New Year's Resolutions You'll Keep? A Simple Quiz
Let’s talk about New Year’s Resolutions. Do you set the same resolutions over and over, year after year, with the same results? Do you procrastinate, avoid the issue, confess to being lazy or come up with a zillion reasons why you will do something about those pesky resolutions tomorrow? Then, do you hear that little voice in the back of your mind that whispers, “You have a whole year to make these changes, right?”
Take charge! Don’t journey into 2005 doing exactly what you’ve always done and expect miraculously different results. The following tips will show you how to stop sulking, to develop a clear sense of purpose and to stride boldly into 2005.
Start with buying yourself a nice journal or at the very least set aside a notepad that you will use to record your journey into the New Year. Begin with a few positive sentences about your greatest accomplishments of 2004. Then, jot down some of the mistakes or obstacles that kept life interesting but are better left in 2004. Now, write down your list of resolutions for 2005. This doesn’t have to be fancy or grammatically correct it is just a place for you to note your ideas in an effort to develop that clear sense of purpose.
The following quiz can help you explore how and why you choose these particular resolutions.
1) Is your list the same or a similar list to the one you wrote last year?
2) How many years have you used this same list without achieving the results you sought?
3) Are you setting goals to please others or to please yourself?
4) Why did you set each resolution on your list? To answer this WHY question, consider the following:
a) Think back to who you were when you first decided upon each resolution.
b) Are there any resolutions on your list that don’t apply to your life right now?
c) Why did you want to accomplish each goal when you first set the intentions?
d) Was there or is there someone else in your life that influenced you to add any of the
resolutions?
e) Why do you want to accomplish each goal now?
f) When, or by what date, do you want to achieve each goal?
g) What specific steps will you take this year to achieve your resolutions?
5) What are you really trying to achieve in 2005?
6) CHALLENGE: List at least ONE thing you will do differently than you have ever done before to make your dreams a reality in 2005!
Now, look at your resolutions from a whole new angle. Start with a blank page and develop a list of everything you have ever wanted to do. That’s right, everything. Ignore all resolutions, obligations, fears, costs or any other obstacles that may prevent you from adding an item to your list. Just write anything that comes to mind when you reflect on everything that you have ever wanted to do. To develop a clear sense of purpose for the New Year, take the list and choose at least two things that you will commit to accomplishing in 2005. Then, write out a few steps that will help you begin the journey of attaining something that really has meaning!
Here’s the fun part. Compare your list of everything you have ever wanted to do with your initial New Year’s resolutions. Are there common themes between what you will set out to conquer in 2005 and what you hope to conquer when you consider everything you would like to do with the rest of your life? If the two lists don’t show similar desires, what are you waiting for?
Make 2005 the year that you change the way you set and REACH your New Year’s resolutions. An effective way to tackle resolutions is by committing to take one step each week so the goals become more than just intentions; they become habits. If you are averse to the thought of change taking an entire year, then commit to a time schedule that feels right for your situation. You’ll see results with every week that you take action! This is your life, so set your own rules and work at your own pace. If it does take you an entire year to reach those resolutions, think of it this way: what's a year when it means a happier rest of your life?
Copyright 2004 JoAnna Carey, Carey'D Away Enterprises, LLC. All Rights Reserved. * Adapted from the book Rat Race Relaxer:Your Potential & The Maze of Life by JoAnna Carey.
About The Author:
JoAnna Carey, aka "The Rat Race Relaxer," is available for radio, TV and print interviews. She's an energetic, young entrepreneur who merges her life experience and business success to perform enjoyable, influential presentations. She is the producer and host of her own weekly television program titled The Rat Race Relaxer™ Show and the author of Rat Race Relaxer: Your Potential & The Maze of Life. Contact Carey'D Away Enterprises, LLC; http://www.RatRaceRelaxer.com.
This article may be reproduced and shared in any format as long as the contact and copyright and author bio information is included. Please also send us an email at mailto:j.carey@att.net and let us know how you are using the articles so we can continue to provide useful and timely information to our loyal readers. A courtesy copy of your publication is appreciated.
posted by JoAnna Carey at 1:57 PM
11 Comments:
I have an Entr site/blog. It pretty much covers making large amounts of money on the web.
Come and check it out if you get time :-)
I’m about to make you think.
It might be painful.
Have you done anything earth shattering lately?
Read anything that really sets your mind on fire with a passion to do good?
How about doing something important for yourself?
Have you?
Do you know without a doubt where you will be living a few years from now, what you will be doing, how big your bank account will be?
Got a Plan?
Know how to get there?
You gotta have goals.
That’s one of my passions. Helping people set goals, reach them, and be more productive.
By the end of today I’ll have left dozens of goal setting “nuggets” all
over the internet. I know few people will actually try to use them, but at least I’ll have tried.
I’ve been doing this for a long time. Yes, it’s blatant, but it will make you think, and perhaps act, and even get back to goal setting, something you used to do on a regular basis, but don’t have time for any more.
One person I left a “nugget” with went on to write a book he’d always wanted to write, another decided to change careers and one who bought my goal setting book is on his way to achieving greatness in the medical industry.
