Setting Yourself Up to Succeed

By Dr. Bruce Eichelberger

I don't know about you, but I've never liked making New Year's resolutions. Too many people fail to follow through on them to reach their goals. But this doesn't mean that the idea is totally useless. Actually, the New Year is an outstanding time to re-evaluate your direction and set a plan in motion.

Here are a few of the reasons resolutions fail:

1. Lack of Specifics - someone might, for example, say, "Make more money." Truthfully, if they made one penny more than last year this would qualify. The more specific your goal the better your subconscious mind can activate to achieve it. A better choice in this example would be, "This year make 25% more money than last year."
2. Lack of Sufficient Motivation - this may not apply to you (after all you are associated with Empower U!), but some people don't really think about what they truly want when making resolutions. They may make a resolution because it sounds good or it comes off the top of their head without really thinking. A better plan is to do a version of the "What do you want?" exercise where you spend some time digging down deep to what you really want and then make that part of your goal for the year.
3. Setting the Bar Too Low - sometimes it pays to set what we like to call "Big, Hairy, Audacious Goals." These are outrageous goals you set for yourself that go far beyond anything you've previously imagined. For example, I recently heard about a woman playwright who set - and achieved - a goal of writing a complete play every day for a year. By the end of that year she'd written 365 plays!

Rather than making resolutions that you might just forget about in a few weeks, I recommend that you create a specific plan for reaching the goals most important to you this year. Ideally you will take about 2 weeks here at the beginning of the year to formulate this plan. See below for today's action plan to get the details.

• Health - You may have heard the saying, "Health is wealth." If you or a loved one has ever gone through a serious health crisis you know that without health, nothing else will be as good.
• Income - Here is where you look at your achievements from last year and set your income goals for the coming year. This is crucial both for your longer-term investment and retirement goals and for your quality-of-life shorter-term goals.
• Personal Growth - What personal achievements would make your year great?
• Family and Community Goals - Are there ways you can help create a better life for those around you?

Next, make sure that the goals in each of these areas is 1) specific, 2) something you're excited about and 3) maybe even something that pushes you past your previous limits.

Finally, in each area where you've set your goals, break down the steps you'll take to reach them. For example, if your health goal is to lose 20 pounds by the end of the year, what specific steps will you take to accomplish this. You'd probably include the exercise and dietary steps you'll take each day or each week along with the amount of weight you should lose each month.

A great time to review your goals is when you do you 5 & 5 in the morning. This will help you keep on track. Let us know how you're doing as you set and achieve your goals this year!

I don't know where to start. Living life to the fullest each day is an unbelievable feeling! I am now the father, husband, friend that I knew I wasn't - up until now.

I have a brief story to share. I told myself I would begin a new life on the Saturday after I graduated, but I realized it had already started. The passenger next to me on my flight home had received a call that his mother was in critical condition in DC, and to look at him he was scared to face the reality that may be waiting for him.

I listened and talked the entire flight to someone I had never met, and maybe-just maybe I made a difference in someone's life at least for the brief time we spent on the plane. The feeling I had inside when he thanked me for taking the time to talk was incredible - I can't wait for it to happen again.

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