“What is not started today is never finished tomorrow.” -Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
At the start of a new year, many people like to make resolutions. They decide that January 1st is the best time to start on a path to accomplish some particular task or goal in their lives. It could be a goal to lose weight, exercise more or eat better on a daily basis. Others may decide to quit smoking, drinking or try to simply moderate any excesses in their lives. Still others have financial, relationship, college and a host of other goals.
Whatever type of vision or dream you might have, what are you waiting for?
You are probably telling yourself that January 1st is nearly a month behind us. You could be saying internally, "I'll plan during the year and get a start on things next January 1st." The problem with this thinking is that it will never happen. Unless you push the start button now and start moving, year after year you will keep repeating the same thing. You will never advance from that worn spot on the carpet where you pace, constanly planning but never doing.
Anything you decide to do in the new year can not be accomplished if you do not begin moving towards it today. And guess what? There is nothing magical about January 1st. Yes, you read that correctly. January 1st is a date on a calendar, a moment in time. What that means is that you can start now, today, this hour, this minute.
"Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen." ~Ralph Waldo Emerson
I happen to be a fan of the old Clint Eastwood western movies and maybe you have seen one or two of them as well. Many times he plays the unknown gunslinger who might have a checkered past but somehow has the redeeming quality of doing what is right. One of my favorite movies is "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly."
It is a movie that pits three men against each other in the search for a treasure. In a crucial scene near the end, the Clint Eastwood character declares that only he knows the real name of a grave in which the treasure is buried. He then writes the name on a rock, placing it in the middle of the graveyard.
He proceeds to tell the other two characters that "two hundred thousand dollars is a lot of money. We're going to have to earn it." The three then begin to stare each other down in the circular center of a cemetery, calculating alliances and dangers in a Mexican standoff before suddenly drawing their guns.
A Mexican standoff, as I am sure you have heard before is a stalemate, no one with an advantage, and no way to make a decision. In its most precise definition, it is a confrontation among three opponents. Popular usage would refer to only two opponents in which neither side has an advantage by attacking first. The interesting thing is that each of us create this standoff in our own minds daily.
We conspire against ourselves, weighing the decision to get out of bed early versus staying snuggled in bed warm, sleeping another 20 minutes. We could get up early to read, meditate, exercise or we could simply stay in bed sleeping. You might think is is an easy decision to make but it can stifle you.
Better yet, you might be thinking of taking that one college course to advance your skills. Yet it means sacrificing time with friends and additional effort in energy or less sleep while you study. The results could mean a better paying job, advancement or any other number of postivie outcomes. But we create that standoff, a Mexican standoff within our mind. Do I or do I not pull the trigger on moving forward in life?
How does one "win" the standoff when allow both sides of our mind have equal advantage? To answer, let us go back to the three men standing in the circle. Each has what seems to be no advantage but that is not quite so. You also have an advantage that you may not thought of, an advantage in which you have stacked the odds in your favor.
In the movie, the Clint Eastwood character had done just that. He had taken the bullets secretly from one of the men. The decision to pull first and which man to shoot first was easy. He had stacked the deck in his favor and so can you.
In your own standoff, you get to stack the deck by doing some things before hand. You get to make the decision and by believing in yourself, the deck is stacked in your favor. You know the benefits of making the right choice, of where you want to be in life and believe that you will get there.
So when the standoff occurs, you have the gun of decision already in hand and get to pull the trigger first. When you believe in yourself, no matter the outcome, the decision becomes easier each time. You will be the one to pull the trigger first.
Sounds easy, right?
Setting yourself up for success is never easy. It takes hard work and consistency in your daily habits. There will be days when you fail to pull the trigger first and the day will fall from a bullet of indecision. You mourn the decision and then let it go and move forward.
The next decision to be made will come around soon enough. This one you will pull first and have the advantage within your own Mexican standoff. The accomplishments and success will be your's to have. And all it took was making a decision to keep your life moving forward.
