It has been said that 60-80% of New Year’s resolutions will be broken within the first two weeks. Personally, I am not a huge advocate of New Year’s resolutions because I believe in setting and achieving personal goals all year around. However, I do respect the fact that New Year’s resolutions are very popular, and I understand that the New Year is a very logical time to start fresh. That being said, I wanted to share with you the top ten ways to increase the likelihood for success with your New Year’s resolutions.

1. Stick to 1 or 2 important goals.

Having a laundry list of all the things you would like to change in your life can be overwhelming. Your chances for success are much higher if you stick to 1 or 2 of your most important goals. This allows you to concentrate all your energy and focus on these goals. Once you achieve those goals, you can always set 1 or 2 more.

2. Be realistic.

It’s okay to think big and want the best, but it is more important to succeed, so be realistic. Ask yourself whether or not your goals are reasonable and possible. It is probably not realistic to set the goal of never yelling at your kids again. How will you feel about your resolution when your children test you on a very bad day and you yell? Certainly one can cut back on yelling and work to find alternative ways to deal with misbehavior, but an all or nothing attitude may set you up for failure, and feeling like you’ve failed can set you up for more failure. Instead, accept and honor your humanness.

3. Be specific.

Be as specific as possible when determining goals. Articulate how you will measure success and exactly what you are trying to achieve. Making a resolution to lose weight is too general. A better choice would be to set a specific and manageable goal. For example say, "I will lose 25 pounds by June 30, 2006." Be specific when answering the what, when and how.

4. Connect to your motivation for achieving your goal.

Why do you want to achieve this goal? Why now? Make sure your motivation comes from your heart, and not from your head. In other words, your goal should be something you really desire, and not something you know you SHOULD do. Really connect to why this is so important to you. Pay attention to whether or not you are being driven by fear or love. Beware of setting goals based on what someone else in your life thinks you should do. Your resolutions should come from your authentic self.

5. Examine your belief in your ability to achieve this goal.

What do you believe about your ability to achieve your New Year’s resolutions? If you have tried to reach the same goal many times before without much success, your confidence could be wavering. You could be feeding yourself negative messages without even realizing it. Be conscious about positive thinking. Remind yourself that you are capable of doing anything you set your heart to. Tell yourself every day that you have the ability to take the steps it will take to reach your goal.

6. Create a detailed plan to achieve your goal.

Let’s say your resolution is to eliminate the clutter in your home. But how will you start when the clutter is overwhelming? It may be helpful to break large goals into intermediate, manageable steps. Make a list of each area you need to tackle. Then break each area into even smaller segments that can be tackled easily. For instance, set time aside to clean out old clothes, then to organize sweaters, then to throw out old shoes, and finally arrange clothing by color or type. Don’t forget to specify a time limit for accomplishing each of the smaller steps. Before you know it, the larger goal will have been met.

7. Recognize that you may encounter obstacles.

Most people give up on their goals because they run into some type of obstacle along the way. Obstacles can be internal or external. Examples of internal obstacles include negative self-talk, limiting beliefs and discipline issues. Some external obstacles are the lack of time, money or resources. Know in advance what hurdles you may have to conquer.

8. Identify a plan of action to overcome obstacles.

If you are trying to give up chocolate (I would never try this!), what are you going to do when you get a craving for chocolate, or when all your friends are chowing down on chocolate cake? Maybe your plan would be to carry a sweet substitute with you at all times. Or perhaps you could involve yourself in a fun activity when the urge strikes. If your obstacles are tougher and you need more support, consider hiring a life coach to help you work through your blocks.

9. Enlist the support of an accountability partner.

As you work towards your goals, it can be very helpful to have someone in your life to be your support partner. Consider asking your partner or friend to help you stick to the resolutions you have set. Use this person when you are struggling and set up a plan to check in regularly with him/her. As a coach, I have the privilege of trading coaching services with my peers. My coach helps me achieve my goals, overcome any obstacles, and celebrate my success.

10. Celebrate success along the way.

One of the most important things you can do for yourself is celebrate your small successes as you work towards your larger goals. Don’t wait until the end to reward yourself. You deserve to be recognized for your efforts and your commitment, especially when your goals take a long time to achieve. If you don’t celebrate on your journey, you will lose your motivation. So celebrate, celebrate, and celebrate!

