Daily Resolves Tips For The New Year: Keep Your Priorities Straight!

Happy Thanksgiving Eve!  As we prepare to count blessings and spend quality time with loved ones, why not also begin pondering the year to come?  With just a little more than a month go go before we ring in the New Year, it is not too early to take a look back at what we achieved (or didn't achieve) and what we plan to achieve in 2014.

As we countdown to the New Year – 35 days away – I continue to run my 'Best Of' columns, posted since launching I Resolve To . . . in 2005.  For a full list, please visit Kim Simpson at Ezine Articles.  Need some help with your brainstorming?  Feel free to use the  I Resolve To . . . Work Sheet. 

Today's column focuses on simple strategies for keeping priorities front and center  . . .

I Resolve To . . . Keep My Priorities Straight!  (Re-Print)

There is so much to do in any given day that it is often difficult, if not impossible, to keep priorities front and center. Given the hectic pace of an ordinary day it's not always easy, or possible, to achieve the goals that inch you closer and closer to fulfilling your heart's desire – your dreams. The 'In Box' and the flood of responsibilities (work, family, friends, and so on) often become the priority. The squeakiest wheel gets the oil, as the old saying goes. The crisis of the moment, the most pressing deadline, or responsibility, snags and holds your attention. You know the feeling: Overtaken By Events – OBE!

Some days you just have to recognize that you must set your priorities – your dream, resolution, goal – aside because of the crush of other responsibilities. But the key to achieving your dream is to make 'set aside days' the exception, not the rule. Here are 'Seven I Resolve To . . . Tips For Keeping Your Priorities Straight And Your Dreams Front And Center':

1. Work on one major dream and resolution at a time. If you're working on more than one big challenge, you're likely to get overwhelmed and discouraged when you're not making progress on all of the daily goals that you add to the 'To Do List'. It's fine to have 10 or 100 dreams that you would love to achieve in your lifetime, but be careful to set yourself up for success. Work on just one at a time and keep 'all of them' with you for good.
2. Make a point to spend 20-30-minutes each and every day working on your dream: Take one small step, complete one goal, every day. Rack up achievements by scheduling time for yourself, your dream and daily goal – and know what specific task you plan to complete on a given day.
3. At the end of the day decide what you plan to achieve the next day. Ask yourself: "What is my goal or task for tomorrow" long before you hit the sheets.
4. Each weekend review your progress, reward yourself for your wins, and think ahead to the coming week. What are the next seven goals you plan to achieve? What are the tasks you would love to complete?
5. Keep a daily journal. Whether on a blog, in a spiral notebook, or in a leather bound journal, whatever works best for you – just make sure to build your plan, record your achievements, and plot your future tasks daily. That way you won't lose sight of your dream and how you intend to achieve it. If you're checking in every single day, it's easy to stay focused on what you have accomplished, and what you intend to do next. A journal and a wall calendar can help to keep you accountable and on track.
6. Find a friend or colleague who shares your dream. Enjoy the journey as a 'team'. Schedule time to work together and keep each other motivated. Shoot your buddy an inspirational E-mail every now and then. Every little bit of encouragement lends excitement and momentum.
7. Learn, learn, learn! Schedule a class to increase your knowledge base. Hit your local bookstore, or library, to learn more about your dream and the steps that it will take to achieve it. If your dream is to lose weight and maintain a healthy diet – educate yourself, so that you can insert healthy eating habits and exercise into your day, as a rule not an exception. Forget about short term fad diets. Learn what you need to do to build a healthy, long-term diet and exercise plan and lose that weight for a lifetime. Make your dream – your resolution – a 'Lifetime Resolution' that is with you permanently!

If you aren't determined to keep your priorities front and center, you will constantly be Overtaken By Events – OBE! Half the challenge is making time for yourself. The other half is creating a realistic plan, timeline and deadlines, and staying committed to small daily steps (goals) for the long-haul. You CAN do it, if you set your mind to it!

Remember: I Resolve To . . . Achieve My New Year Resolutions, One Resolution, One Day At A Time For One Year.® It's your choice. Do it today. Turn your resolution into reality in five simple, common sense steps: Dare To Dream, Decide, Define, Develop A Plan, and Do It Daily.  Make your resolution a permanent Lifetime Resolution, something that's with you for good! Above all, Be A Resolutionista, someone who makes resolutions, keeps resolutions, and enjoys the journey! Let's Go For It!

Need More Inspiration? Wear Your Resolution By Visiting The I Resolve To . . . Shop At CafePress: IResolve To . . . Resolutionista Gear And By Joining The Official I Resolve To . . . Group At Gather.Com. Get going on your 2014 New Year Resolutions with the I Resolve To . . . Work Sheet. View my 2009-2014 Health & Happiness Tapestry by clicking through Daily Resolve Photo-Resolutions.

Kim M. Simpson – November 27, 2013 Copyright © I Resolve To® . . . Inc. * All Rights Reserved