I once managed a pop band, composed of musically gifted people. We thought we already have all the perfect ingredients to succeed, and yet everything went down the drain. I found out the reason of our demise; we did not aim high enough.

Aiming high is something we hear too often but never got around to doing it; one good reason why we end up on the losing end. I hope we have the spirit of children, who aim high and will not settle on doing things halfway. I have a son who exactly aims for as high as he could imagine. It does not matter what kind of pursuit he is after, as long as in everything that he does, he does it with a lofty goal in mind.  I wish I was like my son when I managed that pop band. I wish I did not settle for less or climbed the ladder halfway. The other band members I guess were of the same mind; though they are highly talented people, they do not just have the strategy of goal setting which is basically to aim high.

What we did that time was we concerned ourselves too much on the temporal part of the business. We were only after the petty things which do not last. We got so comfortable from where we were that we forgot to extend our reach beyond the horizon. We did settle in our comfort zone and never made our way into the far reaches of success. We wasted so much time and resources being half-baked artists. I often wonder if things could have gone differently if we set our goals properly. I believe yes, we could have been way better if only we did things the right way, if only that we aimed high enough to push us to become better.

Success is a gradual process borne out of a conscious decision. You should be able to decide what your goals are. After that, you need to set your goals way higher than you thought possible, the idea is to allow yourself to extend beyond your current capacity. It is so you could craft the needed ability to shatter the existing boundaries. Your capability has no end. It only ends when you decide that it ends. You have the power to become what you have envisioned yourself to become.

Did you aim high enough? If you have any comments and feedbacks, please feel free to say it all.

When running a business, you need to keep yourself on track. There could be many distractions when you are already in the actual field. Some even looks very good at the surface but will later sidetrack you and will keep you from achieving your goals in accordance to your vision. So while you go ahead achieving your lofty goals, never take your eyes off your original destination. This will keep you grounded.

I understand if there are times that you feel the impulse of fast tracking things, accelerating procedures and expedite the process. There is nothing wrong with that. Some people like it slow, and some do it with speed. However, if you always do things in rush right from the start, you are in the danger of going off the track and could not be good for your own and your business’ sake. I believe that what makes us all the more to push the harder to resort to expediency is when we see our contemporaries speeding us by. We have the tendency to look down on ourselves and think that we have been left behind. But that should not be the case, do not envy those who seem to be skyrocketing because they have their own downtimes. Focus on your own stake. Do not look somewhere else but on your own track. Follow these 5 simple steps to keep you on track:

• If you feel like your colleagues are speeding you by, just let them be. You will have your own time and chance at your own pace.
• Always be guided by your principles. Do not let your business activities compromise your belief on what is right and on what is wrong. As you grow professionally, your character shall become stronger and finer as well.
• Take time to rest from time to time. Do not succumb to burnt-out, treat yourself somewhere to relax and reenergize. When you are faced with an overwhelming task, all the more that you should look for an opportunity to rest and relax. Bring yourself in an environment of peace and serenity.
• Never sever any meaningful relationships even as you chase after business pursuits. Spend quality time with people who matter to you, people who love for who you are and not for what you do.
• Associate with people. Share your interest and your expertise to others. When you move out of your comfort zone to offer sincere help to other people in need, you bless them and you grow personally and professionally as a result.

Success is dependent upon the direction you lead your business to. Without a clear direction, you could be in a danger of bringing your business in an unknown territory .Having a vision statement will help crystallize the direction where you want your business is headed.

A vision statement is a huge influence as to the direction the business will be treading. It gives a clear cut picture of the goals and aspirations of an individual or a business entity. Big corporations and famous personalities even employ this tool to enrich themselves or their businesses. And indeed for most, it really works. That’s why it is now gaining loyalty from people from different walks in life; trying to take advantage of all the benefits it will offer.

However, a number of people have difficulty creating a vision. They believe they do not possess the needed eloquence in creating a vision statement. If you are among these people, do not despair, the following are guide questions that you can use in creating your own effective vision statement.

Personal projection in 5 years

• How happy is your family life?
• What are your fulfillments and attainments?
• How have you nurtured your networks of friends?
• What are your recreations?
• What is your spiritual status?
• How far have you grown as a person?

Professional projection in 5 years

• How formidable your business have become?
• How greatly have you grown your network of clients?
• How happy and satisfied are your employees?
• What kinds of projects are you already working on?

