Ann Rusnak

The Secrets to Achieving Big Goals

How would you like to achieve a big goal? Achieving big goals is a science. We’re not talking about losing 10 pounds or cleaning out the attic by the end of the month. A big goal is losing 50 pounds or doubling your income.

My friend Stephanie Rainbow Bell, wrote a best-selling book, Beautiful at Any Size, based on the concept of releasing 100 plus pounds is different than someone wanting to remove 10 pounds.

The average person can effectively accomplish smaller goals but often struggles with bigger ones. Big goals aren’t more difficult to do. They just require more time.

Big goals require a different strategy:

It’s important to measure your progress. Big goals take time, and it’s easy to become discouraged. It’s common for most of the results to occur near the end of the process. Perseverance is critical. Measuring your progress provides the motivation to keep going.

Since big goals can take more time, it’s important to know that you’re on the right track. Maintaining an awareness of your progress or lack of progress will allow you to change your approach as needed.

Make big goals a priority.
How many times did you set a goal, only to forget all about it in a week? Remind yourself of your goal each day. At the very least, read your goal once per day. Consider reading, writing, and visualizing it twice per day.

[click_to_tweet tweet=”Big goals require a different strategy: It’s important to measure your progress.” quote=”Big goals require a different strategy: It’s important to measure your progress.”]

Mental garbage is the biggest obstacle. The thought of making a million dollars might sound great, but there’s also a part of you that feels queasy at the thought. This discomfort is a sign from our subconscious that it’s not entirely on board. There is limiting belief within not believing you can do it. Letting you know you’re out of sync with your true ME

There are many techniques to deal with this discomfort. You can meditate. You can focus on a positive outcome. You can reframe the situation. Do whatever helps you to feel better.
If you can’t visualize the achievement of your goal and feel 100% positive, it will be challenging to achieve.

Focus on your habits.
Your ideal body is the result of your eating and exercise habits. Losing 50 pounds is the result of having the appropriate habits and being patient enough to enjoy the results. What habits do you need to implement to make achieving your goals automatic?

Avoid the belief that huge success is the result of a single, spectacular action. Small changes in behavior and focus can provide the same, impressive results over time.

Be patient.
Rome wasn’t built in a day, so it’s not fair to expect something amazing to happen in a week. Set a reasonable timetable and relax. Big goals are marathons, not sprints. Read biographies of those that accomplished impressive things. The time and patience spent by our heroes are impressive.

Practice patience by learning to be patient in everyday situations. We all have plenty of opportunities. Waiting in line, sitting in traffic, or waiting at the doctor’s office are just a few examples. Just relax and breathe.

Only choose goals that are highly meaningful.
A goal is much easier to achieve if you passionately want to achieve it. Some people bite off more than their motivation can chew. A big goal requires commitment, sacrifice, and time. Avoid goals that aren’t worth the cost. You’ll only be wasting your time.

Big goals are exciting and life-changing, but big goals are often avoided because of the likelihood of failure. There is a process to making significant changes in your life. Be clear on your objective and create habits that bring you closer to that objective each day. Measure your results to stay motivated and ensure that you’re making progress. Before you know it, you’ll reach your first big goal!

Ready to Go After Your Bigger Goals?

Click to Join the FREE 5 Day Re-Charge Your Goals Challenge Today

Stay Unstoppable,

Beware of These Mistakes When Setting Goals

by Ann Rusnak Leave a Comment

Goals are very powerful. What’s the likelihood of accidentally accomplishing something that makes your life much better without goals? Great accomplishments require intention. Having intention keeps your mind sharp and searching for solutions.

Unfortunately, most of us were never taught how to set effective goals in school.

For best results, avoid these 9 goal-setting mistakes:

Setting too many goals. Instead of having a multitude of goals, try setting one highly meaningful goal. When you have a history of success, increase the number of goals you’re simultaneously pursuing.

Too many goals can be overwhelming and spread your resources too thin.

Choosing goals that aren’t highly meaningful to you. If you’re going to limit yourself to a single goal, it’s especially important to choose one that’s highly desirable to you and will have a great impact on your life.

