"The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one."
~ Mark Twain
Excellent advice from satirist Samuel Langhorne Clemmons (1835-1910), a.k.a. Mark Twain, who worked as a printer, gold prospector, riverboat pilot, and newspaper reporter before meeting his goal of publishing his first major work of fiction in 1865.
Get started with your goals. "The beginning is always today," said writer Mary Wollstonecraft. Begin today.
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BREAK IT DOWN...
"My father instilled in me the attitude of prevailing. If there's a challenge, go for it. If there's a wall to break down, break it down." ~ Donny Osmond
I always liked rapper M.C. Hammer's passionate exclamation "break it down" that rolled into frantic dance movement. I visualize it when I'm stuck in creative neutral at the prospect of an overwhelming task.
Break it down into manageable steps. Put your goals in writing. Index cards are a good tool for planning. My journal, calendar, and project notebooks help me work through the design of realistic goals.
"Write down your plans and keep them in front of you. It's like marketing to yourself," said management consultant Doris Pozzi.
Writing it down will help you come up with concrete deadlines and give you a roadmap to review. It will make what's in your mind become "real."
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S.M.A.R.T...
"Sometimes people have a difficult time establishing a new habit. For these people, a process referred to as S.M.A.R.T. -- Specific, Measurable, Action-oriented, Realistic, and Timed -- can be useful." ~ Claudio R. Nigg & Bradley J. Cardinal
Niggs & Cardinal recommend beginning each written goal with the words, "I am ..." So, for example, "I am going to walk 30 total minutes each day this week." Or.. "I am going to save $100 a paycheck."
Use the language that works for you. "A goal properly set," said Abraham Lincoln, "is halfway reached."
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TAKE HOLD AND DOMINATE...
"Those who are fired with an enthusiastic idea and who allow it to take hold and dominate their thoughts find that new worlds open for them. As long as enthusiasm holds out, so will new opportunities." ~ Norman Vincent Peale
Set those goals with enthusiasm. Let them take hold. Be ready for the new opportunities they bring!
Have a great weekend!
leialoha@dailycelebrations.com
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