(one Tuesday at 10am Hawaii / 12noon Pacific)

“Get Ready For Life” is my brand of time management or “priority” management.

Managing time is one of the keys to achieving harmony and happiness in our lives. However, getting a handle on the fast moving and intangible notion of time can be “slippery.”

Oftentimes “having more time” also makes “balanced” sense - being able to spend more time with family, having an abundance of time to accomplish business goals, or just having the luxury of taking time out for your Self.

“Get Ready For Life” focuses on what is most important to you - what you value - and prioritizing activities based on these important elements of your life.

It’s not about creating more time, it’s about creating space in your life for what matters.

To be on the call, visit Compass Life Designs and join their free community.
In addition to this call, you will gain access to a “lifestyle community for women.”

Technorati Tags: Compass Life Designs, lifestyle, women, community, time management, prioritizing, life coaching,   balance, work/life

(Three Session Teleclass)

Do you find yourself spinning your wheels every day?
Are you losing sight of why you’re in business in the first place?

“Susan and her course helped me to confirm what my true passion in life was. It also helped me to create a strategy that will help me to integrate my passion to my current employment.” Kathy Kanemitsu, Loan Consultant

Align your PASSION and PURPOSE with PROFITABILITY

Discover and clarify your passions and align it with what you do every day. Create a strategy and a business plan that makes sense for who you are and what you want in life.

Make business EASIER and more NATURAL.

You will learn how to:

• Discover your passion and purpose.
• Identify the driving force that motivates and excites you.
• Learn how to deliever more natural and less stressful results.
• Develop a clear vision for your business.
• Create a business plan that evolves with you.

Make Business EASY for Yourself

“[I learned] how to start with my vision and values and go from there. . . Awesome! Susan knows her stuff!” Nancy Robberson, Entreprenuer

DETAILS:
Three Weekly Sessions
CHECK “UPCOMING EVENTS” FOR SCHEDULED CLASSES.

You will get:

• Three interactive teleclass sessions
• Detailed notes and excercises via download
• A complimentary subscription of the monthly Take Action! Newsletter
• Recordings of the teleclasses each week

For More Information, Contact: bizprep@susankimcoaching.com

Technorati Tags: Business Plan, Strategies, Vision, Teleclasses, Goals, Results, Business Development

I often live by strong, yet simple principles:
“Do Unto Others”
“Be Real”
“No Regrets”
“Just Do It”
And the list goes on. Okay, it’s not the “Ten Commandments” but they are principles and taglines that remind me not only of who I am, but how I want to live my life.

A few years ago I was awakened by three words that says it all:
Live, Laugh, Love (or “L-cubed”)

The first time I got this message, it was in an email. Actually several emails that came at me at the same time. The content of the emails were different, but in the end, it always had this same message (or a version of it):

“Work as if you have no money. Love as if you have never been hurt. Dance like no one is watching. Sing like no one is listening. And live everyday as if it were your last.”

And then soon after this initial email I received a couple of cards with just three words on the front:
“Live, Laugh, Love”

At first I didn’t think anything of it, but with the second card, I paid attention. Something clicked in my mind and reacted to the message in front of me. At that particular moment, I remembered thinking, “Am I living?” And when I honestly took a step back to look at my life, with my wheels spinning at 100 mph, I realized no, I was NOT living. Not the way I want to be living. I was becoming a member of the walking dead - a zombie.

Then, recalling the Michael Jackson “Thriller” video, I laughed at myself and it felt good. I thought to myself, “I need to do that more often.” Simply laugh. I told myself that I was going to exercise my “laugh muscle” because that takes practice too.

And “Love.” So many other emotions were consuming my heart that Love was getting pushed to the side and toward the back. Love for my work. Love for my family. Love for my friends. Love for the world. Love for myself. As John Lennon says, “All we need is Love.”
It’s so simple, it’s forgettable.

When I made these realizations, my mindset started to shift. I made those three words my motto for the following year and I woke up and walked off the wheel. I started to Live. I began to Laugh again. And I Loved, as often as I could.

Just as I needed that second message, we often need that second (or third) “slap in the face” to tell us and wake us up from the daily grind that we find ourselves in. To wake up and realize that there is more to life than “the grind” or the paycheck or “doing” and spinning our wheels.

