Monday, January 2, 2017

Some Factors Determining the Lifespan of Your Dog

It’s true when they say “a dog is a man’s best friend,” however, this can also be said when referring to the connection between dogs and women, too. Everyone loves dogs, and we all know someone who either has or had one in the past. Owning a dog comes with major responsibilities that I’ve witnessed firsthand just being around them at my friend’s house. Additionally, losing a dog can be a huge emotional downer and can take a toll on your mental state for several months afterward. I asked my friend how much he spends on his dog a month, and he mentioned it varies depending on its food, medical bills, toys, etc; it’s hard to put a number on the total amount, but the cost can go up quickly.

Recently, another friend of mine lost his dog, and it was hard on him. After that loss, I wanted to find out which factors determined the lifespan of a dog. I did some research, and was able to put some factors together.

First, here’s a quick overview of dog’s age in human years:

Image Source: healthypets.mercola.com

The Breed

Just like your genetics make you prone to more health problems, the same can be said for pets. For example, some dog breeds are prone to certain health problems like dysplasia, spinal issues, respiratory problems, and cancer. Poor breeding can also lead to genetic defects which, over time, can have a major toll on the overall health of the dog. Many of these health problems are only seen as the dog matures, which increases medical bills substantially. Many owners can’t afford those bills, so are unable to provide the care their aging dogs need; this just makes it harder on the dog, and decreases their life expectancy.

If you do a quick search in Google, you can find a list of dogs who have a higher-than-normal life expectancy because of their breed. These dogs are known to have fewer health problems as long as the right nutrition, healthcare, and environment are provided.

Nutrition

If you feed your dog food that is high in fat and low in protein, then they can develop a heart problem just like humans can. Remember, “you are what you eat,” and this holds true for humans and pets because just like a poor diet while growing up affects the way we mature, the same can be said for dogs, too. For example, pets with a poor diet or receiving inadequate nutrition while young may develop a condition as they grow older; this will not only reduce their life span but the quality of life, too.

Exercise

It’s amazing how so much of this information relates to us humans. Make sure you take your dog out 2-3 times a day for a run or walk. This exercise keeps their cardiovascular activity high, which is great for the heart. Daily exercise is even more important for those dogs who have a pre-existing condition. Do a quick search in Google to find a list of great exercises you can put your dog through, or you can visit local bookstores to find actual guides on this subject.

Healthcare

Frequent healthcare is important to your pet’s well-being. Owners spend thousands of dollars each year getting their dog the best healthcare possible. Think about it this way: imagine if your dog gets a small injury and you decide to neglect the right type of healthcare. This minor injury can become bigger, restricting daily activities the dog can perform; this means the dog can no longer exercise, which will affect their overall cardiovascular health.

Grooming, cutting nails, and removing extra fur is all considered healthcare. By providing the right healthcare for your dog, you’ll also protect them from flea infestation which, unchecked, could become life-threatening.

The Emotional Connection

Having a personal connection with your dog is important for their mental state. Dogs who don’t have an emotional bond with their owners can become depressed, which lowers their overall activity. Dogs with lower activity levels and who are depressed tend to exercise and eat less. So, spend quality time with your dog; this will lower the chance of depression and increase mental stimulation, which is important for them to stay positive in their environment.

Featured photo credit: Greater Swiss Mountain Dog via dogtime.com

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Be the Top Pro in the Room with 2 YouTube Hacks

Top Pro In The Room - Edtech

In this article I’m going to talk you through how to become the top professional in the room, no matter what your industry, but first… a statistic you might find surprising.

Did you know that the average timespan of a job in the U.S. is only 4.2 years? That means that every four years, you either fall, tread water or climb. If you’re the top pro in the room and the room happens to be a group interview for your dream job, you know which direction you’ll be heading.

The truth is, it’s not as hard as you might think to become that top pro. Once you know what to learn and where to learn it, you’re already doing better than 90% of the people in your imaginary room. If you then take consistent action in self-education, well, you’re a top one-percenter. Let’s jump straight in.

