In the October 2004 Newsletter:
Is it too late? / Practical Pointers / 10th Practice / Good News / Events

How’s it going?

Can it be true? We are already in the fourth quarter of the year and the New Year is around the corner. Have you created the prosperity you desire? Now is the time to assess how things are going. Are you making the necessary progress? Depending on your answer, you can then determine “What’s next?” Have hope — midcourse corrections are possible.

Consider a college student whose story is included in Pursuit of Passionate Purpose. He tried to ignore the signals that Engineering was not the right major for him, until he nearly flunked out. The F’s on his report card were the pivotal point in spurring action. If he didn’t make some changes, his dream of completing his bachelor’s degree would be gone forever. Fortunately, he heard the wake-up call and reconnected with his passion for helping kids — he is now more joyfully pursuing teaching.

What is progress? It is maintaining your standard of integrity on the effort you put forth, while moving toward or attaining the goal. Although assessment offers many benefits, it is typically the most neglected part of the four-stage “Pursuit of Passionate Purpose” process. Perhaps you can relate. While it seems so obvious that ongoing evaluation and corrections are essential, we encounter so many reasons to avoid taking the necessary actions.

How to assess? There are many ways to evaluate how things are going in your pursuits. Assessment includes both internal as well as external factors. The Progress Inventory^TM in my book Pursuit of Passionate Purpose is a helpful 10-point assessment tool. In the meantime try this. Ask yourself, “How do I feel while pursuing my passionate purpose? Good, neutral, or bad?” If you feel bad, some change may be necessary. Don’t wait for a painful pivotal point.

Even Passionate Pursuers need to evaluate progress, recognize success, appreciate, and make changes. Yesterday during a lunchtime hike amid the fabulous Fall foliage, my inner self spoke to me — you are making progress, but still need to make some changes. During my early morning meditation today, I became aware of the pit in my stomach. Again a message came that my current workload was not sustainable. While holding firm to my passionate purpose of helping others with my research and book, I am now taking action to further prioritize my goals and get more help. Find hope — you can make the necessary changes also.

Practical Pointers

Here are a few of the many proven “Assess Progress” suggestions found in Pursuit of Passionate Purpose:

• Recognize that assessment is valuable and provides great benefits.
• Plan assessments as part of your pursuit. Determine what techniques you will use to evaluate how it’s going. Sometimes it can be as simple as noticing in a day the amount you are smiling or sighing.
• Tell others, especially your kids and people with whom you work, what progress you see. This allows them to see movement toward their goal and helps them assess how things are going. Feedback is precious.
• Recognize the progress you have made and how things are going. Open your eyes and see it. Notice the small as well as the big movements toward the goal. Appreciate and celebrate what you have accomplished.

10th Practice of Prosperity

Effective Passionate Pursuers use the 10th Practice of Prosperity: “Evaluate progress, recognize success, appreciate, and determine what’s next.”

Recall that over this year in monthly installments, this newsletter is highlighting each of the “12 Practices of Prosperity” described in my presentations, consulting, coaching, products, and soon-to-be available book, Pursuit of Passionate Purpose. What do I mean by prosperity? All that you want in work and life — real rewards of meaning, satisfaction, results, financial gain, and more. You can visit: www.pursuitofpassionatepurpose.com to see past newsletters.

Let’s Help Each Other

MORE HELP IS HERE. Pursuit of Passionate Purpose: Success Strategies for a Rewarding Personal and Business Life — available Dec. 2004 from John Wiley & Sons and wherever books are sold — includes an entire section exploring how to assess progress. Give yourself a New Year’s gift and lock in the pre-order discounted rate by ordering now at: www.pursuitofpassionatepurpose.com.

SPREAD THE NEWS to others who might benefit. Do you know of people and organizations that need a supercharge on how to successfully pursue prosperity and real rewards in life? This work is important to individuals and organizations, large and small. The “Pursuit of Passionate Purpose” approach is proven to create results in marketing, strategic planning, organization development, and more. This message can be delivered in meetings, conferences, and projects.

FREE CONSULTING / SPEAKING OFFER. I reserve a certain number of pro-bono days of consulting and speaking on my schedule for qualified non-profit organizations. If you know of an organization that needs help, please contact me.

Upcoming Events

Most of my November events are not open to the public, but here is a sampling to see how you can get me involved in helping you and your organization produce extraordinary results.

Thursday and Friday, November 11-12, 2004. Polarity Management Intensive with Dr. Barry Johnson in Boulder, CO. As explained in Chapter 7 in Pursuit of Passionate Purpose, you can use the Polarity Strategy to honor the opposites of life and allow dynamic flow between interdependent poles.

Wednesday – Friday, November 17-19, 2004. Theresa is in Estes Park, CO facilitating a 3-day “Pursuit of Passionate Purpose” strategic planning and team building retreat. This retreat will explore how the client organization can reaffirm and passionately pursue its purpose while living true to its core values.

Thursday, November 18, 2004. Join Associated Consultants International in their meeting exploring “The Architecture of Organizations” led by Nancy Ashworth, Certified Consultant. Visit www.ACIcolorado.org for more information. The public is invited.

Life is Short. Begin Now

Don’t just wish for a prosperous 2004. TAKE ACTION! Remember to assess and then appreciate your progress. Let Technology and Management Solutions, the catalyst for your extraordinary results, help you and your organization thrive.

Assessing and appreciating progress,
Theresa M. Szczurek, Ph.D.
CEO, entrepreneur, and author

P.S. Pass it on. Feel free to share this newsletter with your colleagues.