Joe’s Blog

Everyone loves a good resolution. They just hate working at it. It is easy to look at a mountain and see yourself standing on the peek…next year. It is harder when you reach the base and face that long, difficult, and boring hike. But the rewards are worth it. Follow these very simple and very practical tips to increase your chance of success.

1. Pick resolutions that are doable - Deliberately pick resolutions that are practical and that you can both implement on January 1st and make a part of your lifestyle throughout 2009.
2. Come up with a plan - You want to be more successful than the guy next door? Have a plan! Want to lose weight? Pick a specific number, chart it out on a piece of paper, see how much you have to lose each week to achieve your goal. Make a list of what you need to do to follow your plan. List potential hangups. Write it all up so it is easy to reference. Post it on your fridge, your desk, your mirror. Define what you need to do and do it.
3. Track your progress with Joe’s Goals - How often do you compromise? When do you trade off and break your resolutions? How successful have you been in keeping with your goals day in and day out? Our minds aren’t designed to keep that information, so you have to track, track, track. Use a tool like Joe’s Goals to keep track of what you are trying to do. Note your stumbles and your successes. It is the only way to know if you are making progress.
4. Talk it over with friends - A friend who is ignorant of the personal change you are adopting can be your worst enemy. They know the old you. They will tempt you and draw you away from the path of victory. But a friend who knows what you are trying to do, what you are up against, and how they can help will become a huge asset. Talk about your goals. Get buy in, support, and encouragement.
5. View your failures in perspective - No truly innovative and successful individual has success handed to them. They all have to earn it by discovering hundreds or thousands of approaches that don’t work. They fail. You’ll fail. View it through the lens of life: you are still alive, you still have your wits about you, you’ve gained skills, you’ve gained knowledge, you can do better next time. Most important of all: move on. Don’t have a pity party. Turn against your failure and guilt. Fight the good fight.

Best of luck to you in 2009!