ECONOMIC RECOVERY - On Track For 2011?

The end of another decade is racing toward us. After your holiday shopping spree and you're checking your list to see who has been naughty or nice. You need to grab an adult beverage, settle into you favorite chair and review the accomplishments of your B.H.A.G.s. This is
commonly know as Big Hairy Audacious Goals and think about what you will do in the coming twelve months.

Looking ahead to 2011 and preparing for a great year is the theme of my latest free workbook for planning to profit from the coming economic recovery in 2011.

John Ydstie a Correspondent/Host for NPR during the last two decades covering the economy, Wall Street and the federal budget recently stated in his column, "Government data suggests consumers are emerging from their shells: Layoffs are declining, and the bulls on Wall Street are snorting that the stock market is poised for a long upward charge.

And this week, President Obama signed an $859 billion package extending Bush-era tax cuts and jobless benefits."

Henry Ford once said, "“Whether you think that you can, or that you can't, you are usually right.”

Are you reeling from the recent announcement that unemployment hit 10%? Or did you stop and think that that means ninety percent of workforce is employed? No one has to read a book on negative thinking to drift to the dark side. Yeah, it's human nature to absorb bad news like a sponge and to rationalize our own position in life.

If you have never read Stephen Covey's best seller "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" make it a priority before December 31. In his book, Dr. Covey tells us: "Your life doesn't just "happen." Whether you know it or not, it is carefully designed by you. The choices, after all, are yours. You choose happiness. You choose sadness. You choose decisiveness. You choose ambivalence. You choose success. You choose failure. You choose courage. You choose fear. Just remember that every moment, every situation, provides a new choice. And in doing so, it gives you a perfect opportunity to do things differently to produce more positive results."

As you begin getting goals for 2011, make sure you incorporate and utilize Dr. Covey's Habit #2: Begin with the End In Mind. Basically he states it as so, what do you want to be when you grow up? While that question might seem clichéd, think how complex it really is. Be honest, are you who you really want to be? Are you what you dreamed you would be doing what you have always wanted to do? Remember:

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
Lao-tzu, The Way of Lao-tzu
Chinese philosopher (604 BC - 531 BC)

Set some goals for 2011, then design some small self-discipline steps to change your life and accomplish them. You see, by forcing yourself to make these small changes to achieve you goals, you make it easier for you to apply other self-disciplines to keep achieving goals even bigger and better.