Achieving Your Goals In The New Year

Now that the first full week of the New Year is behind us and we've had a chance to catch our breath after the holidays, I'd like to give you a few guidelines for achieving your best in 2005.

1 - Strive for excellence. Raise the bar. Be proactive. Expect the best from yourself and you'll get it.

2 - Teamwork, teamwork, teamwork. Life is lived best when we cooperate with others.

3 - Don't exploit. Be sensitive to others. Treat everyone as you'd like them to treat the people you love most.

4 - When in doubt, ask others. Then make your own decision based on their feedback.

5 - Be different. Be yourself.

6 - Serve. That's the 'big picture' part of what we do. And remember that sometimes the best way to serve is to make people laugh.

7 - Less is more.

8 - Slow down. It's about how fast you get there, it's about having integrity when you arrive. Being first sometimes means coming in second but getting it right. You work faster when you slow down. So, when you're tempted to rush, take a deep breath and slow down.

9 - Be patient with yourself. Be kind to others. It makes reaching your goals much more satisfying.

10 - Have fun. Live by this motto: "When it stops being fun, it stops getting done.