Every year people have good intentions when making  new years resolutions but in less than 90 days most people are back to their old habits.

Before you know it that gym membership is no longer needed, the bike is in the shed and those extra pounds have somehow found their way back home ! That daily inspirational reading you were going to do first thing every morning has now turned into looking at your  emails, Facebook and Twitter accounts. Old habits die hard. Before you know it the year has passed by and we are pretty much in the same position as we were a year ago. Sounds like the definition of insanity, doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. Sound familiar? 2016 CAN be different but it takes discipline, focus and a plan.

Getting a CCMP

One of the most powerful things I ever learned was writing down my goals every year and sharing them with others. I  had to start ‘speaking’ them out because thoughts and words become things. When I first heard this I thought , well I just need to have the idea in my head but then I learned the POWER of getting my ideas on paper.Like an architect I needed to see the design of what I wanted to build or to happen in my life.Everything starts with an idea and in order to make the idea a reality you need to visualise it and in order to visualise it you need to see a picture of it .This idea or goal is called a CCMP, Clear Concise Mental Picture. I first learned about this from one of my mentors who told me to pick up a copy of the book, The wisdom of Andrew Carnegie.The book still works. http://genistar.co.uk/product/the-wisdom-of-andrew-carnegie/

In this book Mr Carnegie covers so many things but the main thing I took away from it and it has stuck with me for 35 years is get a CCMP! If you ‘sees it you can seize it.’  Now, you may say but Jeff there are a few weird things in the book I do not agree with.Okay, well keep the good and don’t worry about the bad. All I can tell you is that if you want 2016 to be a turning point in your life something has got to change and that something is ….you! Reading a book will help you, listening to a motivational series will motivate you but ultimately YOU have to decide that if what you want in 2016 is worthwhile to go for it has to become a clear concise mental picture.

I am wishing you a prosperous new year and know that if you write it down and ‘Sees it ‘ first then you can practically go ‘Seize’ your goals and dreams. Lets make 2016 THE year that you look on and say things really changed in a positive way for me. Here is to 2016…Making changes that make a difference.