“Everything can be taken from a man but one thing; the last of the human freedoms - to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way.” -Viktor Frankl
There are times in your life when your attitude will be tested. It may be a family issue, problems at work and sometimes it occurs in your church life. How you respond to these tests of life will dictate many times the outcome of each. It will dictate the direction of your life. The point being is that your attitude can have a huge impact upon your life.
A few years back, a friend went through a couple of job changes. They were not of his doing and he simply was caught in the circumstances of the times. He and his wife also had various challenges with children, health and the death of relatives.
They were experiencing many of the things all of us go through. Yet to compound all of that with job loss seemed too much for anyone to carry on their shoulders. It seemed that they were carrying an unfair share of life's problems. Certainly they had every right to complain. But he kept an attitude of positive thought under the pressure.
My friend lost his first job due to company layoffs, but he had positioned himself to gain another job rather quickly. In this second job, it was a good one but after a short amount of time, a returning soldier was given his job back. The employer had promised to keep both but circumstances had changed and only one could be kept. There being no room, my friend was let go. The returning soldier deserved his old job back and so my friend left with a cheerful heart.
What happend to my friend? He kept looking, kept his attitude positive and landed a job to manage another, larger company. It was a bigger position with more responsibility and leadership. It was the job that was waiting to meet up with him at the right intersection and time in life. This man will know who he is and I'm proud to know him. He is a man of great character, great attitude and a leader among those he comes in contact with.
It is those qualities by which great leaders operate. Leaders who have learned and continue to learn how to 'rule' their attitudes. These people know how they want to feel and then chose to feel that way. Their mood and choices help create the end result. You too can be that kind of person, with the right kind of attitude.
"Imagination is the beginning of creation. You imagine what you desire; you will what you imagine; and at last you create what you will." -George Bernard Shaw
Your imagination is endless and until you walk through a door towards it, you will never realize the possibility. Go forward in life dreaming big dreams and always moving towards those dreams. To stand still and do nothing means we may as well never imagine greater things for our life.
Turn your imagination into dreams...turn your dreams into goals...turn your goals into reality. Believe in your vision, act upon your vision and realize your vision.
"Respect your elders: they graduated high school without Google or Wikipedia!" -Unknown
I had boarded the flight early as I normally do, settling into seat 12C. As I fly quite frequently, my airline status allows me to board early. It is a seat on the aisle near the front of the plane, one of my favorite spots. The location can be great for people watching as seasoned flyers and first timers all jostle down the narrow aisle looking for their assigned seat.
Today would be no different I thought, a normal flight to Boston, my usual routine. After settling in I would get my headphones on, my iPad opened to my favorite music and settle in for two hours of reading. Yet today would be a day when I would not do the usual, for the old man in 12B would delight my day.
He found a way to place his items in the overhead compartment and fumbled a bit getting into his seat. My thoughts at first were that he was new to flying. It also seemed odd with his crumpled trench coat, a well used jacket but neatly finished with an outdated tie. By the leathery look of his skin and deep wrinkles, I imagined his age to be well into his eighties.
As I finished up some business on my iPhone, he gestured and remarked at how connected we are these days. He certainly wasn't against technology but he said we never seem to talk anymore or better yet, we never seem to listen to each other much anymore. So with that, I shut off my phone, put away my iPad and headphones in order to listen.
The lady in 12A was not too sure what to think of this old gentleman as he told me his tales. She had a look of skepticism on her face but to me, I found him fascinating. The stories of his travels to many parts of the world having worked for a large mining company were amazing. But many times he and his wife of nearly sixty years traveled for leisure.
They would travel many times to South America, taking in the adventures that traveling outside of your comfort zone can be. He gave me detailed depictions of the places they had been; the food, the music and the people. Remembering those travels with his wife brought a smile to his face.
