Dear Members;

January is always a time for making resolutions and setting new goals. This year
I was pondering the question, "Why are some people more successful than others?"

After thinking about it for a long time, (I was really bored) I recognized two consistent qualities of successful people: ATTITUDE, and GOALS.

A "positive attitude" is definitely one of the keys to success. A positive attitude is simply looking for the good in all circumstances, and making the best of what we are dealt. Applying it to everyday life is not as simple as it seems. Some situations in life challenge us to see the good. It is difficult to maintain a positive attitude in many situations.

In an adverse situation, if you accept what has happened and search for the positive, you will be able to move forward in your life. By embracing this attitude, you eliminate the "poor me syndrome". Attitudes play a very important role in our lives.

How do you react when faced with challenges, failures, and stress?

We all face challenges. How we react to them is what really makes a big difference. Some people overreact and make mountains out of the proverbial molehill. Facing our challenges head on and setting goals to take us through and beyond the challenge, helps us cope with the hurdles we all confront. There is nothing worse than being unable to see light at the end of the tunnel. I have learned to focus my energies on solutions, not on the challenge itself. So often, I have seen people waste energy by moaning and groaning about a problem. Yet, if they just realigned their attitude and focused on the solution or on the opportunity, the challenge would not seem as big as they think it is.

How do you see failure? If you accept failure as an opportunity to learn, it will change your whole perspective. Some people allow failures to stop them form ever attempting anything new. Rather than learn and move on, these people get stuck forever.

Stress is created by our attitude. How we perceive a situation and how we react to it is the basis of our stress. If you focus on the negative in any situation, you can expect high stress levels. However, if you try and see the good in the situation, your stress levels will greatly diminish. We actually create our own stress by our perception of events. Yes, there are external events that cause us concern, but how we perceive the event determines the stress we feel.

Goals do work! The easiest way to set goals is to answer the following questions: - What is it I want to achieve? - When do I want to achieve it? - Where am I today land what action do I need to take to achieve my goal?

Write down your answers. Writing out your goals is as important as determining what they are. You are committing yourself to achieve these goals, and, at the same time, sending a strong, positive message to your subconscious mind.

There are various ways to determine what you want to achieve. One way is to write down the things you consistently wish for. Be specific. For example, the type of job you want; how much money you want to earn; the type of business relationships you want to have; where you want to live; what type of car you want to drive, and so on. Another method is to write goals by category: career, financial, family, leisure, educational, spiritual, and so on.

There are two types of goals: - short term goals (1-2 years) - long term goals (5-10 years).

Your short term goals should support your long term goals. Over time, your long term goals may change. If so, adjust your short term goals to support your long term. Goals should be flexible, not carved in stone!

Having said that, the time period you give yourself to finish your goal is still important. Time frames help you stay focused by giving you milestones by which you measure your progress. By committing to a time frame, you are making a commitment to yourself. We can easily be side-tracked after we set goals. A written commitment will help keep you on track.

The most important step in goal setting is TAKING ACTION. You can decide on your goal and you can write it down, but unless you take action, the goal is useless. In order to achieve a goal, you need to identify the actions you must take. For example, in what areas will additional knowledge be required? What areas will you have to develop or learn new skills?

As you work on your goals, you should also review your progress. Review your progress every six months. Are you on track? Do you need to make adjustments, and are your goals and time frames realistic? By doing this, you are actually charting your own progress. I find it always gives me a sense of self-achievement, and allows me to renew my commitment to my future goals. If I am not on target, I make the necessary adjustments. The most important thing is that I am moving forward even if I am not always progressing at the speed I originally planned.

Goals allow you to see light at the end of the tunnel, whether the light is a new career, a promotion, a prosperous business, or advanced training. You may not be where you want to be today, but by setting goals you are changing your life and moving toward where you want to be.

What is interesting about goals is that once you are committed and start to implement your action plan, you will make important discoveries just by keeping a focus on attaining your desired result.

I hope that you can benefit from these thoughts!

"Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do."
John Wooden

Sincerely,
Michael DiTocco
Chairman of the Board