A New Year With New Goals

January is usually a time for setting goals and unfortunately by February many people find that some of them have been abandoned. The gyms are not as full. The musical instrument may not be practiced as much as planned and the cute little Christmas puppy may not seem as cute when there are puddles on the floor to clean up!

There are ways to accomplish the goals though:

1. Make sure that you really want to accomplish it. Your own passion will drive you whereas another person's idea likely won't have the same effect.
2. Keep it manageable - You will progress faster with a few minutes every single day than an irregular binging approach.
3. Start small - There isn't any point in investing a great deal of money into items until you know you will use them.
4. Hold yourself accountable - Finding a partner who has the same goal will help you to stay on track.
5. Measure your progress - Set a specific date such as the first of each month to assess and record your changes.
6. Reward yourself - Compliments with words are powerful and small treats can be just as powerful as big gifts.

Here are some ideas for new year's goals:

Daily: Downsize by getting rid of one thing from your environment every time you leave your house or office.

Weekly: Inspire someone with a written note or telephone call.

Biweekly: Put ten percent of your pay cheque in a separate account where you can watch it accumulate.

Monthly: Pay all your bills and file them in a system that will allow you to find them when needed.

Quarterly: Scan your clothing and get rid of the things that you can't or won't wear again.

Yearly: Review your goals and set new ones for the upcoming year.

I remember attending a seminar by award-winning motivational speaker Zig Zigler. He said, "A goal is a dream with a deadline".

If you have dreams it is time to do something about them. Set a deadline and start taking steps toward achieving them.

Happy New Year, Everyone!