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2011 is right around the corner, and if you haven’t already, it’s time to start planning! Here are a few tips that may help:

1. Write down your goals. Think about each area of your life (financial, spiritual, career, health, etc.), and write down a few goals for each one. Just be sure you don’t have too many because that may cause you to feel overwhelmed and decide to give up. Also, be very specific about your goal. So, for instance, if your goal is to lose weight, don’t just write I want to lose weight. Instead, write I want to lose 15 pounds by July.
2. Create an action plan to achieve your goals. Once you’ve written them down, you need to come up with a plan to achieve your goals. Using the above example, if you want to lose weight, ask yourself: What am I going to do to get to my ideal weight? Your plan could be to throw out all the junk food in your house, bring your lunch to work three days a week, and hire a personal trainer.
              If your goal is to start a business, your action plan could be write a business plan, create a website and marketing material, and work with a business coach.
3. Create a vision board. So, you’ve figured out what you want to achieve next year. Now, it’s time to visualize your goals coming true. One way to do this is through a vision board. To make one, you’ll need a poster or cork board, tape, glue or tacks and magazines (or other photos). As you flip through magazines, cut out images and words that resonate with you and/or things related to your goals. Some things I use are pictures of women I admire (like Kimora Lee Simmons and Oprah), words like ‘success,’ ‘inspire’ and ‘fabulous,’ and photos of women doing things I want to do more of such as exercising.
4. Affirm. After you’ve done the above, it’s a good idea to write some affirmations concerning your goals. Of course, at the beginning of the year, you feel super positive and optimistic, but sometimes, if things don’t go as planned or in the time frame you want, you may start to feel discouraged. This is where affirmations come in. So, if you start feeling discouraged (or you just need an extra push), read and/or write some affirmations. Some tips for writing them:

– Use present tense. Positive affirmations work better when stated this way. So, instead of saying, “My new business will be successful,” say, “My new business is successful.”
– Keep them positive. Instead of saying, “I don’t eat junk food anymore” (a negative affirmation), try “I eat healthier everyday,” or “I am motivated to eat healthier.” Affirmations work best when you actually feel yourself being joyful when saying them. Additionally, use words that have power.
– Make them short, and be as specific as possible. By keeping them short, your affirmations will be easier to say and to remember. And by being specific, you’ll get exactly what you want. So, if you want to make more money, affirm an exact amount, i.e., “I make $1500 through my business each month.”
– Repeat your affirmations often. Especially when you’re feeling down.
– Believe. Now, you don’t have to necessarily believe your affirmations initially, but as time goes on, you should definitely start believing what you’re saying sooner rather than later. The quicker you start believing you can have what you want, you will.

Do you have more tips to prepare for a successful new year? Share them below! : )