It’s that time of year – the time when people give up on their New Year’s resolutions.

Are you one of them? If so, we want to share five steps to take before you stop trying to achieve this goal.

Ask “why”

Ask yourself why you made the resolution in the first place. You had a good reason, right?

If not, go ahead and give up on it. But if so, remind yourself of the reason behind it.

Live success

Now picture yourself having already achieved it. Don’t just see it.

Experience it in your mind. With all your emotions. How do you feel?

You’re struggling to win in the real world. So live the success you hope to achieve in your mental world.

It’s where all victories begin. Now use this motivation to inspire you to press on.

Ask “why” again

Now ask yourself why you’re struggling. In fact, don’t just ask it once.

Ask “why” five times. It will help you get to the root of the problem.

Maybe you were too ambitious. Back down a little.

Maybe you’re discouraged. You had done so well. But yesterday you fell off the wagon. You’re only human. That was then; this is now.

Maybe you were tempted. How can you remove the temptation in the future?

Instead of just giving up, work on finding out why and then correct it. As you focus on a solution, you’ll feel more energy to keep going.

Reach out

Too many people fail because they go it alone. Don’t make that mistake.

Reach out to people who care about you. If you can’t think of anyone, tell us about it.

Win today

You’re a BIGG goal-getter. That can be a stumbling block.

Just think about today. What do you need to do today to keep your resolution?

Then forget about everything else. Don’t worry about tomorrow, or next week, or next month.

Just focus on doing it today. It leads to BIGG success.

Are you struggling to keep your resolution? Care to share? We care!

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BIGG goal-getters know that it’s wise to be happy, but not content. It means thinking about four realities.

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We almost didn’t include this one. The past is the past. Who cares, right?

But it is important to think about your past REALITY.

Our experiences are clouded. They’re clouded by our perceptions. They’re clouded by our emotions at the time. They are clouded by a number of things.

Make sure you’re seeing things as they truly were. Only then will you extract the right lessons.

Once you’ve done that, it’s time to move past the past.

In an ideal world, we could talk about the next two simultaneously. Since we can’t, we’ll keep it chronological.

Your current reality

It begins with an honest assessment of where you’re at. Are you happy now?

You can be.

You just have to know where you want to go. Then do all you can do today to move a little bit closer to it.

Sounds so simple, doesn’t it? And it is.

But life gets in the way. Obligations. Things-to-do. The unexpected.

Next thing you know, you haven’t taken a single step to the life of your dreams.

But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. Form a realistic opinion of where you’re at right now. What are you happy about? What don’t you like about your current reality?

Your future reality

We didn’t come up with this term. But we sure do like it. We like the certainty of it.

It’s not a wish. It’s not just a hope. It’s more than dream. It is what will be. And you will make it happen.

What does your future look like? Visualize it. Get a clear picture in your mind.

But don’t stop there. Use all your senses to experience it right now. Live it as if it were real.

Because it will be. It’s only a matter of time!

As you think about your future, be careful. You may make one of two mistakes:

• Projecting the present into the future
  

This will keep you from reaching your full potential.

• Escaping into the future
  

  You may project the unattainable. You have to believe it can be done if you stretch yourself quite a bit. That’s a good vision.
  

Now we’re ready for the fourth reality – and we may have you stumped. We’ve talked about the past, present, and future. What’s left?

Only the most important reality of all…

Your NEXT reality

What’s the next thing you need to do to move from your current reality to your future reality? That’s your next reality.

You’re a BIGG goal-getter. So you’ll focus all your time, energy, effort, and attention toward achieving your next reality.

Stick your next out! It leads to BIGG success!

Direct link to The Bigg Success Show audio file | podcast:
http://traffic.libsyn.com/biggsuccess/00768-010612.mp3

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A friend of ours told us a funny story recently. Her son was sitting with her mother in front of his computer.

He called up Skype video. They were looking at themselves.

Listen to this post! Click a player to hear George & Mary-Lynn on The BIGG Success Show Podcast.

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Isn’t that exactly what we do to ourselves?

If we looked at ourselves like a stranger in a picture, we can be complimentary. But as soon as we realize we’re looking at ourselves, we become very critical.

When you look at yourself, what do you see?

This is a particularly important question this time of year as we shift from one year to another. Let’s talk about two mistakes you’ll want to avoid when you look back and two to avoid as you look forward.

Reflection mistakes

Reflection mistakes are common errors when looking back.

• Hyper-Critics Condition
  

  Are you like Grandma? When you look back, are you too hard on yourself? It’s a mistake. We call it Hyper-Critic’s Condition.
  

  Filter yourself by pretending you’re evaluating a close friend. You’ll be more likely to see the good with the bad.
  

Plus, even when you see negatives, you’ll frame them in a positive way.

• Underdog Disease
  

  Some people are the opposite of Grandma. They’re too easy on themselves.
  

  They see themselves as underdogs. So they don’t push themselves hard enough.
  

  You can diagnose yourself to see if you’ve been infected. Ask yourself a question:
  

  Did you accomplish everything you set out to accomplish this year?
  

  If not, why?
  

  Resist the urge to just give yourself a pass. Pretend you’re reviewing a subordinate who has under-performed.
  

  As his or her leader, your job is to discover the reasons for the shortcomings and then help coach them to improve performance. That’s what you’ll do with yourself.
  

