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Isn*t it great each year we get to have an opportunity to *start over* and put the past behind us? We get to start with a fresh, clean slate. We can do that at any point throughout the year, but it helps that masses of people join the resolution game at one time at least once a year. It gives us energy. We play a couple of holiday weeks and we are ready for action!

It's a lot easier to think about what we DO want and not give any thought to what we don*t want. What we focus on expands so focus on what you do want. Example: If you want to quit smoking, focus on what you get to have if you quit. You get to stay inside the building on breaks at work. Your food tastes better. Your house will smell fresh as a spring day. Focus on the things you love and expand them.

1. Make a list. Write your resolutions down. If you haven*t thought of any this year, here are a few ideas to get you started. Spend more time with family. Work more. Work less. Quit drinking. Exercise more. Help my pet lose weight. Read more.

2. Define your reasons. Under each resolution you want to accomplish, write the reasons why you want to accomplish it. List all the consequences that come from not achieving your resolution. List all the great things that can come from achieving it.

3. Be real. Mark off the ones your inner voice spoke up on as not being real. Your inner voice may say, *You know you aren*t going to do that. Don*t even write it down.* If your inner voice aligns with your list, you are more likely to accomplish the goal set. If your inner voice is saying, *You better do it or things are going to look even worse next year,* keep that one on the list. Don*t just make a list of things you know you SHOULD do. Make a list of things you absolutely want and intend to do.

4. Determine where to begin. Discover which degree of success you have accomplished with each resolution so far. Success in anything comes by degrees. Once you know where you are in the process, you can determine your next step.

5. Prioritize the list. Which one seems most urgent? Which one would bring the greatest joy and make the happiest difference? Those are your top two.

6. Organize. Choose ONE resolution to focus on first. Once you get that one all set and progressing, you can add the next one (as long as it doesn*t start setting back the first one.)

7. Get support. Form a mastermind team or focus group of other people with your same resolution. Get ideas on how to stay focused on the desired result as if it has already occurred.

8. Strengthen. Get a coach who can listen and discover where you are in the success process and define your next step each week. This will keep you even more committed. Spending money to keep your commitment moving forward will strengthen your resolve. It shows a deeper commitment to the goal.

9. Schedule your actions in your calendar. An action determined but not scheduled is a fantasy. It's not true. It's not authentic and not real. If you keep scheduling it and not following through at the designated time, take it off your schedule. You are just playing a game with yourself. Be real.

10. Fail and Succeed. When you fail, make your failure momentary. Just get back on track immediately. Failures are inevitable. They strengthen you. They cause you to come up with creative ways to avoid failure. Don*t use them for an excuse to quit. Use them for an excuse to invent ways to keep yourself in the game!

Make 2006 YOUR best year ever!!

Copyright 2006 Juanita Bellavance