9 Ways To Make 2013 Outstanding!

Happy New Year! Welcome to 2013! Are you looking back at 2012 and asking yourself what happened? Did you fail at some of your resolutions? What this post is all about, is helping you create the best 2013 you possibly can. I don’t care how many times you failed in the past, the only thing that matters is what you do today. The past does not equal the future, unless you continue to live there.

1. Be honest with yourself.

This can be a tough one, but it is also pivotal in how you advance. Taking a personal inventory can be one of the best things you can do. Why? Because, it is hard! Honesty with yourself will pay big dividends if you do it on a consistent basis. The two easiest areas that you can focus on are your finances and your fitness level.

2. Write down your goals and review them.

Writing down goals shouldn’t be something you just do once a year and then forget about them. Your “resolutions” or goals should be with you ALL YEAR LONG! The more you see your goals, and focus on them, the more likely you are of achieving them. Buy yourself a journal and keep everything in one place. Your goals should cover the spectrum of your whole life. You should have goals in categories like: physical, financial, mental, spiritual, relationships, and family. These are just suggestions or guidelines, they are YOUR goals, so design them however YOU like!

3. Track your important goals.

Last year one of my bigger goals was to read 52 books. I kept a Word document titled, “52 Books in 2012” and after I read each book, I wrote the title and author in this document. I knew I had to read roughly 4 books a month to accomplish this goal. This was a daunting task, but I was up for the challenge and made reading a habit. When your goals become a part of your lifestyle, they are much easier to achieve. (I read 55 books in 2012!)

4. Make sure your goals are yours!

This is really important. If you are not serious or passionate about your goals the likelihood of you accomplishing them are almost zero. Set goals that you want to achieve. This goes back to #1, be honest with yourself.

5. You may have to make sacrifices.

Depending on how big your goals are, you are going to have to make sacrifices. If weight loss is a goal, (it is for me!) you will need to sacrifice some of those sugary treats, salty snacks, and fried meals. You also may have to sacrifice some sleep so you are up earlier to get in a workout. Sacrifice is not a bad thing, it is a beautiful thing if you use it right.

6. Hang around positive people.

This one is HUGE! Who you choose to spend your time with will be the most important decision of your year. Time is a limited resource, don’t spend your precious time with dream stealers or Negative Nancy’s. Surround yourself with people who support you and want the best for you. You may have to get creative about this. I have a lot of successful friends all over the country. Our schedules are really crazy with family and business activities that it is hard to devote time to be with each other, but that doesn’t mean we can’t schedule conversations or Skype chats to check-in on each other and see how we are doing.

7. Don’t beat yourself up.

At some point this year you will fail. You will get knocked off-course. Something completely out of your control will happen and you will have to deal with it. This is normal. How you respond to it will make all the difference. This is what is going to separate you from everyone else. When something unexpected happens, you are going to accept it and make adjustments. Life is not fair. However, we must accept responsibility for whatever happens to us.

8. Create Positive Rituals.

This is really fun. Another name for ritual is routine, but ritual makes it sound fancier. The more positive rituals you can create in your day the more success you will have. For example, your Morning Ritual may look like this: wake up, have a glass of water, write in your success journal, read for 15-30 minutes from a positive book, stretch, exercise, and have a healthy breakfast. This ritual may take all of 60 minutes (depending on how long you exercise) and if you can consistently do this, your 2013 will be incredible! Creating a morning ritual or an evening ritual, or both, is a positive habit that will really set yourself up for success. The best part about this, YOU DECIDE what it is. Maybe every evening you will read to your children before they go to sleep, then you may reflect on your day while listening to some of your favorite music. However, you want to create your rituals have fun with them! The more you enjoy them, the more you will continue to do them.

9. Be grateful for everything you have in your life.

This is an easy one to overlook. If you are reading this, you are blessed! There are millions of people who can’t read. If you are reading this, that means you are on a computer, millions of people have never had home internet access. These simple facts are often overlooked. Your life right now, no matter how great or how bad it is, there is someone out there that would LOVE to trade places with you. I truly believe that where focus goes, energy flows. We get to choose what we focus on. When we are grateful for what we have (however little or however much) we will see more of it in our lives.

Good luck in 2013! If I can be of any help in you accomplishing your goals, let me know!

Did This Blog Help You? If so, I would greatly appreciate if you commented below and shared on Facebook.

Rollin To a Town Near You,

Tim

P.S. If you are struggling with how to start writing goals or if you need a little help, email me at tim@handicapthis.com and I will send you a document that I use to organize my goals in one place.