Step 1: Learn what you don’t know and grow

The first step to becoming the top professional in the room is to find out what you don’t know about your industry. This is achieved by:

  1. Questioning ‘just how we do it’ mindsets
  2. Breaking out of isolation
  3. Stepping fearlessly onto the cutting edge

To illustrate, let’s say you’re working in a company which uses a 20-year-old quality control procedure with average results. One day, you wonder if there might be a better solution, so you go to a convention and chat to experts. Several of them mention the dramatic results companies are getting with a system called Lean Six Sigma. You talk your boss into paying for you to learn, become the new company guru of quality control and therefore (you guessed it)… the top professional in the room.

This example shows the power of discovering what you don’t know. Luckily, you can achieve the same results without endless conventions. Seek out forums and Facebook groups for your industry and browse through the posts and topics. This will break you through your pockets of isolation and put you in the right place to learn from experts, thought-leaders and even your competition.

Make a list of the areas that you need to learn more about. Now that you’ve identified your blind spots, it’s time to find illumination.

Step 2: Choose your weapon (of learning)

First up, let’s dispel a myth: being the top pro in the room doesn’t necessarily mean having the best qualifications. Have you ever spoken to someone who’s extremely well-read on a topic? They’re undeniably impressive and effective. With that said, the next step is to decide whether entering formal education or learning on-the-fly is right for you.

Let’s briefly consider the formal route:

On-campus tertiary education is a wonderful thing. Who doesn’t love the idea of being a student? At the same time, do you have three years to burn when you’ve already entered your career of choice? Often, the answer is no.

How about a traditional university course taken online? The fact is online degrees have come a long way in recent years. You can now expect live sessions, real student camaraderie and content that’s custom-designed to draw on the strengths of the online format. If this fits into your work life, it’s a fantastic opportunity, but if not, then you need to learn on-the-fly… and I have just the thing for you.

Step 3: Get onto the cutting edge and become well-read… in two months

In this step, you’ll learn two little-known YouTube tips. The first will expose you to the foremost minds in your industry and the second will allow you to become ‘well-read’ in a matter of months.

YouTube Tip One: Opening the treasure trove

YouTube has the largest library of videos online, yet few people realise that along with its cat videos and basketball long-shots are hundreds of interviews and lectures by industry leaders and the world’s top professors. Here’s how to find them:

Start on the official YouTube #Education channel and select the university grade level, then choose a subject area covering one of your blind spots. From there, you‘ll not only access top videos that cover your area of learning, but also the channels of applicable university departments with other great videos not listed on the #Education channel.

By watching these interviews and lectures, you’ll get up to speed with the thought-leaders in your industry without leaving home.

YouTube Tip Two: Absorbing 2 books a day

What’s really in a non-fiction book? When it boils down to it, a book is a handful of useful lessons surrounded by a load of proof and stories. A growing trend is to consume the lessons that books contain rapidly by stripping them down to their key takeaways.

There are methods of reading physical books which allow you to do this; one of the prominent techniques was created by entrepreneur Tai Lopez. There are also apps dedicated to consuming book summaries, such as Blinkist. What most people don’t know, however, is that many popular non-fiction books have already been summarised by people on YouTube.

The best are well-written and often include animated explainer videos, while the worst are off-the-cuff and can come across as a bit of a ramble. If you encounter the latter, it’s a good idea to watch an alternative summary to ensure that you’re getting all the key takeaways.

To find books that answer your needs, search on Amazon for the bestselling books about your topic, then search YouTube for the book name plus the words ‘book summary’.

By doing this, you’ll be able to learn the key lessons from two or more books in about 20 minutes per day, instead of the weeks or even months it normally takes. By extension, if you put aside 20 minutes a day for this type of rapid learning, you’ll be able to get through about 60 books on your industry in two months. That would make you well-read on the topic by just about any measure.

This technique is the closest thing we currently have to that scene in The Matrix where Neo uploads everything there is to know about Kung Fu directly into his brain in about 10 seconds. I love that idea.

Bonus Tip

In closing, I thought I’d throw in a bonus tip instead of a standard conclusion. Obviously, the conclusion would have been that by applying the steps above, your knowledge will grow at a rapid pace and, before you know it, you’ll be the top professional in the room… but I’m sure you gathered that already.