You see, she had died three years ago when cancer came back a second time. Quietly he spoke not to me but to his own thoughts about her. It was ongoing medical work that had him heading to Boston from Charleston, South Carolina where he lived. The day was nearly half over and the flight only forty-five minutes from landing when he drifted into sleep.
I sat and thought of the stories he had told me. Much of what was said could have been gleaned from National Geographic magazines or any local library. I am sure the lady in 12A felt he was spinning a tale. But I chose to believe the old man in 12B. I chose to allow his adventures to inspire me to seek more out of life.
He passed onto me what he knew; a real Tango in Argentina, seeing Table Mountain from a boat offshore of Capetown, having high tea in the lobby of the Peninsula Hotel while in Hong Kong, or taking in a Turkish bath at the Danubius Hotel Gellert in Budapest. Each one was crystal clear in his descriptions and it appeared that he wanted to pass his joy of each one to me.
The plane landed and as all travelers do, we go our separate ways. I shook his hand and thanked him for the conversation. He never gave me his name, but he smiled and thanked me for my time, for listening I suppose. As I left though he said to me, "find more time to experience the adventure of life."
I learned a lot from an elderly man in seat 12B. I learned about living life from a man I will probably never see again. I learned by listening.
The life we live is full of quick-fix marketing flashes of advertising, instant meals and short-term resolutions to everything. The idea is to handle it fast, immediate and move on to the next great thing. Never mind that many of life's troubles or achievements take longer then the '30-second commercial.'
Think of what it is like to look for a job. The reality is that you get basically 30 seconds to make a first impression. It could be your resume, your introduction or someone speaking about you. Thirty seconds to impress an employer just like the thirty seconds a commercial uses to hook you on a product.
All of this rush to quickness draws us into a need for everything to be that quick.
Fall in love in thirty seconds;
Raise a child in thirty seconds;
Get promoted at work in thirty seconds;
Make a million dollars in thirty seconds;
Quit smoking in thirty seconds;
Resolve an addiction in thirty seconds.
Living life in thirty second increments causes us to become very disjointed because life does not happen in thirty second increments. Life happens in a persistent and long term flow.
With patience and perseverance, much can be accomplished. Discouragement in waiting will try to pull you down and try to knock you off course. Stay with your direction, stick to the path and make adjustments as you move along. You may find that you need to change paths, but stay with the long term vision.
Accomplish little things along the way, but ensure that those little things are pieces of your long term goal. Even reading this short encouragement took you longer then 30-seconds. Read more, learn more, take more time to live your life.
And while you are at it....stay inspired my friends.
"I think I'm constantly in a state of adjustment." -Patti Smith
For twenty-one days, the church my wife and I attend are participating in a fast. Now you and many others will have differing opinions and ideas about how one should fast and for what reasons. I am no different in that, but I tend to believe it is meant to help us redirect our focus and allow us more time to reflect, pray or meditate.
I see it also as a time to rethink or readjust our own attitudes. You see for me, I want for you the same things I want for my life and that would be a great life and great success. It sounds simple but each of us have a vision for our own lives and now would be a good time to adopt a stronger belief in that vision.
As I write articles each day, I am writing words that are meant to keep you on your path to accomplishment. The articles are also meant to serve me for it helps keep me corrected, encouraged and believing in achieving even more in this life. The path spoken of is the one you journey on towards dreams.
Just remember that when I talk of change, you have to understand that change in itself is only the first step. Taking that first step means you are going to 'change' your life. From there, it is a matter of one foot in front of the other, leaving your baggage behind and willing to experience something new.
Life may seem to stay the same around you. It will remain the same where you live and work. That is unless you change your environment. The real work will be to change that environment and change the aspects of your life which are keeping you from achieving your dreams. It is a hard process and can be discouraging at times, but keep on your path, keep on believing.
So join me as begin our walk across the bridge to something new and greater. I'll take you as far as I can but much of the work will be yours to complete. Let's get started and take the first steps together.
And should we happen to approach the Bridge of Death on our path, be sure to know something about birds.
