Like most people, I have new goals for myself for year 2010. I really prefer not to call these New Year Resolutions, because that sounds to me like something that I’ll never achieve. I know that many people have New Year Resolutions, and NEVER stick to them. I’m not sure I know anybody who has ever stuck with one. There are some who would prefer to put a more positive spin on this term by calling their goals – destinations, but that doesn’t do much for me. So, I will simply call these goals.

I do believe that putting your goals out for others to see makes these goals much more likely to be accomplished…..and that’s what I’ve decided to do. I do have other (and more measurable) goals than what I’ve listed here, but these are what I desire the most.

1. Spend More Time Reading God’s Word

I call myself a Christian. Actually, it’s much more than that. I am a follower of Christ. I’m far from perfect and really don’t deserve it, but God loves me in spite of who I am. I’m His, and He is mine. He is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. I know many of you who will read this don’t believe in Christ. We all have that choice to make. I’m willing to share my beliefs with anyone, but I don’t force them. Having said that, I plan to draw closer to God this year than I ever have before…..by spending time in prayer, study, and obedience.

2. Become a Better Husband

I am a family man at my core level. I love being married and I love my wife. I don’t think I’m a bad husband, but I want to be a better one, because I love her and think she deserves better than what she’s gotten. I also think improving as a husband will make me a better father to my son, and that’s always on my mind. So, I want to be a good family man, and continue to be one my family can respect and count on. How can I be a better husband? Well, I think there are a lot of things…and it’s mostly through the little things. I just watched the movie Fireproof a couple of days ago, and was completely inspired to improve in this area of my life.

3. Improve My Health

I plan to improve my health in a variety of ways this year. I recently found out that I have Sleep Apnea, which I’m being treated for right now. This has renewed my interest in taking care of myself physically. I’ve heard many times that “You are what you eat”. There is a lot of truth in that phrase. I plan to eat in a more nutritious way, and be more active. That will probably mean less time in front of this computer. But the thing is, our habits define us in so many ways, you know?

Conclusion

Like I’ve already said, there are other goals I have and other things I want to accomplish in 2010, but these 3 things are at the very top of my priority list. We all have to look at our lives from time to time and take stock of the direction we’re heading in and what the most important things really are. If you have not done this lately, I encourage you to. Now that I’ve probably alienated every reader I’ve ever had on this blog (I did say the subject matter would broaden), thanks for reading.

I’ve been interested in Web Design for about the past year and a half……or maybe two years. That was actually the whole reason I built a website in the beginning – way before I got a blog. The day I discovered Blogger, was the day I modified my first blog theme. Ever since then, I’ve tried modifying every design that I’ve had…….and a bunch of them I never even used. In the process I started realizing how a WordPress theme works. So, naturally, I had to make one.

So, why make themes and offer them for free? There are several reasons that come to mind, some more important than others. The main reasons would include:

• Incoming Links
• Practice to Improve
• Creative Outlet
• Fun……….?
• Hopefully to bring me attention

That first one is important to anyone who offers free themes. You get to use the theme in exchange for letting me have my link in the footer. It’s been amazing to me how many people have activated one of my themes – and immediately took my link out of the footer. I’ve probably been guilty of doing the same thing (before I knew better). But, that can be a little discouraging.

As far as bringing attention my way, let me explain what I mean by that. The thought of doing freelance design appeals to me very much. I can only assume if I happen to build a theme that’s a hit(meaning that it becomes popular), then it can only bring opportunity my way. So in essence, attention = opportunity. Opportunity is a good thing any way you slice it!

I hope that sheds some light, if my recent design projects have thrown anyone for a loop. The ideas have been in the works for a long time. I already have two more themes that are almost ready. I may wait a while and spread the release of these out a little further apart. I’m excited about both of them. They’re very different from each other, yet are both very visually stimulating. I’m also *considering* redesigning this site, and offering this design. I’m undecided though, because I get a lot of compliments for it. We shall have to wait and see what the future holds…………

So the question is, “Why would I like to be a Millionaire”? Well, I think it’s natural to associate money with less stress. In other words, “if I had plenty of money, I wouldn’t have to work, and I wouldn’t have to worry about how I’m gonna pay all my bills, etc.” However, I think having money would not necessarily be less stressful. It may be a different type of stress. Not stress to survive, but stress to manage and keep. I think having to manage and hold on to your money might be easier to deal with.