I wish you the best in achieving your 2006 New Year’s resolutions. If you fall off your path, remember you can always get back on. It’s okay to take a few detours. No one said there can’t be St. Patrick’s Day resolutions, Easter resolutions, or even Independence Day resolutions.

Lori Radun, CEC - certified life coach for moms. To get her FREE newsletter and the special report "155 Things Moms Can Do to Raise Great Children", go to http://www.true2youlifecoaching.com

The responsibility of working hard, planning and living a successful and fulfilled life falls largely on you. This simply means that from this point forward, the burden of shaping your adult life, is on your shoulders. The sooner you realize this, the better!

The most important question to ask yourself is, “what can I do today, this week, this month, this year, to get my life going in the direction I desire?”

If you truly believe that there is more to you than meets the eye, stop making excuses, and start living your best life today!

If you are either on the verge of giving up, or are sick and tired of being mediocre, you can make a decision to start winning, by casting a YES vote in your favor today!

You don’t have to continue being stuck in that rut or being hounded by feelings of under achievement! Believe in yourself…you can make something of your life. Just don’t give up!

5 most important life management questions:

1. What?

What do you want to do with your life? This is probably one of the most important questions that you will ever answer. The answer to this question will lay the foundation for your destiny.

Once you have clearly identified what you want to do with your life, it then becomes the focal point of everything you plan to do. Knowing what you want to do, gives you clarity and a much needed sense of purpose. It also prevents you from engaging in side tracking, time wasting ventures which have no connection to your purpose.

2. Why?

Understanding the importance of why you want to achieve certain things in your life, is the motivation that will drive you to accomplish the goals that you have set for yourself.

Why do you want to achieve these goals you have set for yourself? Why do you want to lose weight? Why do you want to get married? Why do you want to start your own business? Why do you want to boost your self esteem? The answers to these questions must be compelling enough to move you into action.

3. Who?

In order for you to achieve certain things, you need to take on certain qualities. Who do you need to become as you strive to achieve your goal? Do you need to become more confident, committed and action oriented? Do you need to become a risk taker? Do you need to be more assertive? Identify the qualities that you need to adopt in order for you to achieve your goals.

Max Dupree rightly said that “We cannot become what we need to be, by remaining what we are.”

4. How?

How are you going to manage your life as a project? How are you planning on achieving your objectives? Do you have a step by step plan? Certain tools need to be in place to help you tie together all the pieces of the project you plan to accomplish.

Having a plan is very important because it is the road map to your goal. It will help you know what information you require to make each phase of your life a success. For example, if you want to lose weight, how do you plan to lose it? If plan A fails what is plan B?

5. When?

Every goal you set must have a deadline and any plan you have, must cease from just being a plan, turn into action and produce tangible results. When are you going to be done with at least one specific goal you have set out to accomplish? When are you going to wrap up the project?

Your life is a do–it-yourself project. If you want your plans to materialize, start taking action today!

About The Author

Caroline Jalango is a life coach for unstoppable women who are willing to step up to the plate and take a shot at living exceptional lives wherever they are. www.motivationzone.com

Caroline@motivationzone.com

I once took a counseling class in college that opened my eyes to something very profound. I was required to write down all of my beliefs. Every belief I had. Then I was to write down why I believed in my belief. What happened? Where was I? How did it come about?

This exercise really helped me understand not only myself, but also to understand where my beliefs came from.

I remember going camping with my friend Jason when we were in junior high. This was my friend’s family annual week long summer camping trip and I was invited to come along.

One night while sitting close to the fire pit, some friends of Jason’s family stopped by. Their friends were staying at a camp near by. Not long after their friend’s arrived I came to meet a man who would later teach me something that I came to highly believe in.

After roasting some marsh mellows over the hot fire, Jason’s father started talking about how important it is to always give a good hand shake. Now at this time in my life, as a young Jr. High student, I never heard about giving a good hand shake. I don’t recall having to shake many hands at that time.

