Achieving Personal Fulfillment Ezine (sm) "Positive Psychology to the Rescue" (sm) Febuary 2007

Published by Maurine D. Patten, Ed.D. CMC Founder & CEO, Patten Coaching & Consulting www.pattencoaching.com

Please pass this issue on to friends or coworkers. To unsubscribe or change your address, follow the easy Subscription Information at the end.

In This Issue: 1. Preview 2. Before You Give Up on the Goals You Set,  Read This 3. Getting into Action 4. Looking Ahead

1. Preview Achieving Personal Fulfillment Ezine explores how to progress rapidly from dreams to action.  It is a free monthly email newsletter written by Maurine D. Patten, life/business coach and clinical psychologist. Using Positive Psychology, topics are presented from the perspective of Maurine Patten and are provided to help you get the results you want.  It will help you manage change, improve your Emotional Intelligence and make better decisions with less effort. How are you doing with the goals that you set the beginning of this year?  Research indicates that by mid-February most people will have given up on the goals they set in January.  I hope you are not one of them.  However, there are times when you might need to let go of a goal.  This issue focuses on how to determine when it is appropriate to drop a goal.  Back to Index

2. Before You Give Up on the Goals You Set, Read This Hopefully, you are one of the few who is making progress on the goals you set for yourself last month.  If you followed the suggestions in last month's ezine, you increased your ability to pick the best goals at this time in your life. If not, you may have already given up on a goal or are thinking about doing so.  If this is true, you might want to carefully consider the following tips, and see if you gave up too soon. Back to Index

3. Getting into Action The goals that we value the most may be difficult to reach.  There can be sebacks and plateaus to work through.  This can decrease your motivation and cause you to question whether or not your goal is appropriate. Are you experiencing any of the following warning signs that you need to let go of a goal? You have repeatedly tried to work on your goal with little to no progress. You have trouble motivating yourself to take small steps forward. You repeatedly tell yourself you do not have time, or you do not make the time to work on your goal. You are making progress toward your goal, but you do not feel happpier or more satisfied. You think of giving up the goal and feel a sense of relief or happier. If you are experiencing any of these warning signs, consider taking the following steps: Ask a friend that you trust to give you objective feedback regarding questions you have about your goal, i.e. Is your goal realistic given your values and strengths; Is your timeline for reaching your goal realistic? Give yourself at least 24 to 48 hours to make your decision.  Think about it before you go to bed.  Try journaling your feelings for a couple of nights, and then make your decision when you get up.  We make better decisions after sleeping. Make a commitment to drop the goal if that is your decision rather than just stop trying.  It helps you move on if you have chosen to stop working on that particular goal rather than keep wishing you were working on it. Pursue a new goal.  Goal replacement is more important if you are older because there is a feeling there is less time left to pursue goals.  Having appropriate goals enriches your life and helps create feelings of hopefulness and purpose.  Back to Index

4. Looking Ahead For those of you who are looking for ways to track your progress, there are several online resources that you might find helpful: www.joesgoals.com - easy tracking format. www.joeslogbook.com - a log book for tracking your goals. www.lifetango.com - includes a brainstorming wizard and enables you to find others with similar goals. www.mylifechanges.com - a free and paid version which includes reminders and other enhancements.  It incorporates your goals and values. www.toodledo.com - a task tracker with email reminders and a Firefox extension that enables you to view your goals without visiting the website. What questions do you have about your goals?  Let me know how I can help you.  I look forward to hearing from you, mdpcoach@pattencoaching.com. Maurine Patten mdpcoach@pattencoaching.com Back to Index

Subscription Information Achieving Personal Fulfillment Ezine is a free publication. If you, or someone you know, wants (to continue) to receive the Journal, click on SUBSCRIBE or go to: http://www.pattencoaching.com and click on Ezine Archives. If you do not want to continue to receive the Journal, click on UNSUBSCRIBE or go to: http://www.pattencoaching.com and click on Ezine Archives. Be assured your name and email address are confidential. We do not sell, rent or share our mailing list with anyone.

Contact Information Patten Coaching & Consulting Voice: 60-584-8936 Fax: 630-584-8868 Web: http://www.pattencoaching.com E-Mail: mdpcoach@pattencoaching.com (c) Copyright 2002 Patten Coaching & Consulting All rights reserved.

Distribution Rights Achieving Personal Fulfillment Ezine (sm) is copyrighted, but you may retransmit or distribute it to whomever you wish as long as not a single word is changed, added, or deleted, including the contact information. However, you may not copy it to a web site. Republication of Achieving Personal Fulfillment Ezine (sm) in paper media is encouraged and permitted by individuals, organizations and associations, as long as the issue is reprinted in its entirety, without change, and includes the contact information. With advance permission, we are happy to edit an issue to fit your space requirements. Republication also is encouraged under other circumstances. However, the advance permission of Patten Coaching and Consulting must be obtained in the event that changes in the text are desired.

Mission Achieving Personal Fulfillment Ezine is dedicated to inspiring and expanding your perspective in order for you to move forward in your personal and professional life. Achieving Personal Fulfillment Ezine is a publication of Patten Coaching & Consulting; CEO, Maurine D. Patten, Ed.D.; mdpcoach@pattencoaching.com We would like Achieving Personal Fulfillment Ezine to be as interactive as possible. If you have feedback, comments, topics you would like addressed, or can suggest additional resources to benefit us all, please email us at any time. Send your e-mail to ezinefeedback@pattencoaching.com. Please forward this issue to anyone you think would find Achieving Personal Fulfillment Ezine interesting and beneficial. Your recommendations help us keep growing, and ensure an excellent exchange of information and techniques. Archives You can read previous issues of Achieving Personal Fulfillment Ezine in our archives on our archives page.

About Maurine D. Patten, Ed.D., CMC Maurine Patten is a clinical psychologist and certified life/business coach.   Her professional career includes: independent business owner (26 years), Assistant Professor at Chicago State University, and consultant for education and business. She is a graduate of the MentorCoach program and a member of the International Coach Federation. She is experienced in training and management development for large national and international firms. She has a strong background in working with individuals and couples on clarifying and achieving goals. Dr. Patten has training in coaching, Emotional Intelligence, retirement assessment and planning, cognitive therapy and health psychology. She has published articles, made presentations, and conducted workshops about: Emotional Intelligence Creating a Fulfilling Retirement Anxiety and Achievement Stress Management Setting and Achieving Goals Self-Esteem Communication Skills Marital/relationship Enrichment Wellness Issues The Psychology of Happiness

Back to main