Day 104 of 2007! Three months into the year, I'd say it's time to take a good, hard look at what you've achieved with your New Year Resolution. Remember January 1, when you made a promise to yourself, and said I Resolve To _____. Maybe you decided it was time to earn your college degree, or learn a new language, start your own business, run a marathon, contribute time and effort to your favorite cause, or pay off your debt, or get fit . . . the possibilities are endless. Bottom-line, you decided that 2007 is your year to achieve one of your dreams. If you didn't take action - why not do it today? You can pursue your dreams, resolutions and goals any day of the year!
Consider this simple, common sense I Resolve To Formula: Start with one of your dreams. Turn that dream into a resolution. Make that resolution a reality with goals - small steps, taken one at a time, one day at a time.
Dream + Resolution + Goals = Achievement!
With that simple formula in hand, maybe you're not sure how to proceed? Not sure what to do first? Consider these Five I Resolve To Steps:
- Dare To Dream: Open your mind to the possibility that, 'YES', you can achieve your dream if you pursue it passionately, with patience and persistence. 'YES' you can achieve your dream if you work hard, learn from your mistakes, and strive to stay positive even when you hit obstacles and bumps in the road.
- Decide: Make decision, a firm promise to yourself, a solid commitment to pursue your dream, one small step at a time, one day at a time for the rest of the year. Make your dream 'real' by transforming it into 'RESOLVE' - your RESOLUTION to 'take action, achieve, change, do'.
- Define: In one simple sentence, clearly, specifically, concisely, realistically define your resolution - what you will achieve in 2007, where you will end up. Personally, one of my Lifetime Resolutions is to exercise for 30-minutes each day by walking, biking, stretching, swimming, lifting weights, playing tennis, doing Yoga - and I add new things to the mix to keep me interested and motivated year after year.
- Develop A Plan: Make your resolution reality, first, by doing your homework - educate yourself, knowledge is power! What are all the many steps, tasks, activities that you need to pursue to make your resolution happen. Second, break all those steps, tasks, activities down into small daily goals that you can tackle, one small step at a time. Write everything down! Maintain a Daily Resolution Diary, a journal, in a notebook, blog - whatever works best for you - where you can add timelines and deadlines to your plan, track your progress daily/weekly, make course corrections when you're stuck, and reward yourself - celebrate your successes, when you achieve those goals! Success, after all, breeds success - it's a key motivator in your journey and it will build your confidence and self esteem.
- Do It Daily: Just 'showing up' is often half the battle. If you devote just 30-minutes each day, or a few hours each week, that effort compounds like interest on money in the bank. That effort will show results over time. You don't have to fulfill your dream, keep your resolution, achieve all your goals overnight. You can lower the bar just a little, take the pressure off, take one small step each and every day, for life! Why achieve a dream, then move on to the next one. Why not keep your dreams with you for good.
I'm not promising overnight success - or achievement without the benefit of TIME, ENERGY, IDEAS, AND WILLPOWER. Yes, it would be wonderful if we could just 'think positive thoughts' all day, and our heart's desire would magically appear. Picture a million dollars, and your mailbox will fill with checks! WOW, that would be great, wouldn't it? That's silly, silly, silly - wishful thinking. If you believe that, you're going to be disappointed. If someone is feeding you that line, they're trying to sell you snake-oil!
I truly believe in the power of positive thought, being optimistic, having faith, and hope. Those qualities will help to point you in the right direction, and they will help you during the tough times when obstacles get in the way of progress. I assure you, obstacles will get in your way. You will have days when you, your dream, your life seems like it's been hijacked - when it's Overtaken By Events. But, beware of anyone who tells you that you brought these events upon yourself because you weren't thinking positive thoughts, or you were being negative. Positive thoughts aren't going to make wealth appear magically - anymore than negative thoughts will make your world crumble around you. Everyone has some negative thoughts, it's impossible to be positive and happy 24-7.
When you encounter obstacles to your dreams, take a deep breath, work through the obstacles, and know that things will get better. But don't blame yourself for the obstacles, or if you've made mistakes that have actually created obstacles. Guilt will just drag you down. Take those mistakes, admit to yourself that you made them, and use them to your advantage. Some of my most profoud successes were from 'lessons learned' after I'd made mistakes. I knew wallowing in guilt would just make me feel bad. I knew I had to move on, get going in a new direction with my dream - or have the courage to admit that maybe it was time to pursue a new dream.
Bottom line, f you truly want to achieve something in your life, you first have to 'identify' what you want to achieve, then pursue it with single-minded passion, steely determination. You have to be focused, flexible, and willing to revise your plan and change your tactics as you learn and grow. And as you learn and grow - as you achieve small daily goals - your confidence will grow, right along with your self-esteem.
I urge you to join me in being a Resolutionista - someone who makes and keeps New Year Resolutions and enjoys doing it, enjoys the journey! What do you have to lose? You have less to lose by 'trying', than if you do nothing at all! Stop procrastinating. Stop living the 'Someday, Someday, Someday Syndrome'. Instead Live Your Dream!
Remember: I Resolve To Achieve My New Year Resolutions, One Resolution, One Day At A Time For One Year. It's your choice. Do it today. Turn your resolution into reality. Make your resolution a permanent Lifetime Resolution! Let's Go for it!
Kim M. Simpson - April 14, 2007
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