Alissa Finerman

Los Angeles Executive Coach and Gallup Certified StrengthsFinder Coach, Speaker and Author

Change Your Attitude About Goals

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This post was featured on Positively Positive.

Is it time to retire the daunting word of goal and substitute a more appealing word that resonates with you such as intention, aim, purpose, or desire?

I believe words are meant to inspire rather than drag us down. Ultimately, the responsibility falls on each one of us to bring positive energy into our life, family, team, and society. Therefore, if the word goal doesn’t motivate you, then change it. Your challenge is to design a “goal” that makes you feel alive, engaged, and inspired. As long as your goal means something special to you, it’s a good one.

A more approachable way to think about goals is to view them as a path that will increase the chances of a desired outcome. Setting a goal or purpose is an effective way to make sure you don’t leave any of your potential on the table. Even a small amount of progress can be the momentum you need to make a change. Chances are, you will be further along than if you did nothing.

Think about what you would love to accomplish this coming year that would bring you more joy and fulfillment?

 

– Do you want to complete your yoga certification?

– Would you like to carve out time to take photography classes?

– Or perhaps it’s time to finally change jobs and do something that you enjoy.

 

For some, the word goal is a turn-off because it carries too much pressure in the form of showing results and making yourself accountable. All too often we are judged by our results, when in reality, results are simply a reference point to see if we are creating the life and experiences that make us feel fulfilled. Personally, the word goal is a positive energy word for me because it represents moving toward something that is meaningful, fulfilling, and exciting. This wasn’t always the case when I worked in finance but it is now. I feel incredibly empowered when I move outside my comfort zone to achieve something. This feeling of accomplishment helps me think expansively about what else is possible and gives me hope. For example, writing your first blog may give you the confidence to write the first chapter of your book you’ve been talking about. Setting a meaningful goal/intention can take you from impossible to possible.

Too many people stir up drama when they think about setting a goal. Be honest, you plan vacations and use Google maps to get directions, don’t you? Setting goals or intentions are another way to think about making your vision a reality.

I’ve seen clients achieve incredible results when they go after a goal and put themselves on the line. One client set a breakthrough goal for her company, Anna Beck, to have their jewelry featured on Katie Couric’s new daytime show — it happened on her holiday giveaway show. And yes, sometimes you don’t achieve your complete goal or meet the target date and that’s ok. When I decided to write my first book, Living in YOUR Top 1%, I set a goal to publish it by January 2011. However, we had to make some necessary edits and move the date to February 2011. And you know what? I was disappointed but the project was still successful and has inspired thousands (and hopefully many more). Be flexible and do whatever you need to get in the game!

Top 1% Bottom Line: If the word goal doesn’t float your boat and inspire you to take action, then make a choice and change your words. The key is to turn your ideas into action however you can. Don’t get derailed because a simple word such as goal triggers you. Take charge and find an appealing substitute so you can take a step forward.

 

About Alissa

Alissa Finerman is an Executive Coach and Gallup Certified Strengths Coach, speaker and author of Living in YOUR Top 1%. She works with managers, C-suite executives and teams to leverage strengths, shift beliefs and achieve meaningful goals. Alissa has an MBA from the Wharton School and a BA from the University of California, Berkeley. She has worked with Ross Stores, Petco, BNP Paribas, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, Brookfield Property Partners, Neutrogena, Bristol-Myers Squibb and Dress for Success. To learn more about coaching with Alissa, please visit her website and follow her on Facebook

 

Top 1%er Interview Series with Jenn Lim: “Inspire and be Inspired”

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TOP 1%er INTERVIEW SERIES

The goal of the “Top 1%er” interview series is to break down the qualities of people who excel and to show that you can be successful and achieve personal greatness from any starting point in your life. The interview series will look at people from all different careers and industries. Some names will be familiar and others may not. The purpose is to understand and borrow from the “best practices” of winners to develop a roadmap to your TOP 1%. We will share a new story every two weeks.

Our guest this week is Jenn Lim, the CEO and Chief Happiness Officer of Delivering Happiness, a company she and Tony Hsieh (CEO of Zappos) co-created to inspire happiness in work, community, and everyday life. In 2005, she created the first Culture Book for Zappos. In 2009, Zappos was sold to Amazon.com in a deal valued at $1.2 billion on the day of closing, and in 2011, Zappos was #6 on Fortune’s “100 Best Companies to Work For” list. The Culture Book has become a global symbol of how companies can successfully create cultures based on happiness and be profitable at the same time. In 2010, Jenn led the launch and management of Tony’s first book, Delivering Happiness, which hit #1 on numerous bestseller lists (including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today). Today, she’s dedicated to growing the social venture of Delivering Happiness to “Inspire, Be Inspired, and Create Happiness,” day by day.
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ALISSA FINERMAN: 1. What’s the most important strength you possess that allows you to be successful in your role?
JENN LIM: I am genuinely interested in people – what they do, who they are, and why they do the things they do.