The more you want it, the more likely you are to aggressively pursue it.

Expecting things to go smoothly. A highly desirable and meaningful goal is unlikely to be reached quickly and easily. Expect a few bumps along the way.

Keep a positive attitude and simply assess the situation when things don’t go the way you had hoped. Change your approach and try again.
Using this process to move closer and closer to your goal, regardless of the circumstances, how could you not be successful?

Not recognizing signs from your subconscious. If you’ve set a desirable goal, it’s only natural that you’d pursue it aggressively and enthusiastically. If you find yourself procrastinating, losing your enthusiasm, or failing to take action for any reason, your subconscious is trying to tell you that something is amiss.

[click_to_tweet tweet=”Is your subconscious working for you or against you in achieving your goals?” quote=”Is your subconscious working for you or against you in achieving your goals?”]

Setting an unreasonable timeline. Things always seem to take longer than we expected. Try to be realistic and set a deadline that’s reasonable and takes into account a few challenges along the way.

By not giving yourself enough time, you’re risking the possibility that you’ll feel discouraged when you don’t complete your goal on time.

Failing to measure your progress. Imagine having a weight loss or financial goal but never weighing yourself or measuring your income. You’d never know where you stood relative to your goal. Review your progress on a regular basis.
Setting goals that aren’t realistic. There are many goals that appear unrealistic, yet are realistic with an adequate deadline. However, there are also goals that are highly unlikely to be reached. For example, if you’re 55 years old and 5’ 5”, you’re not going to play in the NBA.

You can accomplish great things, but some things simply aren’t an option, regardless of the timeline. Seek wisdom in telling the difference.

Setting goals that take too long. It’s much easier to stay focused on goals that are limited to around 12 weeks.

If you have a goal that will take longer than three months, determine where you would expect to be in three months and make that your goal. Big goals are likely to require several smaller goals that ultimately lead to its completion.

Not having a clear endpoint. An effective goal is measurable and has a clear endpoint. For example, “making more money” isn’t an effective goal. A penny is more money. Would you be satisfied with that? Be as concise as possible. Ensure you can measure your goal.

A goal is a gateway to a happier life. But setting effective goals takes practice, and it’s important to avoid making these common goal-setting mistakes. Avoid these mistakes and you greatly increase the odds of realizing success!

Do any of these mistakes hold back the goals you made?
Instead of fretting over what you did or didn’t do so far, it’s not too late to take action and still make this your best year! Click to Join the FREE 5 Day Re-Charge Your Goals Challenge Today

Stay Unstoppable,

Your Amazing Goals Are Soaring Toward You

by Ann Rusnak Leave a Comment

Whether you realize it or not, every day brings you closer to your goals and dreams. You may feel like you have a long way to go, but you’re closer than you think. Avoid giving up or getting discouraged. Keep moving forward. Every setback is a learning experience that brings you closer to your goal.

When people tell you all the reasons you’ll fail, or when you try to do something but receive a less than perfect outcome, avoid taking to heart. People always have opinions, and they can be – and usually are – wrong. Each failure can be a stepping-stone if you turn it into one. Even professional athletes and actors make mistakes. It’s okay to be human!

[click_to_tweet tweet=”Every setback is a learning experience that brings you closer to your goal.” quote=”Every setback is a learning experience that brings you closer to your goal.”]

Your successful outcome may arrive next month, next week, or even today. When you stop before you complete your goal or dream, you lose the chance to see yourself completely fulfilled and reach the destiny that you were created for.

You just might be hours away from your goals!

How to Keep Moving Forward

Moving forward is critical to reaching your goal, and you can find ways to keep going each and every day. When you look for ways to move ahead, you inch closer and closer to your goal. As you see it getting closer, you’ll put in a greater effort to reach it. That speeds up the process and it makes you happier and healthier, both mentally and spiritually.

