10. Our Business is Already Green – many companies believe that recycling, eating organic, buying local, conserving or whatever automatically makes them a green company. All of those activities are important and wonderful and do lend themselves to a green company. However, to be officially green you need to sport some kind of certification, whether it’s LEED, government-based, or certification from an industry-specific professional organization. Keep up the good work…but be “certified” green too!

9. It Takes Too Much Time – most companies are already doing what it takes to earn green business certification and it’s just a matter of completing the application process. If the company is larger or is further away from their green goals than they’d like to be, it’s easy enough to hire a consultant to come in and evaluate the situation, put together an action plan and then make some minor changes. (Hint – that’s what we do!).

8. If I Don’t Qualify, I’ll be Penalized – If someone comes in to review your application and audit the facility and you don’t pass, they are not going to turn you in to big brother. Unless, of course, you’re doing something that is against already-established environmental regulations. Here’s a good rule of thumb…if you are doing something that is detrimental to the environment, fix it before you complete a certification application.

7. Being Green Costs More – if you are planning to completely rehaul your company and workspace you might pay more, but for most companies the small changes they need to make have a minimal cost. Keep in mind even though changes initially appear to cost more, you will probably use a lot less…think “big picture” and “return on investment”, taking into account how much you’d reduce or eliminate as a result of implementing the change.

6. Green is for Smaller/Larger Companies – you’ve heard it before but I’ll say it here too…size doesn’t matter. Small companies think they are too small, large companies think they’re too large. Everyone needs to think about the environment, whether you are renting an office “closet” or your space is the size of a small country. If you have one room, doing the right thing is a snap. If you’re enormous, then you have a much bigger responsibility to do the right thing and you should really get on it! If you are in the middle…then you are just right and should just do it!

5. Green is a Fad – we are not talking about legwarmers here…being environmentally conscious is our responsibility to ensure the future. Really. Being green is not a fad, it is an evolution and inevitable. Remember when everyone thought the internet was a fad?

4. We Should Wait for a Better Time – waiting for change to happen and then trying to jump on board has never served a business; driving the bus is always better than being hit by the bus, thrown under the bus or missing the bus. Okay, enough bus analogies. Isn’t it better to jump on board now and be “cutting edge” rather than waiting until green is old school or (gasp) mandated?

3. There is Nothing in it For Us – that makes me sad, because it serves everyone to take care of the earth. But hippie feelings aside, there are new marketing opportunities for companies who embrace their greener selves. There are new networking opportunities. There are new customers. There are new products. There is new funding. New, new and more new. Isn’t that a refreshing business take from “recession” and “cutbacks”? (Another hint…it’s my business to know what those new, new, new things are!).

2. I Can’t – someone reading this is excited about the opportunity, but either lacks funds or authority to get the ball rolling. Since I’m already using too many clichés, here is another one…become the little business who could and figure out how to make it happen (I borrowed that cutesy saying from www.110mag.com who wrote an article about us with that title!). We can help you, even if you are broke and just a company peon. We were once broke peons ourselves so we know what we’re talking about!

1. Ignorance is Bliss – one time I was pulled over by a police officer for doing something in traffic that was against the law. I can’t remember what it was but I had never even heard of the law and I told the officer I was sorry for being unaware. Guess what…I still got a ticket. The moral of that story is that it doesn’t matter if you don’t know about greening your business or not, you are still responsible.

Goal planning is the ultimate rush for a full-time list maker (aka project manager, CEO, soccer mom) so I spend a lot of time thinking about this during the month of December. I’ve been blessed to attend several personal development trainings, which I highly recommend, and have learned how to set realistic, fun goals that I actually ACCOMPLISH!

There is no way to cram years of training into one little (but powerful) blog post, so here is the abbreviated version of my goal planning strategy. If you’d like to learn more about the programs I participate in, visit http://www.askjackcanfield.com, http://www.thesecret.tv, http://www.thesuccessprinciples.com, http://www.theultimategameoflife.com, http://www.neweratrainings.com to get started.

