As I organized a pile of papers on my desk and begin 2009, I came across some material from a speech I gave twenty some years ago and laughed as I read "The biggest problems we have in America today is that we are 8 ½ pounds overweight, and can't find a parking place!"  Things have changed, and today we average being twenty-two pounds overweight and can't find our 401K!

Which begs the question as we start over again this year: What are you doing about managing your affairs today?  Setting personal and professional goals are more important than ever.  We'll have to do more with less both at home and at work, and if we simply do what we have always done it will be insufficient in this new pressurized environment. 

Studies prove that if you methodically and purposefully set goals you will increase your chances of leading the pack.  You can't just work hard on your job - you must work harder on yourself to turn untapped capabilities into the currency of results.  Many of us have no idea of how far we could go if we would just get focused and go after the rest of their potential!

Here's how to get started:

  • Work from document! Get a legal pad or get on your computer and get your goals down; the more detail the better.  Embrace the eight goal categories for high achievement:  Career, Family, Financial, Social, Physical, Community, Education, and Spirituality.
  • Do a "current assessment" by scoring yourself on a one to ten scale as to how you are doing in each of the eight categories.  You need to know where you are starting from to genuinely make progress.  For example, if you give yourself a 7 currently in the physical category, you are now in a position to decide what you want to be one year from now.  If you say a nine, add details and specifics to your goals and work on your improvement process!

Where does the passion you need to achieve your goals come from?    It's also called "Fire in the belly", and is the emotional driver which propels us to push ourselves to the next level. The deviation between your present self-image and your projected self-image is the source of your "Fire in the belly"!

Turn your sub-conscious mind into your super-conscious mind! Open up new vistas you never dreamed were there for you.  The time to start is NOW.   Here's a formula for a new outcome in 2009:

  • Don't focus on your fears.
  • Focus everyday on your possibilities.
  • Re-program the achievement aspects of your belief system, and vow to be the best you can be.

Who knows, with a little luck a year from now you may feel that your biggest problem is finding a parking placeJ

 

Don Hutson is a speaker, success consultant, and co-author of The New York Times #1 Best-Seller, "The One Minute Entrepreneur".  He is CEO of  U. S. Learning in Memphis;  email: Don@DonHutson.com

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