Depending on the situation, I still use other mottos and sayings to keep me motivated and inspired, but what follows me internally and deeply with everything I do is to:

“Live, Laugh and Love”

I encourage you to find the motto that works for you. Something that enables you to get into a mindset where you feel joy and know that what you’re doing is right for you. A saying that conjures up the right energy and momentum for when you need it. Words that will help you live a life of passion and purpose.�

Technorati Tags: Live, Laugh, Love, Being in the Present, Living, Balance, Passion, Purpose

Wednesday, May 23rd, 2007, 4:30pm-6pm
Central Pacific Bank, Kahului, HI

Feeling tired?
Stressed?
Do you feel overwhelmed?
Do you want to start LIVING instead of just surviving?

Break the cycle of stress and burnout by taking time out and practicing Self-Care. Learn ways to prepare your mind, body and spirit for times of stress. These tools are used for a quick pick-me-up or for long term balance and relaxation.

* * * * * EVENT DETAILS * * * * *

DATE: Wednesday, May 23rd, 2007
TIME: 4:30pm - 6:00pm (Program starts at 5:00pm)
LOCATION: Central Pacific Bank, Wailuku Branch
REGISTRATION INFO: RSVP to Desiree Ting (808-249-2574) or desiree.ting@centralpacificbank.com
RSVP by Friday, May 18th, 2007

Is it difficult to make a decision and stick by it?

Do you labor over the smallest decisions?

Making decisions is definitely a responsibility and takes ownership and accountability. Merriam Webster dictionary defines a decision as “a determination arrived at after consideration: CONCLUSION.” To decide means to “to make a final choice or judgment about; to select a course of action.” Is it the definitive nature and conclusion from making a decision that is difficult?

Usually the decisions that are made based on what others think and want are going to be the hardest decisions to make. If you are trying to make choices based on what others think or what you think they want, it will only be a good guess at best. When making a “final choice or judgment,” how comfortable are you with a “guess?”

Easy decisions come from knowing yourself and knowing what you want. Decisions based on your own integrity and standards come easier. The ownership and confidence in the decision follows naturally because it is NOT a guess.

Three Steps To Easier Decision Making:

1. Think about your own integrity - what are your values, what is important to you
2. Develop a set of standards for yourself based on your definition of integrity
3. Live by these standards - make decisions using these guidelines

At first it may be difficult to stick to your own guidelines, but remember, at the end of the day, you are the only one that lives with your decisions and your conscience. Knowing this may help you make the decision thatʼs right for you every time.

Live without regret. Live easier.

Technorati Tags: Decision Making, Standards, Personal Development, Priorities, Goals, Strategy, Focus

Is life passing you by? Do you feel unfulfilled? Need more time?

In the past I have written about the three things I believe are essential towards gaining success: commitment, clarity and action. Commitment is the first requirement, because that is the agreement that you make to yourself to attain what you are striving for - to follow through. You will often see quotes from highly successful people about commitment. NBA coach, Pat Riley said:

“There are only two options with commitment, youʼre either in or youʼre out. There is no such thing as life in between.”

He wasnʼt just talking about basketball. Heʼs talking about LIFE. In life you have to commit and ride the wave.

In surfing, to catch a wave, you have to commit. If you donʼt, either the wave will pass you by or (much worse), you fall victim to the wave itself and it crashes right on top of you, tumbling you to the bottom of the ocean. However, when you commit to catching the wave, you watch, paddle, follow through and actually RIDE the wave. You make an agreement with yourself, “Iʼm going to get this one!” and you do.

If you donʼt commit to what you want in life, it will either pass you by or tumble you in every which direction. Ask yourself:

What are you committed to and are you fulfilling that commitment?

Maybe itʼs time to RE-commit. Perhaps itʼs time to move on and make a NEW commitment. Make that promise to yourself that you WILL ride the wave and do it!

Technorati Tags: Commitment, Decision Making, Priorities, Goals, Strategy, Focus, Results, Action

The workbook “25 Ways to Make More Time,” takes you step by step through the process of changing your current time habits to better, more efficient ones that work for you. Before taking on new tools and implementing more strategies in your life for better time management, it is important to first determine what has NOT been working and WHY. Time is not something that is managed, per se, we manage ourselves within the time that we have - 24 hours in every day.

The first step is to log your time and see what you are currently doing with your time. You canʼt fix what you donʼt know is broken!