1. Start with wins from last year – spend some time thinking about what you accomplished in 2008. Did you set goals last year or did all of those accomplishments just happen? Did you achieve the goals you set? If so, what worked…if not, do you still want the same things?

2. Decide where you want to be – it’s easier to arrive at a destination if you have a destination in mind. All of the trainings I’ve attended have broken “living” down into categories. Jim Bunch from The Ultimate Game of Life lists the 9 environments…Body, Self, Spiritual, Nature, Physical, Financial, Network, Relationships, Memetic. This is the list I use because it seems most inclusive and frankly, I just enjoy saying Memetic in day to day conversations.

3. Go and visualize – once you decide where you want to be, go to a spot that represents your destination (or even better, the actual location) and plan the rest of your goals. It’s easier to visualize a new environment if you’re actually in that environment rather than sitting at your desk at the office, on a couch in your living room, etc.

4. Be okay with where everyone else is – as the CEO and a mom of four kids, I’ve had to learn to be okay with where everyone else is in their journey and set goals which I am able to accomplish. For example, I can’t set a goal that my children will be wonderful students because that’s mostly up to them. I am able to set up an environment for them to support that goal, but only they can pull it off. I can’t set goals for my employees, but I CAN set goals for the company.

5. Let go of last year’s crap – beating myself up has not earned me any brownie points, and it won’t help you either. So don’t…just let the stuff that didn’t work go. The end.

6. Put it in writing – how can you accomplish your goals if you can’t even remember them? One great idea from The Secret and Jack Canfield’s Success Principles is to write your goals in the present tense; “I am so happy and grateful now that…”

7. Create a vision keeper – I used to have a vision board but it was a little bit hard for me to use all the time. It was hanging on the wall of my home office and I missed it when I was at my other office or traveling. Instead I created a “vision book”; a binder with sheet protectors so I can slip things in and out of the book easily. This year I have a friend helping me take pictures of myself situated in my goal environments so I can really get into it! I guess a tech savvy person could also photoshop themselves into their dream also.

8. Make it a team activity – give some thought during your goal planning to who should be on your team for each goal. For example, on my health team I have my cardio instructor, my dentist, my boyfriend (we eat together a lot, it helps if we’re on the same team!) and a few homeopathic advice columnists. I also have a page in my vision book of the people I think most exemplify the kind of life I want…very powerful stuff!

9. Plan your learning – is there something you want to learn this year? It could be fun like learning to play the tuba or salsa dancing or a little harder like Bikram Yoga.

10. Call ya mother – in all fairness, there are a lot people you need to be grateful for and you should include some time in your planning for those folks. Start with your mother…she’s waiting for you to call.

Eco-Summit - We are planning the first East Contra Costa Eco-Summit to bring individuals and organizations together with our elected officials and service providers to identify key sustainability goals in our local area, how we can best partner to acheive our goals, and find out what programs and products exist right now.

Green Business Network - We will be formally kicking off the green business network in January - to help green businesses connect with each other and the general public. We are currently meeting the first Friday of each month from 10 to noon - if you’re interested in attending keep an eye out and we’ll be posting the location shortly.

Homeowners Workshop - early in 2009 we are hosting a workshop for homeowners who want to know how to operate their home to get the most effeciency and comfort. Know how to change your air filters, set your thermostat and sprinkler systems so that you save money, water and energy? I will be honest and say that I didn’t…our great vendors will have how-to demonstrations!

Bookmark this page and keep an eye out for these great events!

The meetings are currently hosted at Intero Real Estate in Brentwood, at 5541 Lone Tree Way #150, in the Home Depot shopping center.  We meet the first Friday of each month from 10 to noon, unless there is a holiday, in which case it moves to the second Friday of the month.  No cost, light refreshments are served…bring business cards!