4 Things to Do Next.

Everyone is resolution-happy at the top of the new year.  A new year is a blank canvas which is waiting for the story that the artist (you and me) will paint. This year, my focus really isn't on what I want to do, but what I am doing. That is, how can I be the very best in the present moment?I was pleased to see that Harvard Business Review posted an article which can support my efforts. The piece was markedly different from the other 1-ba-gillion articles that get shared at this time of year. Titled, "Nine Things Successful People Do Differently," it just spoke to me.  A few of my favorite tips:1. Get specific. When you set yourself a goal, try to be as specific as possible. “Lose 5 pounds” is a better goal than “lose some weight,” because it gives you a clear idea of what success looks like. Knowing exactly what you want to achieve keeps you motivated until you get there.2. Seize the moment to act on your goals. Given how busy most of us are, and how many goals we are juggling at once, it’s not surprising that we routinely miss opportunities to act on a goal because we simply fail to notice them. Did you really have no time to work out today? No chance at any point to return that phone call? Achieving your goal means grabbing hold of these opportunities before they slip through your fingers.3. Be a realistic optimist. When you are setting a goal, by all means engage in lots of positive thinking about how likely you are to achieve it. Believing in your ability to succeed is enormously helpful for creating and sustaining your motivation. But whatever you do, don’t underestimate how difficult it will be to reach your goal.4. Focus on what you will do, not what you won’t do. Do you want to successfully lose weight, quit smoking, or put a lid on your bad temper? Then plan how you will replace bad habits with good ones, rather than focusing only on the bad habits themselves.Take a look at the complete article here and I wish you the best in your efforts to take the year by storm.