When I consider myself with a million dollars, I don’t really see myself in a fancy car or living an extravagant lifestyle. I think I would certainly pay off my debts immediately, but aside from that, I think I would want to figure out how to leverage that money to create an income. If you only made 10% per year off of it, thats $100k. $100,000 of debt-free income sounds pretty good! That would let me provide my son with the best opportunities and it would free me up to try new things, regardless of the profitability.

So maybe if I win this book, I’ll learn all the secrets…..

I’ve read in business books before, that some of the best business relationships are made on the golf course. I’ve also witnessed it first hand to an extent. I see people move up the ladder, who are generally considered good golfers. Obviously, playing the game of golf is not a prerequisite for being successful in business, however it is a great tool, and that’s a fact.

I used to play golf, or played at golf may be a better way to put it. It is an enjoyable activity, leisurely playing the game surrounded by beautiful scenery. However, I felt that to really improve, I needed to devote more time to it than I had to give. I also felt that if I wasn’t going to actively try and improve, that the time and expense wasn’t worth it. That may or may not have been the best decision.

There’s no doubt that golf can bring new opportunities your way. Especially if you’re fairly skilled. The better you are at the game, the more people are interested in setting up a tee time with you. Golf is the game of the successful, and the successful like to congregate on the golf course.

I see one way that golf could actually hurt your career. If you wore those silly plaid pants to your job, you’d quickly become a laughing stock! Can you imagine this dude to the left showing up at the office looking like that? Can you imagine this guy trying to sell you an insurance policy or managing your portfolio? Personally, I’ve never understood why so many golfers dress so goofy…..

Every year at work, when my annual evaluation comes around, I’m faced with this. The term for weaknesses is “areas of opportunity”, but let’s call it what it is. Everyone has weaknesses. That’s a fact. It’s not something to be ashamed of. You can’t be great at everything.

Defining what those weaknesses are can be tricky. Some people can quickly name off a few, like public speaking or selling, but it’s easy to get confused between what you don’t like to do, versus where you’re actually the weakest.

Ben at the Instigator Blog, suggest that once you figure out what they are, there are many ways to turn them into strenghs. But figuring out what they are is key.

If you work for someone else, one way to figure out what your professional weaknesses are, is to directly ask your boss. I’ll guarantee you, that he/she already has an opinion on the matter. More than likely he or she will be more than happy to share their thoughts on this with you. If you do this, I’d suggest deciding up front that you aren’t going to get upset, and that you’re going to be objective in the spirit of self-improvement. The whole purpose is to identify them and then try and improve on them.

Identifying both your strengths and weaknesses can help give direction in life, can make you much more effective in setting and reaching goals, and will make you a more well-rounded person.

Personally, waking up in a *bad mood* can really keep me from getting much done. Maybe I should, but I’m not really one for making a daily to-do list.

Everyone has a general idea for what they plan to accomplish each day, whether it’s written or not. If you get up everyday to go to your job, that kind of takes care of your to-do’s for the most part. What about the days you’re not at work? What if you’re self-employed? Works gotta get done, regardless of your “mood”.

Here are a few ideas, to get you in do-it-anyway mode:

• Make a to-do list anyway, then follow it.
• Do something physical – whether it be excercise, yard work, housecleaning, etc. For me coming straight to the computer doesn’t help.
• Have a cup of Folgers – Classic Roast.
• Go ahead first thing – shower, get dressed, eat breakfast, just as if you have to be somewhere.

I’ve come to the conclusion that virtually everyone falls into one of these categories(in varying degrees). The optimist believes in the overall good of people. They see the good in things as well as the opportunities in various situations. The pessimist is the opposite. He sees why nothing will work like it’s supposed to. He finds all the possible obstacles first, and that’s where he dwells. I’ve heard some say there’s a third category, the Realist. I think that’s generally the cop-out of a pessimist who won’t admit he is one.