For at least three days (up to a week), log your time throughout the whole day, do not wait til the end of the day. Be specific. In three columns, write:

(1) The time;
(2) The activity;
(3) How long it takes to do the activity.

Log everything, from a 1-minute phone call to a 2 hour lunch.

After three days, you will get a sense of how your time is being utilized throughout the day and where changes may need to take place. Ask yourself:

What are you doing in your day that is NOT working? What IS working?
Next to each activity, write out how you could have done things better.

Contact Susan at info@susankimcoaching.com to find out more about “25 Ways to Make More Time”

Technorati Tags: Time Management, Organization Priorities, Goals, Strategy, Focus, Personal Development, Business Development, Resources, Action

Ready or not, here comes life!

Time seems to be elusive because we never know for certain what will happen in our day. Life happens. One of the reasons to be ready when “life happens” is so you can live the life you truly want by focusing on what is important. One of the keys to being ready for life is good organization.

Being organized may start with a clean desk or properly scheduling your day (see March Issue, Business Hot Tips), but it really means being able to handle ANYTHING that comes your way with little or no stress. Organization is most beneficial when things go awry. When something unexpected happens or life takes a “detour,” it is very easy to spot DIS-organization. It looks like stress, chaos and is just messy. Space is cluttered, feelings are overwhelmed and the mind races in circles trying to get its bearings.

Being organized enables you to look at the unexpected situation, take a side step (or even a step back), decide on what needs to be done, do it and keep moving forward. Organization helps you focus on what is important.

Get Organized - Get Focused - Get Ready for Life

Technorati Tags: Time Management, Organization, Priorities, Goals, Strategy, Focus, Decision Making

There is a direct relationship with your commitment (what you put in) and benefit (what you get out). The more you commit to something, the more you will reap the benefits of your energy and efforts. This principle is true for almost everything: relationships, sports, work, community service, business, personal development, etc.

In order to create time for yourself, you have to commit, invest the time and apply the strategies that work for you (see Business Hot Tips). Oftentimes the difference between struggling and succeeding in time management is simply investing the time to implement the tools you already know.

“The challenge is not to manage time, but to manage ourselves.”
Stephen Covey

“Do or do not. There is no try.”
Yoda

BUSINESS HOT TIP: 5 Easy Ways To Create More Time1. Get the big picture. Spend 1 hour at the beginning of each week to organize your schedule. Prioritize the activities.

2. Daily Check. Give yourself time each day, for at least 5 minutes to review and revise your schedule. Keeps the most important things in the forefront.

3. Clean Desk. Always leave your office with a clean desk. Compare how you feel in the morning coming to a clean desk versus piles of “to-doʼs”

4. Keep Focus. Have only one project on your desk at any given time - the highest priority task. It is a simple step to maintain focus.

5. Work by the Hour. Use blocks of 60-90 minutes. It takes time to settle down and start working productively. Work with no (or limited) distractions.

Technorati Tags: Time Management, Organization, Priorities, Goals, Strategy, Focus, Decision Making

Where does all the time go? Does it hide in the cracks on the floor? Does it seep out the window when no one is looking?

The idea of time “hiding” or “running away” may seem silly. However, as intangible as time may be, it is often defined through very tangible and measureable ways - through our goals. Throughout the day if we accomplish a lot, it is described as “good use of time.” On the other hand, if our wheels have been spinning all day and nothing was completed, we call it “a waste of time.”

Time is given value by what is accomplished, so letʼs think of time in relation to our goals or our vision. Distractions throughout the day are a big time drain. These diversions are simply a detachment away from our goals. If you want to lessen distractions and make “better use of your time,” reduce or take out actions that do not move you toward your goal.

Discovery Tip: Always move toward your goals

1. First, write down your goals and that you would like to accomplish.

2. Prioritize them so that you can readily identify the most important goals for yourself.

3. Write down WHY that goal is important to you right now.

4. Describe HOW you are going to achieve that goal.

5. When distracted, ask yourself, does this move you toward or away from your goals?

6. Also ask yourself, by taking this action what is the impact on my goals or vision?

Utilize these five steps and you will slowly plug up the time drain and find that you are pulling more time out of the cracks!

Technorati Tags: Time Management, Organization, Priorities, Goals, Strategy, Decision Making