Well, here we are again facing another new year. We have a new calendar, a clean slate, and endless possibilities. Unfortunately, the majority of us will, once again, make one of two bad mistakes that will guarantee we will be at this same place and point in life next year. Every new year, people either commit to unrealistic, unreasonable resolutions they never realize, or they commit to absolutely nothing which they continue to realize.
There is nothing magic about the new year. We can declare a new year, new decade, or a turning point in our life any time we want to, but the new year seems to offer us a clear delineation between old and new that we can use to our advantage.
Avoid resolutions, and establish some life goals. Resolutions are wishes or dreams that we casually make and even more casually forget. Goals must be personal, realistic, and measurable. You can establish a new year’s resolution because your spouse thinks you should, your mother-in-law has been pressuring you, or your next-door-neighbor suggested it, but a goal must be personal. It must matter to you and you alone and be worth the price you’re going to pay to reach it.
Once you have identified a personal goal, you must be sure it is realistic. If you’ve been watching too much late-night TV or surfing the Internet too much, you might be tempted to set a goal to lose 50 pounds by next Thursday, become a millionaire by the weekend, or meet the love of your life by lunchtime today.
Becoming successful is rarely a pioneering effort. Most goals that you and I want to achieve have been achieved by others before us. Don’t ever take advice from anyone who doesn’t have what you want. Before you set a goal, find someone who has achieved that same goal, and mirror their activity. This will enable you to mirror their results.
Finally, once you have established a goal that is personal and realistic, you must make sure it’s measurable. You might set a goal to establish peace on earth and good will toward men or have a better relationship with your spouse and kids, or be a better employee, but you’ll never realize any of these objectives until you quantify them in a way that is measurable. The thing you can measure is the thing you can move. I hope you will abandon the new year’s resolution trap in favor of the life-goal path. If so, I will truly wish you a Happy New Year.
As you go through your day today, make sure your goals are personal, realistic, and measurable.
Today’s the day!
Jim Stovall is the president of Narrative Television Network, as well as a published author of many books including The Ultimate Gift. He is also a columnist and motivational speaker. He may be reached at 5840 South Memorial Drive, Suite 312, Tulsa, OK 74145-9082; by email at Jim@JimStovall.com; on Twitter at www.twitter.com/stovallauthor; or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/jimstovallauthor.
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