erwin
  • Theory U: Leading From The Future As It Emerges - C. Otto Scharmer
​

EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE
  • How Emotions Are Made: The Secret Life Of The Brain - Lisa Feldman Barrett

 
WILLPOWER
  • The Marshmallow Test: Mastering Self-control - Walter Mischel

 
GOAL SETTING AND HABITS
  • The Highly Sensitive Person - Elaine N. Aron
  • Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way To Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones - James Clear

 ​
AGING & MENOPAUSE
  • Flash Count Diary: Menopause And The Vindication Of Natural Life - Darcey Steinke

 
SPIRITUALITY
  • Seeker Of Stars - Susan Fish
  • The Shack - WM Paul Young
  • The Bible
​
AND MORE
  • Talking To Strangers: What We Should Know About The People We Don't Know - Malcolm Gladwell
  • The Courage To Be Disliked: How To Free Yourself, Change Your Life And Achieve Real Happiness - Fumitake Koga, Ichiroo Kishimi
  • The Subtle Art Of Not Giving A F*Ck: A Counterintuitive Approach To Living A Good Life - Mark Manson
  • A Million Miles In A Thousand Years: What I Learned While Editing My Life - Donald Miller
  • The Moment Of Lift: How Empowering Women Changes The World - Melinda Gates
  • Quiet: The Power Of Introverts In A World That Can't Stop Talking - Susan Cain
 ​
YOUR TURN: What made your list of 2019 books?
​Comment below and tell me what books I should put on my 2020 reading list!
Related articles
Why you need an Audible account right now
3 Strategies to make time for Personal and Professional Development
​
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Do this now to THINK your way to thriving!

10/10/2019

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 I bet you are so done with survival mode, and you want to move to thriving 😀
You are looking for some work-life balance, more success in your career, to be doing fulfilling work and enjoying the people you are working with.
That's not much to ask for, is it?
No, my dear, it's not!
You have every right to have all of those things and what's more…
It is possible!

Keep reading to find out how!!
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Let us start with the question: Why haven't you attained all of that yet?
My guess is that you have not found balance, fulfilment and confidence because your THINKING is tanking your success. 

It's time to learn how to shift your mindset to the mindset that it is actually going to help you get the success you desire!
  • You need to THINK that it is possible to have all of that. 
  • You need to BELIEVE you can learn, grow and find balance. 
  • You need to TRUST you can develop increased confidence and create strong leadership skills.

Yet, my guess is instead, you doubt yourself!
  • You doubt you can do all of that
  • You doubt your team and organization will be there to support you and come alongside you.
Let me show you what I mean
There are 3 reasons why your mindset, or the way you think, is getting in your way. Consider these 3 "truths" and see if they apply to you. 

1) - Hope with no action.
  • Ugh... I wish things would get better.
  • OMG I can't wait for things to get change.
  • I hope that things will be different after we finish this/that etc.


That blind hope alone is not going to change anything. In fact, it will leave things exactly the same way they are.

Hope is the belief that tomorrow will be better than today. But hope alone doesn't change anything. You must take action to make that happen.

❓️ASK YOURSELF: Do I have hope without action?

2)  - Blame without responsibility.
  • I don't have time to do any training. 
  • If only my boss would send me to that course.
  • So and so got the promotion and they didn't even consider me 
That's blame without responsibility.

We spend a lot of time being in victim mode:
  • Nobody cares about me.
  • Nobody ever invests in me. 
  • Poor me was me, nothing's ever going to change. 
  • Nobody ever puts time into developing me and my skills. 
THINKING that way is not going to get you anywhere.
That is blame, finger-pointing, or waiting without taking responsibility.
You need to take responsibility for your growth and development.

❓️ASK YOURSELF: Am I blaming without taking responsibility?

3 - Being random instead of focused
We spend a lot of time taking whatever course shows up on our email. We tend to take the flavour of the month training:
  • Everybody's taking courageous conversations, I better take "Courageous Conversations" too!
That randomness is not going to get you where you want to go.

THINKING that you should take whatever course is available might keep you feeling ok, but my dear, you are settling. THINKING this way keeps you in the tolerating or coping point on the surviving to thriving continuum — Ho hum, mediocre or just ok.

But here is the problem, if you're competing to advance your career, and everybody has that same training, that's not going to make you stand out. Nor is it going to help you develop YOUR gifts, talents and strengths.You need to create your OWN learning curriculum that is going to grow YOU!

❓️ASK YOURSELF: Am I randomly taking whatever training shows up?

