So you’ve set your goals for 2010… you know where you are headed… you know what you want to achieve and in the words of my mothers favourite band, The Proclaimers, you’re on your way “from misery to happiness today. AHA. AHA. AHA. AHA.”

NOT SO FAST.

Why? Because for you to get from where you are right now to where you want to be, you’ve gotta play by the rules.

Think about it: Do you think Lance Armstrong did an average amount of training to become the seven-time Tour De France Winner?

Of course not.

I watched Mundine win yet another boxing fight last night. While THE MAN is obviously exceptionally talented, you can bet dollars to donuts he has had to train very, very, very hard to get to the level he is at.

And it’s the same with any leading athlete… mother… father… salesperson… teacher… or entrepreneur.

There are no shortcuts.

And you cannot get from where you are to where you want to be by doing the least possible amount of work and gathering the least possible amount of knowledge.

That’s why I hate hand-out governments.

They try and hand out money like lollipops to keep everyone happy, but at the end of the day, Australia is a country with more opportunities than any other and if you really want to get ahead you can.

You can go to the library. You can work after hours. You can educate yourself. You can be pro-active and make a difference.

I know because I have seen dozens of people walk this path (including me) where they started out on minimum wage and now charge out more than many doctors and lawyers.

Did they work hard? Did they go the extra mile?

Yes. But there are plenty of people who work hard who don’t get where they want to be.

But the key to achieving true wealth is investing in yourself – and in particular in your own education.

That’s what the successful people I know all have in common: knowledge and action.

And the most important knowledge every business owner requires is the knowledge of how to get more customers – http://www.morecustomersmadeeasy.com

Remember, you can’t cheat the universe.

And if you try to bake a cake by adding the cheapest possible ingredients, baking it for less time than it requires or taking shortcuts like not adding butter, it will come out tasting like a dogs breakfast.

But if you do all the right things and invest in learning the recipe and following it, you’ll bake a beautiful, abundantly rich, tasty cake which will delight your senses and your taste buds.

I’m back – and what a great couple of weeks it was. I managed to spend heaps of time at the beach, spend time connecting with my wife and 3 year old toddler, spend 5 days as a tourist in Darling Harbour, and generally just having what I refer to as “recovery” time away from the normal work schedule.

And rather than check my emails as the first thing I did in the morning, I thought I would write one instead

Anyway, let’s start the first email of the year off by talking about goal setting.

But not in the way most people normally refer to the subject.

In fact, in an entirely different way.

I’m talking about setting goals the ‘upside down way’ by focusing on what you don’t want instead of what you do want.

Here’s what I mean.

Last year, I thought about this concept and I made a list in my head of
a few things I didn’t want anymore:

I didn’t like the fact I didn’t have enough space in my office, so I’ve rented out the office next door. (bring it on lunchroom, day-time sleeps, cups of tea, space to create video, etc).

I was sick and tired of dealing with people who didn’t appreciate & respect my time, so I decided to charge for initial consultations.

The result: greater productivity and better results for everyone because what I recommend is now more likely to be listened to and implemented.

I got sick of doing admin, so I started to create systems which allow ALL administration tasks to be dealt with by someone else so I could focus on the really important tasks (like making money & growing my business).

So let me ask you a question: what don’t you like? What annoys you to no end? What do you want to change in 2010?

It could be health related: you don’t have enough energy, you’re tired all the time, etc. If so, do something about it.

It could be that your staff don’t do what you ask them to do. If so, do something about it.

It could be that you hate making cold calls. Or that you’re sick of always wondering where the next customer is coming from.

Or that you’re sick of working so hard for less than you believe your time is worth. If so, get your hands on http://www.morecustomersmadeeasy.com and do something about it

Remember, 2010 will be exactly the same as 2009 unless you think different thoughts and take different actions.

Take action now and make it a year to remember.