"Troubles are inevitable but misery is optional." -Joel Osteen
Most sorry about the graphic picture today, but life has its fill of bad days along with many good days. This just happened to be one of those "bad days" for a judge.
The picture is of Brazilian javelin judge Lia Mara Lourenco being helped by colleagues and medics after a javelin, launched during warm-ups by a competitor, pierced her foot before the start of the competition in a national athletics championship called Trofeu Brasil (Trophy Brazil) in Sao Paulo September 24, 2006. Lourenco was taken to the hospital and underwent surgery to remove the javelin tip.
As reported in Sports Illustrated, "...she wasn't hurt as bad as you might think. Lourenco underwent surgery to remove the javelin and was released from the hospital with nothing more than a fractured pinkie toe."
I am amused by the statement "not be as bad you might think" in the news article. My guess is Ms. Lourenco would beg to differ with that statement.
In life we are going to have moments that catch us off guard. Maybe our attention to what is going on around us slips for a bit. The important thing is that we recover and get back into the game of life. Never let a momentary lapse in attention, which might possibly lead to pain, keep you from continuing on your path to greatness.
The hurt that will happen to us may not "be as bad you might think" but to each of us individually it is the worst hurt imaginable. The pain and disappointment is very real but how you overcome and get through will determine your next outcome in life. Just know that life and circumstance are going to throw stuff at you. Some of it you will have the ability to avoid. Other things will not be so easy to avoid, but you get to make the choice on how you will respond.
Keep getting back up, pull the javelin out of your foot and move forward. And above all, stay inspired my friends.
“The thing about denial is that it doesn't feel like denial when it's going on.” ―Georgina Kleege
When does denial become harmful? It does so at the point when the denial is found out to be untrue. Such is the case of Lance Armstrong and his denials of drug doping during his perceived stellar cycling career. It becomes harmful to the many that believed in his success. It becomes harmful to those that were attacked by his denials. It becomes harmful to the individual, the one making the denials.
Denial itself is simply a person's inability or unwillingness to recognize that they are unable or unwilling to face a painful reality. Denial (of reality) exists, but why?
The question is how we as intelligent humans with the ability to analyze complex information ignore facts that clearly lay in front of us? This ability to refuse seeing those facts even when ignoring them might have disastrous results.
Part of the problem is that many things are simply neither just true or false. People experience a wide range of powerful and very complex emotions. There is desire, greed, pride, revenge, need for status, shame, humiliation, and others. Each of these will command a strong influence over that person's ability to interpret facts.
Yes, we have to learn how to control those emotions and make wise decisions based upon facts. But fact-based decision-making is really in short supply because we continue to see bad decisions made based upon emotions. Researchers indicate that you can also attribute other dynamics such as ideology (substitution of belief for facts), inertia (taking the easy way out), momentum (willing obstacles out of our way), impulsiveness (now) and stubbornness (no one will change my mind). As one researcher put it, "we can easily push facts off to a far corner behind several pieces of heavy mental furniture."
Reality Bites
To admit to the reality means basically that we are potentially admitting to the limitations we may have in our life. And that can be a very restrictive feeling, so deny the facts and live in denial. The problem is that denial is not a long-term answer.
Reality will always catch up with you. You will either spend yourself into debt, eat to an unhealthy weight, destroy a relationship or found to have actually used performance enhancing drugs.
What usually follows is blame. Blame of something or someone else as the reason for your denials. It only lengthens the road to foregiveness and renewal. But blame is a subject for a different time.
My Advice
All of us will likely fall prey to denial at some point or another. The best thing you can do is learn how to control emotion over fact. Learn how to distinguish between the two. Learn how to recognize denial early on. Yes, not to go into denial is the best course you can take. But if you do, recognize it quickly, admit it quickly and seek the reality quickly.
“Never wear a backward baseball cap to an interview unless applying for the job of umpire” -Dan Zevin
ATTIRE = ADVANCEMENT
93% of 150 Senior Executives from the 1000 largest corporations in the U.S. said that a person's style of dress at work influences their chances of getting a promotion.
