Here are the steps I follow, that work for me:

First I make a cup of hot tea, and take out my written goals from last year. (I keep mine in a three-ring binder, so they're easy to access often.)

Step 1: Review goals from the past year. Check off all the goals you reached, and note the ones still undone. Take time to savor and re-experience the pleasure you felt when you knew you had succeeded. Really feel it. This is a very important step.

Look carefully at the ones you didn't achieve. Can you analyze why they didn't turn out? Were they really intentions, or just wishes? Were they realistic and attainable? Or maybe, deep down inside you didn't believe you could do them?

Step 2: Make notes now about what you want to accomplish in 2008. Take your time doing this. It might take several days to make a good list. Ask yourself, "Is this goal reasonable and attainable?" "What do I need to do in order to reach this goal?"

Be specific. A vague statement of "I want to make more money" won't work. How much more money? Set a number, and then re-set it a little higher to challenge yourself.

Be sure you set goals in the primary areas of your life:

• Your health goals;
• Your relationship and community goals;
• Your career;
• Your on-going self-education.

Let this list rest for a couple of days. Your subconscious mind will process it while you do other things.

Step 3: Prioritize and re-write your goals. You'll probably end up with three or four in each category.

While you do this you're going to infuse these words with heart-felt emotion and make them intentions. We're not making New Year's Resolutions, (everyone knows you can break those.) An intention is specific and has power. The subconscious mind sits up and really listens to an intention. And when your subconscious listens, it sets the wheels in motion to get what you want.

These intentions will be your guide for the next 12 months.

You're NOT done, yet.

Step 4: Write your intentions into every month of your calendar. Most people use a planner calendar of some sort. Using an abbreviation or code, if you wish, write your goals in it. Just make sure these goals are where you'll see them when you look at your planner.

At the end of every month (or the beginning of the next one) review your goals, and check off the ones you've accomplished. Congratulate yourself on each success!

Step 5: Prioritize and write one goal from each category on your daily To-Do list. This way, you'll have your most important goals in front of you all day. You'll know exactly where you want to go and how to get there.

Each day, review your intentions and say to yourself, "This or something better." This is a powerful reaffirmation of your intentions and opens the door for something even better to come to you.

Feel how good it feels to know you're living your dreams right now.

Big goals are reached through a series of steps. Maybe you'll make five yards toward the goal post, and sometimes you score with a long run. Be patient if they don't come all at once. Be glad you're moving in the right direction.

          You are going to have unprecedented success in 2008

© Copyright 2008 Pam Magnuson Copywriting

2007: Your Best Year Yet!
“The future you see is the future you get.”  -- Robert G. Allen
This is the time of year when many people look back over the previous twelve months to examine what went well, and what didn’t. They have moments of pleasure remembering triumphs large and small. Perhaps there’s also moments of regret about things they did, or failed to do.

This is the time of year when many people look back over the previous twelve months to examine what went well, and what didn’t. They have moments of pleasure remembering triumphs large and small. Perhaps there’s also moments of regret about things they did, or failed to do.

What is your marketing plan for 2007? Have you set up a 12-month schedule of what you intend to accomplish in the month of March or July? Do you have a plan for how you intend to accomplish your goals?

Without clear, written goals, you have only vague wishes. You may not realize it, but in the next few moments you are going to learn a new way of looking at the exciting year ahead.

Setting goals is the only way your highest dreams will be accomplished. I know, it sounds like another chore. I’m not talking about “New Years Resolutions,” but targets for the year. We have the power of choice. We can choose to see the process as drudgery, or we can just as easily be excited about creating the greatest success story possible for your business. Your future depends on the choices you make. You can say, “It’s going to be a great day (week, month, year)”, or you can face the morning grumbling, “Darn, it’s raining (or snowing) again.”

“People with clear, written goals, accomplish far more in a shorter period of time than people without them could ever imagine.”
Brian Tracy

Think about the following ideas and see yourself putting them into practice:

• Written goals are a map to guide you toward the success you dream of.
• A goal must be believable. Belief is the foundation of all success—not luck.
• Goals must be realistic and attainable. Unrealistic goals are merely whispy dreams.
• Establish target dates for your success.
• Stretch yourself. Dare to reach for more than you’ve ever had before.
• Listen to your intuition—that still, small voice that says, “I think I’ll call ___” Often those “out-of-the-blue” ideas are your subconscious mind urging you toward your goals!

The more you think about these ideas, the more you’ll realize “Hey, I can do that!” And once you come to that realization, you’re half way to success!

Remember when you were a child and Christmas was so magical? You had dreams of getting a bicycle, or a certain toy. Those were your childhood goals. Remember how many times those wishes came true? That’s the power of a strong belief and concentrated focus. Imagine re-energizing the single-minded determination of childhood. You’ll achieve your adult goals like you never have before. You’ll be amazed at all you’ll be celebrating in 2007.

Just for a moment, picture how you’ll feel next year at this time. You will be able to look back and say from your heart 2007 was the best year yet.

© Copyright 2008 Pam Magnuson Copywriting