After Jason got it down, they started to show me how to give a good hand shake. Give it there, kid, yelled Jason’s dad. No, like this, as he slightly twisted my hand. There, now give it a good squeeze. You got it, said Jason’s dad, as I began to smile. As the night went on, I felt as though I learned something very important. I believe I did. That night I learned the importance of always giving a good hand shake. From that day forward I believed it was important to always give a good hand shake.

Now this exercise was not to get the students to change their beliefs, but to know that each student "choose" to believe in their beliefs, and that they could change them. In addition, to realize that each of us take on curtain beliefs without even noticing it. After completing this exercise, most, if not all students, came to realize they had beliefs they were not aware of, and beliefs that were hindering themselves in some way.

Now it is very important to know your own beliefs. The reason it is important to know your beliefs is because what ever your belief is will become your reality. If you believe it is hard to make money, then you will find yourself with no money and hard to get it.

It is like buying a new car. Before you purchased your new car you never saw it on the road, but then after you bought your new car you saw one everywhere you went. What you focus on, you attract, what you believe and focus on you will receive in your life in some form or another, the Law of Attraction is at work all the time.

If someone "believes" that all the opportunities have passed them by, they will continue to see opportunities pass them by, and never see the opportunities that are in front of them. Read the book "Acres of Diamonds", and you will see what I mean.

Take some time to write down your beliefs. Do the exercise, and then ask yourself if your belief is helping you, or hindering you in some way.

By taking the time to do this exercise now, you will keep from limiting yourself from your full potential. By discovering any limiting beliefs, and changing them by first recognizing them, you will empower yourself to new heights.

Anthony Treas is a Latino Motivational Speaker, Educator, Trainer and Author. Anthony has had my successes in his life and has guided positive personal changes in many young people lives. Visit http://www.latinomotivationalspeaker.com.

1. Stop seeking approval from people.

You don’t need anyone’s permission to fulfill your dream. Trust yourself and give yourself permission to succeed. Having support from people whose opinion you value is a wonderful thing but it should not be the criterion for whether you begin acting on fulfilling your goals or not

If you really desire to turn your idea into reality, constantly floating it around and seeking the approval of people will waste your time and kill your dream. What will happen to your idea if you don’t get the approval of those whose permission you so desperately need? Nothing!

2. Don’t wait for perfection.

Waiting for a time when everything is perfect and in place will cause you to lose your enthusiasm and abandon your goal. Conditions may never be as perfect as you desire. You may never have all the money, time, or knowledge you desire to begin working on your goals.

You must take risks, learn and improve as you go along and then watch as everything begins to fall in place. If you have to wait for the perfect time to begin working on your goals…you will be waiting a long time!

3. Create time for the goal.

Many people have dreams, ideas or goals, which remain unfulfilled because they are too busy doing everything else but work on the goal! If you have a goal to accomplish, you must be ready to invest your time, and resources to ensure that it succeeds.

Making excuses about lacking the time to work on goals that are important to you is a procrastination tactic, which will kill your dream before it has a chance to see the light of day. There is always time to work on what we love and consider important. Create that time and see your dreams begin to unfold!

4. Decide once and for all!

The process of goal accomplishment, like most things in life begins with a decision. You decide what you want to achieve and then you plan how you intend to achieve it.

If accomplishing your goal is important to you, your inability to make crucial decisions about what you should do, how you should do it and when you should do it, will waste your time and choke your dream. Make up your mind and stop second-guessing yourself. When your mind is made up…nothing can stop you from making progress with fulfilling your goals.

5. Be bold and take the initiative.

Be bold! You are the one in charge of turning your dreams to reality. You need to be proactive and actively involved in the process of working on your goals to ensure you achieve them.

Just because you have shared your ideas with others does not necessarily mean that you are no longer responsible for turning them to reality. Don’t sit around waiting for others to make suggestions and guide your idea to reality. Don’t leave your dream entirely in the hands of others. Nobody cares about your dream like you do.

6. Invest in your dream.

No idea is self-funding. Don’t be deceived into thinking that people will invest or finance your idea just because it is brilliant. If you are lucky, someone may invest in it, but if you are not, you will have to invest your time, energy and finances towards activities that will fortify and fulfill your dream.