It may not seem fair, but it is one of the realities of our work life. How you adjust and fit in to these realities can determine the level of your success. You may surprise yourself and actually get that raise or promotion.
BUT I'M LOOKING FOR WORK
There was a survey conducted by Robert Half International regarding the hiring process. It found that hiring managers will form either a positive or negative opinion of a job candidate within roughly 10 minutes. It is very possible that "Your behavior may be under scrutiny from the moment you arrive for the interview," according to Brandi Britton, senior regional vice president with RHI.
It may not seem fair to "judge a book by its cover" in your mind. But don't forget there are probably ten or more other people that need to be interviewed. You may have gotten into the final cut, lucky enough to get an interview. As unfair as it might seem, appearances make all the difference.
The same survey provided 10 tips from different job-search gurus to make sure you wow them from the minute you walk in the room.
"A firm, nonsweaty handshake, eye contact and a nice smile make you seem likeable. Likeable people are hired most often."
-- David Lewis, an executive with Express Employment Professionals and an expert on career development
"Prepare to engage in small talk, which helps to break the ice and puts both parties at ease and also demonstrates your ability to make conversation with potential clients, coworkers and executives."
-- Brandi Britton, Robert Half International
"Be prepared with everything you can possibly know about the company and the person who is doing the interview."
-- Executive coach Beth Ross
"Don't take the head of a table or sit down until you are invited to do so to demonstrate how you'll behave in professional situations."
-- Patty DeDominic, cofounder of DeDominic & Associates, a professional coaching and business services firm
"Open with penetrating questions that prove beyond a doubt that you've done your homework on the company, the position, the department, the industry and/or the competition."
-- Ford Myers, author of Get the Job You Want Even When No One's Hiring
"Practice your answers to commonly asked interview questions so that you come across as a well-prepared candidate."
-- Certified executive career coach Cheryl Palmer, Calltocareer.com
"If asked to talk about yourself, always answer from a professional sense. Telling people about your family and what you do on the weekends is definitely the wrong approach. You want to solely focus on the areas of your work in which you are most effective and productive."
-- Careers and resume expert Lauren Milligan, Resumayday.com
"Become an object of interest by the questions you ask. Leave them wanting more with the quality of content you add to the conversation (versus noise)."
-- David Nour, consultant and author of Relationship Economics
"Mirror the body language of the interviewer. If they are leaning forward, you should be doing the same. This builds rapport on a subconscious level, giving the feeling of a deeper connection."
-- Job market expert Jabez LaBret, ThawingtheJobMarket.com
"Your interview strategy must include proof that you have successfully completed job-relevant tasks. A good strategy is to marry a strength and a specific example to prove that you are accomplished at what you do. Quantify accomplishments using numbers, percentages and dollars whenever possible."
-- Barbara Safani, president, CareerSolvers.com
Make yourself the entire package and get the job you want. And stay inspired my friends!
“Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.”
―Pablo Picasso
A person that decides to take a positive attitude towards life, family and work has to be willing to do a bit of leading. Putting yourself out there extending kindness and positive reinforcement to others is a first step in leading. But how can you begin the process of leading with a positive attitude.
I took the following from a bit of training I’ve had, which is to understand yourself in the workplace. And there are places in our own personal life that these suggestions should take place first. Whether it is your personal life or the work place, either can be the starting point. The point is to start somewhere.
I suggest the workplace because we spend so much of our time in it. If work goes well and you can leave with a good feeling, the drive home is easier, family time is much more relaxing and you will most likely sleep better. You will likely feel better in the morning and the day will get off to a much better start. The driver that accidentally cut you off just won’t bother you.
In “First, Break All the Rules”, there are twelve questions to ask yourself regarding your place of work. These questions can be used to measure your work environment.
Evaluate where you are, where your work place is and provide areas of opportunity for you to step in and make change.
