5 Simple Steps to Follow To Achieve All Your Goals in 2014

Happy new year! Today, as we think about the year ahead, we have a suggestion: do not set New Year’s resolutions. So many of us resolve to change our habits as the ball drops on New Year’s Eve, but so many of us fail. So, skip that step altogether and instead set achievable goals. Here’s how to set yourself up for success in 2014:

1. Don’t rush.

Although January always signals a fresh start, as Lara Casey of Southern Weddings always points out, there’s nothing special about the first of the year. Instead, take time to sit down and decide what it is you truly want to accomplish. If you’re ready to start working towards your goals on New Year’s Day, great! But if you’re not set until March, that’s fine too.

2. Focus on tangibility.

Setting a goal to spend more time with your sweetheart is great, but it’s not clear enough. Instead, decide on a weekly date night that works with both of your schedules. Then, choose a time and activity. Also, in order to achieve a goal you will likely need to set boundaries in order to accomplish it. Saying no to one thing means making more progress toward your goal, which will likely leave you feeling better in the end.

3. Take action.

Taking the first steps toward accomplishing your goal is always the most daunting. But just as you would break down the elements of your wedding into more manageable steps, you should create steps for your other goals too. If you’re not a runner, you likely won’t be able to run a half marathon tomorrow. However, you can research and find a program to use to help you train, set aside days each week to run, and sign up for a 5K that’s a few months away. Taking small steps will reward you with bigger progress in the end.

4. Partner up!

Accountability is always needed! Encourage your beloved, sister, or best friend to set goals too. Then check in with and encourage each other. If you’ve set some of the same goals, work together to accomplish them. Also, talk to others who have already accomplished what you’re hoping to do. They’ll likely have tips and tricks they’re happy to share.

5. Keep going.

As the old saying goes: your goals don’t work unless you do. You will likely face bumps in the road and moments when you feel as though you’re not making progress. When this happens, remind yourself of all that you have done, refocus, and keep going.

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Dreaming

There use to be a time when our fantasies were just one in the same to us as reality. Happily ever afters were not just not trapped onto the pages of fairytales as ink, but were foretelling what we would one day experience. A fat man in red squeezing through a chimney to deliver a little something for us when we awoken was plausible. Oh, and that fairy that went under our pillows to exchange money for a tooth was not just a myth. Making a wish upon the first flickering light we witnessed up above in the sky after the city was covered in a blanket of darkness was something we believed in, just as there was truth in how the ‘Boogie Man’ stayed hidden at the bottom of your bed only to come out just when you were about to close your eyes while saying goodnight to the world.

Somewhere along the way of blowing candles on a cake year after year as Summer became Winter back to Summer again, we began to stop believing in the things we dreamed as reality seemed to settle in. As time sneaked from behind our backs to age us, our past day dreams becomes preposterous to us as we laugh moronically at the immaturity and naivety we once possessed. And eventually, we stop dreaming as we forbid the silliness of it, instead basing our life only off actuality. We begin lowering expectations of the greatness we can achieve and of finding happiness not contaminated with problems in fear of disappointment..for in real life, such dreams can not possibly come true, right? In the midst of learning how reality has heartbreak, war, failure and turmoil that words alone cannot describe…there are times when the flashback of our innocent youth strikes our minds, and we begin to miss the lives we use to live, where our dreams kept problems non- existent.

To some of us, it would be equal stupidity go back to times where we were dreaming of impossibilities for it would only lead to insanity. Interventions to go get help would occur if a grown person still believed in the jolly old man called Mr.Claus or was still scared of the monsters in their closet.

But the whole point of this is not to tell you have the same dreams you had as a kid, but that there is nothing wrong with dreaming as big as we did as a child. There’s a reason why a lot of us miss and treasure our childhood so much, because the world seemed that much easier…and I can’t help but think that it was so much easier because we didn’t let reality turn our world upside down. Dream to be anything you want to be. Dream to still have that happily ever after. Dream that everything will be alright when it doesn’t seem like it will be. All those dreams may not come true, but to have hope that they do fights back the tragedy that’s intermingled with reality….and sometimes, our dreams do come true. So keep on dreaming.