The bonus tip is that you can find handy sources of learning specific to your industry via Google. If you search for your industry plus the words ‘online courses’, then you’ll find blog posts and articles with lists of courses for your particular niche. Here’s an example for the oil industry. This is a great way to quickly address all three of the steps above and, since the courses are being personally recommended by influencers in your industry, you know they’re high quality.

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Oliver Braithwaite is the author of Edtech & Co, a blog about rapid learning via education technology, and the Founder/CEO of Stars & Catz, a private tuition company. This post was originally published on Engadget Public Access and also appeared on The Huffington Post.

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7 Reasons You Should Start Using Resistance Bands In Every Workout

Over the years, more people have been starting to workout because the emphasis on health has become increasingly important. Nowadays, you have more products, supplements, and cardio workouts in the markets than ever before. Some of the most popular are include high-intensity interval training, and the 21-day fix, which is focused on nutrition. If you visit a sports store, you’ll notice an increased selection in equipment like weights, bags, benches, and resistance bands. They are more affordable now (as compared to several years back) because the cost of manufacturing has gone down considerably.

In the last seven years, I’ve tried almost every type of work program possible, and I recently started to incorporate resistance training instead of weights. This has reduced injuries, which are associated with heavy weight training, and has improved muscle tone.

For those of you looking to get started working out, or want to try something different, here are some benefits of using resistance bands in your training.

1. They’re Cost Effective

Compared to traditional weights and workout equipment, resistance bands are very affordable, costing no more than $40.00 for a pair. If you have purchased heavy weights and benches, then you know you’d be spending $200 or more on quality equipment. With resistance bands, you can find them at a local sports store for around $40.00, or, if you buy a used pair, you can find them for a cheaper price. You can do a quick search on Kijiji or eBay, where you’ll find used resistance bands for $15.00.

If you are buying a used pair, it’s important to make sure they are adjustable, which you’ll learn the importance of next.

2. They’re Adaptable for Multiple Fitness Levels

The newer model resistance bands are adjustable, so they can be used by people with different fitness needs and abilities. For example, when you purchase actual weights, you may have to buy a huge selection so you’re ready when you decide to move up in weight levels. This can cost a lot of money, and after you move up, you’ll have no need for lower weights. On the other hand, with adjustable resistance bands, you can purchase one pair that can still be used when you decide to move up in strength level.

Image provided by topstretch.com

3. They Give You a Full Body Workout

With resistance bands, you can do a complete body workout with a single pair, and there are plenty of workouts that show you how to use bands for every muscle group in your body.

Image provided by topstretch.com

4. They Take Up Very Little Space

I’m sure you’ve visited a gym before, and the first thing you notice is how much space is required for all the equipment, which takes up a lot of room. But with resistance bands, you won’t run into that problem because you can easily store them in your closet. When you purchase bulky weight equipment, you’ll need a dedicated space to fit everything, and they often require space to move around and perform each exercise. However, with resistance bands, you can work out in your living room, basement, bedroom, and even backyard. After your workout is done, you can wrap the resistance bands and stow them away.

5. You Can Take Them On the Road

When traveling, you might be concerned that you won’t have time to work out, or that it would be expensive to go to a local gym. With resistance bands, you can place them in your baggage and pull them out to work out in your hotel room, or, should it have one, in the hotel’s gym. You won’t miss a workout, and this keeps you feeling great every day.

6. You Can Use Them Alone

When lifting heavy weights, it’s recommended you have someone to “spot” you just in case you get stuck on your last repetition. With no one watching you, it’s possible you can seriously injure yourself by dropping a heavy weight on your chest, head, or arms. With resistance bands, you won’t face this problem because they are very easy and safe to use even when you’re alone.

7. You Can Combine Them with Other Equipment

If working out is your passion and you like to mix things up, then resistance bands can be combined to give you diversity. For example, resistance bands can be combined with benches, pull-down machines, dumbbells, and ab machines. This gives you a chance to keep your exercises different each month. But, if you want to switch back to just resistance bands, then this can be done easily, too.

