Chris Widener's Ezine
December 13, 2006
Issue 52

Welcome!

When was the last time you took a trip to a truly amazing place?

Every year I take my family to one to our favorite spots, Sanibel Island, Florida. We have been going there almost every year for nearly 20 years. It's a unique experience every time! But do you know what is an even more amazing trip to take? A trip to your future!

Think about it: How amazing can your future be? Your past will never change; it is your past. And your present is what it is. But... your future can be anything you want it to be.

Have you thought lately about what you want your future to be? And I don’t just mean seeing a wealthy person on TV and then "wishing" it was you. I mean really sitting down and envisioning your future. "Seeing" it so clearly in your mind's eye that you can actually "visit" there often?

Did you know that one of the keys to successful people achieving what they do is that they see the future before it becomes their present. And they spend their present creating that future they desire.

So, take a good vacation each year, but be sure to visit your future often so you can begin to create it today. And when your tomorrow becomes today, you will be glad you took that mental vacation!

You Are Made for Success!
Chris Widener

P.S. Today's issue is going out to 73,344 subscribers. If you've gained value from what you read in my Ezine, then I would like to thank you in advance for forwarding this issue to friends, family and associates!



In This Issue.......

1. Charting Your Course to Success Article
2. Made for Success Quote and Commentary
3. The Last Word...
4. Live the Life You've Always Dreamed Of!
5. More Information

1. Charting Your Course to Success Article

Simple Ways to Super-Charge Your Goals and Make Them Work! by Chris Widener

 Goals. Most people have a love-hate relationship with goals. They love them because they are such a great idea and a wonderful way to motivate us to achieve, as well as evaluate our progress, but hate them because for many, they more often than not go unattained and simply frustrate them. This isn't what goals should do!

So here are some simple ways to set goals so that we achieve them! After all, what good is a goal if it isn't something you achieve? Here are some simple steps you can take to make sure that you see change in your life this year.

Narrow your focus. That's right, start small. Pick two or three areas tops, that you want to work on. Too many people say to themselves, "I want to do this, and this, and this, and this..." and they end up doing nothing! Most of what you do throughout your day can be done without a lot of mental or emotional exertion, but change isn't one of them. So focus down to a couple. This way you can get some victory in these areas. Here are some areas to think about: Physical, Intellectual, Emotional, Spiritual, Financial, and Relational. What areas need some work? Now, what one thing should be the first item on the change list? The others will come later, but for now, you should focus on two or three total.

Keep the long-term in mind, but set your sights on achieving your goals in the short-term. Do you want to lose 75 pounds? Good. Long-term you will. But for now, think short-term. Don't think about losing 75 pound by summer 2008. Think about losing 5 pounds by January 1st. This does two things. First, it makes it urgent. Instead of blowing it and saying, "Oh well, I still have 17 months to lose the 75 pounds" (because eventually that becomes 2 months to lose 75 pounds) your goal is only a few weeks out. This is better in terms of reaching your goal. Secondly, as you reach these shorter goals, it gives you regular victories instead of regular progress. Progress feels good, but achieving a goal is awesome!

Reward yourself when you achieve the goal. When you lose the 5 pounds by January 1st, go get yourself a grande whole-milk mocha. But just one! Then get back to your goal for February 1st. This puts a little fun back into the process of self-control and self-discipline. You will look forward to the reward and when the going gets tough, you will say, "two more weeks, two more pounds, then..."

That's it. I truly believe that it can be that simple for you.

This adds some ideas to the above article.
1. Don't bite off more than you can chew. Instead of saying, "I am going to quit my three pack a day habit cold turkey," say "I am going to drop to a pack and a half a day." You can always make new resolutions when you have achieved the first ones. Give yourself small victories a little at a time. Instead of saying "I am going to lose 75 pounds," say "I am going to lose 20 pounds."

2. Be specific in your timeline. Don't just say, "I am going to lose 20 pounds." Say, "I am going to lose 20 pounds by April 1st." This way, when you start to be tempted in the ice cream aisle in the middle of February, you can say, "Nope, only 10 more pounds to go in a month and a half and I am not going to blow it."

3. Post your resolutions where you will see them every day. This will keep the resolution in the front of your mind at all times. Instead of forgetting that you are trying to lose weight and ordering a big, thick porterhouse, you will have been reminded earlier that day that you need to go with something a little more on the lighter side. It will help your will beat your desire.

4. Find an encouraging person, who you respect, to keep you accountable. This person should ask you, at an interval established by the both of you, how it is going. They must be the encouraging type, though. If you are blowing it, they can say, "Well, that's okay, get back to it tomorrow." If you are doing well, they can say, "Awesome job. I'll talk to you next week." You will look forward to their weekly encouragement.