If you want to make the changes that you're looking for, 
you need to take responsibility for 
creating your own personal & professional learning plan.
You need to become response-able.

If you didn't get the promotion, you could respond to that feedback. That's feedback. That's just information. I didn't get the promotion. So what is it that you need to do to get the next promotion?
  • I need to develop this skill.
  • I need to have this training under my belt.
  • I need to be able to manage teams a little bit better. 
  • I'm not very good at running staff meetings
What is the skill that you're lacking that is holding you back from getting a promotion? Whe you ask that question, you are taking responsibility? You are being response able. 

❓️ASK YOURSELF:
  • What am I able to respond to? 
  • Where can I take action? 
  • What can I do?
Maybe it's going and sitting down with your boss and saying, 
Tell me why I didn't get the promotion, what can I do to improve? That's taking responsibility. ​
This kind of THINKING is called a curriculum mindset. 
When you have a curriculum mindset, you are always asking yourself:
  • What are the skills I'm learning?
  • How am I learning these skills?
  • What tools am I using to develop those skills?
  • What am I developing in myself by learning this?

​The 3 components of a Curriculum Mindset

If you want to change your life, I need to get clear on these 3 components: 
  1. GOAL
  2. PATH: 
  3. TOOLS

Curriculum mindset example # 1 
GOAL: Create more work-life balance.
PATH: I need to learn how to set boundaries 
Great, but how are you going to learn to set better boundaries?

You just can't wish that you're going to be better at setting boundaries. You can't just hope that one day you're just going to magically feel more confident and be able to set better boundaries. That is hope with no action. You need tools to help you.

TOOLS: In my mind, if you don't have a binder or book and a pen to write things down, you are not learning strategically. Your tools are:
  • The book you are reading and when you are reading it
  • The course you are taking
  • The practice (i.e. meditation, journaling) that you are doing that is scheduled into your calendar. 
  • It might also be the person you connect with, a coach, mentor or guide. 


Curriculum mindset example # 2
Maybe you want to be able to maintain your composure during tough conversations. But remember, you are not going to become a more emotionally intelligent person by wishing it would happen,

You're certainly not going to become more emotionally intelligent by waiting for your boss to stop being such a jerk. That's not going to change you.

You have to become response-able!
Take responsibility by developing your curriculum mindset:
What do I need to learn, and how will I learn it?

GOAL:: Stay composed during tough conversations. 
PATH: Learn more about emotional intelligence and how to control my thoughts and emotions
TOOLS: Watch Kathy's webinar: Saying composed during those tough conversations is to increase your emotional intelligence.

When you create your learning curriculum, things start to change for you.
Your curriculum mindset will get you out of survival mode and moving towards THRIVING!!! 

⭐️MY CHALLENGE TO YOU⭐️
  • Develop a curriculum mindset, 
  • Create your own personal and professional learning plan,
  • Get clear on what your goals are, what your plan is to get there. And then I want you to know what tools you're using.
BE SURE TO INCLUDE YOUR TOOLS!!!
THINK of it this way: I need to develop my personal and professional learning plan and be strategic about that. 
  • What's my goal? 
  • What's my plan?
  • And what are my tools?
  • Where are my books? 
  • What course am I working through? 
  • Who's helping me?
  • Where does my curriculum show up in my calendar?

🆘 A TOOL TO HELP WITH YOUR LEARNING CURRICULUM
If you need some help with the tools, I've created The Training Library for you!!!! Inside of The Training Library are the courses to help you get out of survival mode. There are courses to build your competence and confidence. I've included webinars for you on emotional intelligence and maintaining your composure.

AND...I'm doing a study group on one of the courses!
For 7 weeks, I'm going to be guiding you through the Willpower Essentials course, week-by-week in the Willpower Essentials Study Group.
  • > MEMBERS: If you are a member of The Training Library and want to join in, just reply to this email and say you want to join.
  • > NON-MEMBERS: If you are not yet a member, you can join now or purchase the course separately.

Don't forget to watch your THINKING!
​Think you can and then take responsibly for making it happen! 
🤗

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Create your plan to ditch "Survival Mode"

29/1/2019

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If you are like most women leaders, there is a general unhappiness  with your day-to-day life, but you don’t know how to change it.
  • You never get through everything you want in a day, and you feel as if you aren’t getting anywhere
  • You are so exhausted by the time you get home, that you can’t enjoy life.
  • You feel trapped or stuck and don’t know what to do.
Thus, you moan to your spouse, your girlfriend or your mom. The voice in your head is stuck on "I hate my life!"
​

If this sounds familiar, know that you are not alone! Many women find they are stuck in survival mode. Just getting through their days, tolerating the crap and looking forward to their next vacation to get a break from it all.

