How Are Your Goals Coming Along?

Tomorrow is April 1, the holiday of fools and jokers, a holiday that I choose not to participate in. April 1 is also the start of the Second Quarter of the year, how did the First Quarter treat you? Did your preset goals keep you on track through uncertain times? Or did you cast them aside and fail to follow through?

If you did indeed falter, you are not alone. Here are some tips for getting back in the saddle and forging ahead. First, find your list - Um, I am assuming that you have a list, you did write them down, right? Well, if you didn't, do it now. Most experts agree on this one, writing them down is the most important step. Write your goals on 3x5 note cards to enable you to take them along with you to review from time to time like during your breaks or down time.

You have permission to dream. Some have forgotten how or have given up on dreaming. As we are battered endlessly about how bad it is, dreams just don't seem so important anymore. Don't buy into that line of thought - DREAM! Let yourself think big, imagine success, imagine prosperity and understand that change, if necessary, is up to you. If you have to, ad "Dream" to you list of goals and follow through on it.

Turn off the TV. That one might be difficult for some of you, I understand, but it is extremely important. Reconnect with your family, read, talk to your spouse or partner or friend, go for a walk or exercise. Acquire additional skills or education to improve your abilities, write a blog, watch an athletic event or participate in one. The point is, any of these ideas will get you away from the tube, the "Boob Tube," they call it that for a reason.

Limit your participation in Social Media. Another tough one, sorry. If you Twitter, use facebook, ning, or whatever, assign one to a specific day and spend 15 minutes on it. Carrie Wilkerson of The Barefoot Executive uses Twitter for "communication, credibility, connections, content creation, and cash and compensation." The same could be said for facebook and the others. The point is, do not allow any of them to waste your day or your opportunities. You can do it!

Above all, think positively. I'll not sugar coat this, I know these are tough times but if you dwell on the darkness, you will be consumed by it. Take each day as it comes and focus on your goals and beliefs. Find a Mentor and watch what he or she does to create success and stay positive. Read those note cards, read positive personal development materials or listen to positive CD's in your vehicle. If you are Spiritual, refocus you time to get closer to your belief and if you're not, maybe take another look.

Dream and dream big. A little refocus today will make for a big change tomorrow.

Eye on the Prize

“The daily grind.” “Back to the salt mines.” “Another day another dollar.” “Thank god it's Friday.” These are all phrases of the working world with 9 to 5 jobs. For some, this situation works. Others feel trapped, as if all the work they do only benefits others. There’s a reason these phrases came about. There are millions of people who would rather be doing anything other than working. If people loved their jobs, these phrases would be more like "The daily party", "Back to my dream", and "I can't wait till Monday!"

Is there a way for you to sing the latter phrases? Yes there is, but it takes hard work, determination, and focus.

Where would you like to be in say twenty years? Do you see yourself in an office job working for a large corporation where you work hard for someone else?

Starting your own business is one of the ways to get out of the daily march through work where all you can do is wait for the clock to spin ahead 8 hours. When you are working for your own growth and benefit, it suddenly doesn't seem like so much work. I recently spent 5 straight hours working on my web site, adding content, checking links, researching key words. When those 5 hours were up, it felt like I had been there for only 30 minutes. This gives new meaning to, "Time flies when you're having fun”.

Now I know that starting your own business sounds like quite a daunting task right? Well, it’s a lot easier than you think.

The key is to find something that you love, something that interests you. Something that you want to learn more about or will have long term affect on your life. Sometimes finding the right product or service, one that you believe in and love, can be tough. Other times it will be staring you right in the face. However long it takes, find it!

Once you find that one thing, find a way to sell it. In this day and age, a website can be had for low cost. There are many hosting companies out there that range in price from free to cheap to expensive. Be careful which one you go with. The free web hosting services will probably require you to have some advertising on your site. The cheap services may not have all the bells and whistles that the expensive services offer. Whichever one you go with, do some research before hand and make sure that you are comfortable with them.

There are some services that will pay you a commission for referring someone to that hosting company. This is just one of the many types of affiliate programs on the internet that you can get involved with. Find that product or service that suits you. Something that you have profound interest in.

The next step is to define your goals. What is it that you want to accomplish? How are you going to get there? What will you need to fulfill your goals? What steps can you take right now to get closer to your goal? What steps do you need to take to accomplish some of your more complex tasks?

Create a plan with the answers to those questions and… get out there and do it! Start with tasks you can do easily just to get you started. Work up to your more complex tasks. If you get stuck, and you will more than likely get stuck, do some research about your problem. There are many resources on the internet about HTML, affiliate marketing, web site hosting, and any other information you will need. Use Google, Excite, or Yahoo to find information about the subjects you need help with. Find a way to conquer your issue.

Once you are into your project, you will find that you motivate yourself to get through the steps you need to take to accomplish your goals. Why you ask? Because you are working for your own benefit! As long as you keep your eye on the prize and are determined not to be distracted, you are well on your way to freeing yourself from, “The daily grind”.


About The Author: Dave Roggeman provides internet income and marketing solutions at http://www.homeprofitbase.com and highly recommends Plugin Profits http://www.homeprofitbase.com/pips.html to start building an online income stream.