You may have to invest in the acquisition of knowledge or expertise that will help you achieve your goals. It would be a good idea to keep some money stashed away to finance your goal.

7. Do one thing at a time.

Commit yourself only to projects and activities which are connected to your main goal. Whatever you do should directly or indirectly add up to a move toward your main goal. Failure to do this will confuse, overwhelm, sidetrack, and drain your energy.

To get started on achieving your goals, you need to plan for it and make it a priority. If you keep crowding and cluttering your life with what does not matter, you many never, ever accomplish your goals.

Remember that you can’t do all things, but you can do one thing!

About The Author

Caroline Jalango is a life coach for unstoppable women who are willing to step up to the plate and take a shot at living exceptional lives wherever they are. www.motivationzone.com

Caroline@motivationzone.com

I am sure that many of you are deep into the drama and excitement of the holiday season. There is so much to be done and so much to think about and consider that many can hardly think of anything else. However, when the excitement is over, our attention typically turns the closing of one year and the beginning of a new one.

This is a time typically reserved for reflection. We think back on the previous year, sometimes with a strong sense of accomplishment and sometimes with regrets for the things we didn’t do that we wanted to and the goals we set but didn’t accomplish. Sometimes we get so disgusted with ourselves for our lack of goal-directed behavior that we actually stop setting goals altogether.

Sometimes we are waiting for something to happen first. We wait to retire, for our children to leave home, or for there to be enough money in the savings account. While we are waiting, time is whizzing past us at an alarming rate. Before we know it, we end up at a place where we say, “Now I’m too old to do ________________ .” While we are waiting for certain life events to manifest, there are things we can still do to move ourselves forward toward our goals. Waiting is not the only option.

There are known techniques that will help you improve the odds of accomplishing your goals. What’s the difference between those who seem to breeze through their day accomplishing everything they set out to do and those who seem to wonder where the time went at the end of the day. We all have the same amount of time each day. What’s the secret?

First of all, you need to decide what it is you want to accomplish—the more specific you can be the better. We generally do not get too excited about the vague thought of losing weight but if we can say instead, I will lose 10 pounds by March 1, 2006 so I can fit back into a size 10 dress then there is more energy and impetus around that particular goal.

Next, you must decide, as Napoleon Hill says, “Do you have a burning desire to accomplish this goal?” Without truly possessing a burning desire, without passion to make it happen, we will often drift back into old behaviors that keep us plateaued at the same place we were the beginning of last year.

Once you’ve determined you have the burning desire, next you must ask if you have a good plan. Does your plan have a reasonable chance for success? Do you have deadlines for accomplishment? When you are trying to stop a certain behavior, do you spell out what you are going to do instead? Are the goals realistic? Are they measurable? Do you have the determination and unwavering resolve to follow through on your plan?

Sometimes there are things that sabotage our efforts. Typically, the things we do throughout our day are things that meet our needs. If we are trying to lose weight but continue to eat instead, we need to look at what benefits we gain from overeating. Often these are unconscious benefits that we really need to do some serious scrutiny to uncover. If the benefits we receive from our current behavior outweigh the benefits of making the change we desire, we will have a difficult time making the change without building in additional features to our plan that will make up for the benefits of the behavior we are giving up.

You need to develop systems to track and measure your progress. Many people require a visual representation of their progress to provide incentive to continue moving forward. You must develop a single-minded focus. You must avoid anything that threatens to pull you off your straight ahead direction toward your goals. You must prioritize and protect your time everyday.

The final thing that will be instrumental in achieving your goals in 2006 is to reprogram your nonconscious mind. There is a great deal of evidence that shows the neural programming of our nonconscious mind often gets in the way of us accomplishing our goals. These are the early messages that we picked up from those who were close to us when we were younger. We received messages that money was the root of all evil, that we didn’t deserve to be loved, that we were chubby and will stay that way, and that there is never enough time in a day. All those messages have formed neural pathways in our brain.

This means that when certain neurons fire, they trigger the firing of other neurons in the same pathway, which makes it extremely difficult to consciously change our behavior. The good news is that there is a way to reprogram the neural pathways so they will work for us instead of against us to accomplish our goals.

