We will open the book. Its pages are blank.
We are going to put words on them ourselves.
The book is called Opportunity.

Its first chapter is New Years Day.

~ Edith Lovejoy Pierce

What do you want? Do you have any idea how hard it is for most people to answer that question?  Even many who practice productivity management are sorely lacking in details.  Maybe you, too.

New Years is for reconnecting with the cycles, realizing how many choices we go around making every day, and thinking about making this cycle count for something different, or special.

It makes sense to decide what you want before trying to get it!
What do you want your life to look like in 3 months? — a year from now? — 5 years?

What are the secrets of making and keeping good plans?  Extraordinary Minds say…
(To learn more about the League of Extraordinary Minds free broadcasts, go here.)

One secret is in Reaching Out.  Here are some ways to connect with your opportunities more clearly:

Reaching Out with your mind.
The beginning of all change starts with an idea.
Think of what you want and reach out for it with your mind.

Reaching Out with your heart.
The beginning of motivation is in the heart.
Connect your desire with your ideas, and reach out with your heart.

Reaching Out with your hands.
The visible beginning comes from daily action.
Reach out with your actions and connect motivation with practice.

Reaching out with your heart and mind is powerful, and takes courage.  You risk wanting something without knowing the outcome.  This ‘inner game’ part of reaching out is scary for many people.  If we admit to ourselves how much we want something to change, it brings the tension of unknowing and responsibility.  And if we take no action, that can cause inner conflict and all kinds of negative emotions, like guilt and shame, even feelings of low self-worth and failure.

Enter: Daily Action.
(Daily Action wears a Mighty Mouse cape, and is singing, “Here I come to save the day…”).

If you want to find those opportunities and keep your resolve, there is a secret within the secret:  Repeat steps one and two, reaching out with mind and heart, again and again, to shore up Daily Action.

As you start to practice the new habit, revisit your ideas and motivation daily. Think of more new ideas, about how to keep motivation high, and about exactly what will help you want to succeed. Then act upon your ideas.  Observe your progress without judging.

Where are Your opportunities?  How do you get involved in your own goals? After the thinking, and desire, doing your dailies is the only answer which brings success.  It’s the one that falters first most of the time.  But you can be different…

By reaching out.  And reaching out.  And Daily Reaching Out.

As you listen to one of the last free broadcasts of the world-class coaches in the League of Extraordinary Minds, start imagining yourself moving toward that kind of success.  Then Reach Out to your goals bravely and make a New Years difference in your own personal and professional life.

Go for Your New Years Opportunities!