Featured photo credit: youtube.com via youtube.com

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5 Fun Ways to Increase Your Productivity

A lot of us look for ways to improve and better ourselves around the start of a new year. What better time to turn a blank page and start fresh? At the same time, I think we’re sort of always looking for good productivity tips, no matter what time of year it is. Everyone could always be more productive, right? We all have long to-do lists and, if possible, we want to get more things done in a shorter amount of time.

Admittedly, I’ve tried a lot of productivity tips and they always work for a while but then they get sort of boring and I stop doing them. Let’s face it, you’re less likely to stick with new habits if they aren’t something to enjoy. So, combining productivity and fun is the perfect solution for making productivity tips stick with you. Read on for five fun ways to increase your productivity:

1. Make things a friendly competition.

Whether you’re trying to be productive at work or at home, making things into a competition can do a lot to rev up productivity in a fun and interesting way. If you’re with coworkers, challenge them to a contest. Who can type something up the fastest? Who can sell more of something? Who can clear out their inbox the fastest? Then have a “prize” for the winner – lunch on you or them, maybe?

You can also do this if you work by yourself. Challenge yourself to complete something and then offer yourself a reward. Studies show that people are more motivated if they have an incentive for completing a goal.[1] Rewarding yourself gives you something tangible to work toward and it offers an instant gratification that makes you want to push yourself and hold yourself accountable at the same time.

2. Take more breaks.

Breaks are shown to make people more productive, especially if they’re feeling unmotivated or burnt out by their work tasks. If you’re a workaholic, it might be tempting to skip that 30 minute lunch break, but breaks are crucial. A break allows you to unwind, recharge, and go back to your work with a whole new sense of drive and focus.

So, take regular breaks and spend your time doing things that you enjoy. Spending your break doing your favorite hobbies has been shown to allow you to relieve your stress and increase your creativity.

3. Spend some time outside.

Whether you’re feeling tense, unfocused, unmotivated, or completely stressed out, nature can help with that! Nature has been proven to have many benefits. Plus, it’s beautiful and calming. Fresh air can help you clear your mind and breathe easier when you’re stressed. Trees can also improve concentration and alleviate mental fatigue.

Go outside to eat your lunch, or spend your break going for a walk. If you live in a city and don’t have easy access to trees, get a lot of plants for your office! If you work from home, having green plants around you can offer the same benefits.

4. Do something that makes you laugh.

Laughter is a wonderful thing. It can boost your heart rate up and increase the blood flow to your brain. Not only that, but you’ll just plain feel happier! You could spend this time looking at cute baby animal videos because, yes, studies have also shown that doing so will improve your focus.

Allow yourself a regular “laugh break” during your day! This will keep you motivated because it will give you something to look forward to as well!

5. Listen to music (that you love).

Do you have a favorite song that, when you listen to it, you can’t help but dance to? I think we all have one of those! And when you listen to it, you may notice that you’re able to focus better, have more energy, and feel way more motivated to get things done.

So if you feel unproductive, just play your favorite music. Not only will this give you an energy boost, but it will also help block out distractions so that you can stay focused. That’s why a lot of offices play music in the workplace!

Reference

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5 Important Lessons Every Entrepreneur Should Learn

A lot of people aspire to be successful entrepreneurs. When startups like Facebook, Twitter, Uber and Instagram go from rags to riches overnight; entrepreneurship seems exciting. Beginning their own startup offers creative millennials the chance to get out from under their bosses, break free and enjoy independence and success. Remember that if something looks too good to be true, that’s because it probably is.

The giddy heights of success are rarely reached without hard work, tough decisions and overcoming obstacles along the way. Being an entrepreneur means learning how to handle the bad days, overcome problems and keep your sanity (and cash flow) as you rise to the top. Check out these 5 important lessons every entrepreneur should learn.

Great Companies Can Grow from Failure

Many a great company has risen from the ashes of a previous failure. Failure, in fact, is sometimes more important than success when starting a new project. Learning from your mistakes gives you a better understanding of your company’s position in the market and a chance to tailor your product to your audience.