Do I know what is expected of me at work?
Do I have the materials and equipment I need to do my work right?
At work, do I have the opportunity to do what I do best everyday?
In the last 7 days, have I received recognition or praise for doing good work?
Does my supervisor or someone at work seem to care about me as a person?
Is there someone at work who encourages my development?
At work, do my opinions seem to count?
Does the mission/purpose of my company make me feel my job is important?
Are my co-workers committed to doing quality work?
Do I have a best friend at work?
In the last six months, has someone at work talked to me about my progress?
This last year, have I had opportunities at work to learn and grow?
As employers, have you done these things to improve your workplace? The opportunity to make change happens in both directions. Work can be so stressful, you may not realize that simply telling a co-worker or employee or even your boss that they’re doing a great job goes a long way.
So pick a spot, jump into it and move your life forward to a more enjoyable and fruitful experience.
“To dream anything that you want to dream. That's the beauty of the human mind. To do anything that you want to do. That is the strength of the human will. To trust yourself to test your limits. That is the courage to succeed.”
-Bernard Edmonds
"Vision, it reaches beyond the thing that is, into the conception of what can be. Imagination gives you the picture. Vision gives you the impulse to make the picture your own." -Robert Collier
As you dream at night when nothing else can interfere and in some cases these dreams can be remembered during your waking hours. Some of these dreams are horrible or confusing with no meaning to be found. Others are of a yearning, a vision, that you want for your future. But dreams are only an undefined mound of wet clay, waiting for you to form it.
As you begin to take hold of your dreams, trying to remember the details, it is your imagination that will start to mold the dream. You will mold the clay into something that only you can create. It may change from what you first dreamed, but it will start to take shape and become a clear thing for your life.
As your dream becomes more real, you have to apply vision in order to move towards the dream as a tangible part of your life. It prods you to walk through the open door and begin a journey. A trip that begins with movement.
Allow yourself to dream big things and let vision push you towards it. Go beyond what currently surrounds you. There is a large life out there waiting for you.
"Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow. It empties today of its strength."
-Corrie Ten Boom
As you go about your day, things will happen that cause worry to come upon you. It may be little things like 'did you leave a light on at home', 'should I have brought an umbrella along' or other small nuisance types of worry. They are the nagging minor issues which fill the voids in our daily thoughts.
There are also the worries which impact us in a much bigger way. These are the worries that directly impact your ability to function on a daily basis. There are a hundred and one types of examples we could discuss. Many of you probably have one or two of them at this moment in time. It could be money, health, sex or job worries. Worries are anything that effect your day or impact your ability to fully function to your best.
Yet when worry consumes your life, it can be a detriment to your quality of life. It is said in an article from NetDoctor, that "many people openly confess to being worriers. They usually make the announcement as if to suggest the world is divided into the virtuous, who fret over everything, and the feckless majority who are laid back to the point of decadence."
Much of our worry can lead to bouts of anxiety and when diagnosed can be a very debilitating disorder. The anxiety can be treated and is best left to the professionals. But what I can say is that for constant everyday worry, "for worries sake" is not productive.
The time comes when you need to apply the energy consumed by worrying to one of making change and improvement. Once you have identified the issue, then take a breath and look for solutions. Certainly there are things out of your control but you do have control of you.
Look for advice, look for information, look to change the situation. And as the quote states, don't let worry steal your strength today, make change and let tomorrow bring a new and brighter day.
almost
Main Entry: al·most
Pronunciation: \ˈol-ˌmōst, ol-ˈ\
Function: adverb
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English ealmæst, from eall + mæst most
Date: before 12th century
: very nearly but not exactly or entirely
Yesterday, you almost called home to say hello to your mother. With a passing thought, you almost held a door open for someone carrying a package. Early this morning you almost had a conversation with your teenaged child. Those things that we almost do in life but never seem to find the urge to actually do.
