Yes we (all) can!

On Tuesday 20th January 2009 the world will sit back and watch as a new legacy begins. I’m talking of course about the inauguration of US President Elect Barak Obama.

Beyond all the glitz and glamour, hype and sensationalism, and cliched headlines, what the world will be witnessing is the achievement of a goal. Whatever President Obama and his team have achieved it could not have been done without the creation of a clearly defined, well formed goal. Without that key ingredient it wouldn’t have mattered what resources they had, how much financial strength they could amass, or how good a speaker President Obama was, they would not have won that election…at least not in the manner in which they did.

Having set your goals, what happens next?

All the greatest plans in the world are worthless unless you actually do something about them. We’ve all heard the phrase “actions speak louder than words” right? You need to take immediate action to get where you want to be. You don’t just set your Sat Nav destination and sit there do you? No, you have to fire up your engine and start driving! Far too many people write their goals down and then sit back waiting for them to happen all by themselves. Trust me, this will not work… (I know this from personal experience)

How do you take action? Simple. Do one thing differently NOW that will get you closer to your goal.

This is where so many people fail. They look at what they want to achieve, where they are now, and then do one of two things: a) they go at it hard and try to make all the changes at once or b) they look at all the things they need to do and are so overwhelmed they think “forget it, it’s too hard”.

I agree with Tony Robbins when he says “Most people over estimate what they can do in a year and underestimate what they can achieve in a life time” Think about it. Every year in January fitness centres see hundreds of new people keen to lose weight. These people are excited and committed but within a couple of months the 4 times a week routine turns into a 4 times a quarter routine! If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone I’ve been one of them!

Trying to do too much in one go can be just as damaging as doing nothing. So pick the one thing you can do NOW that will get you closer to your goal and do it consistently for the next 4 weeks. It doesn’t matter how big or small it is, the key is that it must be different to what you are doing now.