Happy Tuesday, loveys! I’m so so excited to introduce you to my new contributor, Sean! I met Sean back in 2011 through work where we immediately connected over our mutual love of delicious cake. More often than not you would find us taste testing anything sweet that made its way into the office.

Sean is an actor, writer, an excellent vegan cook (his desserts are amazzzzing!) and most importantly, the sweetest person you’ll ever meet.

This year has been off to a quick start. Finishing up my work here in San Francisco has forced me to reevaluate my goals & come up with new challenges I would like to accomplish. Sean has been a saint in helping me figure out exactly what it is I’m trying to achieve. After a few long & hearty skype sessions we decided this column would be perfect to share with all of you! I know that setting goals for yourself can be a scary thing, but listen up – this guy is here to help! Use it to your advantage! You’ve got what it takes to accomplish anything, yes anything, you want. And we will see to it that you do. So get ready… ! take it away, Sean!

Hi readers! Angela and I have been working on creating something the past couple of weeks to move our goals out of the dream state and into action, and now I am so excited to share this with you!  First, I have a question for you:

What do you want to achieve for your life in 2013?

Note that I said achieve. This is not something you would like someone to give to you, or something you want taken away or added to your life.  This is something that you would like to accomplish yourself.

There is something about this year, 2013, that is strangely different, it seems. Maybe something in the aether, something in the hearts and minds of those around me that I am noticing. Do you notice it, too? Perhaps the Mayans were right!  In all seriousness, whether it is something special or if it’s just another day, we can empower ourselves to create something special.

Join me, if you will, in a little experiment. I want you think of the goals you have for the future.  What are they? Write them down.

Now looking at those goals. What is one that you would really like to reach this year? Circle it. Is it an intimidating prospect to achieve that in a year?

Now, what if I asked you if you think you can make that goal happen in the next 3 months?

And so, here’s the challenge. Myself and Angela invite you to join us in taking on a challenge to achieve this goal. We are going to be right along side you, step by step for the next 12 weeks. We start with 5 questions you will ask yourself daily to move through the process.

1)  Who are you being today that is moving you forward?
Being able to take stock of yourself, where you are today, what you have within you to accomplish what you need to accomplish that day. It’s important to be aware of what the good is within you, your personal obstacles, the strengths that you have, the blocks, etc.

2)  What is your action list for today?
Does it include tasks to move you closer to your goal? Giving yourself a list of tasks and mini-goals to accomplish is important. It makes a greater goal a lot less intimidating if there are steps leading up to it that you can clearly see. Also, anything on your daily agenda that inhibits you from your goal should be eliminated.

3)  How are you holding yourself accountable?
Accountability is important. I suggest being accountable to the blog and leaving a comment on your progress, as well as getting a friend involved to partner up with you so you can hold each other accountable. Being accountable to someone serves you in two ways: First, you are much more likely to stick with something if you make a commitment of accountability to another person; it makes the goal that much more real and important to you. Second, if you struggle or fall, you have that immediate source of support in someone who can show you all the ways in which you are moving forward and succeeding. Remember, we’re here for you!

4) What are your risks today?
Each day we need to tackle a challenge and take a risk. Everything should not be easy. If something you want seems scary, you have to face your fears about it, or you won’t ever have it. Anything that is a dream or life’s true desire is going to be frightening and going to require risk.

5)  How are you serving others today?
Supporting others helps us move forward – whether it’s getting a friend to join in this process and staying accountable to each other, or finding something charitable to do, smiling at someone or holding a door – serving others serves ourselves. Being of service empowers us. If you can do something for someone else, you can certainly do something for yourself!

For the next 12 weeks, we will utilize these 5 questions and working through steps to move forward with achieving our goals.  So let’s get moving! Let us know what your goals are, your challenges and concerns – we are here for you! Let’s move those dreams to action, and I will see you all next Tuesday!

joy in action,
Sean