MindHacks.Org

By Marsha Jordan

97% of people who make New Year's resolutions abandon them within 30 days. With a failure rate like that, why should I even bother?

Is there a secret to successfully keeping my resolutions?

Maybe I should resolve to gain weight, exercise less, develop bad habits, procrastinate, and watch more TV in the new year. Maybe I could keep resolutions like those.

No, that's not the answer. We need to resolve to do things in the new year that will make us better people and will improve the world. Here are four simple tips to make keeping those resolutions easier:

1) Start with small steps - Don't resolve to lose 30 pounds. Resolve to skip dessert once a week and exercise once a week. After these small changes become habits, implement bigger changes and increase your exercise time. Small successes will inspire you to move forward. If your goals are too lofty, you're doomed to failure. Start small and work your way up to bigger and better things over time.

2) Be specific - Don't set general goals. If you resolve to be a better spouse this year, you don't have a plan; so chances are it won't happen. Think of a specific thing your spouse would like you to do for him or her (like giving a back rub at the end of the day, picking up your underwear, or taking out the garbage without being asked). Resolve to make the effort to do that one thing on a regular basis. Small changes can make a big difference in your relationship. Little things DO mean a lot.

3) Have some accountability. We all need someone who will check up on us. Knowing that someone will ask how I'm doing will motivate me to work toward the goal. Share with a friend what you've determined to do and ask them to check back with you each week. There's a greater chance that you'll put forth some effort when you're expecting to give a report on your progress.

4) Choose to do something that has a payoff. If you resolve to eat more liver this year or to walk 5 miles and do 300 sit ups each day, what pleasure will you derive from that? Set goals that will provide a sense of satisfaction upon completion. Determine to do something that you'll enjoy so much that you'll want to continue doing it.

Here is a resolution you can easily keep this year. Give some cheer to a sick child in 2007. It's a small step that takes only a few moments and can cost you nothing. The payoff is knowing that you've brought a little more joy into the life of a suffering little one. Visit the HUGS and HOPE web site (http://www.hugsandhope.org ) and read about the kids featured there.

Choose a child and send him or her a cheery email or post card. That's all there is to it. This is a goal you can accomplish: Make a difference this year -- one smile at a time. Be in the 3% who will achieve success at keeping resolutions this year. And one of the smiles you create just might be your own!

Author Marsha Jordan is founder of the HUGS and HOPE charity for seriously ill and injured children. She is author of "Hugs, Hope, and Peanut Butter," inspirational reading illustrated by 40 sick kids.

What do You Want to Attract into Your Life?

Malcolm from Australia hit upon a wonderful new idea to empower your affirmations and goal settings. He calls it a Vision Statement.

In his own words:

Grab a few powerful images off the Internet and sling them into a slideshow with some brave captions saying what you want ...and then MAGIC HAPPENS. Play it back to yourself every day and pretty soon only two things will happen...YOU GET IT!  - or you find out what you REALLY want!!

In the video below - Malcolm will teach you how to create your own vision statement.  Try it and let us know what you think.

If you decide to create your own vision statement and wish to make it public - upload it to Youtube.com and feel free to share it in the comments section of this post.

Editor: Scott Adams, the creator of Dilbert is known for doing 'impossible' things. In this post on his blog he shares his story of how he's been able to achieve remarkable success in many areas of his life through his positive mindset....

In Over My Head

I was about 9-years old when I told my mother I planned to win an art contest that was advertised on the back of a cereal box. If my drawing of the famous geyser Old Faithful were judged one of the best, I’d win a prize. Mom tried to explain just how many people would enter a contest like that, presumably so I wouldn’t be disappointed when I didn’t win. I understood the odds, but I was sure I was going to win anyway, so I sketched my picture and sent it in.

I won a camera.

When I was 11 years old, I was certain I would find the Golden Egg at the annual Easter Egg Hunt in my town. Imagine a field full of hidden eggs, the area is covered with kids looking for those eggs, and only one egg is the golden one. Against all odds, I was sure I would be the one to find it.

Later that week, my picture was on the front page of our local paper. “Scott Adams Finds Golden Egg.”

It was about that same time when I first heard the word valedictorian. I was surprised to learn that there was an actual name for the best student in the graduating class. I decided to become one of those. How hard could it be?

In 1975 I graduated as valedictorian.

I recall one day in eighth grade science class when the teacher was giving the answers to some standardized tests we were taking for practice. I raised my hand and pointed out that his answer was wrong. I argued that he was misinterpreting the question. This didn’t seem likely to him, given that he was a professional science teacher and I was 14. But to humor me, he agreed to go back to the source and check.

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Here's a strategy I've found useful for learning dry and difficult material quickly. At various times, I've used it to build up my knowledge of subjects like economics, investing, writing and computer programming languages. Some people have been surprised at how fast I can learn these kinds of skills, but I think anyone can do it with the right plan. Of course, you can use this to teach yourself interesting things as well, but most people don't have any problem learning stuff that's fun.

Okay, here are the steps...

Step 1: Bombard yourself with information
Many people try to slowly and methodically digest difficult material. They underline things and re-read paragraphs ten times to try and understand. This approach might eventually work, but most people get fed up with it and give up before finishing. Our brains hate this way of learning.

Instead, try to get through the material as quickly as possible. Don't worry if you don't understand everything, just keep reading on. Push yourself to get the damn textbook finished, and don't worry too much about how much you take in.

Skip any exercises or quizzes and just keep ploughing through.

Some people can read an entire textbook in a couple of sittings, but not me. I like to digest 10-20 page chunks, then go and do something else for a while to give my brain a rest. If you do this three or four times a day, you can finish a 600 page textbook in about two weeks.

The only time I stop to go back is if there's some key concept that's being repeated a lot and I don't know what it means. Then, I might allow myself to read a key paragraph or two on that topic, but no more. Otherwise I just challenge myself to get through the book as quickly as possible.

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