Through the processes of affirmations and visualization we have the ability to change this nonconscious programming. We must develop a mental movie of what life will look like once our goals are accomplished. Then, we must write out present tense affirmations of the belief systems we must have in place in order to accomplish our goals. If weight loss is your goal, for example, then your affirmations would sound like this: “I weigh 130 pounds and look and feel terrific. I eat only healthy food that nourishes my body. I enjoy exercising and the way my body feels while doing it and afterwards. I drink at least eight 8-oz. glasses of water each day.”

Reprogramming requires repetition of the affirmations and visualization daily and more often if you can make the time. With this added to all of the above goal setting steps, you will be well on your way to accomplishing your goals in 2006.

Kim Olver has an undergraduate degree in psychology, a graduate degree in counseling, is a National Certified Counselor and is a licensed professional counselor. Since 1987, Kim has extensively studied the work of Dr. William Glasser’s Choice Theory, Reality Therapy and Lead Management. She was certified in Reality Therapy in 1992 and continued her studies to become a certified instructor for the William Glasser Institute. She is an expert at empowering people to navigate the sometimes difficult course of life—teaching them how to get the most out of the circumstances life provides them. Her website, http://www.CoachingforExcellence, offers free chats, assessments, a blog and an eZine, as well as workshops, teleclasses, e-courses, counseling and coaching.

Do you have a dream? Is there something you want to do, to achieve, or to complete?

How close are you? How many people have you told about it? Do you have a written plan on how to get there?

And the most important question – Are you taking action?

This much is absolutely true: If you never vocalize your dreams, and you never come up with even the most rudimentary plan on achieving them; and if you never take action I can guarantee that those dreams will never happen.

However I can tell you this as well. Many times in my life I have come up with a dream that appealed to me and then made it happen. The most important part is that no one made it happen but me.

Sure I had lots of help along the way. And yes, there were many apparent ‘lucky’ breaks just when they seemed to be needed the most. This will happen to you as well.

Let me tell you why. I believe with all my heart that we are part of the energy of the Universe. This energy that makes up the Universe answers to us in a way, and in fact wants desperately to help us in any way possible.When we express a desire, and then take action towards that desire, the Universe has no choice but to help us achieve it!

That assistance will come in ways we would never have thought of! But come it will!

One of the latest goals completed for me was completing a roof on our new barn. This might not sound like a lot, but I assure you it is. To complete this goal, we had to clear more than 2 acres of land, clean it up and plant it in grass. 4500 feet of siding lumber had to be cut from the logs and stacked to air dry. Over 60 stumps, and the roots and debris from the trees had to be piled and burned. The barn had to be designed, drawn and all the materials bought and delivered. (BTW, this is no little barn. It has 4 stalls with two 1100 square foot apartments over it!) **We started this process back in March of this year.

I am so grateful to have completed this part, and we are eager to get on to the next dream of a finished barn, full of horses and renters to pay for all this!

For every dream turned reality for us over the last 35 years, I can point to several things that are common.

1. Don’t be afraid to dream big.
2. Don’t listen to others who are afraid.
3. Do make your dream real to you by talking about it and writing it down.
4. Do take action - every day possible. Be willing to pay the price!
5. Do not worry about the finish line. Pay attention to what has to be done today.
6. Get that the Universe is working for you, even while you sleep.
7. Don’t be afraid to change your goals if you see the need.

Then you too can realize your dreams.

WEEKLY WISDOM NEWSLETTER: Vocalized goals + Action=Realized dreams December 10, 2003

As always,

Your online Coach and Friend,

About The Author

Miami Phillips is an ANSIR Certified Personal Coach and the founder of Creative MasterMinds who believes personal growth is an essential ingredient to being happy and contributing to this world. While his main focus is affordable personal and business coaching, he also offers motivational teleclasses, ebooks, reading recommendations and much more. To find out more visit his site at http://www.creativemasterminds.com or send him an email at coach@creativemasterminds.com

It is often said that all of us come into this world on equal footing, with nothing in our possession. Certainly we are born with equal value in the eyes of our Creator, and we don’t enter the world with any material possessions. Yet we do not begin life empty handed.

