FROM THE DESK, MIND AND HEART OF JEFF HODGES
Hey Everybody,
Is everyone ready for tomorrow ??? I know I am. I am blessed to be surrounded by friends and family that are all very gifted in the cooking department. That’s not so good for my waistline but my taste buds are absolutely ecstatic !!! For all my returning readers, a very warm welcome to you and for all my new additions to my mailing list, a very warm welcome aboard to all of you. If you are new and want to read back editions or just missed one and want to catch up, you can by just going to either…
http://www.letmemakeyousuccessful.com/links.html (bottom left corner of page)
OR
http://www.jeffhodges.blogspot.com
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Well, with only a few days remaining in 2007 many of you will begin to look to January to establish your annual NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONS. January symbolizes a new beginning. It symbolizes a chance to reflect on the previous year, decide where our lives need improvement and RESOLVE to make those improvements. The problem is, this time honored tradition has become more of a meaningless ritual than a serious effort to make effective and PERMANENT changes in our lives.
I challenge you to make this year different. I challenge you to take this tradition TO THE NEXT LEVEL ! Make this the year that marks a new beginning for you and not a new beginning that you will have to start all over again next year. Dig way down deep inside and find the strength, find the courage and find the diligence to make this years resolutions stick. You can do it but only if you believe you can. If you go into it with a “Well, I’ll try to keep my resolutions this year” attitude I can all but guarantee your failure.
I am going to make some simple suggestions that, if you APPLY THEM, you will greatly increase the likelihood of your resolutions taking root in your life and becoming permanent instead of a running joke at the office three months from now. It, like many other things I teach you, all comes down to MINDSET !!! That is one common factor in anything you do in life and very much so in this particular case. So, take note of these suggestions, APPLY THEM and make 2008 the year that marked the beginning of a new and prosperous life for you and those you love……
NOTE: Replace the word RESOLUTION with the word GOAL and you can easily see how these same methods can be applied to your personal and business life throughout the year.
1) Make sure the resolution is YOUR resolution. Too many people try to live their lives in a way that will keep others happy and this is a self-defeating strategy. If you are not working toward something because YOU wanted to you are almost certain to fail
2) Clearly define what the resolution is. Picture in your mind EXACTLY what your life will be like upon the adherence to this resolution. You cannot simply resolve to lose weight. You must specify what you will weigh and upon what date will you weigh that much. You cannot be vague or you will get vague results.
3) Determine what your motivation is. You have to be very clear in your mind WHY you wish to adhere to this resolution. In life you are constantly either moving away from pain or moving toward pleasure. Develop your personal motivator and focus on it.
4) Create a plan of action. Treat your resolution like you would treat your business. You wouldn’t open a business without a business plan, would you? Outline EXACTLY what you are going to do to achieve the desired results.
5) Evaluate your progress DAILY. If you don’t maintain constant focus on where you are going it is very easy to get off course. Make it the first thing you do in the morning and the last thing you do at night before you go to bed.
6) Believe in yourself. Self doubt is the leading cause of failure, no matter what you do in life. If you are not COMPLETELY convinced in your mind and in your heart that you can do what you are setting out to do then YOU just became your own worst enemy. How can you possibly expect to accomplish anything while harboring feelings of weakness and uncertainty?
7) You must establish accountability. Tell everybody you know EXACTLY what you are doing, EXACTLY why you are doing it and EXACTLY when it is going to be done. You can easily fail at something if you have only yourself to answer to but when you have people that you know and care about and who care about you making the journey with you that changes EVERYTHING !!! Besides, accountability partners are an excellent source of positive energy and act as a support group if you begin to weaken.
I hope you find these methods useful and are able to effectively apply them not only to your New Years Resolutions but, also, to your day to day life. Just remember what Henry Ford said in one of my favorite quotes, “Whether you think you can or think you can’t, either way you are right”.
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“The reason most people never reach their goals is that they don't define them, learn about them, or even seriously consider them as believable or achievable. Winners can tell you where they are going, what they plan to do along the way, and who will be sharing the adventure with them.”
- Denis Waitley
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Christmas time is a wonderful time of year. Coming right after Thanksgiving, it is filled with Love and Kindness that can be felt throughout the world. Everyone reaches deep inside and pours out all that they are to make everyone else around them happy and hopeful. Generosity abounds and Mankind seems to take a break from the usual chaos of the World and embrace Peace and Concern for all Humanity.
I just have one issue with this. Why can’t we be like this ALL YEAR LONG ??? Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. Jesus loves us all year long. Why, for a brief few weeks, do we become these Ambassadors of good will and then in January everything returns to the way it was. Why do we spend such a brief moment in time showing everyone how kind, caring and generous we can be and then spend the rest of the year being Self-indulged and Self-centered? Do we love our children and celebrate that love ONLY on their birthdays? Of course not. And we should treat the Christmas Spirit no differently.
Now, obviously everyone is not this way but I would submit to you to take a brief moment and search yourself. Do you treat everyone the rest of the year the way you treat them at Christmas time? Do you help out the less fortunate all year round or just at Christmas time? Do you have the same mindset all year long or do you have one for Christmas and one for your day to day life. Just imagine for a moment, if you will, a World where EVERYDAY was Christmas !!! How wonderful would that be ???
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“Christmas is not a time nor a season, but a state of mind. To cherish peace and goodwill, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas.”
- Calvin Coolidge
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Wow, Christmas is just a few hours away. I love to think back to my childhood and the family Christmas gatherings. Many of the loved ones that I shared them with are long since gone to be with Jesus but I will always have the memories of the times spent with them. It was a simpler time and one that, even though I enjoy all the benefits of modern times just as you do, that I SINCERELY MISS !!! As each and every one of you gather with those that you love, make each moment a special one. Treat every second that you are together as though it were a one time affair. I am just as guilty as the next person of getting TOO COMFORTABLE in my surroundings and sometimes I too need to stop and dwell a bit on just how special the people in my life are and how much they really mean to me. Tomorrow is Christmas Eve and I hope that it is every bit as wonderful for you as you have imagined it is going to be. I love each and every one of you as my Brothers and Sisters. I wish all of you a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS !!!!!!!!!!!!!! Until we are once again granted the opportunity to enjoy each other’s company again, just remember to……..
JUST SAY “NO” TO NEGATIVITY !!!
Sincerely,
Jeff Hodges
JeffreyHodges@thedreameffect.com
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http://www.letmemakeyousuccessful.com
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http://www.jeffhodges.blogspot.com
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