The First Step Into Your New Year

We've probably all heard a variation of this quote at one point or another.

"The journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step."

What we may forget is that there is often a lot of prep work that needs to precede that first step. It's that prep work that may just be the wall that prevents us from reaching our goals.

This may not sound like an inspiring way to get ready for setting fresh New Years Resolution, but I think there are a few things to remind ourselves of.

1) I am currently the result of millions of choices I've made up to this point

Who we are today is an accumulation of all of our experiences and choices today. Just one different choice today can impact tomorrow! According to research, adults make about 35, 000 total choices a day and closer to 70 conscious decisions. The difference of the two is a staggering number of choices that we are not making on purpose!

2) I am not bound by (all of) those choices

I don't have control over all of my experiences, however I can adjust my attitude and my focus. Perhaps I can choose to align my choices to a mindset or set of goals that make those decisions easier to make, because I know where I want to go. Check out this fantastic story about how J.K. Rowling did this.

3) Where I am today is a great starting point for "ANYTHING"!

We all have goals and dreams. Maybe I won't be the next tech billionaire, but at the end of the day, I'm not sure I'd want that type of life. Sure, the money would be fantastic, but there are trade-offs that don't align with my goals. So, perhaps "anything" should actually be changed to ____________ (you decide).

4) The First Step is planning

Whether you are planning a hiking trip, the launch of a new business or or a healthier lifestyle, planning is the key to unlock a successful path. Dwight D. Eisenhower said in a very famous quote that, "In preparing for battle, I have always found that plans are useless but planning is indispensable."

One way to interpret this is that setting a plan is a great path to failure if you are only going to stay with the plan no matter what. In a later quote, he followed up by saying, "But if you haven't been planning you can't start to work, intelligently at least." So, maybe planning is like warming up your attitude to turn best intentions into resolutions, and dreams into achievable goals.

So, go ahead and set some New Years Resolutions. But remember that your first step is a not an accidental step, but one that is the result of planning, backed by a few different choices, and crowned with the right attitude.

Anyone have some great resolutions they'd like to share?