How to Make 2017 Your Best Year Yet

How to Make 2017 Your Best Year Yet - Brian Tracy

If approached correctly from the start, 2017 has the potential to be your best year yet. As we enter what I hope will be the single best year of your life yet, I want to leave you with some advice on how to make this year amazing from the start. Take advantage of your new year motivation and take a moment to get in the proper mindset. It is a new year, and a great time to get your goals in line and set priorities for exactly what YOU want to achieve in 2017.

Get Closure on 2016

The first strategy for long-term success is to get closure on your previous year.

Getting closure on your previous year is the first step because, without this moment of self-reflection, it will be very difficult for you to determine where you are headed in the future and the reasons why you didn’t achieve all the goals you set from your previous year.

Remember, the purpose of this isn’t to feel badly about not fully accomplishing those goals. Really big goals take a long time to achieve. The point is to recognize where you are in the process so you can make a plan for moving forward and staying on track.

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Make a List of New Goals You Plan to Accomplish in 2017

The next strategy is to make a new list of goals you plan to accomplish in 2017.

These goals can be the same as ones you didn’t quite achieve last year, or they can be complete new ones based on the year you’ve had and the new decisions you’ve made about your future.

Deploy the 10-Goal Method

The next strategy is to deploy what I like to call the 10-Goal Method. Take a sheet of paper and write the words “2017 Goals” at the top with today’s date. Write down ten goals that you would like to accomplish this year.

Then, use the magic wand technique and image that you have no limitations of any kind. Write down the ten things that you would like to be, have, or do this year as if each one of them were guaranteed to happen.

Guidelines for Writing Goals

1. Write Your Goals as if You’ve Already Achieved Them

Here are some guidelines for your goals. First, make sure you write them in the present tense, as if your goal had already been achieved.

For example, instead of saying “I will earn X amount of dollars each year” write “I earn X each year.” The reason we do this is because your subconscious mind can only register commands that are phrased in the present tense.

2. Write Your Goals in a Positive Sense

Next, write your goals in the positive sense. So instead of saying, “I will quit smoking” you would write, “I am a nonsmoker.”

3. Write Your Goals in a Personal Tense

Finally, write your goals in the personal tense. In other words, all of your goals should start with the word “I”.

After you’ve written your 10 goals, following those guidelines, ask yourself this question:

“What one goal on this list, if I could achieve it right now, would have the greatest positive impact on my life?

Whatever your answer to that question, circle that goal. This goal now becomes your major definite purpose, your primary goal, and you most important destination.

Make a Plan For Your Goals

The next step in the ten-goal method is to make a plan. Transfer your primary goal that you just established to a clean sheet of paper and set a deadline of completion. Make a list of the difficulties you will have to overcome, the additional information and skills you will require, and the people whose cooperation you will need to achieve this goal.

Organize this information into a plan, and then take action immediately to begin moving toward your destination. Any action is fine, but it is very important that as soon as you have your plan in place, you start right away on chipping away at the tasks you need to accomplish it.

Practice Mindstorming Your Goal

Finally, practice mindstorming on your goal. This process forces you to concentrate intensely on how to achieve your goal. Take a new sheet of paper and write your major definite purpose at the top of the page in the form of a question. For example, “How can I earn X by December 31, 2017?

Then write 20 answers to this question. You can write more than 20, but you must write a minimum of 20 responses to your question.

By using this strategy from the very start of your year, you are setting yourself up for success in the new year. You will have a plan to follow and a destination that you know you want to reach. If you create this plan for yourself, you are sure to have an exciting year, full of achievement, hard work, and a real sense of accomplishment.

Now, I’d love to hear from you, so my question today is: What’s one thing you can do today to start moving closer to your 2017 goals? Leave a comment below.

Remember, all successful people are big dreamers. They imagine what their future could be, ideal in every way respect, and then they work every day toward their distant vision, that goal or purpose. My 14-Step Goal Setting Guide can help you do just that.