Just think about Instagram. Creator Kevin Systrom was among the first contenders on the Forbes 30-Under-30 list. But Instagram didn’t start out as a photo editing tool. Instagram was originally planned to be a geolocation app. What happened? Nobody used it.

Faced with a do-or-die situation on his hands, Systrom decided to focus on what his customers wanted instead, which was filtering and sharing photos. Instead of collapsing at the prospect of failure, he turned things around to become a 32-year old billionaire today.

No one can learn everything just from reading books and business journals. Personal experience is key, and this generally means both setbacks and progress. Many successful entrepreneurs have failed on their first attempt and used their experiences to improve and grow stronger.

Be Sure to Listen to Your Customers

Building a long-term customer relationship is essential for any company, whether you work directly with consumers or with other businesses in the supply chain. Luckily, in a world dominated by social media, it’s easy to continue a permanent dialog between your brand and your customers.

Entrepreneurs now have access to updated information about their target audience and can use it to continuously improve their products. The most successful entrepreneurs are good listeners and follow feedback to understand their customers’ consumption habits. They then use this information to help grow their businesses.

Knowing how your customers are thinking and what they want or need allows staying one step ahead of the competitors. When you have the right data to anticipate your buyers’ future needs, you can tailor your product or service accordingly.

Work with The Right People

No one can build a strong company on their own, at least not a multi-million-dollar concern. So one of the most important lessons an entrepreneur should learn is to surround themselves with intelligent people. Networking is the order of the day, and entrepreneurs of today are finding strength in numbers. Surrounding yourself with like-minded people is one of the best ways to learn and grow your business.

Many new entrepreneurs spend long hours worrying about every last detail and getting sucked into managing day-to-day tasks. But when you spend too long working in your business, answering phones and wearing every hat; you can end up losing sight of the bigger picture. Apart from relying on a network of support and interchanging ideas; hiring the right staff to help you grow is essential.

Being the smartest person on your team is not the right strategy if you want to succeed. You should always think about hiring people who know more than you do in certain areas, who will challenge you and help take your startup and make it stronger.

Social Proof is Vital

How times have changed from the one-way advertising mediums of the past. We no longer accept a bright-toothed smile starting down at us from a billboard, or a door-to-door salesman spouting the advantages of his product. The internet and amount of time young consumers spend on it has brought with it transparency in business interactions.

Stephen May, creator of Memory Foam Doctor, a site dedicated to helping consumers find the right mattress, understands the power of peer reviews. His entire portal, in fact, is dedicated to transparent product reviews, expert opinions, and consumer experience. May has over 50,000 individual consumer reviews on his site. No money is taken for reviewing a product, so customers can trust that the information they’re reading is unbiased and transparent.

Over 70% of consumers confirm that positive customer reviews can cause them to trust a business more. Smart entrepreneurs then, need to understand how powerful harnessing social proof can be for propelling their businesses forward. If you don’t include customer reviews on your website, you can guarantee the information will be online elsewhere.

Whether it comes from an expert, celebrity or a regular user, social proof is an excellent tactic when it comes to gaining trust among new customers. You can get support by finding a website building guide and checking its resources and advice.

Outsourcing Makes a Company More Competitive

Trying to do everything in-house requires a lot of time, money and resources. All of which could be better invested by outsourcing certain tasks. If your expertise doesn’t lie in cyber security, accounting, online marketing, or any other area, you’ll be more able to stay focused on your core business by getting it done out of the house.

Outsourcing gives your company access to skilled teams, often with lower cost and increased efficiency. Some business owners are afraid to outsource and lose control, but smart entrepreneurs know that taking risks is part of the daily routine. Finding trustworthy partners to work with is vital for a company’s competitiveness.

Every day provides us with a chance to learn something new. Most entrepreneurs learn these lessons in hard ways, after trying several paths to make their companies more successful. But if you ever feel deflated or defeated, take heart; you’re not the only one. If you’ve failed at least once, been turned down or rejected, then raise a glass to Oprah, Branson, and Gates. Just a small number of ridiculously successful entrepreneurs who learned valuable lessons the hard way.