Author: Aadambautistaa

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HowTo Be Smart

While the media produces stories on beautiful and famous people with problems, sometimes it almost seems to be unpopular to be smart. Such an attitude will not fare you well in the real world. Cultivating your intelligence is one of the most important things you can do to ensure your happiness and financial success in life.

Steps

Set Goals

Set goals once a week. Ask yourself during each goal-setting session, how many of last week's goals did I achieve? Why didn't I accomplish some of my goals and what can I do to give myself a greater chance of success?

Be organized.

You don't need to be a total neat freak, but wasting time is not smart. Of course, there are many geniuses who are completely disorganized (think of the absent-minded professor) but if you're making an active effort to be smart, taking a conscious approach to how you spend your time is a big step in the right direction.

Aim to educate yourself.

Keep in mind an education isn't the junk you are forced to do in school for diplomas and degrees; it's an understanding of the world around you. People who are naturally curious for some reason begin to stop asking questions the moment they hit school. The truly brilliant mind however, always questions their world and tries to make sense of it. That is the secret to "genius". Try teaching yourself. You can even learn from your life experiences, sometimes called "unschooling".

Expand Your Horizons

1. Be open-minded and willing to learn new things. Just because you're great at one thing doesn't mean you have to stick to it! Find ways to step out of your comfort zone. This is where the learning happens.

2. Cultivate an interest in subjects like current events, interesting facts, funny and inspiring quotations, good books and movies, scientific studies and interesting inventions. Educational television is a great way to learn. Check out PBS or History channel.

People who have something to talk about other than their own internal problems and worries appear far more interesting and intelligent.

If you can read much faster than you can speak, it is much more efficient to read a book, or better yet a non-linear electronic document like a wiki than to watch a show for all but the most intellectually demanding or video-dependent learning. Commercial television is particularly bad because its ultimate purpose is to do just enough to keep you at the TV and its ads, not satisfy you so you can do something else.

Work on your vocabulary.

Use a few definitions from the dictionary each day, or subscribe to a "word-of-the-day" service on-line. You can also take the vocabulary tests in Readers Digest or buy a book on increasing your working vocabulary. Read the dictionary one letter at a time. This will take you at least a year but you will grow intellectually.

Read a variety of books.

Keep your reading diverse by reading books of all genres including non-fiction.

Exercise your mind.

1. Learn how to solve the Rubik's cube. It is easier than it appears if you learn tricks in visualizing the cube's geometry. Also do word and math puzzles.

2. Learn how to do mental sums or speed math. There are all sorts of tricks for doing complicated math in your head that will amaze others. Plus, it can potentially increase working memory.

Learn a new language.

Apart from being a linguistic exercise, it may bring you into contact with new people and ideas. You may feel less of a stranger when you visit a place and you know some of the language. Also, at some point you will realise that there are some phrases or concepts in other languages that have no direct translation in English! This can be a challenging and fun exercise for the mind. (Note, try to be patient and positive when studying a language as it may take time to reach the level you desire.)

Visit new places as much as you can.

If possible, try to visit other countries too. Visiting cities in your country or in a different one gives you a open mind and teaches you about the world we live in. You will be able to understand other cultures (how people live in a different place, how they behave with each other, how they live and so on).

You will also be able to understand that the planet earth is huge and there are so much to see and do. You will be fascinated on how there are so many different people and cultures in the world. That will make you smart and interesting.

Make connections.

Burying information somewhere deep in your brain is not useful; you have to be able to access it in real-world situations. Think of real-world situations in which a piece of information will make sense. Then share it and watch it grow!

Developing People Skills

1. Simplify. Talking about things that no one else can understand does not make you smart. Genius is the ability to translate the complex into the simple. Practice explaining concepts to others. See just how simple and clear you can make your explanations. If someone doesn't understand you, it is not their fault for being ignorant, it is your fault for being inarticulate.

2. Learn to listen carefully to others' opinions about controversial things, or things they know about and you do not. You do not have to agree with them but remember everybody has something to teach you. Asking questions may allow you to re-evaluate your own beliefs, or point out the flaws in theirs. Keep an open mind. The more intelligent you are the more questions you will ask of the people around you.

3. Be nice to people. Practicing kindness in the face of challenges is a sign of maturity, class and intelligence.

Tips

If someone asks you a question that you don't know the answer to, ask them to explain or to ask it in another way. Maybe they have not framed their question well, or they are being indirect; maybe they are not asking a question at all, but expressing another idea?

