Start 2008 Off Right

It seems like everyone this time of year is talking about resolutions. A new year is a great time to reevaluate how things are going in your personal and business life, but I think most people go about it the wrong way. That’s why they end up having the same resolutions year after year.

Most people say every year that they want to lose weight or exercise more. But they abandon these resolutions early on in the year because they don’t have a lot of motivation or they think they have to be perfect. One day of bad eating or skipping the morning run and they feel like the year is ruined.

It is much better to set goals for yourself instead. Spend some time thinking about where you are in your business and your personal life.
Picture yourself at the beginning of 2009. Where would you like to be? How much money would you like to be making? How much would you like to weigh?

Get as clear a picture as you can of where you want to be.

Once you have this picture in your mind you can set real goals for yourself based on where you want to go. Remember that the most powerful goals are specific, measurable, attainable, results oriented and time bound. Don’t just say you want to make more money, say you want to increase your income by $5,000 a month within the next nine months.
Goals set in this way are much better than wishy-washy resolutions because they drive you to action. They’re a lot more exciting and empowering than a mere statement of what you’d like to do.

When you set goals instead of resolutions, each day gives you a new opportunity to take a step to reach that goal. Yes, you will have days where it’s hard, where you’ll make no progress, but with consistent effort throughout the year you’ll find yourself reaching your goals and having a lot more fun doing it.

Yours in success,

Shawn Casey