Are you as excited as I am about this brand new year ahead? The month of January is THE month for new beginnings, hands down! Everyone is ripe for starting anew.

A HUGE mistake I see many people make is having a lot of incomplete tasks hanging over their heads. In order to usher in the new energy of your goals and dreams, you’ll need to get closure on loose ends. If you don’t, those things you’ve swept under the rug will come back to cause you problems later.

This is a great time to do what I call the End-of-Year Exercise. Basically it’s a set of 7 questions to help you close out 2008 and create a strong start for 2009. What do you want to accomplish this year? What financial goals do you have? I recommend taking the time to take an honest look at this past year and do a quick audit. This End-of-Year Exercise is an excellent way to ensure a smooth start for a focused and favorable year ahead!

I suggest you do this exercise today–it only takes about 30 minutes, so get comfortable, grab a cup of coffee, your pen and paper, and go for it.

Here’s the End-of-Year Exercise:

1. List Your Accomplishments – It’s easy to forget where you were a year ago! Acknowledging your successes is a great reminder of your perseverance, hard work, and joy! Jot these things down. Success breeds success. Jump start your goals for this year with the energy of what you’ve accomplished. You rock!
2. Identify Your Disappointments – What did not go as you planned? What losses did you experience? What did you learn from them?
3. What needs to be released? It’s time to leave your fears, anxiety, and resentments behind. Take the high road, honor yourself and honor others. Make amends. Be kinder and more compassionate with yourself and with others. We really are all in this together!
4. Ask the Million Dollar Question – What wants to be expressed through me? You are a vehicle for expression and contribution. What will you ‘give’ to the world that is uniquely yours to give?
5. Write Your Financial Goals Down – How much do you want to bring in during 2009? What is the money for? A new home? Philanthropy? Travel? Children’s education? Money is simply a form of currency that empowers us to make choices. What’s behind your financial goals? Your “Big Why” is extremely motivating!
6. Determine Your “How” – Brainstorm ideas about how you can create this kind of income. How many units of your product or service will you need to sell?
7. Create Your Plan – Dreaming, then visioning, then writing your goals on paper is the trifecta for a successful outcome. Watch out world, here you come!

To Your Success,

Diana Long

The Results Expert

Tagged as: Goals, Planning