In approximately 4 months, 2012 will be drawing near completion. It’s amazing how quickly time passes us by. In January, we make goals and new years resolutions. We say we will stop smoking, go on a diet, quit drinking, start new businesses, go back to school, start going to church and the list goes on. How are you doing with your 2012 goals? Have you accomplished any of them? We begin each year with good intentions, but our ability to see it through often falls short. This pattern happens every year. We start something, but we rarely see it to completion. Well, the good news is, as long as you have breath in your body, there’s still time to reach your goals.

Change doesn’t happen over night. You must have a plan of action in order to reach your goals. Today’s post will give you a few pointers in how to make the most of the last 4 months. You can go into BEAST MODE and accomplish some of your goals before years end, or you can take the next 4 months to put together an effective plan of action that will take effect starting January 1, 2013. Whatever you decide, here are some tips to help you get started.

1. Identify your objective.  What goal do you want to accomplish? If your goal is to become a chef and you have no expertise in the field, you may want to go back to school.
2. Identify the requirements. What do you need to know in order to become a chef? The creativity that you have whipped up in your kitchen at home is great when you are spending time with friends and family, however, when you are considering working in a restaurant or even opening your own restaurant, you need to have a lot more insight to your kitchen experience. Its time to identify the culinary schools which will prepare you for real world experience. Formalized education will give you the knowledge that you need to move forward towards your goals.                       a.  Cost. Nothing in life is free. How much will it cost you to receive the proper training to become a chef?  b.  Schedule. How long will it take you to reach your goals? Make a timeline that will give you an idea of when your objectives will be met.
3. Execution. Time to go to work! You know what you want to do, you have picked the school that you are interested in attending, you know how long it will take you to complete the task and how much money it will cost you. Now its time to submit the application and get accepted. Most schools are semester based. 4 months is enough time to submit your application and get accepted. In the meantime, maybe you should either do some volunteer work at a restaurant or obtain a part-time job at a restaurant to begin obtaining real world experience. Also, learn as much as you can in the beginning, that can only strengthen you knowledge, skills, and abilities once you are on your own.
4. Status Check. Your application has been submitted. You should have received a letter indicating that your application has been received and is being reviewed. If not, contact the school to check your status. How’s your independent research and experience gathering going? Have you been helping yourself in the meantime.
5. Mission Complete.  You have received your acceptance letter. It is now December and you are ready for school in the new year. Start strong and finish strong! GOOD LUCK!!

Although this was a hypothetical scenario of how you can prepare to reach your goals, it can happen. Whatever you want to achieve, there is still time left to accomplish it! If you know it is impossible to accomplish the goals this year, develop a strategy to ensure you are prepared in the new year. Nothing beats a failure but a try. Never give up! Even if you failed once, try again!

Have a MOTIVATED MONDAY!