A goal, not a resolution

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To be successful you must have goals. In your business you need to have a business plan which will set out the goals for your business and the numbers behind them. You also need goals in your personal life which will set you apart from most of the population.

When most people think of goals they think of New Years resolutions that they usually break in the first week. But a goal is more; it requires more of you so that you can get more out of it.

Here is the heart of a goal so that you can start putting some together.

First of all a goal must be written down. By writing the goal down you are making a commitment to accomplish it.

Second a goal must have a time period. Someday just does not work when setting a goal. If you want to loose 20 pounds then you must set a realistic timeline to accomplish it. If you want to do it in one week you are not being realistic. If you set a timeline of one year, you are not taking the goal seriously.

Third a goal must be specific. You must have a specific target to hit. If you want to loose 20 pounds you cannot set a goal that says that you would like to loose some weight. Saying that you would like to pay off some debt is not a specific goal, but saying you would like to be debt free in 24 months is a specific goal.

A goal must also be realistic. If I set a goal to be a player in the NBA by next year, the goal will not be realistic. First of all I have only played basketball a few times in my life. Second I am older than players coming into the NBA and third my height would be an issue.

So you have the basics of what needs to make up a goal. Now get some goals written down.

For more on setting goals head over to the expert goal setter himself Zig Ziglar for more ideas.

Stamp out that Negativity...

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Last week I mentioned one of my favorite blogs, the Zen Habits blog. Today the article comes from another one of my favorite blogs which is the Positivity Blog with a new entry called 8 Awesome Reasons to Blast Negativity Out of Your Life, and How to Do It

Negativity is one of the biggest challenges we face. Negativity can poison us and keep us from achieving what we truly desire and deserve. It can also harm both personal and business relationships.

Think for a moment, what kind of people would you rather be around? Someone is always griping and complaining, or someone that has a positive outlook? Which one makes you feel better and which one brings you down?

A perfect example is my wife’s brother in law. While he can be a nice guy, he is so negative that after a while I just have to get away. As Zig Ziglar would say “they brighten up a whole room by leaving it”.

On the other hand, I had a manager one time that was always positive. Even when things were not going well you could always count on him to have a positive attitude and as we called him “the little ball of fire”. Guess what? Everyone wanted to be around him and the energy level of the store increased when he was present.

The Positivity blog has several suggestions to help you to keep your attitude positive so go over and take a look.

Being Creative.

Image by Getty Images via DaylifeOf the many blogs I read, one of my favorites is the Zen Habits Blog. It is always filled with good information that is designed to make your life better. Today's entry is called:

The Secret to Being Insanely Creative

So what are the secrets of being insanely creative? It is not that big of a secret and you probably know the answer already.

One of the secrets is setting goals. As Zig Ziglar says "How can you hit a goal you cannot see?". Goals must be specific, have a specific time period and most of all be written down. You must have daily goals that work toward your important long range goals. Sometimes it is hard to set those goals but it is vitally important that you have them.

Another important ingrediant is your relationships. Are the people you associate with helping you achieve or they are holding you back. Often times our friends can hold us back because subconsciously they fear that if you achieve your goals either you will not need them any more or they will be something less. While it is painfull to do, you need to seek out relationships that will build you up and not take you down.

So what are you going to do to unlock your creativity?