January 5, 2010

Just Another Year, Or Is it?   Will 2010 be any different for you than 2009?  Will you at last be on your way to achieving what it is you want?    2010 will not be just another year if you "at this moment decide exactly what your goal is and lay out the steps by which you intend to reach it," said Napoleon Hill.  That's because "the person who acts with purpose and a plan attracts opportunities," he continued.   How can you tap into the power of planning and goal setting?    Recognize the importance of written goals.  This will enable you to get serious and determined about your goals.  Most successful people will tell you that nothing great ever happened to them... until they wrote their goals down.  Commit to them and review them daily.  Hold yourself accountable for taking action and course correct when needed. Wishes are not goals.  Your goals must be crystal clear, and concise.  You must be able to measure them and know whether or not you have achieved them - in a given time frame.  If you have difficulty in the process, check out the multitude of resources on the web for goal setting.  Or, read Goals! How to Get Everything You Want - Faster Than You Ever Thought Possible by Brian Tracy. Ditch the fears that keep you from goal setting.  The three most common ones are the fear of failure, success, and rejection.  If you don't set a goal, then there is no chance of failing, is there?  You're safe.  Safe is same old, same old.  Stretch yourself, and if you fail or falter, look upon the experience as a learning opportunity.  Fear of success can bring deep-seated feelings of self worth (are you worthy of this success) to the surface.  Moreover, you'll grapple with thoughts of your ability to even handle the changes success will bring you.  Self-sabotage is a by-product of fear of success.  Repeat after me: "I am worthy of success."  Lastly, there is the fear of rejection/criticism.  What will others think if you set a goal that is ridiculous, or too mighty, or even too weak?  What will they think if you fail?  Who cares what they think?  It's your goal.  It's your desire.  Go for it! Accept responsibility for your life.  Stop blaming others for your inadequacies, stop making excuses, and acknowledge that the buck stops with you. You must chart your path.    When you tap into the power of goal setting you will attract opportunities, be able to recognize them, and then use them to your advantage to have your best 2010!  Get your pen and paper out and get started.  This is a brand new year.  And, it's your year!        "What an immense power over the 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."             Elizabeth Stuart Phelps   "The tragedy of life doesn't lie in not reaching your goal.  The tragedy lies in having no goal to reach.  It isn't a calamity to die with dreams unfulfilled, but it is a calamity not to dream.  It is not disgrace to reach the stars, but it is a disgrace to have no stars to reach for.  Not failure, but low aim, is a sin."             Benjamin Mays   "Having a goal is a state of happiness."             E.J. Bartek   "If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours."             Henry David Thoreau     You can't pick up a newspaper or magazine in January without reading about New Year resolutions - how to make them or should you make them, how long they last, why people fall off the bandwagon, how to stay motivated, and the list goes on.  Many of the articles come from the perspective that you've failed even before you've started.  It's the nature of resolutions, yet it doesn't have to be that way.   It doesn't take the beginning of a new year to set new goals, yet it is a good time.  It's a time to reflect back on 2009, your hits and misses, and the opportunity to look ahead to 2010.  I'm doing that.  As I've closed out my year as President of the American Association of Women Dentists, (one I have thoroughly enjoyed) I know that new opportunities await me.  If I act with a purpose and a plan, those opportunities will come.  I'm setting my goals.    Join me and set yours.   Have a fantastic week and begin to make 2010 your year.   Stephanie   P.S. Speaking opportunities in 2010 are most welcome.  I can inspire your group to relish each new day in the New Year.  Contact me to discuss the possibilities.  P.P.S.  I will be speaking Thursday Feb. 25 at the Chicago Mid-Winter Dental Meeting in the AM and PM.  Join me for "Take Charge of Your Choices" and "Leadership Fundamentals for Women in Dentistry".     We grow by "word-of-email" so please feel free to forward this newsletter to anyone whom you think might benefit from and enjoy it. Thanks so much! Contact Us: stephanie@7steps2abalancedlife.com