[click_to_tweet tweet=”When you look for ways to move ahead, you inch closer and closer to your goal” quote=” When you look for ways to move ahead, you inch closer and closer to your goal”]

The correct approach for you depends on how you work best. Thankfully, there are plenty of things you can do to stay on the right path until you reach the goal that you’ve set for yourself. You can:

Keep a journal so you can keep track of what you’ve accomplished every day.
Surround yourself with like-minded people who are also interested in achieving a common goal.
Remove negativity from your life by choosing to focus on happiness and joy.
Stay busy, instead of allowing yourself to just sit around and make excuses.

Reaching Goals Can Mean Significant Life Changes

Remember that reaching a goal can mean a dramatic change in your life. This is often a change for the better, however. With change comes uncertainty, and uncertainty is uncomfortable for many people. If you’re willing to leave your comfort zone, you can experience an abundant life of prosperity and joy that is filled with everything you’ve always dreamed about. Embrace the changes that lead to the future you deserve.

It’s important that you understand the value of change and accept that it can bring much good to your life. Certainly, there are unpleasant changes that can occur in your life. However, if you keep taking steps forward toward your dreams, most of the change you’ll experience will bring satisfaction to your heart and fulfillment to your soul.

Accept, enjoy, and celebrate the changes that come into your life. Learn to be comfortable with being uncomfortable, and you’ll be in the driver seat toward your destiny. If you confidently go after what you want, you can confidently expect that the changes you experience will be positive ones. Keep an open mind and a positive attitude. Expect success and you will attain that success!

Stay Unstoppable,

P.S.
Are the goals you set at the beginning of the year, now a fading memory?
Hey… Life gets in the way and things happen. Instead of fretting over what you did or didn’t do so far, you can still achieve those goals you started earlier this year! Join the FREE 5 Day Re-Charge Your Goals Challenge Today

6 Inspiring Ways to Change Your Behavior for Success

by Ann Rusnak Leave a Comment

Do you sometimes feel as if you don’t have enough control over your life? Often, we’re told by changing our thinking, we can change our lives.

Our current life is the result of our long-term behaviors. When you change your thinking, you can regain control by making positive changes to your behavior patterns as well.

6 Inspiring Ways to Change Your Behavior

Following these strategies will make it easier to change your behaviors to support your new thought patterns and exert more control over your experiences:

Make the new behavior as enjoyable as possible. For instance, you might dislike exercising, but if you could find a way to make it more enjoyable, you would partake more often in this healthy activity. Maybe you could exercise with a friend or discover a new form of exercise that you enjoy.

The more agreeable the new task is to you, the more likely you are to do it.

Make a list of the positive benefits you’ll receive. By making a list, you’ll begin to see the task in a more positive light. Come up with as many benefits as you can and keep the list in plain view.

For example, perhaps you feel like you should eat more nutritiously. Some of the positive aspects of healthier eating might include:
- I’ll feel better.
- My clothes will fit better.
- I’ll enjoy more vigorous health.
- I’ll be more attractive.
- I can play with the kids more easily.
- I can go hiking again without tiring halfway through the trek.
- I’ll feel a sense of pride.
- I can go to the pool without feeling embarrassed

Make a decision. Just decide you will do it; often that’s the hardest part. Deciding is the first step toward accomplishment. Until that point, it’s just wishing.

[click_to_tweet tweet=”Deciding is the first step toward accomplishment” quote=” Deciding is the first step toward accomplishment”]

Switch your thoughts. If you focus on how much you don’t like doing something, it will be much more difficult to get yourself to do it. Try to catch yourself before you get too far down that road. When a negative thought like this arises, substitute a new thought from the list you made in step #2.

What are some ways you can add fun into changing your behavior?
The more incentive you have, the more likely you are to be successful.

For example, if you spend all your time focused on how good you’re going to look after eating well for three months, your odds of success go up considerably. On the other hand, if you spend all your time thinking negatively, what do you think the outcome will be?

Reward yourself along the way. A little reward can go a long way. Don’t wait for a new behavior to take root, do something nice for yourself on the progress. More importantly, be proud of yourself for following through on any behavior that improves your life.
Be diligent. While getting started is often the most difficult part, it can be easy to backslide if you get distracted and stop paying attention. Every day, review how you did. It’s important not to beat yourself up if you think you’re not progressing or relapsed. Each moment you spend measuring your progress serves as a daily reminder to keep going. This will help solidify the behavior.

