10 Steps that you can take to achieve success in 2008

This is that joyful time each year when cities, convention centers, ballrooms, meeting halls and private homes are filled with happy, late-night revelers, partying till the wee hours, imbibing in lavish food and drink, joyfully celebrating the hope and promise a new year brings.

Then waking up on January 1st and doing it all over again … re-convening with other friends, co-workers and family at still more parties, with different platters of delicious food, bottles of liquid courage, fun and laughter galore, and a host of college football games that deliver a roller coaster of exciting action.

But wait. My statement “Don’t waste a perfectly good January 1st” may not be about what you think.

If you’re waiting for a lecture — with arms folded across your chest, a stern look on your face, foot tapping, and your defenses on high alert — on the over-use of alcohol, the abuse of drugs, driving under the influence, and risking your life and the innocent lives of others … you’re mistaken.

Yes, it’s true, I DO hope you’ll celebrate responsibly. AND protect yourself against the dangers of all the other over-indulgers. But neither is the subject of this message.

Nope. I’m writing you about something completely different. Something else that’s very wasted. Commonly abused. Often ignored. Frequently disrespected. Regularly mismanaged. Habitually squandered. Disregarded. Dodged. Forgotten. Ill-treated. Overlooked. Pooh-poohed. Neglected. Shelved. Rejected. Ditched. Laughed at. Rebuffed. Scorned. Undervalued. Disparaged. Snubbed. Tossed aside. And yes, even cursed.

Lessons & Actions For You:

What in blazes am I talking about?

One thing: using this perfectly opportune time of the year — not wasting it like most people will — to get deadly serious about setting new, exciting, ambitious goals for yourself in 2008.

No, not the uncommitted, insincere, unwritten, maybe-I’ll-get-around-to-them-and-maybe-I-won’t resolutions that most will set, only to rebuke them by January 20th, or 15th, or even as soon as the 5th, then lose total interest and tank them for good.

No, for goodness sake, not those.

I mean goals you have a burning passion to achieve. Goals that dominate your daily thoughts. That keep you awake at night. That make you salivate. That give you an adrenaline rush when they pop in your head. That haunt you for procrastinating. And are driving you wacky every minute you don’t accomplish them.

THOSE.

Surely you have 5 or 6 of those. Or possibly 2 or 3. Heck, maybe it’s just 1. However many there are — the number is not important — why not commit right now to accomplishing them in 2008?

Procrastination has stalled, derailed and killed more dreams, more careers, and more relationships than just about anything. Knock off the flimsy excuses, like “I don’t have the confidence to succeed” … or … “It costs too much and I don’t have it” … or … “What if I fail and embarrass myself?”

Here’s a little trick. Build all the things you DON’T have into your list of action steps, so each becomes something you acquire as you go along. And for the record, confidence is highly over-rated. You don’t need confidence to begin. There’s no confidence pill, serum or injection. Confidence is built over time, with mini-successes along the way. Just get started.

Hey, look in the mirror and remember — the face that’s staring back at you is a leader. A proud one. So act like one. Leaders set goals. Leaders work like hell to achieve them. Leaders may not accomplish them all — and that’s okay — but it’s not for lack of effort or passion or busting their ass.

I teach goal setting. Strategic planning for business and strategic planning for your personal life. The models are different — the business model is team-based and the life model is individual-based — but they both work when followed.

Here are some basic rules and tricks for personal life goal setting and achievement:

1. Write them down. This is non-negotiable for achievement. If you’re serious, you write. If you don’t write, you’re not serious. The act of writing etches them in your mind, making them part of your dominant thoughts — critical for success.

2. Make them specific and measurable. Lousy goal: “Learn to play the piano.” Excellent goal: “Master 3 classical piano pieces of my choice and play them at our family reunion on July 10, 2009.”

