Warning: Resolutions Ahead!

Are you going to be one of the few reading this Patch blog who look back one year from now with the extreme satisfaction of having kept your promises to yourself? Or will you be among those who vow to try again next year?

I want you to be in the first category, and I want to help you see your goals
become reality. So in that spirit, I thought I’d share a few strategies and
tools for success this year.

1) Have you really articulated your goal? Is it “be in better shape” or is it
“lose 30 pounds”? A degree of specificity is a must, because you’ll need an
objective against which you can measure your efforts.

2) Have you gotten excited about your goal? Have you imagined the outcome? Don’t be ashamed to really visualize yourself enjoying the spoils of your hard work. Imagine yourself sharing your success story with pride.

3) Share your goals! Don’t keep your dreams in the closet where no one can see
them. Public declaration not only helps you find third-party support from
friends and family, but putting them out there makes them harder to abandon
when motivation flags.

4) Don’t give in to “all or none” thinking. When you slip, lose focus, or
encounter setbacks, don’t use them as license to give up. It will feel worse to
crawl back after a blow-out than it will to forgive yourself and pick up where
you left off. Accept that progress matters more than perfection.

5) Leverage apps and other technology to help you make progress. Automatic
reminders, social networks, and other goal-specific tools can help. (Check out
this article on “5 Apps for Keeping New Year’s Resolutions: http://mashable.com/2012/12/27/apps-new-years-resolutions/)

So what are your goals? Comment below! No time like the present to make your
dreams public.

(Of course, if one of your goals is to buy or sell a home, I’d be happy to play a
big part in helping you reach that objective! Contact me today by phone at 484-893-1234 or by email at joe@debandjoe.com.

Here's to Lucky '13!