2. Tell me about some of the daily thoughts that inspire you to keep going?
JL: 10 years ago, I came to a point in my life where I knew every decision had to be based on something I felt was meaningful and worthwhile. That happened because my greatest fear happened – a loved one (my dad) died. As a result, I don’t have to remind myself of what keeps me going every day – people mean everything to me and the Delivering Happiness movement that continues to grow.

3. How do you prepare for an important project in your life?
JL: I research, go by gut, apply lessons learned in the past, and take a step knowing that I’ve done all I can to get it done right.

4. How do you record and move forward on your goals?
JL: My most exciting adventure this year was just announced at SXSW last week:

www.deliveringhappiness.com/first-there-was-a-book
www.fastcompany.com/1738432/delivering-happiness-tony-hsieh-jenn-lim-zappos-ceo

5. What keeps you motivated each day?
JL: People

6. What are some of the toughest challenges you have overcome?
JL: My dad dying made me rethink what I needed to change because everything we know could end tomorrow. Also, getting laid off made me rethink what money, title, and status meant.

7. What do the top performers do differently to excel?
JL: They are:
* passionate
* have a higher purpose
* always themselves

To learn more about Jenn Lim, visit www.deliveringhappiness.com and www.facebook.com/deliveringhappiness.

The “Top 1%er” interview series is presented by Alissa Finerman, an Executive Coach and Gallup Certified Strengths Coach, speaker and author of Living in YOUR Top 1%. She works with managers, C-suite executives and teams to leverage strengths, shift beliefs and achieve meaningful goals. Alissa has an MBA from the Wharton School and a BA from the University of California, Berkeley. She has worked with Ross Stores, Petco, BNP Paribas, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, Brookfield Property Partners, Neutrogena, Bristol-Myers Squibb and Dress for Success. To learn more about coaching with Alissa, please visit her website and follow her on Facebook

 

Living in YOUR Top 1% Interview Series – “Balance the Big Picture with the Key Details”

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TOP 1%er INTERVIEW SERIES

The goal of the “Top 1%er” interview series is to break down the qualities of people who excel and to show that you can be successful and achieve personal greatness from any starting point in your life. The interview series will look at people from all different careers and industries. Some names will be familiar and others may not. The purpose is to understand and borrow from the “best practices” of winners to develop a roadmap to your TOP 1%. We will share a new story every two weeks.

This week’s guest is Glenn Yago, Ph.D. Glenn is the executive director of financial research at the Milken Institute and a leading authority on financial innovations, capital markets, emerging markets, and environmental finance. His research and projects have contributed to policy innovations fostering the democratization of capital to underserved markets and entrepreneurs in the U.S. and worldwide. He has co-authored five books.
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Glenn has a very thoughtful approach and is amazingly humble given all that he has accomplished and contributed to the world. We spoke earlier this month about Living in Your Top 1% and the qualities that help people excel.

ALISSA FINERMAN: 1. What’s the most important strength you possess that helps you to be successful in your role?
GLENN YAGO: I think my core strengths are my ability to keep a sense of humor in difficult times, be tenacious, and never take myself too seriously. I always feel that I can do better and that I’m a work in progress.

2. Tell me about some of the daily thoughts that inspire you to keep going?
GY: I say gratitude every morning. It’s a saying that was inspired by my grandfather and helps to ground me for the day and remind me how fortunate I am.

3. How do you prepare for a new or important project in your life?
GY: I start reading and learning everything I can and then find out who the experts are in that area and talk to them. I make an effort to leave any preconceived notions behind of how I think the problem can be solved and go into something with an open mind.

4. What small steps did you take to get started?
GY: When I was a young researcher, I sent in my work to the top newspapers. All the people around me told me my work would never get accepted and that I shouldn’t approach the best papers. My first piece was accepted which gave me tremendous confidence. Since that time, I’ve had other articles rejected but it never stops me from reaching a little higher.
I’ve always taken small steps to make sure I am working with people who inspire me and who share similar values and interests. When I was getting started, I opted to work on projects that had an impact and added meaning to society.

5. How do you record and move forward on your goals?
GY: I always write down my goals in a notebook that I have and make an effort to focus on quality goals that excite me rather than pure quantity. For example, one meaningful goal is to co-author a book each year that focuses on innovations and solutions for social and economic global issues.

6. What keeps you motivated each day?
GY: Changing practices or the way people think about an issue. For example, one important project focuses on making our need/dependence on oil obsolete. That’s exciting!

7. What are some of the toughest challenges you have overcome?
GY: My biggest issue is stepping through fear in a new situation and pushing myself to do things that might intimidate me. I always try to expose myself to new situations and step into the unknown. The process doesn’t necessarily get easier but with each mini-win, I build confidence.

