The end of the year is a time to evaluate the past year's accomplishments and disappointments. It is also when many people and organizations begin creating strategies for the new year. Our recommendation is that you spend time evaluating the past year and learn the valuable lessons from your successes and from your disappointments. These lessons can provide great insight as you move towards setting goals. We also spend time with our clients looking at what roadblocks have been in the way over the past year.

Goals should be set based on your values, your lessons learned and a clear and positive mindset for moving forward. Focus this year on your top 10 priorities. Write goals that are SMART: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time Bounded. With SMART goals you can track your progress and see your success. Selecting the top ten helps you stayed focus on what's really important. Keep your plan in front of you and work it. Creating a new plan for the year is a great first step towards creating the success that you want. Working the plan and making it happen is the real key to producing the results that you want.

Break down your goals each month into smaller monthly goals, and even better is to break them into weekly goals. Establish a system of accountability. Most people start out the year with a great plan and great strategy and as the year moves on, they lose focus and the plan drifts. Staying focused on goals and the things we desire is one of the greatest challenges many of us face. Perhaps we set a goal or a desire this year to change jobs, or lose weight, or improve our performance, but in the day to day of our busy lives we lost track of it and as a result we end up abandoning it until next year.

Keeping ourselves accountable can be accomplished in a few ways. Accountability is the KEY to success. Accountability is where many of us fall short. We don't do a good job of holding ourselves accountable.

Here are our 11 tips for creating a focused and fun approach to success:
1. Take the goal and break into smaller steps
2. Make a chart to chart progress, each step of the way
3. Hang signs around the house, in the car, at work --- saying: "Stay Focused".
4. Tell family and friends about the goal and intention
5. Create your own mastermind group to help you stay on track and support your ups and downs
6. Partner with a friend or colleague to be an "accountability buddy", share your plan with them and talk once a week or month to let them know how you are doing
7. Hire a coach to help you identify your goals and keep them on track all year towards extraordinary success.
8. Create celebrations for success, reward yourself -- gold stars, dinner out, a new something!
9. Meditate each day on focused goal attainment
10. Write your goals down and read them everyday
11. Have fun with each success and acknowledge it!

Spend some time creating your focused plan for success and give us a call if you need some help! Accomplishing the dreams, goals and things we desire is important for each individual and business. We look forward to hearing about your success. We coach people to produce the results they want and need. Make 2006 extraordinary!