.bodytext {float: left; } .floatimg-left-hort { float:left; margin-top:10px; margin-right: 10px; width:300px; clear:left;} .floatimg-left-caption-hort { float:left; margin-bottom:10px; width:300px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} .floatimg-left-vert { float:left; margin-top:10px; margin-right:15px; width:200px;} .floatimg-left-caption-vert { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; font-size: 10px; width:200px;} .floatimg-right-hort { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 300px;} .floatimg-right-caption-hort { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 300px; font-size: 10px; } .floatimg-right-vert { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px;} .floatimg-right-caption-vert { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px; font-size: 10px; } .floatimgright-sidebar { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px; border-top-style: double; border-top-color: black; border-bottom-style: double; border-bottom-color: black;} .floatimgright-sidebar p { line-height: 115%; text-indent: 10px; } .floatimgright-sidebar h4 { font-variant:small-caps; } .pullquote { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 150px; background: url(http://www.dmbusinessdaily.com/DAILY/editorial/extras/closequote.gif) no-repeat bottom right !important ; line-height: 150%; font-size: 125%; border-top: 1px solid; border-bottom: 1px solid;} .floatvidleft { float:left; margin-bottom:10px; width:325px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} .floatvidright { float:right; margin-bottom:10px; width:325px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} It’s another year. Where did the last one go? Or should I say, where did the last one GROW? Did you accomplish all you wanted? Make your numbers? Bank your money?

Did you achieve your goals?

Did you lose the weight?

Stop smoking?

Spend more time with the family?

Read that book?

Well it’s now a NEW YEAR. First order of business for this year? Throw away your “resolutions.” They never pan out anyway. Get rid of them now.

Resolutions are nothing more than radio talk show fodder. They sound something like this: “What’s your resolution this year, Mary?” “I’m gonna take off the five pounds I put on over the holidays.” “How about you, Bill? What’s your New Year’s resolution?” “I’m going to get a better hairpiece.” Barf.

New Year’s resolutions are a way of telling yourself that there’s something you want to achieve. But they rarely become reality. It’s likely that Mary will keep the weight on, and Bill’s toupee will still be noticeable from 500 feet.

A better way to look at resolutions is to determine why you’re making them in the first place and create personal resolve to change the root cause.

Here are two hard questions you need to ask yourself as you make this year’s obligatory resolutions:

1. Why are you making this resolution?

2. What are you willing to do differently that will make this resolution a reality?

For example, if your resolution is “lose 20 pounds,” maybe you should look to the root cause:

• I eat the wrong foods

• I eat on the run

• I eat too much fast food

• I eat late at night

• My diet has too much soda or chips

• I eat too much food at one sitting

• I never exercise

…and create specific personal resolves from there.

Here are a few specific resolves:

• I will cut out all doughnuts.

• I will not drink soda for six months.

• I will eat fast food only on Wednesday.

• I will go to the gym Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.

I hate to rain on your New Year’s Day parade, but you have an opportunity to achieve what you have resolved if you will just be real with yourself and make the resolve statements in the form of SPECIFIC personal actions and SPECIFIC personal achievements.

The more specific you can make them, the more likely you are to make them happen.

Tell yourself EXACTLY what you intend to do.

Tell yourself EXACTLY what you will do or are willing to do.

And you’ll have a 99 percent better chance of achieving.

You’ve heard the old saying “Where there’s a will, there’s a way.”

What it means is: First you better have the will.

Will is the root word of willing. And willing is the trigger for achievement. If you are not willing to do, and you do not intend to do, then resolution, resolve or goal ain’t about to become a reality – or better stated, it will be your resolution again NEXT year.

And so the key questions behind your potential to achieve anything you want to achieve this year are: What are you willing to do? What are you willing to change? What are you willing to better? What are you willing to sacrifice? Are you willing to work harder? Are you willing to get up earlier in order to give yourself more achievement time? And what is it worth to you once it’s done?

REALITY: Your willingness creates your will.

YOUR REALITY: Resolve to be more willing.

Happy New Year.

I have some goal achievement ideas you can use to win this year and every year. Go to www.gitomer.com, register if you’re a first-time visitor, and enter the words ACHIEVE GOALS in the GitBit box.

Jeffrey Gitomer can be reached by phone at (704) 333-1112 or by e-mail at salesman@gitomer.com. © 2007 Jeffrey H. Gitomer