Featured photo credit: elcapatrimonial via elcapatrimonial.com.br

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Should Your B2B Sales Team Use Video for Sales Calls?

With the advent of digital communications, face-to-face meetings have become increasingly scarce. Thankfully, video conferencing is an alternative way to make an impression without actually meeting in-person. There’s no doubt that in-person pitches are more effective, but sometimes it’s either not possible or feasible. However, closing sales over video comes with its challenges which is why there hasn’t yet been widespread adoption of this.

For those who know how to capitalize on the opportunities that video conferencing provides, they have a distinct advantage over their competition.

Forming a personal connection

A salesperson doesn’t have to be told that body language is important, but without the right cues they may have a tendency to recite when it comes to a phone call rather than react. Video conferences give the salesperson a chance to see how the client is responding to the information delivered, and then tweak their approach if necessary.

The flight cues for instance are the most telling: when a client closes or rubs their eyes, leans away or tries to put any kind of barrier between themselves and the salesperson. Clients often give these cues before they even consciously realize they’ve checked out of the conversation or decided they’re not interested, so the sooner the salesperson turns their opinion around, the better.

Saving on travel expenses

When you can’t justify the expense of traveling to meet clients all over the world, video conference calls are crucial in helping to build and maintain key relationships.

If you’re left with no other possible way to see a client (even with all the effort in the world) due to budgetary concerns, your next best investment will be in quality video conferencing software that can support multiple participants on the same call. You’ll also find this to be a more economical solution compared to paying for airfare, lodging, and meals.

Ability to cover more granular details

Over the phone, product demos can be cumbersome to complete. Even if the person has already seen a video of the product in-action, a live demo can really help to put its different use cases into context and perspective. Plus it provides a real-time opportunity for buyers to ask deeper questions about the nuances of the particular features. Therefore, salespeople should aim to incorporate video conferencing in future sales calls.

These kinds of conversations are what can fast-track interested prospects into actual customers, and they can cut down on the total amount of touch points it takes to clinch the deal. Questions can be asked in the moment rather than get lost in the sea of other tasks on the agenda for the day.

Potential pitfalls of video conferencing

The downside to video calls is that they do take more effort (for all parties involved), so you’ll need to be empathetic to your client’s situation.

Perhaps they don’t want to be troubled to have to clean up their office before they get on the call, or they’re used to a power stance where they have their feet on the table as they chat. They may not have a designated place to do video calls, especially if they’re in a cubicle farm. It could be as simple as the fact that they don’t like to see themselves on camera.

There’s a reason why video calls aren’t used more often, especially in light of the simplicity of email when it comes to staying invisible, casual, and convenient. Be persistent without being pushy. If you do have a client agree to a video conference, the initial calls will have to really impress and delight your prospect, otherwise they’re likely to decline future correspondence.

Advice for improving your video sales calls

Video calls are its own kind of art, so sales reps have to invest time into perfecting their approach. The lighting in an office might be too bright and cause the room to look harsh or the salesperson to look sickly or tired. Too much sound interference, even from the seemingly innocuous whir of a computer in the background, will make for a less enjoyable video call.

The rep must be dressed correctly and put in an environment that will not distract the viewer with clutter. If a salesperson is using a new device (e.g. new mobile phone, updated video app, etc.), ensure they have ample practice with it before they make the call. Many of these preparation tips are obvious, but they’re not necessarily always followed.

There is real value though in taking care of all the details: understanding how to screen share, giving people another way to call in if they run into technical issues, and setting up a killer profile on the service itself. If you can get a customer to agree to taking a video call, be mindful that they’ve taken extra steps to participate and be prepared to deliver information and value that makes it all worth their time.

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How To Create New Year's Resolutions You'll Keep

Year after year, millions of Americans set New Year’s Resolutions, but most of them do not stick. By setting ourselves up for failure, we create traditional goal-oriented resolutions that don’t help us get clear on who we want to be or shine light on how we want to show up for others in our life, our career, and for ourselves. By focusing on the person we want to be at the end of 2017 and achievable weekly steps, we can finally design New Year’s Resolutions with ease and embody them on a daily basis.

