Well, first of all let me start off by wishing you a Happy New Year! I hope that 2022 is off to an epic start for you and that you are already making progress on your goals. As for me, the year is off to a phenomenal start. I have been super productive and already gaining momentum on some of the goals that I have set for myself this year. If you are not happy with your first week of 2022, the great part about it is that we are only a few days into the year so you have time to make adjustments and changes. I want to share a few insights with you on starting the year off right. I hope these insights will empower you and challenge you to position yourself for big wins and advancement in 2022 and beyond. It is important that you start the year off right!
Take a moment to reflect on 2021. I can already hear some of you saying that you do not want to look back at 2021. After all, the year is over with and you are ready to start fresh. While I understand your sentiment, I want you to understand that reflection is a powerful tool that will shape the results that you create in 2022 and beyond. I understand that you may not be proud of all of your results in 2021. However, you have to take the time to reflect so that you know how to reposition for success in 2022. So take a few moments to look over your goals from last year. Assess the progress you made on those goals and evaluate how many of your goals were actually accomplished. Now, most people do not want to do this because they end up frustrated or depressed. However, I am not having you do this to get depressed or discouraged. I want you to have an accurate measure of your progress and your results. If you do not like what you find, then the great thing is that you have a new year and new opportunities to make changes in your life. If you never take the time to reflect on your journey, then you will never be empowered to raise the standards in your life. Reflection helps us identify what is not working in our lives and make the adjustments that empower our lives to thrive.
You need to set goals for 2022. While many people are making resolutions for the year, I do not believe in resolutions. Why? First of all, resolutions do not work and most people never accomplish them. Secondly, too many people think that because the calendar changed that their lives are going to magically change. Lastly, most people set resolutions in their minds but they never take the time to write them down and create a plan for success. So this year I want to free you from the burden of setting resolutions. I have not set resolutions in decades and I have had great results. Instead of setting resolutions, I want to challenge you to only set 3-5 goals for yourself for this year. I want you to set a spiritual goal, personal goal, professional goal, financial goal, and health goal. I want you to write these goals down. Then I want you to write one action step beside each goal that you can take every single day to see these goals manifest in your life. You will be amazed at how this helps you gain clarity, eliminate distractions and stay focused on your most important priorities. Setting three to five goals is much better than a list of resolutions that are never accomplished. I have done this exercise with my clients for years and it has been a game-changer!
Understand that you must be dedicated to your goals if you want to be successful. Now, this is the part where so many people fail. It is great to write down your goals and even create action steps. However, 2022 will be a repeat of 2021 if you do not understand that the difference in years is determined by what you are willing to dedicate yourself to. Dedication has nothing to do with your emotions and everything to do with your psychology. If you have followed my work for any length of time, then you know that I believe that you are not the product of your good intentions or well wishes. No, you are the product of your thinking. If you do not like the direction that your life is taking, then you need to change the way that you are thinking. If your thoughts have brought you here, then you must change your thinking to arrive at your desired destination. Many people have big dreams for their lives. However, those dreams are aborted because they are unwilling to dedicate themselves to the realization of those dreams. The reason I have been successful is that I have not just been a dreamer but I have dared to dedicate myself fully to the realization of my dreams. It has required mental toughness, emotional stability, and unwavering consistency. I have had to persist in the face of crisis, challenges, and contradictions. However, that dedication is what has distinguished me and earned me the reputation of a highly respected thought leader. Dedication is the ability to determine what you want the most over what you want now. Dedication is what divides the dreamers from the doers.
You need to establish strong accountability in your life. After you have done all these other steps, I want you to decide to establish strong accountability in your life. Years ago, I found myself frustrated and not moving forward with my life. Then I enlisted the help of coaches and mentors. As I established these accountability systems in my life, I found that frustration vanished, my focus improved and my results skyrocketed. I realized that accountability eliminates the excuses in our lives. I did not want to report back to mentors and tell them that I had not made any progress on my goals. Also, I knew that if I was not executing that my excuses would not be acceptable to them. So it forced me to buckle down, get serious and take action in the direction of my dreams. As a result, I made massive progress, engineered countless breakthroughs, and realized so many dreams. Accountability is the catalyst to your ascension and advancement. You can try and take this journey alone. However, without accountability, you will often fall back into the same bad habits and cycles of mediocrity. Accountability challenges your excuses, pushes your limitations, and expands your capacity for greatness. This year make accountability a priority in your life. Accountability is for your protection, preservation, and progress. Accountability will shorten the distance to success and give you the staying power to fulfill your purpose and realize your greatest potential.