Oscar Wilde was quoted as saying “Good resolutions are simply cheques that men draw on a bank where they have no account” So here’s an exercise that will put some currency in your account for 2012 and, if my experience is anything to go by, “it only works!” Set aside a quiet hour with a pen and paper and try the following: But before you start, this exercise has every chance of failure if you don’t commit to writing and engage emotionally as well as intellectually………. Reflect on 2011 and take a note of all the successes you had. Write the successes down and accrue them to yourself like ‘chips on your side of the poker table’. The more successes on your side of the table, the more you are likely to take the risks associated with engaging in the ‘game of life’ that is 2012 to get what you want. Notice what you define as a success – this is not a time for modesty nor do successes need to be huge publicly recognisable successes. So long as they are meaningful to you that’s all that matters. Take a note of the ‘meaning’ those successes have for you. Reflect on 2011 and take a note of what you learned during the year. Doing this ensures you are growing, developing, changing and ultimately getting more of what you want, and less of what you don’t want, from your business and life. On the basis that you can only be attracted to a thought, write down, on a page or two, how your business and life is on the 31st December 2012. The golden rule is to write it in the present tense (I am, I have, etc) and be as specific as you can in terms of hard details (i.e. facts) and soft details (i.e. how you feel). In simple terms imagine being asked at the end of 2012, “so how was 2012 for you and your business?” Put these few pages in an envelope, only share with those you trust, and even if you never refer to it during the year, watch what will happen …. or if you want to have a bit of fun with this, do what a lot of very successful people do in the knowledge that you can only be attracted to thoughts and images. Create an image board of any images you can find that represent what your 2012 will be. This ensures that you are staying focused on what you expect to happen and stops unhelpful images populating your thoughts. Action is Character! – Now that you’ve taken this action you have probably made one of your best investments for 2012 – now just ‘be present’ and take action ….. and here’s to a meaningful and successful 2012! Dave Gribben