It doesn't have to be that way! Keep reading to discover how you can change days and your inner mantra!
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​The short story​

THE PROBLEM:
​The problem is, that you are stuck in a rut and don't quite know how to get out. It may not be bad enough to run, but if you are honest with yourself, it's time for a change of some sort. You just don't know how to do it. 

​THE CONSEQUENCE:

​The consequence of staying trapped can be stagnation, frustration, and bitterness. It can become quite unhealthy for you, your team and your family as the effects spill out around you. Perhaps you’ve already noticed this. Especially, if you, like many, have been bogged down for weeks, months or even years.
​
THE SIMPLE SOLUTION:
The solution is to change it. Getting from where you are now to where you want to be is quite simple, right? You just figure out where you want to go and start moving in that direction. It sounds simple perhaps in theory, but we all know, it is not always so easy in real life. At times, getting there can seem downright impossible.
Click here and learn how to BUILD A PLAN to get out of survival mode!

The longer story​

MY STORY:
I know that place of stuck all too well. Time-and-time again I have found that I am once again feeling stalled. I realized I’d been working hard, but getting nowhere, except worn out. You know that feeling too right?
 
I learned that instead of staying stuck forever, it was when I paused long enough to realize what was going on that I had some great insights. Through conscious pondering, I was able to figure out what I needed to do to get from where I was, to where I wanted to be. This reflection gave me time to think and allowed me to do a little bit of a pivot in a new direction.
 
That slight shift of direction helped me to create a new strategy to accomplish what I was looking for. With that plan in hand, I was able to proceed forward, despite challenges, opposition and with the fear and doubt that are ever present.
 
THE COMPLETE SOLUTION:
​The key to success has always been a plan. It is the deliberate understanding of what I need to do next, and perhaps even after that has gotten me, and can get you too, through the challenges that are inevitably in front of us when we want a different experience of life going forward.
 
A plan is a roadmap that helps you to move from where you are now, to where you want to be. Think of it as your guide that shows you the next step when you get lost or disoriented. Without it, you might just end up going around in circles. Many of us go around-and-around the hamster wheel of life, never really getting anywhere.
 
A plan isn’t just merely saying I don’t want this, but I do want that. A well thought out, and a comprehensive plan includes the steps you need to take and addresses potential challenges and roadblocks that you will face. The truth is, it is going to take time and effort to get to your destination. You will need to work at it step-by-step. To be successful, you need to build a thorough plan. 

AN EXAMPLE:
When I decided to return to school for my degree, it took 8 years and countless hours of study time. I had to stay focused and set my parental guilt aside while my husband handled the kid’s bedtimes and homework. The commitment required a ton of work to overcome inner saboteurs voices that threatened to stop me dead in my tracks.

My plan helped me to focus on what was in front of me. My strategy was to attain my degree slowly and steadily: One course at a time. I strategically planned which courses I was taking and in what order, matching it up with what else was going on in life. I took a couple of semesters off to recharge. I kept the end goal in mind when doubt, fear, and hesitation crept in. I also knew, what chapter I was reading, what paper needed completing and what I needed to do, that evening, and perhaps the next. Both the long-term vision and the daily steps of the plan were crucial to my success.
Click here and learn how to BUILD A PLAN to get out of survival mode!

​DEVELOPING YOUR PLAN: 

​Moving from the trapped place of feeling overwhelm, doubt or spinning your wheels to feeling happy, confident and advancing forward each day with purpose, takes effort, time and persistence. It is not easy. The truth is, it can be quite tricky. What makes getting back into motion easier, is one secret ingredient that is often missed. Wishing, hoping and begging will only take you so far. To get the rest of the way, you need that plan.
 
If it’s time for you to jump off of that crazy hamster wheel and move forward, then it’s time for you to develop your plan.
DON’T GET CAUGHT IN THE HAZARDS: 
​If you are like many women, you develop a plan to change your life, only to have it all fall apart just a short time later. That’s because you likely made one of the critical mistakes most women make when trying to develop a plan to change their life.
 
I want to make sure you are successful moving forward. To help you out with this, I’ve developed a list of the 5 missteps women make when trying to change their life. I’ve also included the “fix” to those mistakes, so you don’t get caught. To get those 5 mistakes, click here, and I’ll send you the report.
 