I found this out three years ago when I first started setting New Year’s Resolutions. I designed goals for multiple areas of my life including my career, my relationships, and my self-care. Despite my efforts, I quickly learned that goal-oriented resolutions set us up for failure, self-judgement, and frustration. My resolutions became obstacles to my growth and a regular source for my inner critic to feed off of.

Rather than starting at a goal of getting a certain raise at work, for example, successful resolutions come from being clear on who we want to be and how we want to show up in our everyday interactions. Once I got clear on who I wanted to be, I was able to uncover what I truly wanted to create in my life. Here’s how you can start designing New Year’s resolutions that will stick:

1. Start With How You Want To Feel In 2017

The book The Desire Map, by author and inspirational speaker Danielle La Porte and based on the teachings of Abraham-Hicks, was a game-changer for me. She emphasizes the importance of understanding how you want to feel in your life. By focusing on how I want to feel each year, I get clear on what I really want.

To do this, take out a journal to write, or close your eyes and follow your imagination through meditation. Imagine that December 31, 2017 is going to be your best day of your best year to date. Reflect on the following question:

How do I want to feel on this best day? Energized? Inspired? Thoughtful?

Keep asking yourself the question for some time to connect with the feeling and listen to what you hear yourself say. Write down the first feelings that come up. Looking at your list, circle the ones that feel most true to you.

2. Imagine Who You Would Need To Be

One of the keys to completing resolutions is to understand the kind of person you need to be to follow through. This is more than not procrastinating or keeping good time management, for example. Traditional productivity practices fall short because they merely manage goals rather than bring them to life. In order to follow through on resolutions, we must know the experience of the achievement.

With your mind in December 31, 2017, again through writing in a journal or by closing your eyes in meditation, imagine who would you need to be if you felt these feelings? For example, if you want to feel energized, what qualities would you leave behind in a room if people were asked to describe you? Would you go running several times a week to stoke your energy? Eat differently? Pick up that childhood hobby you dropped 10 years ago? Who would you need to be to feel what you want to feel at the end of 2017? Write down a list of what comes to your mind.

3. Choose 1-3 Goals To Create This Feeling

By focusing on just 1-3 annual goals, you will set yourself up for success. With goals connected to who you want to be at the end of 2017, you’ll feel motivated to follow through with a clear understanding of how your goals that will help you become the person you want to be. Taking what you wrote down from the first two steps, complete a brain-dump for the goals you would need to fulfill.

Set a timer for 10 minutes and write down every goal that comes to your mind. Take a five minute break and step away from your list. Return and set a timer for 10 minutes again. Ask yourself the question: what 1-3 goals are game-changers and would have the most impact to create the December 31, 2017 I imagined? Circle these goals.

4. Identify Small Steps To Take On A Weekly Basis

To ensure your goals do not become a someday in the future concept, identify small steps you can take now. Limit yourself to the span of the next seven days and then repeat this reflection each week. Small consistent steps build momentum for huge change. And because your resolutions are now oriented around who you want to be at the end of 2017, you will slowly modify your mindset and behavior.

Looking at the goals that you circled, consider what 1-3 steps you can do in the next seven days that take less than 30 minutes to complete. It’s important to create realistic, achievable goals. Putting a limit on the number of steps to complete, and the time to complete them will set you up for success. Put the steps you identified in your weekly to-do list/calendar and schedule. Repeat this practice on a weekly basis to build incremental success.

5. Acknowledge Your Success

Our minds are trained to look for problems. While this problem-solving mindset can be helpful under certain circumstances, it often stops us from following through on our goals. This creates a scarcity mindset, as our minds focus on what we have yet to accomplish, or what went wrong in our follow-through.

By acknowledging what you have completed, you gather momentum to keep going. Acknowledgement fuels your ability to keep positive commitments. So take five minutes at the end of each day or week to acknowledge what you have done. What actions did you take? What feelings did you honor? You can reflect on these mentally or write them down.

The post How To Create New Year’s Resolutions You’ll Keep appeared first on Lifehack.



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