"Be patient with yourself. Self-growth is tender; it's holy ground. There is no greater investment." - Stephen Covey

The first month is almost over and it got me wondering how many people have taken action to make this year their best year yet.  Living your best year is screamed at us from magazine covers, in movies and on television shows.  When asked ‘who wants to live their best year in 2010?’ All hands go up.  We all mean it at the time, our hearts of full of good intentions at the time, we mean to keep our promise to ourselves at the time.  So what happens?

Life, priorities, that’s what happens.  I mean when you can’t even keep a promise to yourself there’s a bigger problem going on.

I am a professional speaker and a trainer.  That’s what I do.  Knowing how the brain works, I offer resources at the back of the room that help attendees continue to learn and grow long after the program ends.  Often the person purchases the product and that's it.

Shelf Help

There is a term in my industry calls “shelf help.”  It refers to people who are attracted to personal development and invest in themselves during the program.  After the program is over and they return to their jobs and their life, their personal development is pushed off the priority list and they never get around to reading or listening to the material. 

The product sits on the shelf and collects dust.  That’s why we call is Shelf Help.

What to do?

If that happens to you, here are a few tips you can use to fix the problem:

1.     If the product is an audio program, begin listening to it in the car immediately after leaving the program.  Then the next time you are on your computer drag and drop the tracks onto your iPod, Zune or other .mp3 player.  Now you can listen to it anywhere.  Why you can even listen to it while in the supermarket instead of the cheesy music they usually play.

2.    If the product is a book, begin reading it the day you purchase it.  Remember you don’t have to read the entire book in one sitting, you can promise yourself to read five pages a day.  Double sided, that’s ten pages and in ten days you will have read 100 pages.  This number can be even higher as the topic pulls you in and grabs you.

3.    If the product is a DVD, pop it in instead of a Netflix or Blockbuster video.  You’ve seen the commercials of the family around the TV, why not pop in a personal development DVD that everyone can learn from and then discuss it?  Many of the DVDs are very compelling and you might learn more about your children during the discussion of the content.

The Result?

Using these techniques you will find it easy to learn and grow from the materials you purchase for personal development.  You will even find as I always do, that each time you listen to the audio or watch the DVD you notice and learn something you missed last time.  Shelf help then is something others do while you use the tools to live your best life.

It's a new year and a clean slate for your career, your personal life, your business, and your dreams.  So the question is: What do your 2010 dreams look like?

2010 The Beginning

It starts with setting expectations for yourself, followed by taking action on the steps needed to bring your dreams to fruition.  Each new year is a fresh start, but after the balloons deflate, you dispose of the party hats, and the hangover subsides, there's work to do. 

What are your goals?  You can choose to focus on only one area of your life to make execution simple.  You can decide to work on one goal for each area of your life, and attract the people you need to help you bring it to fruition. 

Whatever you decide, (and it's totally up to you) here are three steps to help in your success. 

Use the P.E.P. formula of Possibilities, Expectations, and Persistence.

Step One - Possibilities

Review the Goals you have set.  Those are your 2010 possibilitites. You will need to review them with a "Plan, Do, Review" mindset as that helps you determine what you need in order to achieve your goals, and creates a measurement tool to track progress.  They say "a dream without a plan is only a wish" and "if wishes were horses, beggers would ride" so you need to create a plan which you will execute to ensure your possibilities become your reality.   You will need to arouse and guide your subconscious mind to use its creative power to attract to you the people and support structure you need. 

You have to "ink it to link it" in your brain.  This means you must write it down not simply think about it.  The very act of writing it down creates it in your subconscious mind much like quantum physics.  Writing it down awakens your subconscious mind to be on the alert when oppoprtunity crosses your path.  It sets the law of attraction in motion.

Step Two - Expectations

What expectations have you set for yourself?  The goals help you to define your expectations.  This includes balance for each area of you life - professional, financial, physical, family, spiritual, and lifestyle. 

Alan Dundes said "Future orientation is combined with a notion and expectation of progress, and nothing is impossible."  

Orison Swett Marden said "We advance on our journey only when we face our goal, when we are confident and believe we are going to win out." 

As you set your expectation, you begin that journey to achievement of your destiny in 2010 with high hopes. 

Pope John XXIII said "Consult not your fears but your hopes and your dreams.  Think not about your frustrations, but about your unfilled potential.  Concern yourself not with what you have tried and failed in, but with what it is still possible for you to do."

A key component to success in 2010 is to put your goals into action.  By doing so, you ignite your creative power and fine tune your subconscious attraction magnet to draw ideas, resources, and circumstances that align with your possibilities, to accelerate creation.

Step Three - Persistence

Louis Pasteur said "Let me tell you the secret that has led me to my goal.  My strength lies in my tenacity."  The same is true for you.  Without tenacity many give up often when they are closest to their goal. 

Thomas Huxley said "Patience and tenacity are worth more than twice their weight of cleverness." 

Chin-Ning Chu said "To succeed in life in today's world, you must have the will and tenacity to finish the job."

Plan to finish the job no matter what it takes.  Focus on your 2010 goals and work consistently to bring them to fruition.  A great program that can help you achieve your 2010 goals is at this link: Http://budurl.com/singlepayment - Receive three complimentary special reports valued at $250 immediately when you register.