New Year, New Start, New Adventures!

Happy New Year!

Not only is this the beginning of a new year, but the beginning of a new decade and a new generation is being born - "Generation Alpha". That's a lot of new beginnings and it all kicked off with a blue moon just to make it interesting!

So with hope in our hearts and the sparkly optimism that usually comes with a fresh start, the question is what are you hoping to achieve in 2010? More importantly, what will you do to ensure that you stick to it, when the year wears on and your enthusiasm wanes?

Here are some tips to help you stick to the goals you've set for yourself this year:

- Write them down! The power of the written word is phenomenal and so simple to do. Either commit yourself to writing them down regularly; either every day or once a week, or print them out nicely once and put them somewhere you'll read them regularly. I like to laminate mine and put them in the shower, when I'm relaxed and happy so I can be reminded constantly of where I'm headed and stay on track.

- Write them in past tense, as if you've already achieved them, ie; "it's Christmas 2010 and I'm celebrating with my family the success of the X business I've launched this year that has turned over X profit".

- Be specific. Don't write vague goals like "I made lots of money this year", get detailed. "I made X dollars profit over all for X business" is much more powerful and real for your mind to get a grip on.

- Put some feeling into it. Describe how you feel at achieving this goal, put some descriptors into it to set the whole scene, ie: "It's Christmas 2010 and my wife and I are feeling on top of the world having just cracked a bottle of 96 Bollinger to celebrate the X profit I've made on X business. I'm so proud of my achievement and love this feeling of providing for my family".

- At the end of the year, make a bit of a ceremony out of acknowledging what you have achieved before setting out your goals for the next year. There's no point having a goal list if you don't feel the reward of achievement!

- Make your goals achievable. Have some big, lofty ones on there too, but make sure you include some smaller goals because having a win will keep you moving forward toward the bigger goals too. Nothing more disheartening than feeling a million miles from anything on your goal list - it's always nice to see some lines through the goals you've achieved and will be a huge motivator for you.

So happy goal setting and here's to a bright, successful, adventurous, exciting and fun filled 2010.