GOALS - NOT NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS!

     A lot of people are in the habit of making New Year's resolutions;  I don't!  Resolutions are fine.  The start of a new year is an excellent time to make changes, form new habits, and start over.  However too many people make grandiose resolutions like!  "I am going to lose 90 lbs. this year"; or  "I am going to give up cigarette smoking this year".  Now both of these items  maybe doable.  But one sets themselves up for failure because they have absolutely no conception how they are going to arrive at the desired outcome.  So before the month of January is up, or before then, they've given up on their resolution.
   
    I prefer to set goals in each one of the major areas of my life:  

Physical
Spiritual
Mental
Social
Financial


     In each one of these areas, I set a magnificent goal that is doable:

• What do I mean by a magnificent goal?  Remember, yesterday I said that Mediocrity is 'just doing enough to get by;  just striving to survive.  Choose a goal that is worthy of your time.  If you accomplish this goal, it will be worthwhile.
• Remember the saying: The journey of 1000 miles begins with the very first step;  and the answer to the question?  How do you eat an elephant, and the answer is, 'one bite at a time'

REMEMBER - The Slight Edge principle states that:  Positive, Incremental Forward Steps done on a consistent basis will bring  
unstoppable momentum.

More on this Tomorrow!
 

SUCCESS, OR MEDIOCRITY?

    I believe in Personal Development.    I think that everyday, it is important to do things that will nourish and feed the mind, spirit and soul.  We are careful to care for our physical existence; so we must take time for the spiritual person.  After all, we are really spirit beings in physical bodies.

     Currently, I am reading a book by TOMMY NEWBERRY titled, "Success is Not an Accident".  Mr. Newberry is a  motivational speaker, and an author.  He also coaches a group of people known as the 1% CLUB.  In chapter 1 of this book, he instructs that each person should have clarity on what Success means to them.  At the end of Chapter 1, one of the assignments instructs the reader to write down his own definition of Success, and also their definition of Mediocrity.

Here are mine:

Success - I believe that I am a special creation from God.  That He brought me into existence for a special purpose.  I believe that I will be successful by finding out God's plan for my life; by living my life striving and seeking to fulfill my mission.

Mediocrity - I believe that mediocrity is just living for today, and just trying to survive;  doing just enough to get by.

R E T I R E D !

s

   R E T I R E D !

     As I mentioned in yesterday's post, I retired from my job with Internal Revenue Service on July 31, 2012.  Soon it will be 6 months ago.  Ten years ago in 2003, my retiring was not even on the radar screen.  I knew that I had over twenty years in; however my focus was moving ahead with my career; trying to upgrade my position if possible.   The defined benefit annuity that one receives with a Federal pension is defined by the highest 3 years of salary.  

     Late in 2006, I received a communication telling me that I was eligible to attend a pre-retirement seminar, which I attended in December of that year.  The very next day, after the seminar, as I was getting ready to go to work that morning, the picture came to me:  "I don't have retirement on the radar screen yet.  I need to think about a date.  I've been telling every one that I wanted to work for ten more  years.  I will go ahead and set a date of 12/31/2016."

     As I've mentioned before in this blog, on April 1st, 2008, I was hit by a car as a pedestrian-with both of my legs broken.  As I was in hospital, recovering, the picture came clear to me that quite possibly I could retire a lot sooner.  I was in the process of  paying the required deposit to include my 4 active duty years in the military with my civilian government service time.  I was making installment payment, and the process which I started in late 2006 was liable to take several more years.   When I finish the transaction- which will add four more years to my time in service, and the time that will elapse in the time it takes me to finish paying the deposit,  why I just might be able to retire sooner that what I envisioned  
    As it turned out, I finished paying off the 'military deposit' in January 2011.   To be fully eligible for voluntary retirement under the Federal Employee Retirement System (FERS) one must be at least age 55 with 30 years of service; or age 60 with at least 20 years of service.  With the 4 years of military active duty added to my service time, I became fully eligible for retirement on September 15, 2011.  As soon as I hit that plateau, I asked different people to pray that God would show me how much longer I should work.
   When January 01, 2012 rolled around, I had absolutely no idea that I would be retiring in 2012.  I was still of the mindset that I wanted to possibly work 3-5 years longer, and upgrade my position if I could.
   Something happened in March of 2012 which indicated to me that I should retire before 2012 was out.  Because I've believed that God created me for a special purpose, and that He has a plan for my life, I maintain that He answered prayer on my behalf; opened the door and made the decision  for me.
     Now that I am through the door, and safely on the other side, I am extremely happy, and have full awareness that it was God's plan that I retired when i did.
    This is a new chapter in my life, and I am ready for new adventures as I continue the Journey to fulfill the purpose God has for my life.

A PERSONAL UPDATE

     HAPPY NEW YEAR  EVERYONE!  I know that it is Tuesday, January 15; already Mid-January.  But this is my first post of 2013.  In fact, the is my first post since January 2010.  So as far as I'm concerned, it is Happy New Year.  

