Staying On Target in 2014 by Jones Loflin

It seems like every January there is pressure to create a New Years Resolution. Year after year, people set out to accomplish their goals but don’t always succeed. Fortunately, there is help!

Motivational Speaker and author of Getting To It! Jones Loflin offers up some helpful advice to help you stay on target in 2014.

This being January, your work and life have probably not gone full throttle … yet. People are still yearning to return to the simpler, relaxing holidays when schedules weren’t as important and one of the biggest goals was not to overindulge at mealtime. Soon, however, your schedule will return to its breakneck pace, and your life will become a blur until the next holiday, vacation, or forced slowdown (i.e. sickness).

Before you allow 2014 to become just another busy year, why not put some structures in place to ensure that your most important work and life goals get accomplished. They might include:

Think before saying, “Yes.” Most of us give an emotional “Yes” when we would give a logical “No.” Before you say yes to any work or personal obligation, ask yourself, “What will I have to say “No” to if I give a “Yes” to this commitment?”

Engage in personal planning BEFORE engaging with technology. Before you check your phone, tablet, or computer to see the bazillion messages you have, think about what YOU would find most valuable to accomplish today. Those messages and notifications are other people’s ideas of what is most important-but they may not be yours.

Develop routines and not ruts. I have 5 things I try and accomplish each day before breakfast. If I honor that routine every day, I find that the rest of my day goes much smoother. There’s a reason the parking lots at fitness centers are full now, but soon will be quite vacant. People just don’t develop routines that can be sustained so they drop them when they get “too busy.” What’s a daily routine that would add value to your day?

Have an attitude of gratitude. The sense of renewal and purpose we have now partially stems from time with family and friends a few weeks ago who showed their value to us by sharing gifts, time, or a meal with us. Before your calendar is chock full of other things, why not start scheduling weekly time with friends or family. Set aside 15 minutes a couple days a week to write (or yes just email) a note of thanks for what someone has recently done for you or your family.

Finish what you start. Stop leaving so much physical and mental clutter in your life. Take each task as far as you can with the information and resources you have before moving on to something else. If it takes one minute to put away an item in the cabinet or finish a thought before tackling something else, do it.

Take more time to celebrate. It’s too easy to feel disappointed because you aren’t getting everything done. The truth is, you can’t get it ALL done. Celebrate what you are accomplishing, and be the one who is always congratulating others on what they are getting done.

Above all else, be true to yourself and your dreams and goals for your life. In almost the blink of an eye it will be 2015.