[click_to_tweet tweet=”Solidify your new behavior with measuring your daily progress” quote=”Solidify your new behavior with measuring your daily progress”]

Changing behaviors can be challenging, but it can improve your life in the long-term. Examine which behaviors you might want to alter to take your life to the next level, and then apply the process above. Be patient with yourself – after all, it, it took many years to form the behavior you want to replace. Some things will take time to change, but you can do it!

Tired of change being hard? You can make significant changes with EASE when you know the secret! Get Your “7 Simple Stages for Successful Changes” FREE Cheat Sheet by Clicking “I Want It Now!”“

Stay Unstoppable,

9 Wonderful Ways to Enhance Your Self-Love

by Ann Rusnak Leave a Comment

You’re probably too hard on yourself. It’s much easier to make your way through the world if you love yourself. Perhaps the greatest struggle we all face is the effort to accept and love ourselves despite our many flaws. This may take a little work, especially, if you consistently criticize and put yourself down.

To love oneself is the beginning of a life-long romance

~Oscar Wilde

Love yourself more each day with these strategies:

Give yourself an earnest compliment each day. Have you ever felt like you needed a compliment? Go ahead and give yourself one! Think about all your great qualities and congratulate yourself on one of them. There’s no reason to wait for someone else to get around to saying something nice. Give yourself a nice compliment right now.

Look in the mirror and tell yourself how awesome you are… because you are!

[click_to_tweet tweet=”Look in the mirror and tell yourself how awesome you are… because you are! ” quote=”Look in the mirror and tell yourself how awesome you are… because you are! “]

Make a list of your accomplishments. You’ve accomplished plenty of great things. Make a list of all of them. Be creative and give this exercise some thought. You’ll find that your life has been more impressive than you realized.

This exercise is very powerful and scary to do. While evicting impostor syndrome out of my life last year, I put together a values book that included listing my skills and accomplishes. What a shift in how I felt about myself and I continue to add it regularly.
Did you make the list?

Eat in a healthier manner. Take better care of yourself by making some changes to your diet. We could all use a little improvement in this department. You know which foods are healthy. Add a few of them to your diet and drop a few of the less healthy foods.

Show yourself that you’re important. You wouldn’t feed junk food to your child or beloved pet. Give yourself the same level of importance.

Support a cause you believe in. Spending time on something you think is important is a great way to show yourself that you’re a good person. You’ll feel better about yourself and put a smile on your face.
Be grateful. Appreciating what you have makes it easier to love yourself. No one enjoys being around a complainer. Think about your life and make a list of the things and people that fill you with gratitude. It’s surprising how much of a great life you already have.

Before you get out of bed in the morning, start appreciating everything around you.
Give thanks for the talents and gifts that make you a marvelous person.

Forgive your past self. Sure, you’ve made some mistakes and probably done and said a few awful things along the way. But that period of your life is over now. Why drag the past into the present? You can make a fresh start each day. Let it go.
Make one small improvement. As great as you are, you can be even better. Make one small change that will enhance your life in some way. Maybe it’s exercising for a few minutes each week or calling your mom once a week. Show yourself that you can grow and become a better version of yourself. Try these easy ideas:

Pay all of your bills on time.
Be more patient with your family.
Be on time for work each day.
Do five pushups each morning.

Do one thing each day makes you happy. If not today, when? There’s no time like the present to begin enjoying your life. Start taking those guitar lessons, finally get a pet, or volunteer at the local food bank. Start loving your life and yourself.

[click_to_tweet tweet=”Do one thing each day makes you happy” quote=”Do one thing each day makes you happy”]

Avoid people that drag you down. Odds are that at least one of your relationships is poisoning your life. It might be a friendship, a romantic relationship, or a relationship with a family member. Value yourself enough to avoid negative people and relationships.

You have many wonderful qualities that you’ve been overlooking. Believe that you deserve love from yourself and those in your life. A little self-love will enhance every part of your life.

