“Your present circumstances don’t determine where you can go; they merely determine where you start.”

–Nido Qubein

As the summer comes to an end and we embark on the last few months of the year, it is time to challenge ourselves and start something new.  Just as the kids prepare for the new school year, prepare yourself for a new task.  Is there a goal you wish to accomplish, a skill you would like to learn, or maybe just a good book you’ve been meaning to read?

Starting something new can be scary, especially if you have tried unsuccessfully in the past.  But from failure we can learn, and today is a new day.

• First, decide what it is that you want to accomplish.
• Second, set measureable goals for yourself, or mini-goals to help move you along.
• Third, make it realistic.  Many little successes over time reinforce your goals and set you up for success.
• Fourth, set a deadline, but make sure to provide yourself with a reasonable amount of time to accomplish the task.
• Last and more importantly, reward yourself!  Even if you haven’t succeeded, you set out to try something new and have probably learned some things along the way.

Starting now, what goals would you like to accomplish?