By Alison Greiner

Quit smoking, lose weight, eat healthy, join a gym—are any of these a part of your big plan for 2004?

The New Year brings a sense of renewal and hope; it is a time to begin again. You’ve set your resolutions to start fresh, but what is your plan for sticking to them? Can we really follow through with our New Year’s resolutions?

 Let Truestar help you succeed in 2004 with these easy steps:

Put it in writing
Once you have decided on a goal, write it down. People who write out clearly defined objectives and have a defined life plan are more successful than those who don’t outline their goals. However, less than three percent of the population has a complete goals program.

Everyone is born a diamond in the rough: pure unrealized potential. And just as diamonds are formed from the right amount of pressure, your goals program will help apply just the right amount of pressure to bring out your best. The Truestar Goals Program is balanced to cover all areas in your life, not just your financial and material objectives. Using the Truestar Goals Program will apply the pressure needed to make you shine like a diamond.

R&R
Set goals that are realistic and reasonable. Brian Tracy tells the story of a woman who told him she was going to be a millionaire in a year. He asked her what kind of work she did, to which she replied, “I just got fired from my job. I have nothing, I’m starting with nothing.”

Does that sound realistic to you?

The Truestar Goals Program has many areas to set goals: financial, family and friends, career, personal development, short-range, mid-range, long-range and many more. When setting goals, be sure to set goals that are realistic. It will give you the confidence you need to accomplish your goals.

Want it
Don’t set yourself up for failure. We often set goals that we think we should accomplish, but don’t really want to. If you set a goal that you don’t really want to accomplish, it will be hard to achieve. Set goals that will bring you pleasure and satisfaction. You must have that burning desire inside of you; without self motivation it will be hard to keep your resolutions.

One step at a time
A great way to accomplish a large goal is to set mini goals leading toward the attainment of the large goal. This helps to make large goals easier to tackle. Perhaps your goal is to read 25 books in 2004. Estimating that it takes two weeks to read a book, your monthly goal would be to read two books a month. You could then set a daily goal to read one hour a day after dinner. Setting daily, weekly and monthly goals will keep you on track and ensure you achieve something every day.

It takes two
Get a partner or a family member to help you with your goals—it is a great motivational tool. Truestar recommends you only share your personal goals with friends and family members who also set goals. Sometimes unwarranted criticism can come from people who are jealous or who don’t understand the power of goal setting. Having a weekly review with family is a great motivator and reminder. Use the Truestar Weekly Goal Monitoring System to score your progress.

The 80/20 Rule
You may be familiar with the Truestar 80/20 Rule of eating: following our healthy meal plans 80% of the time and treating yourself to the occasional indulgence 20% of the time. By sticking to this ratio, you will be able to maintain your optimal body weight, feel energetic and vibrant and ward off future illness or disease.

Applying this rule to your resolutions can also be beneficial. Often, when you miss your day at the gym or eat the forbidden ice cream, you feel frustrated and hopeless. Consistency is the key to achieving your goals; however, we are not perfect. If you fall of the wagon, just pick yourself up, recommit to your goal and get back on track.

Can you see the finish line?
Once you reach a goal, set a new goal at a higher level. Setting a timeline for your goals can be effective, but it can sometimes create too much pressure. Set a timeline for your goals if you prefer, but remember that a daily review of goals can be just as effective. Some people say that a goal without a deadline is merely a dream, while others feel a deadline is not necessary to accomplish a goal. Remember, a deadline can always be reset if you don’t meet it.