The moment we are born, we each have in our possession the most amazing gift! It is the gift of pure untapped potential, unique and different for each of us.

A person might have the potential to heal illness, invent, create art, teach, write, solve complex problems, or alleviate suffering. He or she might have the potential to inspire others with amazing courage or accomplishments in spite of extreme disability or misfortune.

Our challenge is to discover and develop this amazing potential. It often presents itself as a recurring interest or idea we can’t shake, or a special talent. It might appear as a meaningful coincidence that brings us face to face with an opportunity disguised as a problem.

When we come to realize this amazing inner potential, we are able to set realistic goals to make the world a better place. Then we must visualize those goals in detail, and hold them in the front of our minds daily to keep our actions on course with our objectives.

Rather than struggle with a long list of difficult new year’s resolutions, I would like to suggest committing to one that could truly make a difference in your life and the lives of others.

Once each day, think about the potential you were given, how you have used it, and how you could use it to benefit others. Visualize yourself using this gift to create a better world with your unique talents. Imagine how you will feel when you’ve succeeded. After you complete this brief exercise, you’ll feel confident, energized, and ready to go into action.

Resolve to continue developing your unique potential each day. You might be surprised to see many of your past struggles resolve in the process. Best of all, you’ll have the joy of knowing that you’ve truly made a difference in your life, and in the lives of others. You will have made the world a better place to live.

© Copyright 2002-2005 by Steve Brunkhorst. All rights reserved worldwide. Reprinted from Achieve! 60-Second Nuggets of Inspiration http://www.AchieveEzine.com

As important as goal setting is, goals alone do not ensure that you will achieve the success you desire. A written goal is not some kind of magic talisman whereby whatever you set your heart on manifests in your life out of thin air. That being the case, what is it that makes the difference between a person who achieves their goals and a person who doesn’t? The answer can be summarised in a single word: lifestyle. The only difference between those who achieve their goals and those who don’t is the way they live each day. Destiny does not determine your lifestyle. Your lifestyle determines your destiny!

The vast majority of people who aspire to success in life aspire to a particular kind of result. They see successful people on TV, at the movies or in their neighbourhoods and they think, “I want that.” They look at the wealth, the fame, the physique, the career success, the fulfilling relationships and all the other “results” of success, but they don’t look at the kind of lifestyle which led to that success. If they did, they would realise that these successful results can all be had, but not apart from the successful lifestyle which precedes them.

Get this point clear in your mind right now:

You can have any kind of success you desire if you are willing to adopt the kind of lifestyle which precedes that success.

I meet many people who, on discovering that I am a writer as well as a life coach, tell me that they too have always wanted to write. “I have a great idea for a book,” they say. “And I’d love to have my name in print… and receive those royalty cheques. It must be absolutely wonderful!”

If you put my life in those terms, then I have to agree. It would be absolutely wonderful to spend my life getting ideas, having my name put in print and collecting royalty cheques.

Unfortunately for the dreamers, there is a lifestyle which precedes all of those results. For example, at five o’clock this morning when everyone else was cosily tucked up in bed, I was in the shower. At five fifteen I was eating a bowl of breakfast cereal. And at five thirty I was sitting at my desk, putting words on paper. And because I have clients to coach today (and most days) I’ll be here for a while yet.

I don’t want this to sound as though I dislike my work. The fact is that I love writing and coaching. I actually enjoy getting out of bed early in the morning and spending almost all of my day helping people to achieve their dreams. The point I am trying to make is that if you want success as a writer, you have to live the lifestyle of a writer. That means writing, day in and day out.

The same applies to any other form of success. If you want to achieve the goal of being fit and healthy, you need to adopt the kind of lifestyle which places importance on regular exercise and eating habits. If you want to achieve the goal of having strong family relationships, you need to adopt the kind of lifestyle which places importance on regular family gatherings and good communication skills.

Once again, let me put it this way:

Destiny does not determine your lifestyle.

Your lifestyle determines your destiny.