Often we don’t practice what we preach or do what we know we should be doing.
Are you guilty of this?
If so, this little “reminder” might help.
What will you do with this “nugget”? Ignore it or use it?
Here’s yours;
Write Goals Down
This crystallizes your goals and gives them more force.
In writing your goals down, you are better able to keep up with your scheduled tasks for each accomplishment. It also helps you to remember each task that needs to be done and allows you to check them off as they are accomplished.
Basically, you can better keep track of what you are doing so as not to repeat yourself unnecessarily.
Keep Operational Goals small
Keep the low-level goals you are working towards small and easy to achieve. If a goal is too large, then it can seem that you are not making progress towards it.
Keeping goals small and incremental allows you more opportunities for reward. Derive today's goals from larger ones. It is a great way to accomplish your goals.
Set Performance Goals, not outcome goals
You should take care to set goals over which you have as much control as possible.
There is nothing more dispiriting than failing to achieve a personal goal for reasons that are beyond your control.
These could be bad business environments, poor judging, bad weather, injury, or just plain bad luck. If you base your goals on personal your performance, then you can keep control over the achievement of your goals and get satisfaction from achieving them.
Set Realistic Goals
It is important to set goals that you can achieve.
All sorts of people (parents, media, and society) can set unrealistic goals for you which is almost a guarantee of failure. They will often do this in ignorance of your own desires and ambitions or flat out disinterest.
Alternatively you may be naive in setting very high goals. You might not appreciate either the obstacles in the way, or understand quite how many skills you must master to achieve a particular level of performance.
By being realistic you are increasing your chances of success.
Do not set goals to low
Just as it is important not to set goals unrealistically high; do not set them too low. People tend to do this where they are afraid of failure or where they simply don’t want to do anything.
You should set goals so that they are slightly out of your immediate grasp, but not so far that there is no hope of achieving them. No one will put serious effort into achieving a goal that they believe is unattainable.
However, remember that your belief that a goal is unrealistic may be incorrect. If this could be the case, you can to change this belief by using imagery effectively.
Good Luck and Happy Goal Setting!
I’m about to make you think.
It might be painful.
Have you done anything earth shattering lately?
Read anything that really sets your mind on fire with a passion to do good?
How about doing something important for yourself?
Have you?
Do you know without a doubt where you will be living a few years from now, what you will be doing, how big your bank account will be?
Got a Plan?
Know how to get there?
You gotta have goals.
That’s one of my passions. Helping people set goals, reach them, and be more productive.
By the end of today I’ll have left dozens of goal setting “nuggets” all
over the internet. I know few people will actually try to use them, but at least I’ll have tried.
I’ve been doing this for a long time. Yes, it’s blatant, but it will make you think, and perhaps act, and even get back to goal setting, something you used to do on a regular basis, but don’t have time for any more.
One person I left a “nugget” with went on to write a book he’d always wanted to write, another decided to change careers and one who bought my goal setting book is on his way to achieving greatness in the medical industry.
Often we don’t practice what we preach or do what we know we should be doing.
Are you guilty of this?
If so, this little “reminder” might help.
What will you do with this “nugget”? Ignore it or use it?
Here’s yours;
Write Goals Down
This crystallizes your goals and gives them more force.
In writing your goals down, you are better able to keep up with your scheduled tasks for each accomplishment. It also helps you to remember each task that needs to be done and allows you to check them off as they are accomplished.
Basically, you can better keep track of what you are doing so as not to repeat yourself unnecessarily.
Keep Operational Goals small
Keep the low-level goals you are working towards small and easy to achieve. If a goal is too large, then it can seem that you are not making progress towards it.
Keeping goals small and incremental allows you more opportunities for reward. Derive today's goals from larger ones. It is a great way to accomplish your goals.
Set Performance Goals, not outcome goals
You should take care to set goals over which you have as much control as possible.
There is nothing more dispiriting than failing to achieve a personal goal for reasons that are beyond your control.
These could be bad business environments, poor judging, bad weather, injury, or just plain bad luck. If you base your goals on personal your performance, then you can keep control over the achievement of your goals and get satisfaction from achieving them.
Set Realistic Goals
It is important to set goals that you can achieve.
All sorts of people (parents, media, and society) can set unrealistic goals for you which is almost a guarantee of failure. They will often do this in ignorance of your own desires and ambitions or flat out disinterest.
Alternatively you may be naive in setting very high goals. You might not appreciate either the obstacles in the way, or understand quite how many skills you must master to achieve a particular level of performance.
By being realistic you are increasing your chances of success.
Do not set goals to low
Just as it is important not to set goals unrealistically high; do not set them too low. People tend to do this where they are afraid of failure or where they simply don’t want to do anything.
You should set goals so that they are slightly out of your immediate grasp, but not so far that there is no hope of achieving them. No one will put serious effort into achieving a goal that they believe is unattainable.
However, remember that your belief that a goal is unrealistic may be incorrect. If this could be the case, you can to change this belief by using imagery effectively.
Good Luck and Happy Goal Setting!