Projection mistakes

These are common errors people make when looking to the future.

• The Slacker Symptom
  

  Your goals – or your New Year’s resolutions – should be attainable. But not easily attainable.
  

  Easily attainable is boring. As humans, we don’t sustain activities that bore us.
  

  We need meaning. And meaning comes from growth, which comes from challenge.
  

  So set goals that push you a little bit beyond where you’ve gone before.
  

  Stretch goals aren’t boring. Stretch goals are challenging. Stretch goals are meaningful.
  

• Superhero Syndrome
  

  Superheroes set unrealistic goals. Your goals must excite you.
  

  They must spur you on. But they have to be attainable.
  

  There are two risks from setting your goals too high. You may realize quickly that they aren’t attainable. So you abandon your plan without really giving it a chance.
  

  You may keep telling yourself you can do it. You’re a BIGG goal-getter. BIGG goals are great. But not if you burn out trying to reach them. It only leads to disappointment, despair, and maybe even depression.
  

  You aren’t able to push yourself to the next level. You keep hitting the wall. So you give up. And nothing changes.
  

Taking some time to reflect on the past year to find the lessons is a healthy exercise. Investing time to plan out the coming year, make some projections, and set some goals is also valuable.

But think like Goldilocks. When looking back, don’t be too hard or too easy on yourself. When planning ahead, set goals that are challenging, but realistic.

We tend to have a bias. Understand yours so you can guard against it and you’ll live happily ever after! That’s BIGG success!

Do you tend to be too hard on yourself or too easy? Do you tend to set goals are too challenging or not challenging enough?

Direct link to The Bigg Success Show audio file | podcast:
http://traffic.libsyn.com/biggsuccess/00766-122911.mp3

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Another year is upon us.

Like any other new year, most people will begin the new year with anticipation and hope.

We toast one year good-bye, figuratively or literally, while we welcome the new one.

We let go of the past. We start fresh.

Most people don’t make New Year’s resolutions. Far, far fewer keep them.

Because of this, New Year’s resolutions have gotten a bad rap. They’re fodder for jokes.

The secret to making New Year resolutions

Resolution is another name for goal. You won’t reach BIGG success without clear goals.

That’s the secret to making New Year resolutions – they need to be clearly defined.

Want help setting your goals? Get our Goal Planning Workbook when you subscribe to our newsletter.

It’s a step-by-step guide to setting goals. And it’s free!

The secret to keeping New Year resolutions

On New Year’s Day, you’re confident in your ability to keep your resolutions.

You have the desire to get to the next level, to create a new you.

You believe you can do it.

So a secret to keeping New Year is to treat every day like New Year’s Day.

Bring the same optimism and enthusiasm for a better life into every day.

On some days, you’ll succeed. Give yourself a pat on the back.

Just remember, though, that tomorrow is the beginning of another year. You have to strive to keep your resolutions again.

There will also be days when you don’t keep your resolutions.

Don’t worry.
Don’t get discouraged.
Don’t beat yourself up.
Double your resolve.
Learn from it.
Double your resolve.
Let go of it.
Start fresh.
Tomorrow is the beginning of another year.

Change is difficult

Some setbacks are to be expected. People fail to keep their resolutions because they let these setbacks become excuses.

They didn’t keep their resolution today, so why keep it tomorrow?

BIGG goal-getters do the opposite. They realize that change is difficult. So they make every day New Year’s Day.

If you follow their lead, it will lead you to BIGG success next year!

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Many people make New Year’s Resolutions.
Many people don’t keep their New Year’s Resolutions.

Here’s what we say about the New Year:
Forget about it and you’ll be a BIGG success!

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What is the one thing you would like to change in your life by then?
That’s your resolution.
Write it down. Find a picture to represent it.

Next, think about what it will take to make the change a reality.
These are your actions.

Picture yourself actually doing these things.
Can you see yourself succeeding? If not, you have the wrong resolution.
Keep repeating this process until you can see yourself succeeding at the actions required.

Then take action on your actions. Do it. Today. That’s it.
Don’t worry about 90 days from now.
Don’t think about next month.
Don’t bother with next week.
Don’t even concern yourself with tomorrow.

Just focus on today.
Begin your day by focusing on your goal.
Read your goal statement. Or look at the photo.
Then picture yourself already succeeding.
Now visualize yourself taking the actions you need to take today.

Then do it. Right now.
Win this moment. Now this one. And this one.
Keep winning moment by moment.

Take a moment now and then to celebrate your victories.
Take price in your accomplishments.
Give yourself a pat on the back.
Treat yourself in a way that won’t compromise your progress.
Keep going. Moment by moment. Day by day.
That’s it.

Oh, there is one more thing – if you slip up, don’t sweat it.
You’re only human. You had a momentary weakness.

Now foster your strength.
Don’t repeat the mistake.
Don’t use it as an excuse to give up on your resolution.

You wouldn’t do that, would you?
Because you’re a BIGG goal-getter.
Because you realize that tomorrow will be today soon enough.
And all you need to focus on is today. On this moment.
It leads to BIGG success!

Direct link to The Bigg Success Show audio file | podcast:
http://traffic.libsyn.com/biggsuccess/00765-122711.mp3

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