by Krishanna
7. January 2010 01:54
It is the time of year where
many people will attempt to develop their New Year’s resolutions. Whether you
have one resolution or a thousand, wouldn’t it be a fabulous accomplishment to
be able to say to yourself that 2010 was the year you stopped dreaming about
accomplishing your resolutions and started to do them?
Dreaming about what you want to get done is not a bad thing, but many of us
seem stuck in the days after January 1st thinking about losing weight , starting a business , or saving more of our income instead of making it happen.
To help you start the New Year right, here are 6 ways I have thought of that
you make 2010 a year of doing instead of a year of dreaming:
Change
Your Mental Map
In the article, “Leading Again for the First Time ,” Dr.
Chip Souba makes the assertion that “Sustainable success begins with
transforming people first by changing their mental maps and thought patterns.”
In my studies of success, the people that are most successful are the ones that
change their perceptions of what they can do and as Dr. Souba said, change
their mental map.
When you change your mental map, you are not changing what you believe to be
true or false, right or wrong, but you are changing how you perceive success in accomplishing your goals
. Many of us fall into the
trap of thinking that our past failures signify future failures. That is a
mental map we have created that has now defined our future. When we change our
mental map, we realize that our past failures do not define our future and that
we can accomplish the goals we set this New Year.
Increase
Your Learning on the Subject
For many of us, the New Year gives us a few days of rest before we have to go
back to work. This is a good time to sneak into the library and research your
resolutions. I personally like to do my research in the libraries of a large
public university. There I have access to search tools and databases that allow
me to find peer reviewed articles and data on the topics I am researching. For non-research
types like me, our local public library can give us access to:
- The forms needed to start a business.
- Books on how to get our finances in order.
- Exercise and diet DVDs, books, and magazines
- Online programs to learn a new language, learn about traveling to other
countries, develop a resume and a variety of
other self-help topics.
- A staff of people that are paid to help you find information.
If you want to kick your New
Year off right, then consider heading to the library to get as much information
on the topic as you can so you have the information you need to get a fast
start.
Eliminate
Wasteful Activities
The primary complaints that I hear from people about why they fail to
accomplish their goals is that they do not have enough time
. This is coming from the
people that hit the snooze button 9 times before getting out of bed, watch two
hours of TV a night, and spend every 20 minutes checking their e-mail and
Facebook status updates.
Spending some time doing a relaxing activity
is not a bad thing, but when
you are spending over two hours a day playing Farmville, you have some free
time to get more done in your life. I recommend that you spend the next few
days trying to cut your TV and Internet time in half and spend that time
working on accomplishing your resolutions.
Set
Realistic Time Horizons
You didn’t put that 20 pounds on in a week, so don’t expect it to come off the
day you start your diet.
We live in a world of instant gratification. Due to the pace of our lives, it
has become difficult to accept that being successful in accomplishing your
goals takes time. If you are looking to lose weight, then give yourself the
room to make mistakes over the coming week. Just because you ate a pint of Ben
and Jerry’s doesn’t mean all is lost. It just means you need to be realistic
about your goal and strive to a long term goal of feeling better and weighing
less.
Whether it is a savings goal, business, or personal, we all try to believe that
things can change overnight. They can’t, so we need to make sure that we create
time horizons for our goals that push us to accomplish them but don’t set us up
for failure.
Recruit
Others to Your Cause
If you need help losing weight, then join a support group. Trying
to save money? Join a savings club. Want to
start a business? Then join a local chamber of commerce. For many of your
goals, there are free or low cost groups that you can join that create a
support network that will help you stick with your goals.
No time to cook healthy meals and still
want to eat healthy? Order a Personal Chef To Go meal plan. The Singles menu is
perfect for singles or for those who who want to eat a healthy lunch while you’re at work
without spending a bundle. The Family Favorites meal plan is great for getting everyone to eat healthier too!
If there isn’t a group available, then try to find an accountability buddy that
will push you to stay in line with your goals. This should be someone that you
can speak with in confidence that will tell you when you are keeping to your
goals or need to get back in line.
Take Action Now
Don’t wait until January 1st to start your resolution. If you want to lose
weight, then get your workout clothes on and take a walk. When you return from
your walk, throw away all of the junk food in your house, make a menu for the
next month, then create a healthy shopping list for the next two weeks.
If you want to save money in the new year, then why don’t you pull out the
credit card and bank statements, figure out what monthly expenses can be
eliminated, and make the calls to cancel subscriptions, reduce your cell phone
bill, and other subscriptions you are no longer using.
Don’t wait for something to happen, the clock to strike midnight, or a mystic
vision to reveal what you are supposed to accomplish in the New Year. IF you
want to be successful then pick up the phone, get out and start moving, or pick
up the pen in write. Whatever you want to do, get out there and do it right
now! It is the best way to get you started in accomplishing your goals.
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