By Victoria Joanna  BBA, CNP, RNCP http://www.victoriajoanna.com/

It’s that time of year again!  As a brand new year and a brand new decade begin, we are excited and filled with hope at what the upcoming twelve months will bring.  It’s a chance to begin again and accomplish some of the things we may not have done last year, or perhaps take our lives to a whole new level.

While it may seem that at this time of year everyone is setting resolutions, did you know that less than 50% of North Americans actually make ‘New Year’s Resolutions’?   I’m going to guess that part of the reason behind this is the fact that we are all aware of how short-lived these resolutions can be and so some of us are choosing to spare ourselves the disappointment.

So are resolutions pointless? We’ve all heard about the “January rush” at the gym, only to see the traffic slowly fall less than 6 weeks into the New Year.  Yes, resolutions may be hard to keep, but does that mean we shouldn’t make them altogether?

I believe the key to success is not in the language – whether you call it a goal, an intention or a resolution – there is something even more fundamental that will impact your chances of success.

Are you ready for the secret?  Write. It. Down.

It may seem simple but less than 5% of people write down their goals!  Why is this so important?  In the act of writing it down on paper, you make it real for yourself.  Not only in your conscious mind, but also your subconscious.   You take abstract thoughts and energy and distill them into tangible words and ideas.  Your subconscious mind works visually, it needs to see it on paper, whether in words or pictures.

Here are a few other tips to ensure the goals you write are powerful and effective:

Have a deadline. You need to have a specific month and day for each goal, this makes it more real and creates a sense of urgency that will motivate action and follow through.

Be specific. Your goal must be specific enough to be measurable, otherwise how will you know when you’ve achieved it?  For instance, don’t just say “I want to be happier” or “I want to have more balance” or “I want to be successful”.  What will your life look like when you are happier, have more balance or more success – will you spend x number of days with your kids, will you be pursuing x hobby, will you have a certain job or salary level?  Clarity creates opportunity.

Be fired up. Your goals must be motivating.  They should instill a sense of passion and energy when you think about or talk about them, that’s how you know they are coming from authentic desires rather than things you think you “should” do.  If we set goals with our heads rather than our hearts, we find it hard to stay committed and motivated.

Be positive. Humans tend to innately move towards pleasure and away from pain.  Pleasure and feeling good motivates us.   As a result, our goals shouldn’t focus on what we don’t want, but rather the positive outcome.  For example, rather than saying “I don’t want to be fat” or “I want to lose 20lbs”, it’s more motivating to say “I want to be healthy” or “ I want to have more energy for my career and family”.  Can you feel the difference in these statements?

This may sound simple, but it really does work.  Most of us spend more time planning our annual vacations than we do planning our life.  It’s no wonder we often don’t get what we want…we haven’t planned for it.  Take the time this month to write down some clear goals for yourself so that you can make 2010 your best year yet!

By Liz Radzick of Manifest Consulting

It’s getting close to the end of the year, a time to reflect and plan for the upcoming 2010. Although I feel the new year more profoundly in September, I’ll take any chance for a ‘do-over’ and so in this spirit I submit my list of communication resolutions for the coming year.

I have divided the list into 3 categories: Written Communication, Spoken Communication and Self-Talk.

Written Communication

In the coming year I would like to write even more thank-you notes and congratulations cards.  I have personally been the recipient of a number of these this year and I really appreciated them.

I will continue to avoid starting a round of email tag by including several specific date/time suggestions when trying to set up a meeting with someone. Sending an email with “Are you free next week sometime?” is too vague and results in lots of backing and forthing.

I will make even more of an effort to get people’s cell phone numbers when I meet them. I find texting is the best way to reach people these days so I’m going to stop leaving so many voice mails and just let my fingers do the talking.

Spoken Communication

I will be more conscious of when I’m telling a story with numerous side-trips to other stories or factoids. I know this drives my listeners crazy when a simple story takes 10 minutes to tell.

I will let you finish your sentences even more often. Call me on it when I don’t let you finish.

I will continue to work on a ratio of 5 positive comments to every 1 negative comment that come out of my mouth. If I shoot for 5, I find I don’t want to even say 1 to disrupt the flow.

Self-Talk

I will continue to talk to myself in a quiet, compassionate voice rather than barking at myself. It feels so much better and my stomach isn’t as tight as a result.

I will celebrate more often the little successes in life, especially as I lay my head on my pillow at night.

I will journal those successes more often so that when I’m feeling down and need to remind myself I can give myself this gift.

And I resolve, dear readers, to continue to give you the best that I can in this space in 2010! Thank you for all of your comments and your support. Happy New Year!