Life and business coach Jen Bertsch of Duluth gave an inspiring presentation on goal-setting at the November 30, 2010 Business Networking Luncheon at The Pie Place in Grand Marais. (L-R) Amy Demmer, Jen Bertsch, Suzanne Sherman, and Beth Kennedy.
How many people actually get what they want instead of just getting what they get? Duluthbased life coach Jen Bertsch talked about how to get what you really want out of career, business, and personal life at the November 30, 2010 Business Networking Luncheon at the Pie Place.
Bertsch grew up in a boisterous family of six boys and three girls. Her father used to tell the kids, “Not everyone has it, but you kids have a lot of moxie.” She thought he made up the word and didn’t know exactly what he meant by it until a coworker commented on her upbeat attitude, telling her she had a lot of moxie.
What is moxie? Bertsch, proprietor of Moxy Coaching, defines it as force of character, determination, nerve. And that’s what she tries to inspire in her clients.
“You can’t be anything you want to be,” Bertsch said, “but you can be a whole lot more of who you are.” Her definition of insanity is “hoping for different results but not doing anything different.” Her job is to help people figure out what they want and then take steps to get there, both encouraging them and holding them accountable.
Living intentionally can make a big difference, and setting priorities is a first step. If you’re trying to fit a lot of things into your life, you need to put first things first. It’s like trying to get as much rock, sand, and water into a jar as possible, Bertsch said – the big rocks must go in first, followed by small rocks, then pebbles, then sand, and then water.
Bertsch had her audience fill out something she calls “The Wheel of Life.” It has eight large categories of things that she thinks are the “big rocks” in people’s lives: business and career, finances, health, family and friends, romance, personal growth, fun and recreation, and physical environment. Some people might add spiritual life to that list, she said. People ranked each category, on a scale of one to 10, according to how well that part of their life was going. They then decided where they wanted each area to be and looked at the gaps between where they were and where they wanted to be.
Deciding what we want is vital to getting what we want. “Too many times we’re told what we want by somebody else,” Bertsch said. She encouraged people to set goals that made their stomachs flutter a little, saying she believes real growth happens at or outside the boundaries of our comfort zones.
Bertsch encouraged people to assemble a support team, which could include a group, an accountability partner, or a life coach. She suggested that they set aside a strategy day every three months to check in on where they’re at in meeting their goals and that they review their goals annually.
Bertsch is not inflexible in holding people accountable. “Think of a goal as an experiment,” she said. You can make a commitment to your goal, but if the “experiment” doesn’t work, you can try another one instead. Recognizing obstacles and dealing with distractions is part of the process, and setting aside “protected time” to work on your goals may be necessary.
Bertsch suggested identifying five “goodies” or treats that could be used to celebrate successes – anything from a walk in the woods, going to a movie, or buying new underwear to a trip to Tahiti.
Bertsch distributed questions to help people review this year and set personal, professional, and even financial goals for the next. Here are some of them:
What was the smartest decision
you made in 2010?
What did you learn in 2010
that will help guide you in the
New Year?
What was your biggest high
in 2010? What was your low
point?
What is working in your life
right now? What is not working?
Looking back over the last
year, what things would you
change?
What do you no longer want
to do? Think about the tasks
that don’t nourish your passion
or are not the best use of
your expertise.
Who could you recruit for
your support team, and how
could they help you?
Where do you want to be at
this time next year with your
career, your finances, or your
personal life, and what could
you do to get there?
Bertsch’s website is www.moxycoaching.com, her email address is jen@moxycoaching. com and her phone number is (218)591-8535. She coaches individually and in groups and works in person, on the phone, and online.
The monthly Business Networking Luncheon is sponsored by Cook County Higher Education and the Northeast Entrepreneurial Fund.
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