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 success is life on your own terms. How cool is that? Your life, your terms.

But it isn’t a free lunch.

There’s a basic principle of negotiation – you get to set the price or the terms but not both. Unless you’re lucky enough to be negotiating with someone who doesn’t know better.

When it comes to life, most people choose to set the price. There are limits to what they will do to reach success at any level.

But you’re a BIGG goal-getter. So you set the terms, fully aware that BIGG success will set the price.

That’s why we talk about synergy – the BIGG idea behind BIGG success. You may not be able to have it all, but you can have more.

You can have more of what you want. You don’t have to accept conventional wisdom.

You can find ways to get areas of your life working together instead of at odds.

But there will still be trade-offs. BIGG success is about reaching your full potential.

It’s about feeling fulfilled when each day is done. And on this first Friday of a new year, we felt it was important to visit this subject of trade-offs.

What does life on your own terms mean to you? Think about it. Escape your current reality and dream BIGG.

Then bring yourself back to the real world. What are the trade-offs?

Sometimes we think we want something until we realize what it really means.

For example, how would you feel if you reached the heights of career success while your family felt neglected?

You are the entrepreneur of your life. You design and build the life of your dreams.

Make sure you clearly define what you really want, given the trade-offs, before you start designing and building.

Then you’ll create the life that fits you perfectly. That’s BIGG success!

What aren’t you willing to trade to be a BIGG success?

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It’s a New Year! Time for a fresh start. A new beginning.

Only we have an idea. A startling one.

Most people think about starting over. We suggest startling over instead.

Startling over – surprising yourself and others with a fresh view to create positive change.

Here are five tips for startling over:

F the past

Do you want to really startle people? Then F the past.

Forgive them. But don’t stop there. Forget about it.

Give up any and all grudges. Holding on to them holds you back.

Leave the grudges to the losers. You’re a winner!

Oh, one more thing…

This goes for you too. Forgive yourself. God does. Why can’t you?

Learn from your past mistakes. Then forget about them.

Your future is calling. Get on to it.

Smile

Startle people – smile at them!

Smile at strangers on the street. Smile at the people in your life.

Smile at their mistakes. Smile at their quirks. Smile at their anger.

Smile. You’ll make people wonder what you’re up to!

Switch it up

Startle yourself and the people around you – switch it up! Do the unexpected.

Take a different route to work. Try someplace different for lunch.

Read a book instead of watching TV. Read fiction instead of non-fiction or vice versa.

Routines can easily become ruts. Ruts are for losers.

You’re a winner. So mix it up!

Random acts

Startle the people in your life with random acts of kindness.

Call a friend out of the blue. Tell them how much they mean to you.

Contact a mentor, a teacher, or someone else who has had a significant impact on your life. Let them know it.

Buy lunch for that co-worker you often eat with. Can’t afford it? Then buy them a cup of coffee instead.

Bring home a gift for your significant other, even though you haven’t been in a fight and it’s not a special occasion.

Do the opposite

Startle yourself and others by pulling a George Costanza – do the opposite.

This is a particularly useful observation if you’re not happy with some area of your life. In George’s case, it was every area!

Remember – if you continue to do what you’ve always done, the best you can expect is what you already have.

So don’t walk, run. Don’t sit, stand. Don’t think, do.

Do the opposite to shake things up!

Stretch

Think of one startling thing you could accomplish by the end of this year. Not just anything – something that would really make you stretch.

It may be something you’ve wanted to do for a long time. It could be something that’s just hit your radar.

Go for it! Figure out what it will take to accomplish it.

Then give it your all. You’re a winner. Push yourself to prove to yourself that you can accomplish every thing you dream about. That’s BIGG success!

How will you startle yourself and others this year?

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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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