Happy New Year! Now What?

In our culture, we get all caught up in New Year's resolutions. Many of us make all these grand plans to lose weight, exercise more, eat healthier, stay in contact with good friends, go back to school, read more, etc. So...this usually lasts for the first couple weeks of a new year, maybe a couple months.

I want to submit that you stop making cliched new year's resolutions and set no more than 1-3 goals that are really important to you and that you can realistically accomplish this year. When you make too many resolutions (or promises to yourself), you are destined to fail simply because you are stretched too thin and life happens. The only way to truly REACH FORWARD with NO FEAR (yes that's my life mantra) is to be clear about the handful of things that are very important to you, be intentional about focusing your time, attention and energy on those things and getting it done!

Last year, my specific goal focus was to write and publish my book, Bold, Brave and Courageous: A NO FEAR Success Guide for Teen Girls and successfully host the 3rd Annual NO FEAR Ladies Conference here in Oklahoma City and I was able to do just that. Now that it's 2017, I am honing in on some new goals and once I get clear about my highest priorities and write them down, I will get right to work with a proper team of supporters and cheerleaders around me.

So I'm not trying to be Debbie Downer about your new year's resolutions, I just want to make sure you don't set yourself up for failure in the new year by making a long list of things that would be "nice to haves", but in the end are too numerous and not compelling enough for you to commit to them. Here are a few tips to make sure you achieve what you set out to accomplish this year:

1. Be clear about your top priorities---Put things at the top of your list that truly mean much to you vs. a bunch of "nice to do" items that will not drive you to completion.

2. Write them down---The act of writing down goals is very powerful. Better yet, write them down and post them in a very visible place (i.e. bathroom mirror)---seeing them every day holds you accountable.

3. Engage with new people and groups who are already at or have been where you are trying to go---I'm not dumping my current friends, but I am on a mission to find key mentors who can help me get to my next level as an author and speaker. Therefore I'm seeking a best-selling author and master public speaker to mentor me in 2017...yes I said it and I am confident that I will find that right person or persons.

4. Keep pushing no matter what! If it comes too easy, it may not be worth the work. You can learn from pitfalls and mistakes...one pitfall doesn't give you permission to quit.

Well, I got that off my chest and now want to say Happy New Year to you again...now get busy and achieve what you have set out to do this year!

Yours with NO FEAR,

Wyjuana Montgomery