8. What do the top performers do differently to excel?
GY: The key is to stay humble and to avoid categorical thinking. You need to understand the big picture, the broader implications of an idea, and simultaneously be able to identify the key details to make it work. If you can get out of the weeds and ask yourself why am I doing this, you will have the best chance of moving forward. I’ve also found it invaluable to be able to work through problems/issues and to build relationships along the way.

The “top 1%er” interview series is presented by Alissa Finerman, an Executive Coach and Gallup Certified Strengths Coach, speaker and author of Living in YOUR Top 1%. She works with managers, C-suite executives and teams to leverage strengths, shift beliefs and achieve meaningful goals. Alissa has an MBA from the Wharton School and a BA from the University of California, Berkeley. She has worked with Ross Stores, Petco, BNP Paribas, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, Brookfield Property Partners, Neutrogena, Bristol-Myers Squibb and Dress for Success. To learn more about coaching with Alissa, please visit her website and follow her on Facebook

 

Living in YOUR Top 1% Interview Series with Dr. Jonathan Simons – “Follow Your Bliss”

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Living in YOUR Top 1% INTERVIEW SERIES with Jonathan Simons, MD by Alissa Finerman

The goal of the “Living in YOUR Top 1%” interview series is to break down the qualities of people who excel and to show that you can be successful and achieve personal greatness from any starting point in your life. The interview series will look at people from all different careers and industries. Some names will be familiar and others may not. The purpose is to understand and borrow from the “best practices” of winners to develop a roadmap to your TOP 1%. We will share a new story every two weeks.

This week’s guest is JONATHAN W. SIMONS, MD, President and CEO of the Prostate Cancer Foundation (www.pcf.org). Dr. Simons is an internationally recognized physician-scientist, oncologist and acclaimed investigator in prostate cancer research. He is the Founding Director of the Winship Cancer Institute at Emory University in Atlanta. Dr. Simons received a BA from Princeton University and an MD from The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Started in 1993, PCF is the leading philanthropic organization funding and accelerating research globally to cure prostate cancer. The U.S. death rate from this disease has dropped nearly 40% from what was once projected.
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Dr. Simons is an amazing person who is deeply passionate about making a difference in the world. We spoke earlier this month about Living in Your Top 1% and the qualities that help people excel. He is a big believer that passion, combined with small steps and consistency, pave the way for big things.

ALISSA FINERMAN: 1. What’s the most important strength you possess that helps you to be successful in your role?
JONATHAN SIMONS: I think one of my strengths is being able to convey my vision for success and break down the key components to my team. I also make an effort to focus on solutions, make decisions when needed, and empower others to do their job.

2. Tell me about some of the daily thoughts that inspire you to keep going?
JS: As an oncologist, I realize that having a day of health is a privilege and a gift. I have a morning ritual to help ground me for the day that takes about five minutes and includes saying gratitude and a short meditation. Before going to sleep, I always try to think about an interesting idea in science or medicine rather than think about problems.

3. How do you prepare for a new or important project in your life?
JS: My first step is always to define the issue or project. Next, I bring together a team of the best people who won’t always agree on a solution. We will have several team meetings until we can visualize a solution to take action on.

4. How do you record and move forward on your goals?
I am a big goal setter. I have a dedicated goal setting journal where I write down all of my goals in different areas of my life. I then look at my goal notebook on the 1st Sunday of each month to see what needs to be revised.

5. What keeps you motivated each day?
JS: I’m fortunate to say that I’ve always followed my passion and interests which are science, medicine, and helping others. I’ve been able to combine a career with what I love to do.

6. What are some of the toughest challenges you have overcome?
JS: My biggest professional challenge on a daily basis is to channel and prioritize my multiple interests. To do this, I focus on top tier priorities which change frequently. On a personal basis, the death of my father during medical school was a very difficult time. I wanted to help my mom through the grieving process and to excel in school, which was a challenge. I started meditating during this time to calm my mind and gain greater clarity.

7. What do the top performers do differently to excel?
JS: The people who I see excel find a special bliss in doing something or making a contribution at a world-class level. This “bliss” will be different for each one of us. If something is worth doing, you might as well give it all you’ve got. I think it’s important to find something that truly excites you. Then follow that up with consistency and small steps to make progress. The last piece of the puzzle is to train your mind to focus on solutions and see the success that you want to bring into your life. It’s a process! Not everything has to go from zero to sixty in less than a second.

“Follow your bliss and don’t be afraid, and doors will open where you didn’t know they were going to be.” ~ Joseph Campbell

The “top 1%er” interview series is presented by Alissa Finerman, an Executive Coach and Gallup Certified Strengths Coach, speaker and author of Living in YOUR Top 1%. She works with managers, C-suite executives and teams to leverage strengths, shift beliefs and achieve meaningful goals. Alissa has an MBA from the Wharton School and a BA from the University of California, Berkeley. She has worked with Ross Stores, Petco, BNP Paribas, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, Brookfield Property Partners, Neutrogena, Bristol-Myers Squibb and Dress for Success. To learn more about coaching with Alissa, please visit her website and follow her on Facebook