THANK GOODNESS IT’S MONDAY  

TGIM #337  

I’M NOT MAKING ANY RESOLUTIONS FOR 2012

-- AND YOU SHOULDN’T EITHER

Resolutions are for wimps.

Here’s what I mean: My ink-on-paper dictionary defines “resolve” as, “To make a firm decision about.”

• “Honey, I’ve made a firm decision about buying that Jaguar XKR-S convertible.”
• “Boss, this year I’m all about exceeding your expectations.”
• “Kids, as your parents, we’ve resolved that, except for doing homework, starting January 2, no electronic devices will be used in the house after 6:00 PM.” 

Wimpy, right? And you can easily intuit the outcome of these resolutions.

No wonder analyzers of such things maintain that 75% of the New Year Resolutions people have proclaimed in the run up to December 31 and January 1 are broken after the first week.

So it’s no resolutions for me for 2012. 
 

However …

I AM setting goals.

And you should too.

High achievers like TGIM readers know that an ongoing process of disciplined and meaningful goal-setting is the path to success.

You do not drift through life fiddling around with wimpy resolutions and allowing chance and hope to determine your future. (Remember: Hope is not a strategy.)

You know that the opportunity to manage your life and make solid choices occurs more than once a year in January. And you take setting and achieving your goals very seriously.

You’re smart. So this year, instead of mucking about with wimpy annual resolutions, you’re going to embark on a recurring goal-setting, goal-getting path that’s also –

S.M.A.R.T.

If you don’t know the goal-creation steps made easily memorable and actionable by the letters in this useful acronym, you should. So here goes:

Your goals should be S.M.A.R.T.:
S is for Significant. Goals must have significance for you. Choose things that are important … that get you excited … things that will make a difference in your life. Don’t waste time chasing trivial goals.

 Case in point: If you are thinking merely “that’s a nice idea” about a goal, forget it! It’s not a goal. It’s just what you think it is: A nice idea. Put your energy toward something more meaningful.

M is for Measurable. A goal without a specific result is just a pipedream. As someone wisely said, “What gets measured gets done.”

 Cases in point: While you can’t achieve a pound of “happiness” or a foot of “self-esteem” -- you can make it a goal to do your job in a way that’s 25% more valuable and so makes you worth 25% more. You can train with the intent to run a mile in under 7 minutes or do 100 sit-ups. Maybe you can’t be at each and every kid event but you can spend Saturdays as a family. You can manage your business with a mind to logging a15% sales increase this quarter.

A is for Achievable. Goals should be just out of reach, but not out of sight.
And you should feel that you’re both willing and able to achieve them. You want to stretch yourself, not end up bedridden because you strained after truly impossible dreams. Set goals you can and will achieve, achieve them, and then aim higher.

Case in point: If you haven’t run in years, don’t set a January goal to run in the first marathon in the spring. Your brain won’t buy it. Set a goal today to walk down to the park and then run back. Then set a new goal to run both ways. Then go farther. Nothing succeeds like success.

R is for Rational. Some say “Realistic” or “Relevant.” Your goals should make sense when you explain them to family and friends. Have a plan. Take carefully calculated risks. Play odds others concur are favorable. Work your plan.

Case in point: Realize that, although you might – might – hit the mega-jackpot playing the lottery, that’s not very rational, reasonable or relevant in the near term. However, given reasonable circumstances, you can retire a millionaire by methodically saving and investing 10% of your income.

T is for Tangible. Some say “Timely” or “Time Bound.” Go for things your senses will enjoy and that you can clearly visualize. Choose goals that you can see, hear, smell or touch. And have a foreseeable date in mind for their completion.
Cases in point: Even abstract concepts like “peace of mind” are more powerful if you redefine them as something quantified and concrete such as “a half hour a  day of private time every day just for me.”
 
The brain may have a hard time focusing on “financial security.” But it can appreciate a chart showing the future value of reinvested dividends and compounding interest. It can visualize years of quarterly brokerage statements with increasingly large dollar values.

So let’s summarize: No wimpy resolutions for 2012, only S.M.A.R.T. goals.
And how will you insure your 2012 goal-getting will be S.M.A.R.T.-ly done?
 
Challenge them with these questions:

• Significant. What exactly will be accomplished?
• Measurable. How will you know when you have accomplished your goal?
• Achievable. Do you have the energy, commitment and resources available? If not, will you be able to get them?
• Rational … Realistic … Relevant. Why is this goal significant for you?
• Tangible … Timely … Time bound. How will it play out in your life? When do you get your payback or rethink your strategy?

The purpose of goals is to focus our attention. The mind will not reach toward achievement until it has a clear objective. The magic begins when we set goals S.M.A.R.T.-ly. It’s then that the switch is turned on, the current begins to flow and the power to accomplish becomes a reality.

Resolving to take this life lesson to heart and put it into action in 2012.

Geoff Steck
Chief Catalyst

Alexander Publishing & Marketing

8 Depot Square
Englewood, NJ 07631
201-569-5373
tgimguy@gmail.com 
  
P.S.  “What an immense power over life is the power of possessing distinct aims. The voice, the dress, the look, the very motions of a person, define and alter when he or she begins to live for a reason.” Poet, novelist and women’s rights activist Elizabeth Stuart Phelps (1844 – 1911) said that.

 
P. P.S. We can talk – face to face -- about S.M.A.R.T. goal setting and much, much more that we can accomplish in the days and weeks ahead at the –

Business Breakthrough 2012

…Live Event!
Thursday, January 26th 2012

5:30pm to 9:00pm
Location: Sheraton Hotel & Conference Center - Eatontown, NJ. 

There will be plenty of opportunity for informal networking and chat with scores and scores of your like-minded peers. Plus there’s a guaranteed rock ‘em/sock ‘em opportunity to –
 

Get Real Answers to Your Biggest Business Challenges

During The Interactive Workshop!

Here’s just a sampling of what you’ll hear: 

• How to Develop a Practical Marketing Plan That Works
• Why Social Media and Your Website Aren’t Working for You
• How to Create and Expand Your Personal & Business Brand
• How to Position Yourself as an Expert
• Why Your Value Proposition Isn’t Valuable
• Real World Marketing Tactics That Generate Quality Leads
• How to Create Personal Referrals and an Army of Business Ambassadors
• How to Cut Through B.S. and Sell More, More Easily

Seating is limited and the event is filling up FAST.

ACT TODAY! Click through HERE: Business Breakthrough 2012 to –

Watch a Preview and Reserve Your Place
  

A limited number of sponsorship opportunities are also available.

CLICK THROUGH for contact info.