Show yourself some love by surrounding yourself with awesome, supporting women entrepreneurs. Join our FREE Unstoppable Success Group today.

Stay Unstoppable,

Top 10 Powerful Words to Keep You Motivated

by Ann Rusnak Leave a Comment

No matter where you are on your life journey, setbacks can cause disappointment and a loss of momentum. This can feel even greater about 3 weeks after New Year’s Day.

Whether it’s gaining new clients for your business or an overall appreciation of life, every step towards fulfillment can seem financially, emotionally, or psychologically draining from time to time.

To boost your confidence, here’s a list of the top 10 power words and tips to keep you motivated and passionate, no matter what life throws your way:

Purpose. Whenever you’re feeling discouraged or disappointed, always remember your original purpose. Reminding yourself of the original reason for venturing down your path in the first place will help refresh your mind when things go awry.

[click_to_tweet tweet=”Whenever you’re feeling discouraged or disappointed, always remember your original purpose” quote=”Whenever you’re feeling discouraged or disappointed, always remember your original purpose”]

Planning. Though you may think that you’ve done enough planning towards the fulfillment of your goal, thinking it through again will help eliminate aspects of your plan of action that may be causing you setbacks. Put all your thoughts down on paper, from the smallest details to the larger movements.

Being able to see the timeline of your mission will help you focus on taking one step at a time to reach your goals.
Set aside a weekly day and time for planning and reviewing your progress

Acceptance. Accepting that you’re a human being who’s bound to experience ups and downs will aid along the path of your success. Without this self-acceptance, you’ll be subject to a foggy mind that’s unable to think positively, clearly, and innovatively.

Acceptance of what didn’t worked in the past helps you gain a better knowledge of what will work in the future.

Reward. When your motivation starts to wean, give yourself rewards along the way. Even tiny rewards will keep the inner spark going. This is one of the best ways to stay motivated toward your success vision.

By giving yourself a taste of what you’re working for – whether it’s financial freedom, career responsibility, or your dream lifestyle – you won’t feel like you’re working so hard for nothing. This refreshes your mind and helps you work more productively.

[click_to_tweet tweet=”Rewards are one of the best ways to stay motivated” quote=”Rewards are one of the best ways to stay motivated”]

Health. You know what this entails: moderate exercise, a healthy diet, and 7-8 hours of sleep per night. Feeling worn-down will make it almost impossible to pursue your goals and vision with the same clarity and vigor you had when you first set out.

Take care of your basic needs first, and you’ll be strong enough to pursue your dreams.

Motivation. Research motivational books, CDs, and seminars. Sometimes hearing motivational tips from a different perspective can greatly motivate you to act and succeed.

Find a source or two that touches you in some way and keep them close for those moments when you feel discouraged. After all, we all get discouraged at one time or another.

Organization. Ever feel depressed and worn out, and then you clean your surroundings and instantly feel more focused and motivated? The same applies to your goal. Organize and clean house when it comes to the operation of your goal.

Organizing yourself gives you a fresh start and a feeling of clarity. In doing so, you’ll be able to attack your short and long-term goals more vigorously and effectively.

Refresh. Refresh your plan with something new. It could be a different tactic, setting, or career. Whatever it is, break out of the pattern you’re in and try something new. Even if this new tactic doesn’t yield positive results immediately, at the very least it will make you aware of the availability of your options.
Networking. Reach out to people in your industry or those who share your life goal. You can do this a number of ways: check out local clubs, find a plethora people online, or talk to existing contacts that may have already succeeded in your goal.

Having someone to voice your struggles, questions, and experience to will invigorate you to keep moving forward.
Reach out & connect with other members of the Free Unstoppable Success Group for Women Entrepreneurs to ask them to support you.

Action. Taking action, despite doubts and setbacks, will further your progress. By moving on, despite any pessimistic thoughts, you will motivate yourself by the sheer momentum of doing something proactive to change your circumstances.

Whenever you feel like your progress has stalled, or you simply want some quick inspiration, look to these 10 powerful words and strategies to spur you on. You’re sure to find something to get you back on track toward success!