Now compare this strategy with the ones contained in the vast majority of self-help titles and you will find their fatal flaw: Most self-help systems claim that the lifestyle is the goal, the end result of having achieved success. Wrong! The adoption of a properly planned lifestyle is the route to achieving success in the first place. If you still need convincing then consider this: How do you think most currently mega-successful people lived before they achieved the success they now enjoy?

Did Bruce Willis spend five hours every evening watching soap operas or the latest action movies on video? Was Anthony Robbins a regular at his local bar, content to happily watch the evenings pass by with just a few drinking pals and beers close by to keep him awake? Did Meg Ryan spend all day watching daytime television and eating cheese puffs? Was Nicole Kidman content to work in a dead-end job for little money? Did Stephen King spend every spare afternoon at the race track or bumming around with a group of loser friends?

Of course, the answer to all of these questions is no. But aren’t these exactly the kind of things that unsuccessful people do all the time? And aren’t these the kind of things that unsuccessful people actually defend when challenged about their lifestyles? Yes!

And that’s the only real difference between the people who achieve their goals and those that don’t - the things that they do day after day, week after week and month after month.

I realise that all of this sounds incredibly simple, but the fact is that personal success is simple. It may not be easy, but it certainly isn’t complicated.

About The Author

Ian Bruce, aka The Rational Coach, helps people from all over the globe to improve their lives and achieve their goals both elegantly and swiftly. Visit him today at www.rational-coaching.com

rationalcoaching@aol.com

How’s your motor running? Are you powering through your daily tasks and accomplishing all the goals you set for yourself, or are you stuck in life’s slow lane?

Here’s how to boost your performance, and achieve your goals, using your GPS (Goal Positioning System).

=> 1. Set clear, time-limited goals, using your GPS (Goal Positioning System)

What do you want and when do you want it? You need to know where you’re headed, otherwise you’ll end up somewhere you don’t expect.

If you’ve been resisting setting goals because it all sounds like too much work, and you’ve got enough on your plate already, try using your own GPS (Goal Positioning System).

The usual way of setting goals is to decide what you want, set the date by which you will have achieved it, and then work backwards from the date, creating monthly, weekly, and daily tasks which will, with luck, get you there.

The problem with this system is that it assumes that you’re static, that nothing much is going to change in you and in your environment between now and the date you’ve set for achieving your goal. But you change every day, and so does everything else.

Try using your GPS. It’s simplicity itself. The only demand it makes on you is that you decide what you want, and by which date you want it. Then you set yourself some weekly and daily tasks which will, according to where you are at the moment, and according to your current knowledge, take you there.

The only thing you need to keep in your mind is your goal. Your GPS locks onto your goal and proceeds to move you towards it.

How? Read on for how to use your GPS.

=> 2. Daily: visualize yourself successfully completing tasks and achieving your goals

Split-brain theory suggests that your brain’s split into two: into your right and left brain. Your right brain sees wholes, rather than parts. Your left brain focuses and sees parts, rather than wholes.

The two halves of your brain work together smoothly, most of the time. However, you can gum up the works with stress, by trying too hard, and by assuming that you know exactly how you will achieve your goals.

Your brain works best if you use your imagination (images/ right brain) to picture what you want, and use your logic (left brain) to figure out a plan, and work on the plan, TODAY.

So get an image of your goal’s achievement, and confine your activities to what you can clearly see to do right now, today, to get yourself toward your goal.

You confine yourself to today, because you will change today, and everything will change around you, albeit subtly (usually). Confining yourself to today is realistic. You can’t know what will happen tomorrow; you don’t know what effect your actions today will have.

Before you do each task today, take a moment and picture the task as done, before you start it.

If you hate a task, this mental imaging is vital. Let’s say you hate to make cold calls (telemarketing). You dislike the task, so you put it off as long as possible, and when you do get around to doing it you do it in a half-hearted manner. Guess how many sales you make with this attitude?

Instead, try this. Imagine yourself doing something you enjoy, say swimming. Imagine yourself in the pool, swimming laps. Really get into this, use your senses, and clearly imagine your enjoyment.

Now say to yourself: "As I’m making my cold calls, I’ll feel exactly the same enjoyment I do as when I’m swimming." Now picture yourself making the calls, and enjoying doing it.