Remember, the plan is critical. However, it must be a comprehensive plan to work. Take the time, don’t make these mistakes, and build your plan today! When you do, you’ll find yourself getting unstuck. Instead, you will be moving forward with clarity and purpose. ​​
Click here and learn how to BUILD A PLAN to get out of survival mode!
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This book will help you and I kick butt on our 2019 goals!

10/1/2019

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What goals have you set for this year?
I'm doing a mini survey to see what kinds of goals women leaders set for themselves both at work and in their personal lives. I'm curious about yours. Message me and share your goals with me.

What plan do you have for achieving those goals?
Now onto your plan for achieving your goals. Wait...let me back up. You do have goals right? I am not talking about random, vague New Years Resolutions such as I'm going to be healthier this year or I'm going to be a nicer person. I am talking about specific goals.
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Are you the type that doesn't set goals? Think again!
We all need goals. It is when we have goals and targets that we perform at our best. You know this simply by thinking about how good you are at getting something done at the "11th hour."
  • If the funding proposal is due at 3 pm today, you will be nailing your productivity habits.
  • If the wedding is 3 weeks away, you will have amazing healthy eating habits.
  • If you just had a significant health scare, there is a good chance you'll bump up your habit of gratitude journaling.

And...Do you have a plan to go with your goal?
Targets and goals are critical, but your goals are dead in the water if you don't have a strategic plan for how you will achieve them.
If you don't know that you will head to the gym at 5:30 on Mon - Wed - Fri.,
how do you know you will fit into that dress?

You need an implementation plan...
When the clock strikes 5 pm, I will pack up my stuff, leave the office and head to the gym.


You need a strategy to help you implement your plan
An implementation plan is how you will establish the habit of working out...which performed consistently over time, regardless of your workload or how motivated you feel...is what will allow you to achieve your goal. It's the small daily habits that help you to achieve your goals.

It is the plan and your strategy that will allow you to establish those habits!


Do your goals include becoming a stronger leader?
If your goal is to become a stronger, more confident and capable leader, how will you achieve that goal?
  • What will you need to do regularly to make that happen?
  • What skills will you need to learn?
  • What habits will you need to install?
  • What resources (people, books, training, etc.) will you need to help you?
That's your strategic plan. Do you have one?

The book that will help you and me kick butt on our goals this year!
If you have been following my logic here, you realize that one of the things you need to focus on is building good habits. Habits are the bricks that when compounded over time allow you to achieve your goal.
  • Going to the gym once doesn't help you be fit.
  • Hitting the gym 3-5 times each week over the span of 3 months will.
  • Reading a few pages in a book won't make you a more confident leader.
  • Establishing the habit of skill development via reading 20 minutes per day will grow your competence and confidence.

​What is the book that will help you and me?
It's called Atomic Habits by James Clear. I'm reading it and applying the concepts to my 2019 goals. I think you should as well, because women like us, who strive for excellence, need to find ways to create systems we can put on autopilot...so we become our best.
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I'd love to hear about your goals for 2019 and when you start to read Atomic Habits, let me know how you are applying the ideas!

Here's to an amazing 2019! 🙌🏻
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Do goal setting the right way this year with these 10 books

28/12/2018

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As we move into a new year, many of us are setting goals and trying to figure out how to make them stick. Let’s be honest. They won’t. 80 - 90 % of New Year’s resolutions fail.

Do you know why? It’s because you are focused on the goal, not the system you need to achieve those goals.
Keep reading to find out how to make sure you are one of the 10% who is successful this year!
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The goal of losing weight was the same goal for the lady who did it and the one who didn’t. The difference was that one lady made a HABIT of eating healthy and created a SYSTEM for making sure she exercised several times a week.

It has nothing to do with the goal you set. It’s how much you focus on HOW you will reach that goal. It’s all about routines, habits, systems and having the self-discipline to follow through on the routines, habits and system.

The first thing you need to look at is WHY you want to achieve this goal.

That comes down to your values. If you want to get to inbox zero by the end of each week, that might be because you believe it’s respectful to reply to people within a reasonable time. It could be about efficiency or productivity. It may also be connected to wellness.

If you haven’t defined and made sense of what your values mean to you, it’s hard to stick to your goals. Losing weight may be about fitting into that dress before the wedding, it could also be about preventing diabetes that runs in your family.
  • One is feeling confident.
  • The other is health and wellness.
Once you’ve identified your values, that will help you develop habits, routines and systems. Going for a walk several times may be enough to keep diabetes at bay. Hiring a fitness trainer may be needed to whittle that middle!

