3 Proven and Powerful Steps To A Better 2012

Planning for 2012? Listing your resolutions? Find yourself repeating the same unproductive habits and behaviors from year to year? Answered yes to any of those questions? Then keep reading! Because this will forever change how you see, plan and live the coming year and the ones that follow…

Bold words? Yes. Can I back it up? Absolutely. And it’s not mine alone. It’s something I’ve evolved over the years and now it’s here for you now…

You see, I’ve always put a premium on personal evolution. In essence, uncovering new tools and tactics, methods and mindsets to make the most of our precious time on this earth. And to do so in accelerated fashion.

So today is a special treat for me…I can finally reveal this unique approach that I have yet to see documented or practiced anywhere else.  

 Ready to get started? Lets do it…

Follow These 3 Steps And Make Every Year Worth Living

Do you have to complete all 3 steps? No. Will you success increase by doing all three? He## Yes!

Step #1: Look back to 2011 and List Your Accomplishments

Do you beat yourself up with not getting more done? Me too. Here’s the rub. We don’t acknowledge what we DID COMPLETE. As soon as we get something done, it’s on to the next thing on our list.

So look back on what you did accomplish. I list my accomplishments in three categories:

• Personal accomplishments
• Professional accomplishments
• Spiritual accomplishments

If you have other or more detailed categories, that’s fine too.

When you do this exercise, you’ll be surprised at how much you really did. If you need a cheat sheet or thought starter to jog your memory, read this great article by Jack Canfield. He lists over 24 different questions to ask yourself.

Now that you’ve had a look back, let’s look ahead shall we?

Step #2: Brainstorm Goals Following The S.M.A.R.T Criteria

Years ago I learned about creating S.M.A.R.T. goals. And yes it’s an acronym that I will reveal in just a moment. Why smart goals? Because too many times with too many people their goals are fuzzy. Or too pie in the sky.

Here’s a good goal rule of thumb I learned from a business coach: if you reach all your goals, you’re not setting them high enough. If you reach less than 50% of your goals, you are overly ambitious. A good goal completion rate to shoot for is 75%.

Major takeaway alert: there’s more at stake than just goals to complete here! Simply put, it’s about the person you will become in the process in completing those goals. Because the habits and practices you follow in goal completion will serve you far after they’re done.

Your S.M.A.R.T. Goal Checklist

 Here is how this goal criteria is defined:

 S = Simple

 M = Measureable

 A = As If Now

 R = Realistic

 T = Timed

I know what you’re thinking…what does “As if Now” mean? When you list your goals, use words and language as if you’ve already accomplished the goal. For example, instead of saying “I Will generate $20K revenue per month in June 2012 rephrase that to say “Generating $20K revenue per month in June 2012.”

You know why this is so important? Because the first approach is tentative. It may happen. It might not. Conversely, the second (and S.M.A.R.T way) is written as if it has actually happened. This approach is more empowering and serves notice to your unconscious mind that goal is indeed a reality.

The other characteristics of S.M.A.R.T goals are pretty obvious. By creating your goals following the S.M.A.R.T criteria you’re far more likely to have success. Try it and see for yourself. And let me know your results!

Step #3: Theme Your Year

This is my favorite! And it makes perfect sense. So often we get caught up with the micro, we forget the macro.

By having a simple theme you want the year to be about helps align ALL your activities towards one grand purpose.I’ll cover the theming process here at a high level. For more insights and details on this approach, reference this article on how to theme your year. 

Here’s how to theme your year for optimal results:

• The theme should be broad enough to cover ALL areas of your life, not just business (think business, personal and spiritual)

• Make the theme short and sweet: 1-2 words MAX

• The theme should be consistent with your values, mission and purpose

 Now how about some examples? Last year this was my theme…

 “2011: The Year of Abundance.” A look at this article will show you details for that theme.

And for the new year? “2012: The Year of Performance.” By performance, I refer to improving results by bettering my performance across all areas of my life.

I plan to manifest this theme in the follow ways:

• Optimize my web sites to perform better (more traffic, more sales)
• Perform better in my new role as a husband (I’ve been married for less than a year)
• Perform better physically: build my endurance in swimming laps
• Perform better spiritually: devote more time for meditation and attending church

See where I’m going with this? So have at it!

Please SHARE and comment: what’s your theme for 2012? And how will you manifest it?

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Author: Marc Harty (39 Articles)

Marc Harty is an online publicity expert, professional speaker, Internet marketing consultant and CEO of MainTopic Media, Inc. Marc’s Online PR Made Easy can help anyone at any skill level generate targeted web site traffic on autopilot.

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