Where's Your Value?
Author: Leanne Hoagland-Smith, M.S.

The simple action of writing the every day grocery quietly demonstrates how we truly value our lives and inspire future actions. Each week, many of us spend 10 to 30 minutes or more writing down the weekly future grocery purchases, clipping coupons and checking advertisements. Unfortunately, sometimes, we forget to bring the list and end up with additional purchases, spending more money than originally anticipated and probably having to return to buy the missed items. All of these actions have wasted money, time and energy and more importantly have contributed to increased stress levels as well as negative, unhappy feelings about ourselves. Just think about the last time you forgot your list and how did you feel about yourself? Were those thoughts fleeting or did they stay with you a while?

Mostly everyone agrees that a written grocery list has significant value. If you agree to the value of the everyday grocery list, then do you have a written plan to inspire success and happiness for the rest of your life? If you have answered no to this question, then what you are really saying is that the time to write a grocery list has more value than the time necessary to plan for your future and more importantly you are willing to leave YOUR future happiness to chance and happenstance.

Part of the reason for this apparent disconnect is that individuals have been taught how to write a list and even to prioritize that same list, but very few have been taught or trained how to write an Action Plan for future happiness and success. Since consistent goal setting and goal achievement actions are skills, these skills are not taught and not developed because a presumption exists that individuals have learned these critical personal and professional skills. Individuals may hear about the need to set goals, but when the time comes to implement a goal, their good intentions quickly crumble. Think about all the New Year's Resolutions and how many were actually achieved?

Imagine the added benefits to your life if you could achieve your dreams, desires and goals. How would that make you feel? Would those achievements enhance your own feelings of self-worth and self-esteem? Where would you be right now? Would your life be more inspirational and have more value than that it does right now at this moment in time? What would that success and happiness look like to you.

If you believe that your future life has definitely more value and can create greater happiness than a weekly grocery list, then what actions are you going to choose within the next 24 hours to demonstrate the importance of that belief? Remember, the choice is now yours!







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Leanne Hoagland-Smith , M.S., President of ADVANCED SYSTEMS the Process Specialist, helps people and organizations to build peace and abundance by connecting their 3-P¡¦s of Passion, Purpose and Performance through improved processes. Her co-authored book M.A.G.I.C.A.L. Potential„•: Living an Amazing Life Beyond Purpose to Achievement is due out in June of 20054. Visit http://www.processspecialist.com or email leanne@processspecialist.com.

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