Stay Unstoppable,

5 Ways to Effectively Make Changes

by Ann Rusnak Leave a Comment

Over 80% of New Year’s resolutions are abandoned within a week. If change were easy, we’d all be wealthy, fit, and happy. It’s frustrating when you know what you want to do, but you can’t get yourself to do it consistently. If the new behavior would obviously benefit you, you would think the change would easily happen?

When you know why making transformations appears challenging, you can make effective changes much easier.

[click_to_tweet tweet=”Over 80% of New Year’s resolutions are abandoned within a week” quote=”Over 80% of New Year’s resolutions are abandoned within a week”]

Reasons why making changing remains challenging:

Habits are strong and pervasive. The average person has far more habits than they realize. Each morning, you wake up and follow the same routine. You take the same path to work. You think the same thoughts as you did the day before. Much of your day and night is a repeat of the last 500.

When you feel bored, you soothe yourself in the same 2-3 ways each time. You only eat a few foods regularly. You talk to the same people.
Habits avoid thinking. They’re done automatically. Anything that minimizes thinking seems to be your brain’s preference. The fewer decisions, the better.
To change, you must be certain that change is in your best interest. Otherwise, your habits will always win.

Change is hard because it’s uncomfortable. You already know how to lose 25 pounds or how to find a better job. But the thought of taking the actions necessary to accomplish those goals creates discomfort.
What you’re doing is already working, sort of. Your brain is preoccupied with your survival. Our brains are programmed to resist change, because what you’re subconsciously doing is keeping you alive. Your mind believes any change could potentially lead to death. You might be unhappy today, but you’re still alive!

Most of us prefer misery than facing uncertainty.

You’ve tried to change in the past and failed. If you’ve tried to change several times and failed, part of you says, “Obviously, I can’t change. What’s the use in trying?” I use tell my self why brother, nothing I do makes a difference. I learned I was no longer the same person I was when I started. There is always a small stretch, it may subtle. Same with you. There is no failure. Only learning and feedback.

It is possible to change. The primary issue keeping you from following through on your plan to change is attempting too much, too soon. Smaller changes are easier to accomplish and to maintain.

[click_to_tweet tweet=”Smaller changes are easier to accomplish and to maintain.” quote=”Smaller changes are easier to accomplish and to maintain.”]

Now let’s shift into how you can change with ease…

5 Ways Change is possible when you apply an effective approach:

1. Be prepared to change. Expect that change will be challenging. Your odds of success improve if you’re prepared. Have a plan.
2. Start small. To minimize the discomfort that change creates, only change a little each week. Meditating for two minutes each day is easier than starting with 60 minutes. The key is to get in the habit of doing the new behavior each day.

[click_to_tweet tweet=”To minimize the discomfort that change creates, only change a little each week” quote=”To minimize the discomfort that change creates, only change a little each week”]

Have patience. It can take months to make a change permanent. It’s often quoted that a new habit requires 30 days to instill. That’s not true. Studies show that it can take anywhere from a few weeks to several months, depending on the habit and the person.
Be willing to change yourself and face the consequences. Changing yourself is scary, because you don’t know what the results will be. Accept that your life will change in some way. Discomfort isn’t always a bad thing.
Expect to relapse. Falling off the wagon is to be expected. Attempt to enhance your approach and keep going. Aim for 90% compliance. That’s all you need. Perfection is an illusion that will only serve to destroy your confidence.

Change requires patience with yourself. Understand why it’s so challenging to change and choose to make changes slowly and incrementally. Imagine how much you could change over a few years if you changed just a tiny amount each week. The results would be staggering! How much have you changed over the last few years? Give slow change a chance.

Comment below with one thing you want to change this year?

Stay Unstoppable,

P.S.

You too can make the changes you desire. All you need to do is discover your true inner ME. The Magical Essence that makes you unique. Your inner ME is meant to shine, meant to sparkle and achieve great things. I invite you to begin the journey of discovering and unlocking your dreams by joining the Unstoppable Success Group for Women Entrepreneurs