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Resolutions....How To Keep Them
by: Chuck and Sue DeFiore
It's now February, have your resolutions already fallen by the wayside. Research shows that most resolutions don't last past the second week of January. Why? That's what this article is going to concentrate on, and how you can keep your resolutions on track. The most popular resolutions are to lose weight, stop smoking, eat better, get a better job, start my own business, spend more time with my spouse/kids, you can fill in the blank with your resolution. One of the main reasons resolutions aren't kept is that we make too many of them at once. So, the first step in keeping resolutions is to do them one at a time. Especially for weight and smoking cessation, it is important to take little steps before you get to the main goal. For example, for those of you trying to quit smoking, studies show that long term smokers (10 plus years) have a hard time quitting cold turkey. So, what I did, was to keep a book and I wrote down every time I had a cigarette. Then each day I tried to cut one out. Did I slip sometimes, yes, but eventually I got down to 5-6 a day, and then quit from there. The patches work once you get down to 5-6 a day. Tip: Cut them in half or quarters and they last longer. The same principles work for diet changes. Eat the foods you like but cut down on the portions and eventually put some healthier foods in your diet. The big thing in weight loss is to moderate what you eat. If you eat dessert every night, try cutting out one night a week for a month, then two, and so on. Eventually cut it down to a couple of times a week or eat low fat desserts. Walking is a great exercise. Try it before you go to work, or during lunch, or after dinner. As for spending more time with the family. Try to make Sunday a family day. Have a special family dinner night, movie night, game night. Pick things that everyone likes or take turns coming up with themes. You will all have to be flexible. Ladies, your husbands don't like going shopping, any more than you like their sport watching. Everybody will have to compromise. While people have all kinds of excuses for weight, smoking, diet, and spending time resolutions, they even have more when it comes to making a change in their profession. When we talk to folks about starting their own business they have all kinds of excuses why it won't work for them - they don't have the time, it's too much work, it doesn't work, they don't have the money, they don't think it will work for them. Well, with all of those excuses, of course, it isn't going to work. If you go into something not believing you will be able to succeed, guess what? You won't. Let's break down those excuses... Excuse 1 They don't have the time. Sure they do. They watch Television, play on the computer for hours each night, and for many hours over the weekend. Take a half hour each night or a couple hours over the weekend and you can start a business. Yes, in the beginning some of that time will be spent organizing yourself to get started, but once that is done you are ready to move forward. Excuse 2 ...It's too much work As stated earlier, once you set yourself up, 30 minutes of calling a couple nights or days per week to get a deal and possibly make $3500 to $5000 for under 10 hours, seems worth of work. Let's see that comes to $350 to $500 per hour. If you find this too much work, then stay with your day job for $10-$15 per hour. Excuse 3... It doesn't work Yes, it does, we are living proof, and so are the many other investors out there. Unfortunately we are too busy to try and convince people that don't have any motivation to do anything, to do so. If you wish to work a paycheck to paycheck job the rest of your life, so be it. However, those of us that have left that world will never go back because we like the control we have over our future, and yes, it does work, however, the secret is, YOU HAVE TO BE WILLING TO WORK AT IT. Business is not going to come to you out of the blue. You have to look for it, and people have to know that you are there. Excuse 4... I don't have the money Yes, this can be an obstacle. However, there is a lot of educational material out there that is not outrageously priced. Rather than printed material, look into electronic format. It is usually substantially less. Read up on the various strategies. We have an enormous amount of material on our website in articles and newsletters that provide a wealth of information. Check out books in your library or buy used books. Check out coaching programs. Yes, many are expensive. However, we offer our Partnering For Your Success Program for a very affordable initial fee, and then we partner in your success. If you don't succeed, neither do we. We put our money where are mouths are. Excuse 5 ...It won't work for me With an attitude like this one, nothing will. You have to be willing to work. Short of winning the lottery, nothing is just going to drop into your lap. Even real estate takes work. Just running ads and sending e-mails is not going to make you rich. You have to have something to offer to people. You need knowledge and know how in order for people to work with you. So, if one of your resolutions this year is to start your own successful business, take a look at our website and contact us. Remember, take your resolutions one at a time, and eventually you will succeed with them all. Copyright DeFiore Enterprises 2002 About the Author Chuck and Sue have been helping folks start successful home based businesses for over 17 years, and they can help you too! To see how, visit http://www.homebusinesssolutions.com for the latest FREE tips and tricks, educational products and coaching in creative real estate investing and home based businesses.

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