A NEW YEAR BECKONS - WHAT'S YOUR PLAN?

Goodness, here we are right at the end of 2008. Following my last post, I trust that many of you were able to finish 2008 strongly and that you are all set for a brilliant 2009.

For those in Australia and regions thereabouts, the New Year has been ushered in and 2009 has arrived. For those in Europe and Africa, in just a few hours 2009 will be a reality; and for those further West in the America's, 31.12.2008 is still fresh and 2009 may seem a little further away than for those in other parts of the world. Regardless of what time zone you are in, 2009 will arrive. A New Year (for most people) means new year resolutions, a fresh start, turning over a new leaf, etc. It's often at the beginning of a new year that folk re-evaluate where they are in their lives and reposition themselves in relation to the things that they want in life.

The problem with most new year resolutions, fresh goals, et al, is that there is often no corresponding plan to fulfill the resolutions, achieve the goals, etc. In a very cynical sense, "the road to hell is paved with good intentions". Now this may sound harsh, but it's true and I guess that the scrapheap of abandoned new year resolutions, broken dreams dreamt at the start of a new year, unachieved goals, is quite a scrapheap. We all have sincere intentions and GREAT thoughts of where we want to be in our lives.

Why do people fail? It's my view that it's not because they don't work hard enough, or don't have enough talent or are not educated enough. I propose that most people fail because they do not have a good enough detailed plan as to "how to get there". One cannot underestimate the power of a clearly defined, deliberate, and "followable" plan of action. Now, I'm not talking about a few simple sketchy action steps - I am talking about a plan of blueprint proportions, like the one a builder will have to build a house. An engineered plan drawn with careful attention to detail.

For 2009, here are a few steps that you could follow to get to where you want to go:
1. Define exactly what you want or where you want to be. Be exact, be precise. It's no good having a statement which says that "I want to lose weight". How much weight do I want to lose? What cannot be measured cannot be controlled.
2. List the incremental steps on the way to achieving what you want.
3. Order the sequence of the steps in (2) above. What comes first, second, etc.
4. Put timing to the accomplishment of the sequential steps from (3) above. Be realistic but not too liberal in setting timeframes.

It's a little like cooking, isn't it. I could have a kitchen, ingredients, utensils, etc. and still make a mess of a specified dish if I do not have a recipe.
For 2009, ensure that you follow a recipe for your success.
One last thing - say what you want and keep saying it. Don't allow circumstances or people to steal your dream. Don't let them sow the seeds of doubt in your mind. When things get tough, revisit your plan and keep speaking what it is that you want. The mouth is a powerful tool which governs a large part of what we achieve or don't achieve in life.

I take this opportunity to wish you and your families a 2009 which exceeds your best expectations.

"Success is neither magical or mysterious. Success is the natural consequence of consistently applying the basic fundamentals." -- Jim Rohn

2008 - FINISH STRONG

Well, today is the first day of the last calendar month of 2008 and ...... (to use an expression) it is the first day of the rest of your life. How 2008 has flown by. With the end of the year only a few weeks away, many people will be looking at 2008 and asking questions about what the year has yielded for them. It's evaluation and reflection time.

For some of us we will be pleased that the year has yielded a good harvest, for some it may be a moderate harvest and for others it may have been a year of less than optimal harvest. Regardless, though, there is a reality - and that is that there is nothing that we can do to change what has happened. To a large extent 2008 has been confined to history. But hey, there's still a month of 2008 left and there's still time for that final push that will edge us closer to the dreams that we had for 2008. Let's exercise that last spurt of energy that could help us to fulfil one or the other (as yet) unfilled goal. This is not the time of year to adopt a sense of abandonment in regard to our set goals for 2008 and it's not the time to resign ourselves to the thought that all is lost and that the year is gone. We still have time to recover and to FINISH STRONG in 2008.

And of course, a strong finish will set the tone for a good start to 2009. At this time of the year many folk will be "winding down" and easing into a year end vacation. But, to finish the year off strongly we ought to put a little plan together to work a little harder and smarter over the next few weeks. It's a good time to wrap up a few things. Now is a good time to put that last business proposal together, or to tie up an outstanding matter, or to make a few more calls, possibly do a few more presentations or conclude another deal. Success is not something that just happens, it requires some effort, smart work and a plan. What a great time to gather some momentum for 2009. Now is an ideal time to start thinking about what it is that we want for 2009. Pull out your calendar, calculator, personal notes, et al and get cracking. Remember that FINISHING STRONGLY in 2008 is up to each one of us and a STRONG FINISH will pave the way to a strong 2009. It's a case of, "if it's going to be then it's up to me". Oh yes - you can do it!!!!!

"Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it now." Goethe

A GREAT LIFE

There is an adage which says, "If it's going to be then it's up to me". This is so true. Too often we tend to abdicate personal responsibility for developing the "true us" and instead we commute responsibility, for this, to a good friend, a mentor or personal life coach, an employer, religious guidance, et al. Now of course people can speak into our lives, but really they cannot be responsible for developing "the best me that me can be". For each one of us we have got to picture in our mind a sense of personal destiny.

Nobody can hope to experience a truely fulfilling life and a life that can be labelled "GREAT", without pursuing personal destiny. Now if destiny is not fate and it can be designed then we have the opportunity, each one of us, to design a GREAT life.

For many people a GREAT life is about money, material possessions, personal accomplishment in business or some other field, power, etc. In as much as these things may be good and they may bring a sense of personal satisfaction, can they give an absolute assurance of a GREAT life? I venture NO as an answer. So, how does one define a GREAT LIFE?

1. PURPOSE - I have come to appreciate that to live without a compelling WHY is futility in manifestation. Life has got to have a grand purpose. It's about living "on purpose" for "a purpose". Nothing hit-and-miss, trial and error or stumbled upon. A GREAT life is a life that lives for something bigger than itself. What is your purpose for living? Why are you here?

2. CONTRIBUTION - Each one of us is gifted with a skills set, inherent talents, and in general personal tools that can change the lives of those who come into our sphere of influence. It should be a driving force that we add value wherever we go and to everybody that we meet. Nobody should encounter me and stay the same thereafter. Of course, we are talking about positive impact. A GREAT life makes a difference, it makes a statement, it is a catalyst for change and for action.

3. LEGACY - It is my personal mission to ensure that my children and their children go further than I have been in life. It is my desire to spur others on to bigger, better, more, further, etc. This requires taking leadership (first personal leadership) and getting people to follow me and to teach them to go beyond where I am and beyond the limitations of their thoughts. The next generation must be inspired by my life - motivated to dream of GREATER and challenged to action.

There is GREATNESS inside every human being. As you read this ...... STOP!!!! Take a moment to affirm yourself and look deep inside of yourself. YOU ARE GREAT - it's time to live that GREATNESS.

"Somewhere along the line we discover who we really are, and then make our real decisions for which we are responsible. Make that decision primarily for yourself because you can never really live anyone else's life" - Eleanor Roosevelt.

Destined "for life"

Victor Frankl is an internationally renowned psychologist who endured many years of torment in Nazi death camps, and yet survived to excel. His suffering led him to develop an approach to psychotherapy known as logotherapy. The foundation of this approach is the belief that man's search for meaning is his primary motivational force. To quote Frankl, "Don't aim at success - the more you aim at it and make it a target, the more you are going to miss it. For success, like happiness, cannot be pursued; it must ensue, and it only does so as the unintended side-effect of one's personal dedication to a cause greater than oneself or as the by-product of one's surrender to a person other than oneself".

I am constantly amazed at the number of people whom I meet who, in their advanced years, still struggle with finding expression for their real selves. It's almost as if they have never quite found their true identity and the questions of, "Who am I?", "Why am I here?" and "Where am I going?" remain burning questions that pose a challenge to them being able to play their music in the orchestra of life.

Frankl's assertion that success is partly a "by-product of one's surrender to a person other than oneself" strongly supports the idea of a Higher Power being that "person". After all, is it really possible to surrender to any human being and expect sustainable success to emanate from that surrender?

My personal conviction is that the Bible has an answer. Matthew 6:33 states that we ought to seek first the Kingdom of God and then all these things shall be added to us. Surrender to God will bring success?? In so far as my life purpose goes, what better scripture verse than Jeremiah 29:11 which states, "For I know the plans I have for you, plans to PROSPER you and not to harm you, plans to give you HOPE and A FUTURE"!!!!! Destined for life ..............

Destiny is not fate. Destiny is the framework within which we exercise our freedom and without which freedom would be meaningless. I was born a black male in South Africa and I have certain physical characteristics with a certain body type and brain capacity. That is my destiny. I cannot change it. What I do with it is my freedom.