To help you develop the habits, systems and routines to meet your goals as well as the self-discipline to follow through, I’ve attached some of my favourite books. These will help you get clear and develop that ability to achieve your goals this year!
10 Books that will help you reach your goals this year!
  1. The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We do in Life and Business 
  2. Smarter Faster Better
  3. High Performance Habits: How Extraordinary People Become That Way
  4. Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones
  5. Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity
  6. Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less
  7. Time Shifting: Creating More Time to Enjoy Your Life
  8. The Way We're Working Isn't Working: The Four Forgotten Needs That Energize Great Performance
  9. Willpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength
  10. ​The Willpower Instinct
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Do this before the end of the year if you want MORE!

27/12/2018

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What do you want more of? As we start to contemplate the coming year, set goals and make New Years Resolutions, you've probably thought about more of something. If you want greater success at achieving that this year, try doing  the following before the end of the year to get MORE!
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What do you want MORE of?
  • Happiness
  • Time
  • Joy
  • Peace
  • Money
  • Confidence
  • Productivity
  • Willpower to eat healthily or head to the gym?

Why do you want more?
Perhaps a better question is WHY? Why do you want more of that? Why does that matter that you have more of that?

More Health? WHY?
If you want to be healthier in 2019, consider for a minute why you want to be healthier.
  • Is it because you want to live longer?
  • Maybe you want to be able to get on the floor and play with your children or grandchildren.
  • It could be that you are tired of huffing and puffing when you bring the groceries in.
It may be all of those, but what is truly the driving force behind why you want to be healthier? Knowing why you want something will give you the motivation to make that goal stick.

Your why is connected to your values
The reason behind why you want to achieve something is that it's important to you. You value it. You may value your health, your relationship with your kids or your grandchildren or you may value self-compassion and are finding you haven't been too kind to your physical well-being lately.

Regardless of what you will set for New Years Resolutions or goals, knowing WHY those are important to you will help you be much more successful.

Let me show you how it works:
Here are some goals I've had over the last few years.
  • To read 50 books
  • To publish my first book
  • To grow myself spiritually
  • To strengthen my marriage
  • To complete 400 hours of coaching
  • To develop a stronger yoga practice
  • To develop my capacity for compassion
  • To spend 1-1 time with my adult children
  • To increase the number of people who are receiving my weekly newsletter


My top value is Excellence. I used to think that meant good grades and being the best, smartest or quickest. Exploring my values has helped me to understand how the value of excellence shows up in my life and how it can help me to achieve my goals. Here is how I define my value of excellence:
  • Excellence is living into my full potential each and every day and aiming to reach my potential in life.
  • I strive to excellence as a person, wife, mother, grandmother, community member, coach, teacher and writer. As such I challenge myself, persist through those challenges by excelling in:
  • My physical, emotional and spiritual health and wellbeing
  • My relationships
  • My service in my work and in my community
Look at my list above of some of the goals I have set over the years. The majority of them come back to living to my full potential, being my personal best and demonstrating excellence in all that I do, in my personal life and in my service to you and in my community.

When I have done the work to get clear on my core values, I can then be better able to set goals for 2019 that will stick.

What does this mean for you?
Here's what you need to do:
  1. Identify your top values.
  2. Then define what those values really mean to you.
  3. Get clear on how they show up in your life and how you can be sure you are living your life aligned with those core values.
If you take time to do this before the end of the year, you can be sure to set goals and resolutions that are not only meaningful but that you will find greater success in achieving!

If you need help with identifying, defining and clarifying your values, grab the Values Verification course today. Schedule in a couple of hours to work on it in the next few days. Then, use your new understanding of your values to set goals for 2019!

Whether you do this on your own, or with the help of the Values Verification course, I'd love to hear how you are using your values to set goals for 2019! Shoot me an email and tell me what you've learned about how to make 2019 goals that stick!

I know I'll be looking at where I can excel next...I suspect that will be in The Training Library as I strive to give you my best, so you can be your best in both leadership and in life!
DON'T MISS THIS DEAL! 
  • You can grab the Values Verification course here as a stand-alone course for $49
  • You can get the Values Verification course included in your monthly subscription to The Training Library as well as access to monthly training and upcoming courses as they are released and discounted 1-1 coaching! This all for $19.97/month​
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    Kathy Archer

    Women leaders often hit a point where they find themselves in over their heads and wondering if they have what it takes to lead.
    ​In my online courses and coaching I teach them inner and outer tools to restore their lost confidence so they can move from surviving to thriving in both leadership and life.

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