Saturday, Jan 1, 2011New Year’s Resolutions-Steps for Success

The majority of us don’t find it difficult to “make” New Year’s Resolutions.  The problem comes in actually “doing” or keeping resolutions.  Here we are in the third week of 2011.  I’m confident you have made a list of things you’d like to look back on this year and be happy that you completed them.  Here are some steps for success in keeping those resolutions.

Although you can apply these ideas to any area you want to be successful in, for our example, I’m going to focus on health.

Set Yourself Up for Success: Bad health habits like overeating, smoking, too little exercise are firmly in place right now.  Get ready mentally to change them.

Create small, realistic goals.

Have a way to measure your successes.

Act even when you are not motivated.

Setbacks are temporary.  Begin again…and again…and again.

Add spirituality to your goals to help with motivation.

Tell one friend whom you can trust.

Use Common Sense: Big dreams are just a series of small, common sense steps that you’ve taken.  Be gentle, be supportive, be persistent with your goals.  See the end result for a full year of small steps taken.

Write your goals down. Look at them frequently. Small increments of weight loss add up over a year’s working on it.

List the pros as well as the cons of what you want to accomplish. Research the standards you are trying to achieve to see if they are sensible.

Develop a diet that makes sense over the long haul.  If you do some fad thing to take off water weight, it will come back just as quickly.

Smaller meals and more of them make you feel indulged vs. deprived.

Watch portion size.  Play a game with yourself.  Mentally cut your meal in half.  After  you eat the first half, drink some water and talk to others while you let digestion begin. After ten minutes, are you still hungry?

Action Backed Up By Meditation is Powerful: You’ll carry your Steps for Success in your mind.  When you hop on that treadmill, or jog around the park, or go rock climbing over the weekend, you can double the success by thinking your Success Steps as you take the actions you’ve chosen.

Park your car further from the front door of your place of employment.  Twenty times a month x 12 months a year will add more exercise to your regime and your imbedding your determination as you think your Steps for Success.

Choose the steps vs. an elevator whenever it’s practical.  It will become easier every time you do it while you build strength and stamina.  Think your Steps for Success while you climb.

Talk  your Steps for Success out loud while you exercise.  If you can’t get more than three words out, slow down a bit.  If you can, pick up that pace!

I would love it if 2011 was the year you made good on all of your New Year’s resolutions!  Keeping your resolutions will empower you to accomplish even more.

Set a reminder to tell me about them throughout your year and Much Success To You!

Tips for Money Management

Do you think of yourself as a good money manager? Here is a list of tips that you might have to incorporate into what you’re currently doing in order to answer this question with a resounding “Yes!”

Pay all your bills on time and save late charges.

Comparison shop for the best rates for your home mortgage or its refinancing.

Build a retirement account. Get expert advice for the best kind.

Balance your bank statement regularly.

Shop for good insurance rates and make sure you’ve got adequate coverage.

Don’t just pay the minimum on your credit cards. Get them paid off.

Switch to credit cards with lower rates.

Have a three-month emergency savings fund.

Follow a monthly budget.

Make out a will or a living trust.

Generate savings. A low percentage weekly adds  up.

Get advice about the best way to handle your taxes.