3. Write them to describe the end result, not the process. Saying “to lose 25 pounds” can be de-motivating because it sounds painful to “lose”. But “to weigh 135 pounds and look fabulous in my black dress” can make your mouth water.

4. Write action steps for each goal. Make a list, in time sequence, of exactly what you have to do, step by step, to achieve the goal. Put a specific month/day/year deadline next to EACH step. Transfer each to your to-do list on the appropriate date.

5. Create a picture of yourself with the goal accomplished. This sounds silly, yet is anything but. Cut out your head from a picture, then put it on the body of a woman who has the body you want wearing the dress you want. Make copies and put them everywhere. On your refrigerator, bathroom mirror, car visor, date book, you name it. Or a picture of yourself behind the wheel of the car you want. Or bowing in front of the piano with people around you applauding. See yourself succeeding everywhere you look.

6. Include a specific deadline. Nothing worthwhile would ever have been created, accomplished or invented had it not been for a deadline. Deadlines are magic and must be a month/day/year. Anything less is cheating yourself.

7. Write your goals on a small sheet of paper and carry it in your pocket or purse. Everywhere you go. Pull it out and look at it several times a day. Keep your goals front-and-center on your mental radar screen.

8. Wake up in the morning and — first thing — read your goals.

9. Before you turn out the lights at night — last thing — read your goals.

10. Surround yourself with signs of your own success. It is a good idea — not an egotistical one — to post graduation certificates, award plaques, and trophies of your own accomplishments in a place you can frequently see them. If you’re shy and prefer they not be visible to others, put them in a private place for you and you only. But see them often.

These are the tip of the iceberg in goal setting. They are what winners do. Winners are in the minority, not the majority. Do NOT follow the majority when it comes to goal setting — that’s a sure ticket to failure.

So back to the beginning … don’t waste a perfectly good January 1st. A new year is a good time to clean the slate, forgive yourself for past failures, and start fresh. Do it now.

Author Rick Houcek, President of Soar With Eagles, Inc.

P.S. One last push to get off your duff on this: Losers wait by the phone for their ship to come in. Winners swim out to get it, and drag it back into dock. Are you camped in front of the TV … or do you have your swim suit on?

About Rick:  Rick Houcek facilitates off-site strategic planning retreats, helping CEOs and Leadership Teams create high-impact plans that overcome the crippling effects of lousy execution (the single biggest cause of plan failure) — and get successfully implemented! His dynamic Power PlanningTM strategic process drives action through his Escape-Proof AccountabilityTM system. It’s ideal for small and mid-size businesses. To bring this potent weapon to your team, contact Rick by phone, fax or email. Visit his web site at www.SoarWithEagles.com. And ask about his 100% No-Risk Guarantee.

Publications: (Rick  has co-authored the following books, visit www.SoarWithEagles.com for ordering information)

“Success Is A Decision Of The Mind”
“Leadership Defined”
“Getting Things Done”
“Conversations On Success”
“Speaking Out!”
“The Power Of Motivation”
“Mission Possible!”

Contact Rick:

Soar With Eagles, Inc.
5398 Hallford Drive
Atlanta , GA 30338
770-391-9122 (Office)
770-393-0076 (Fax)
Rick@SoarWithEagles.com
www.SoarWithEagles.com
www.PowerPlanningLLC.com

ATTENTION ENTREPRENEURS AND CEOs: Rick Houcek facilitates off-site strategic planning retreats, helping CEOs and Leadership Teams create high-impact plans that overcome the crippling effects of lousy execution (the single biggest cause of plan failure) — and get successfully implemented! His dynamic Power PlanningTM strategic process drives action through his Escape-Proof AccountabilityTM system. It’s ideal for small and mid-size businesses. To bring this potent weapon to your team, contact Rick by phone, fax or email. Visit his web site at www.SoarWithEagles.com. And ask about his 100% No-Risk Guarantee.

*Article published on The Daily Recruiter with permission of Rich Houcek, President of Soar With Eagles, Inc.