Your day goes by, then a week and eventually the year is nearly over. We think back and wonder at all of those things we missed doing. We feel that we came close, that we almost had the ability to do all of those meaningful things. But in our own self assessment, we know that almost really wasn't quite good enough.
The analogies one can use vary with many examples how almost results in things lost. In sports it might be said, "we almost made the winning touchdown." Yet the team still lost so almost doesn't quite cut it. In a political race, others may state, "we almost won the election." And once again, almost does not put the person into office.
Take the idea of almost completing your high school education. Almost does not make it easy to find a job or move ahead in life. There is also the big one, "I almost called to say hello," or for others, "I almost called to say I love you." Life on earth is finite, and almost will turn into never being able to do those things.
Find the time today to actually do those things that you know and feel need to be done. Do not put them off any longer, take the time now. Do not almost try it, actually accomplish and look back on all of those things you did complete.
"The Edge... there is no honest way to explain it because the only people who really know where it is are the ones who have gone over." -Hunter S. Thompson
Just a Happy Birthday shout out to my son Dan Primm. We knew in 1985 that things would never be the same. You have brought great adventure, joy and love into all of our lives.
Be safe, be joyful and be loving on this wonderful day.
“You can't stop the future. You can't rewind the past. The only way to learn the secret...is to press play.” ―Jay Asher,
Just a quick note to remind myself in this new year of when I first met my wife Laura. From the moment I met you, everything changed in a very good way. I look forware to another wondrous year together.
For everyone else, what is that one thing that changed your life forever? It might be several "one" things. Take a moment to remember what those moments were. Knowing what changed your life for the good will set you up for a great start in this new year.
Make the moon your mirrorball and stay inspired my friends!
"I have never heard anything about the resolutions of the apostles, but a good deal about their acts." -Og Mandino
Here are the top ten resolutions made by people each and every year around the world. Not a very surprising list because it covers areas we could all work a little bit on.
1. Spend More Time with Family & Friends
2. Fit in Fitness
3. Tame the Bulge
4. Quit Smoking
5. Enjoy Life More
6. Quit Drinking
7. Get Out of Debt
8. Learn Something New
9. Help Others
10. Get Organized
You have probably selected one, two or more of these resolutions to work on this year. But what I want you to do is stop for just a moment and think about those New Year's resolutions made on December 31st.
Get off the treadmill at the gym. Walk into another room away from your family and friends. Have that one last cigarette and you might as well spend what is left in your wallet. Go ahead and get it out of your system today.
You may wonder why I am telling you to stop working on your resolutions? I am sure it sounds negative for me to be discouraging you at this very moment.
Thirty Days
According to many different surveys, there will be roughly 60 percent of us still going strong with our New Year's resolutions by the end of January. That number will drop to under 50 percent by the month of July. The smoking huts will be lonely this first month or two. Fitness gyms will be teaming over with people and the drinking establishments a little less crowded.
What researchers do know is that your odds of making it to July or the entire year improve simply by getting past the first thirty days. Yes, only thirty days to lose your will and desire to accomplish something great. But make it past that first month and you will have made a huge step forward.
So your target should not be December 31st.
Your target should be January 31st.
Those thirty days should be your goal. Get past those first thirty days and then set another mark for the end of February...only twenty-eight days, very achievable. Pretty soon you will find yourself in July and seeing the year half over.
Do not allow your New Year's resolutions to live for only thirty days. Give those resolutions thirty days to grow and change your life. The rest of the year will come along and if you push yourself to thirty days, life will change. Your acts will overcome your intentions and change your life forever.
“The chief beauty about time is that you cannot waste it in advance. The next year, the next day, the next hour are lying ready for you, as perfect, as unspoiled, as if you had never wasted or misapplied a single moment in all your life. You can turn over a new leaf every hour if you choose.” ― Arnold Bennett
The building blocks for the year 2013 are there in front of you. They are freely there for the taking and building of a great life. Let this be the year that you build a great life, your best life.