Financial projection in 5 years

• How much are you earning?
• How much are you saving?
• What are your investments?
• How much are you giving back to charities?

Your vision should excite you because it bespeaks of all your life’s possibilities. It talks about what you will become in the near future. It is your future, bright and full. Take hold of your dreams, keep it close. Keep it alive by intertwining it with your vision statement. There are myriad ways of making your vision fun and effective at the same time. You could do it using the vision board technique of which you clip ideal pictures that directly projects your dreams and aspirations. You could even do it together with other members of your family or with your employees in the office.

Be bold with your vision. Never be held back by limitations. Therefore create a strong vision statement; one that clearly defines your hopes, your aspirations and your grandest dreams.

Making a resolution is not even half as hard in sticking to them. Sometimes, it won’t take a day to make a resolution, but takes a lifetime to see to its completion. You will have to choose what to make of your resolutions; either you want it to be just a mere wishful thinking or a deep commitment?

Your resolution won’t mean a thing if your words are not followed by actions. No matter how many times you say you will change and yet you did not make one move to realize it, then it is all good for nothing. Do not stay within the boundaries of fantasy, make things real, and make it happen. Do whatever it takes to follow your resolutions. Too many times, you must have resolved to lose weight time and again, and yet gain pounds every time because you just can’t keep yourself from delicious fatty foods. Or maybe you have resolved to augment your income this year and yet you can’t make yourself look for an extra job that will generate extra income. As you break your resolution each time, your frustration will grow that might eventually result to hopelessness. Do not let this happen, follow these simple steps in keeping yourself stay true to your resolutions:

• Define your goal. Do not be vague. If you say you want to lose weight, then specify exactly how many pounds you need to shred in a specific amount of time. Say, “I will start losing weight now until I will lose 50 pounds in 8 months”. The more specific you are, the greater the probability that you will stick to your resolution because the goal becomes achievable.
• Push yourself to the limit. Do not be cowed with the circumstances. The harder you push yourself, the most likely your commitment becomes stronger. If you exercised yesterday for 30 minutes, then make it 1 hour tomorrow. Do not worry, your internal system will adapt to whatever changes you employ, no matter how drastic.
• Avoid making excuses. Don’t say you were not able to jog because it rained; well, jog around your house!
• Believe that you are capable of staying true to your resolutions. Even if things seem insurmountable, your self-belief will matter in your quest of achieving your goal.

I have my own resolutions as well. Some are easy to achieve while others, I admit, are a constant struggle. I just keep reminding myself of these simple steps to help me get through. How about you, do you have your resolutions that you were able to complete? Share your ideas to us.

Dreams will stay as dream unless you do something about it. You should have a proactive part in achieving your dreams and in bringing it to reality.

A man with no dreams is like a night without the moon. Dream is crucial; it is what makes us strive in life. If you do not dream, there is no point of trying to succeed. Your dreams are your reason why you try to become better. You can dream as great as you like. Dreams know no boundaries, it respects no limits. But what is a dream if it stays just a dream.

So for people like you who wants to alter his life for the better, make your dreams tangible. Turn it into a goal, of which you can aspire to bring it into being. It is good that you dream, but you cannot stay on dreaming for so long. You have to make careful plans of turning your dream into achievable goals and eventually crafting plans of finally achieving it.

When you dream you must also believe. There is no point of dreaming and yet deciding that it will just stay as it is because you feel like you are not capable of achieving it. Go out there, live your life, and achieve every single one of your dreams. It is just a matter of how powerfully you reinforce you thoughts. You need to keep your hopes up. You have to build up your faith as you tread along the way of achieving your goals. The longer the time you spend thinking about your dreams, the greater should be your confidence that you can make it into reality.

I and my husband have this dream of going to Nepal. It was really one of our most precious moments as we both crafted careful plans in getting there eventually. The anticipation was really great. And it took half a decade to see it to completion. We did not mind the wait; we just kept our dream alive and made it a part of our system. We talked about it, shared about it and dreamed of it. Along the way, as we try to achieve this dream, the dreams that we had are becoming a reality right in front of us, and that gave us all the more hope and confidence that we will see it through.

To keep your dreams alive, you could do the following:

• Make your dream into a picture or a statement and then make it as a background of your computer
• Read a lot of books that mentions anything about your goals
• Share it to other people, talk about it whenever possible

If you have faith enough, if you strive enough, you will achieve your dreams. That’s for sure!