Have you ever spent two or three hours doing nothing but blog surfing?
I’ve been surfing for related information to goal setting technique for my next
eBook on goal setting
for young adults.
It will be a compilation of information found mostly from blogs (not websites because
they really don’t cover much for young adults - how they think and react).
Blogs on the other hand have more personal “stuff” and are rich with anecdotes
and “hidden” emotions, words and information not found anywhere else on the net.
If you’ve not surfed at least a couple hundred blogs at one setting, you really should some day, it’s a great education.
Anyway,
Along the way I also leave a little “wisdom” to start you thinking about your own goals and maybe help put you in the very small percent of the population that actually set goals, write them down and try to achieve them.
Not earth shattering by any means, and you have read this before, but have you
actually practiced it lately?
Jot down a few new goals today, right now, that would make you a better person, better business person or a better provider.
I dare you!
There is a difference in setting your goals and setting them effectively. Anyone can set a goal, but doing it effectively means that it will actually get done.
There are so many things that you can do to better your life, but if you don't know how to go about it you are stuck.
The following guidelines will help you to set effective goals and help you manage your time in an efficient manner that will cause those goals to become reality.
State each goal as a positive statement
Express your goals in a positive way. This is a key component to setting goals that you can attain.
How often have you been excited to accomplish a goal that didn't even sound good when you brought it up? If you are not comfortable or happy with the goals that you have set, the likelihood of you succeeding is pretty low.
If you want to express your goals in a positive way, you simply have to first think of a goal that puts a smile on your face when you imagine it completed. Why would you want to set a goal that made you frown, cringe or cry?
When you are beginning to set your goals it helps when you are talking about them to others in a manner that states your actions as positives because it will have others seeing it as a positive as well.
That will garner you a great deal more support. In the end, don't we all need a little support when we are trying to do something positive in our lives?
Be precise
Set a precise goal that includes starting dates, times and amounts so that you can properly measure your achievement.
If you do this, you will know exactly when you have achieved the goal, and can take complete satisfaction from having achieved it.
Being precise in setting your goals is no more than setting them with exact details. It is easier this way because then you can follow a step-by-step format. That's all there is to it.
Set priorities
When you have several goals, give each a specific priority. This helps you to avoid feeling overwhelmed by too many goals, and helps to direct your attention to the most important ones and follow each in succession. Setting priorities will force you into the step-by-step format above.
By doing the most important first and moving to the least important in succession, you are enabling each task to be easier than the last. It causes the accomplishment of each task to get easier and easier which will encourage you to complete your goal.
Enjoy your day – have a GREAT one! And set some new goals…
Have you done anything earth shattering lately?
Read anything that really sets your mind on fire with a passion to do good?
How about doing something important for yourself?
Have you?
Do you know without a doubt where life is taking you?
Got a Plan?
Know how to get there?
Most people don't. They just go through life hoping for the best. How can you possibly reach your dreams if you don't have a real plan?
A new year is coming. It's time to start thinking about your New Years Resolution and really start planning your life don't you think. Follow through on some of those old goals you had years ago.
Even people in the goal setting business tend not to visit their "life plan" very often.
Are you one of those?
Need a little refresher and some FREE goal setting tips?
Spend a few minutes at setting goals and take away life changing information.
Happy New Year!
I was going to leave a little tip on New Years Resolutions and how to make the best of them.
Unfortunately, I would not be able to keep it brief.
Goal setting takes effort and you really have to know how to do it to do it well. Especially the follow-up.
That's why I've included a lot of FREE goal setting information on my website, to help folks like you be more successful.
In fact, you can start now, and get a head start on the new year - and the rest of your life.
Think goal setting isn't important? Spend a little time at long term goals and you'll change your mind.
Have a GREAT day!
After a good read on blogs like this I like to leave little tips on goal setting. You know, the things you used to dream of when you were young, or even now.
A lot of research has shown that only those who set goals are likely to achieve their dreams.
When is the last time you really sat down and wrote a few short term and long term goals down?
What? It's been that long!
A new year is coming. You could do the same things you did this year and achieve the same results you did with your life dreams last year, or you could visit long term goals and read all the FREE information on setting goals and getting what you want out of life
OR
you could just piddle on through life hoping for the best, like most people do.
Which will it be?
You really can have a lot more of everything than you do now. All you gotta do is know what you want and have a plan.
Have a GREAT New Year!
Hype blog. And I admire your site and plan on
returning to it! When I web surf it always helps me to
find great blogs.
Jump into my real home based internet business blog.
If your interested in setting up a limited liability company then please check out my small business start up opportunity site
Great News! Anyone thinking about going into business for themselves, or wanting to expand an existing business should check out the world's largest source of small business grants and government business loans.
http://www.idesirefreedom.com/home based business opportunity
***Hi, this is Paul. I found this great way of getting phone verified leads FREE.
Discover how you can use the same Million Dollar Recruiting System that I use at NO-CHARGE ,
for the first 30 days! Plus, get a FREE 23-Page Report Called:
�My Million Dollar MLM Recruiting System!�***
http://www.idesirefreedom.com/
Post a Comment
<< Home