5, 4, 3, 2, 1, HAPPY NEW YEAR!

And, with those 3 words, millions, if not billions, of people resolved to create wondrous new lives for themselves.

There is an undeniable power in the arrival of a new year, but that power sadly is misused by a large percentage of those seeking change. What starts as power, in weeks, or even days, melts and morphs into disappointment and failure.

Are you a New Year resolution maker? Do you know the fundamental rules necessary to wield this power continually to your benefit?

After observing many of those who have tried and either succeeded or failed to realize their accomplishments, I believe that these 10 rules will aid you to still be on your way down a path of success months from today.

Read and heed:

1. Set high goals BUT be prepared to live into them.

Don’t be lured by those who say that a goal shouldn’t be set high. Aim for your highest! Should you miss it, you can be sure that your end point will still surprise you. Be ready, however, to put in the serious effort required to reach your high goal. Because without effort, your time will be wasted.

2. Write your goals down.

The positive correlation between writing goals down and achieving them is undeniable. Write your goals down and place them in a prominent place to always be present before you.

3. Constantly focus on them.

Over the length of time required to reach your goals, the flows and changes of life will surely distract you. Create a simple schedule where you can re-center yourself and focus on your goals. I do this nightly as I have developed the discipline to do so. For you, a weekly 10-minute session may serve you better. Whatever it is, create it and follow it.

4. Take daily, committed, early action.

Action is necessary to reach your goals. That sentence is worth repeating. And there is no better action than consistent action, or committed action. You want to achieve change, so you have to commit until the necessary action steps become a habit for you. It will also serve you best to carry out these actions early in your day when your body is primed for action. Have you heard the saying, ‘The early bird catches the worm’?

5. Celebrate achievements.

Along the way to achieving your goals and resolutions, you will have moments when you pause and realize that you have accomplished many other smaller feats in your life. Respect these moments and give yourself a pat on the back. Acknowledge your progress and efforts and then keep surging forward.

6. Exhaust yourself, but take time to refresh, recharge, and reflect.

I strongly believe that if at the end of an accomplishment you do not feel utterly and completely ‘spent’, that you did not give it your true all. There is no greater feeling at the end than knowing you did everything in your power to get where you are. Exhaust yourself. You will recover. At that point, smile, breathe and relish in the process of rebuilding your strength. You have grown and you have achieved.

7. Respect the process.

Between A to Z, there is a lot. You cannot and will not reach the end in a moment. There is a process of growth, learning, and change to everything. Educate yourself on what you are about to undertake. Speak with someone who has done it successfully already. Understand the required process and respect it.

8. Focus on the important.

I’ve met many persons who, although they are following the steps in taking actions and being consistent, are making the fatal error of not focusing on the right aspects of their journey. Instead of keeping the end in mind, they become consumed by the frustrations along the way. A popular saying is, ‘What you focus on expands’. Give your power to the important. The rest does not deserve a single portion of your energy.

9. Work with deadlines and a sense of finality.

Have you ever met someone who always seems to be ‘getting there’? Don’t be that person. A goal is only effective if it has a frame of a deadline. Operate with this in mind and construct your efforts to end in tandem with this final point in time. Should you happen to know ‘that person’, take a moment to help them reframe their effort to lead to success.

10. Don’t quit.

If you do, you will not reach the end. No one will carry you there if you do not put the effort in for yourself. Nothing more needs to be said about this.

It’s a New Year! Follow these New Rules for your success and chase your goals with New Moves. There’s an Improved You waiting.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 11th, 2012 at 10:00 am and is filed under Survival Tips, UT Life. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.