     I want to make a commitment here.  Since, I am writing this as a kind of snapshot of my life; it is my aim and goal to write some kind of post, Monday-Saturday; even it is only just a few lines, I want to write every day; showing a portion of my life, and what is important to me

     January is named for the Roman god Janus.   This Roman deity is pictured as double faced.  One face looks back into the past.  The other face looks ahead into the future.  That is exactly what we need to do this time of the year.  We can use the month of January to look back into the past, and take stock of where we are in life now.  How well is your life going.  What things in the past, led us to where we are today?  And we need also to look ahead into the future;  to where we want to be.  Some people make resolutions at the beginning of the year.  I don't!  I prefer to make goals for myself; breaking them down into measurable steps; giving myself deadlines for their accomplishment.  I believe in the

'SLIGHT EDGE'  principle.  This principle contends that making positive incremental steps forward on a consistent basis generates momentum. And that is powerful.  It is always deeply encouraging when you can feel yourself growing as a person, and your life progressing ahead in a forward direction.

    2012 was a big year for me:

•  I retired from my full-time job with Internal Revenue Service on July 31, 2012-nearly six months ago. Along with my 4 years on Active Duty with the Army during the early 1980's, I have 32 years in with the Federal Government.   I haven't been a couch potato.  I have been volunteering my time, 30 hours a week, to the Evangelistic Ministry that the Pastor of my church operates in Inner-City Detroit.  It is very satisfying and fulfilling to me.  I want to live my life as part of the 'Solution' and not part of the problem.  I am working on a Home Business 10+ hours a week.  I am working to build an income each month to supplement my pension from the Federal Government.  And I go to my church for worship 3 times a week
• This fall, October 13, 2012, I received my bachelors degree from Ashford University in Business Administration.  This was the culmination of a 41 year dream since the first college credit I earned was in 1971.

I had a fall in April 2012, and fractured my calcaneous, which is the bone in my heel.  I am walking better each day because God healed my foot completely; and I am trusting God to enable me to walk better than before the accident happened.

     As you may know, I have been a Born-again Christian since 1978.  Faith is an important part of my life. I view everything in life from a Biblical  perspective, and a Christian paradigm.

    I can guarantee that all of my posts will not be this lengthy; in fact most of them won't.  I just wanted to give you an update  on where my life is now, 01/15/2013

ATTAINABE WORKABLE GOALS EXPLAINED; PART ONE

A couple of days ago, I mentioned that I would be share a method I use for setting goals at the beginning of a New Year. Well let's go. I start by identifying the main areas of my life. There's: a. Spiritual; b. Mental; c.Physical; d. Social; e. Financial; and f. Personal. After I identify these important areas, I spend time brandstorming what issues I want to work on in each of these main areas. Next, I put together goals to correspond to each of the mentioned issues. Why will this work? Why is this better than making resolutions? We will talk about that in subsequent posts. See ya then.

AIM HIGH-THIS NEW YEAR

Happy New Year! It's at this time of the year that its good take a self assessment and an inventory of who we are; where we are; and where we are going with our lives, We sometimes think about making resolutions; about how we can change and make improvements in areas of our lives in which we would like to do better. Me, I've not had much success at all, in making and keeping resolutions It is too easy at a time of high emotion, to bite off more than you can chew, and promise to yourself something that you can;t attain to. And before long you break the resolution and give up, and feel terrible about yourself. That's why, I don't like to think about making resolutions. I don't want to set my self up for failure. I like to think about making goals; something that I can strive towards; a target that I can shoot at. A while back, I read a thought about hitting a target which I think is appropriate here. 'When your are shooting at a target, it is necessary to set your aim higher than you actually think the target is because over the long trajectory of time and distance, the pull of gravity, and the natural drift downward will pull your shot ever so slightly lower that where you were aimed'. Tommorrow, I will talk about ways of goal setting that has worked for me

The Fountain Of Youth

I read a quote recently from the great Italian actress of the post World War II generation, Sophia Loren. She said, "There is a fountain of youth; it is your mind, your talents, the creativity you bring to your life and the lives of the people you love. When you learn to tap this source, you will truly have defeated age." Your mind is a Fountain of Youth. Your mind and thoughts are the only thing you have absolute control over. Yesterday, I had occasion to say to the cab driver who was driving me home from the gym, Eddie, I live where the Sun is always shining and the Sky is always bright. He looked at me half askance as I explained, I am an optimist. For me the cup is always over half full. And he understood what I was saying.. Every once in a which, someone will say to me, "I'm not going to complain; it doesn't do any good anyway. I respond to them, "It is far better not to have anything to complain about. That is the way I strive to live all the time. It sure makes for a much happier life. If you are trying to attract people into your life, and into your business, it is absolutely essential that you have a positive attitude and mindset. Nobody at all will be attracted to you if you are full of doom and gloom, and seeing the glass half empty. You need to work at programming your sub-conscious mind with a positive outlook, and it will WORK for YOU when you meet with the challenges and pitfalls of life that we all meet. Try it. I recommend it Thomas Havis-Detroit Michigan (313) 516-6043 call anytime ASK ME ABOUT MY 2 MINUTE STORY