5. Find a partner. That's right, someone who is trying to accomplish the same thing (or something different if need be). Just make sure that they really want to change, or they will end up just bellyaching about how hard it is and you will both fall into the abyss.

6. Write down a list of all of the benefits that will come if you accomplish this. If it is losing weight it might be something like this: Feel better, better self-esteem, longer life, clothes are more comfortable, no more time spent sewing on popped buttons, wife says you look 22 again, etc. If it is quitting smoking, it may look like this: Better breath, no more brown fingers, no more wrinkles on my face, no more red eyes, no more smelly clothes, longer life, wife don't make me spend two hours a day on the back porch, etc. This will help you see what you will get from accomplishing your resolution.

7. Plan a reward if you accomplish your resolution. It can be anything from small to large. If you drop the twenty pounds, go out for dinner and dessert. Then get back to lose the next 20. If it is quitting smoking, go on a mini-vacation. Whatever you do, reward yourself. Or let a spouse or a friend pick the reward. Then splurge and enjoy!

Chris Widener  

This article is by Chris Widener. Chris' newest book, Live the Life You've Always Dreamed Of! is written solely to help you learn what the successful already know – how to turn your dreams into realities! To learn more go to http://livelife.yoursuccessstore.com
 

2. Made for Success Quote and Commentary

"Your past does not equal your future." -- Anthony Robbins

Chris' Commentary:
One of the hardest things to overcome in our pursuit of attaining a better life is that we have it naturally ingrained in us to believe that our future will simply be a continuation of our past. This makes our lives almost self-fulfilling prophecies in both the good and the bad. If we have had past failure, we tend to expect future failure. If we have past success, it breeds an outlook that looks for success. The key here is that when you have experienced failure you must break the cycle that comes naturally. Just because your past was a certain way does not mean it has to be the same in the future! If we don't purposefully break that thought pattern it most likely will be, though. Understand this: Your future can be as bright as you desire it to be! You can become more successful! You can have better relationships! You can break the cycle of failure! Your future does not have to become a continuation of your past!

Action Point: Sit down and think of your past in general. Is it one of failure? Then choose to break that pattern. Begin to read good books and listen to materials that will help you break that pattern. Begin to associate with people who will lift you up to higher ground. Take control of your life so that your future becomes what you want it to be, not what your past has been! Begin to look at each new day as an opportunity to succeed!




3. The Last Word...

I recently saw a report on what people are afraid of in life. Obviously dying was near the top of the list. That is understandable. Truth be told, I’m not in a hurry to take that trip myself, but I know it is coming.

Want to know what I am even more afraid of then dying?

Here it is:

Not Really Living.

I am more afraid of not really living than I am of dying. So of course, knowing me that made me wonder why that is? And I think it's for a couple of reasons:

One, there is nothing you can do about the fact that you are going to die someday. It is something we all have to accept.

Two, there is something you can do about how you live.

Jim Rohn, one of my mentors, says that everyone has to experience pain: Either the pain of discipline or the pain of regret. The very last pain I want to experience in my life is the pain of regret. I don't want to get to the end of my life and say, "I wish I would have…"

No, I want to REALLY live. How do you do that? Here are a few thoughts on how to REALLY live:

1. Decide what you want to accomplish in life. Write down 100 things you want to do, places you want to visit, etc.

2. Get used to the idea of taking risks. Nobody really lives unless they take risks. Playing it safe will get you through life, but it won't let you really live.

3. Laugh. The people I know who are most successful in life are people who have a great sense of humor.

4. Do something crazy. Do something no one expects you to. Say something no one expects you to say. Leave people astonished sometimes.

5. Live with integrity. That will keep you from crashing and burning along the road. That's never fun.

6. Give more than you receive. Be a person that others see as a generous, "go-too" guy in time of need.

7. Take your vacation. Seems simple but too many people don't even take the vacation they have earned and deserve.

8. Dream BIG! Let others have the tiny dreams and limp through life. As the saying goes: Go BIG or go home!

C'mon my friends, lets you and I REALLY LIVE from here on out. Let's commit to making a big difference in the lives of those around us.

And in the end, even though you will have to check out eventually, you will look back on your life and say, "Boy, I really did this life right!"





4. Live the Life You've Always Dreamed Of!
 
Live the Life You Have Always Dreamed Of! 10 Rock-Solid Principles That Will Absolutely, Positively Turn Your Dreams Into Realities!

The secrets of the most successful people in the world are about to be revealed to you!

Hello. My name is Chris Widener and I am the author of Live the Life You Have Always Dreamed Of! This book is written solely to help you learn what the successful already know – how to turn your dreams into realities!

Give me the next 5 minutes and your life will change FOREVER. I promise that if you read the following information and act on it, your life will never be the same!

So read on at http://livelife.yoursuccessstore.com and learn more about this amazing offer from Chris!
 

5. More Information

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