"It is funny about life: if you refuse to accept anything but the very best you will very often get it." - W. Somerset Maugham

Who do you want to be?

 I’m so excited!  I hope that you are too.  It’s a brand new year!  365 new days to invent, do, grow and change anything we desire.  The beginning of each new year is so exciting.  It’s like being given a clean slate to write our lives on.  Of course, each day is a tiny new slate but there’s just something about looking at that big clean slate of a whole year that excites me.  How about you?

 Have you sat down and thought about your goals for 2004?  Have you written them down?  If no, why not?  Remember, we end up getting where we are trying to go.  If we don’t have a clue where we are trying to go, we can end up traveling in circles.

 I’ve heard some interesting reasons why people don’t have written goals:

“I know my goals, I don’t need to write them down.”  I wonder if those people ever get home from the grocery store without something they needed.  I know I do.  Without a list I fumble around the store looking at everything wondering just what we already have and what we need.  With a list I go right to the things I need, I get them and I go home with them.  We’re the same way in our lives.  Without a written list of where we want our lives to go we end up wandering around, wasting a lot of time and energy in the process.

“I want so many things I wouldn’t know where to start”  Just start!  Sit down and ask yourself  “what do I want?”.  Do this over and over until you have a list of things you want in your life.  Then pick the most important ones to work on this year and make a list that you can refer to often.

“I don’t want to set goals because I might be disappointed if I don’t reach them.”  Having low expectations of your life keeps you from being disappointed about your expectations but it doesn’t keep you from being disappointed about the life you are living.  When we have the courage to challenge ourselves to want more we will begin to find ways to get more in our lives.

 Set goals that will make you grow so much that at the end of 2004 you will be looking at a whole new you in the mirror. 

 One great tool for growing and becoming all you dream of being is to read books that inspire your soul and motivate you to action.  Challenge yourself to read great books in the area in which you’d like to excel.

 Here are a few of my favorite books:

 For making more of your life in general:

Manifest Your Destiny by Wayne W. Dyer

Believe You Can Be by Janice Madariaga

For getting more out of your precious time:

The Power of Focus by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen and Les Hewitt

If you are a procrastinator:

Eat That Frog by Brian Tracy

If you let fear stop you:

Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway by Susan Jeffers, PH.D.

To live a better financial life:

Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill

The One Minute Millionaire by Mark Victor Hansen and Robert G. Allen

To learn how to live life on a more positive note:

The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale

To build better relationships:

How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie

 These are just a few of the wonderful books that can help you be who you truly want to be this year. 

 Have a wondrous year filled with laughter and love!

 To Your Continued Success,

Janice Madariaga :-)