The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.
…………Winston Churchill

Obviously, everyone has a little bit of both of those characteristics. Which one of these we let define our general attitude, has a great influence on how well we do in life. For most of us, it’s an ongoing struggle between the two. It’s much easier to be a pessimist. It’s also easier to find friends in this group. The question is, can you have a successful life as a pessimist? By success, I mean can you set goals, and actually follow through to achieve them with a pessimistic attitude? The odds are greatly stacked against you.

Basically:

Being optimistic can, however, be taken to extremes that are just stupid. We’ve all seen these folks. You know the ones that say things like “there are no such things as problems, just opportunities”….yeah, get real. That’s not what I mean by being optimistic. I’m not talking about running around, spewing quotes that make all your friends and family roll their eyes at you. At the same time, are you the one that gives pessimistic advice? When someone you know has an idea, are you the one that tries to “bring them back to reality”? I’ve probably been guilty of that before.

Being optimistic is better for you and everyone around you. Negativity sucks the life blood out of everything. I know, because I work around a lot of people from both sides.

How would the people around you describe your personality and attitude? Do you look at the upside or the downside to most situations?

A year or two ago, my dad bought a bright red Chevrelet Silverado that I’ve admired since he got it. Well, now he has another vehicle, and this one’s for sale. I really like this pick-up truck. I can afford to buy it, but it would set me back on reaching my other goals.

Ok……..I admit it……..I have pictured myself driving it!

The truth is, my other goals are more important than some vehicle. I think this is a perfect example of keeping your eye on the prize when you have your goals set. Financially speaking, there always are, and there always will be “opportunities” to get you off track. The bottom line is, I never really considered it, because the decision was made at the time I set my financial goals. I’m not upgrading my vehicle, until I reach a certain point. I still like the truck, though.

Do you have a hard time staying on track?

Obviously, no big deal. It’s good that they have goals to keep things moving. The drive-thru is not a place where the customer wants to sit and wait. I’ve been under the impression that the whole purpose was the speed. The sign that hung just below the first read:

Again, not a big deal to me at all. The faster we can exchange the money, the quicker this whole deal can go down. Let me pay you, you give me the food, and we’re done. At this point, the customer has to drive up to the next window to retrieve the food. I was interested to see what the “Order Fulfillment Goal” would be. Unfortunately, there was no sign hanging on the wall in the second window. At least it wasn’t visible to the customers as the signs in the first window were.

I’m not on an Anti-McDonald’s crusade. My impression was that them taking my money was much more important than delivering hot fresh food in a quick and orderly way. Unfortunately, the first two objectives, order-taking and money-exchanging, were the fastest parts. When I got to the second window, I waited for 3 or 4 minutes until I was asked to pull forward……where my order would be brought out to me as soon as it was ready. I guess they didn’t want me to hold up the line……and no, my order was no complicated order with “special requests”. A simple combo meal as it comes “stock”.

So, is McDonald’s missing the point?

A Simple Truth

Whether it’s fair or not, the people who get the best deals are people who have money. The guy who never has a dime to his name will always pay full price or more. As a matter of fact, there’s a whole industry that preys on the penny-less. That’s how credit card companies and cash advance establishments make so much money. They catch people when they’re down, and tack on the interest!

Why do people with money get better deals? Someone who always has money in his/her pocket gets the best deals for a variety of reasons. Here are a few of them:

1. They can buy NOW……..while the deal is hot.
2. If they were to borrow money, they are less risk for a lendor.
3. They will be offered bargains because of their ability to buy.
4. They know needs and emergencies are coming, and they are prepared…..which gives them money.
5. They know standard prices and seek discounts.

So it all comes down to having money. Always having money doesn’t necessarily mean that you make a LOT of it. It just means that you don’t spend every penny you get. It’s important to learn how to carry money in your wallet or purse, and not spend it. If you can do that, there will always be opportunities to save money on purchases. You just have to be prepared to take advantage of those opportunities when they present themselves.