=> 3. Use your intuition

The next step in using your GPS is to allow your intuition to help you.

Your intuition manifests through bodily sensations. You may get "gut feelings" or your feelings may manifest somewhere else in your body. Listen to them. Follow your instincts.

=> 4. Write ABOUT what you want, and why you want it

Writing about what you want, and why you want it, is a great way to deal with negative emotions.

If you feel resistance to doing something, say cold calls, as in our example, take out a pen and paper and ask yourself why you feel this.

Just keep writing. Write as quickly as you can, for at least ten minutes. Use a timer. Don’t stop writing until the ten minutes is up.

You’ll be amazed at the effect this simple process has. You can change your mood entirely, and can also get at the root cause of your discomfort and eliminate it.

True, you may feel some discomfort as you write. However, by being willing to stay with it, those feelings will dissipate. And best of all, they won’t return. Stay with it.

=> 5. Create and use a daily task list

Each morning, using a pen and paper, write out five tasks you will do today. It’s important to use pen and paper for this, and write out the tasks manually, even if you use a PIM (Personal Information Manager) or calendar on your computer.

Write out your tasks, and prioritize them: A,B,C,D,E.

Writing out your tasks by hand kickstarts your brain. It involves both your left and right brain, and gets them to cooperate.

If you aren’t powering through your life, with your eyes fixed firmly on the prize — your goals — and use your GPS. It’s easy, it’s great fun, and best of all, it will move you towards your goals faster than you believed possible.

Author of many books, including Making the Internet Work for Your Business, copywriter and journalist Angela Booth also writes copy for businesses large and small, and consults on search engine marketing. Angela has written copy for companies in many industries, ranging from technology and real estate to the jewellery trade. Her clients include major corporations like hp (Hewlett Packard), WestPac Bank, and Acer Computer. For copywriting services and marketing advice contact Angela at angelabooth.com

I remember watching an NBA Basketball Game on t.v one night. The Miami Heat were playing the New Orleans Hornets. Miami was all over them yet when you looked at the score New Orleans kept pulling ahead.

Bill Walton made the comment "Don’t mistake activity for achievement." I’ll always remember that. Just because Miami was playing hard didn’t mean they were playing smart.

This can apply to our everyday lives and more directly to our internet marketing careers. As we all work hard to make money online and make money at home you should ask yourself this question everyday, "Is what I’m doing right now going to help me make move my business forward?"

I am as guilty of this as anyone. I check my email over and over clicking on the send/recieve button looking for new messages that say something like "Congratulations You Have Made Another Sale."

It is so easy to constantly log into a program and check my stats over and over. What’s the point? If they do change it isn’t enough to even merit the time it takes to do it over and over.

How about this one. Reading posts in forums until your eyes are blurry. That’s o.k if you are involved and making some posts as well. You might as well get your link out there and posting is a great way to learn something as well as do that. But you have to post once in awhile too.

Here’s the key to getting yourself past the activity mode and into the achievement mode.

Write down 5 specific things you want to accomplish everyday to help you make money on the internet. Here is an example of this.

1. Make 5 new posts in forums
2. Trade links with 5 quality websites
3. Submit my article to 5 article websites
4. Place my ad in 5 free classified sites
5. Call 5 of my home business prospects

Now what is the key to these 5 things on my list? Well for starters they are written down. Next it is an advertising and marketing driven list.

If you aren’t spending 80-90% of your time on advertising and marketing your home business then you have no right to complain when you aren’t making any money. It is that simple.

You have to write down action items for the day and the majority of those action items have to be doing something to advertise and market your business.

Every one of us has different amounts of time we can spend everyday working to make money online. It isn’t how much time you spend, but how you spend it that will determine your long term success.

"Don’t Mistake Activity For Achievement."

Jeff Schuman © 2004
http://www.Team-Schuman.com

About The Author

Jeff Schuman is a 20 year veteran of sales and marketing and has made over $35 million dollars in sales in that time. His Team-Schuman.Com website contains the Top 5 work at home websites, make money fast websites, make money articles, a free classified ad service and more. Vist his website today!

jeff@team-schuman.com