For example, "do these pants make me look fat" is not a 'real' question but a way to ask for reassurance. If you have determined that they really want an honest answer from you, and you don't know the answer, ask them why they want to know, or the context of their question.

Once you understand what they want to know, but you don't know the answer, be honest and say you do not know. There is more than one type of smart. There's book smart, street smart, people smart, emotional smart, technology smart, and many other types of intelligence.

Know the difference between being smart and being knowledgeable. Being smart is not the same as knowing a lot about the subject. Being smart means you understand problems and can think of ways to solve them. Being knowledgeable means you know a lot about one or more topics. Are you both smart and knowledgeable or just one? Meditation exercises the mind so you can concentrate properly.

Warnings

Don't let intelligence completely consume your life, remember that you have to enjoy life to the point of enjoying it as much as learning.

Know your limits, take a break every now and then to reassess yourself and manner of completely achieving your primary goal.

Don't become a know-it-all, do-it-all, or argumentative. It is obnoxious! It is better to be subtle, not obvious.

Don't just go online, research one fact, and wow people with it. Pick one topic to learn about instead.

Do not try to judge a group or community or anything with basic knowledge.

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Fairy Tales

Once upon a time, a lot of us grew up witnessing fairy tales unfold before our eyes through magical screens and through pages and pages tucked away in books. We grew up believing in and wanting our own happily ever afters. We dreamt of one day living the rest of their lives incredibly happy with someone who make our hearts skip a beat and makes us smile unlike no other person can. We believed that one day, the stories we’re a part of would turn in to our own fairy tales, and we would one day meet our Prince Charming or Cinderella.

Somewhere in life though, many of us grew up and became hesitant to believe in happily ever afters and one day we opened our eyes and realize those dreams we once had just faded away. And reality causes us to be cynical and scoff at how naive we once were to have dreamt for something that now seems like an impossibility. We let go of the concept of fairytales, for we let life defeat us in thinking it is not and will not ever be a fairy tale.

But tell me what’s wrong with dreaming for something amazing. What’s wrong with wanting to be like Cinderella and believing that love is not prejudiced no matter how much life brings your down and hopeless it seem. What’s wrong with wanting to be like Beast and believe that no matter how ugly you feel, the beauty inside you will shine through and love can prevail. Heck, what’s wrong with being Shrek and believing even when you feel like you’re not worth it and no one can love you, you can totally wrong and still be loved.

So just because you’re growing up, don’t let let your dreams fade and stop believing in fairy tales. Cause even though they are such a rarity and it seems like this world is too cruel to let such a thing come true, we should never stop dreaming to be happy. And one day, you’ll meet someone who will help you believe in fairy tales all over again and you will live happily ever after.

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The One

I’ve always liked the concept of how there is “the one” out there for everyone out there in the world. You know what I mean, I’m talking about the one person that you’re suppose to end up with and have your own personal happily ever after with.

But idea of finding “the one” becomes almost improbably if not impossible when you realize there are billions of people who walk on this world and there is no way to achieve the daunting feat of knowing them, let alone meeting them all. That and the combination of experience of rejections and heartbreaks after thinking you found “the one” only to be proved otherwise causes you to lose faith in the whole idea. The sense of hopelessness sometimes kicks in when you no longer know what you’re suppose to be searching for and don’t know if you would realize it that you finally found that special person you been looking for all your life.

And after getting hurt and hurt over and over again on journey to find the one, and putting stereotypical remarks such as “All guys are jerks and all they want to do is have sex” and “All girls are sluts and all they want to do is use guys” as time goes by, most of us become cynical of love, and stop believing in it all together. We stop our search for the one and begin settling for anyone even if they hurt you, because we lose faith there is someone better out there for you.

But we should never give up on love no matter how hard it is to obtain. Love shouldn’t be easy to find, in fact it probably should be one of the most difficult things to get. If love and finding the one was easy, everyone on this earth would probably take it for granted and it would not be as special as it is now. Those moments of heartbreaks and getting hurt should not force us to give up, but rather they should make you appreciate what you have once you find the one. And when you finally find the one and fall in love, you’ll finally understand why all the other relationships didn’t work out and make all those tears shed worth it. So never stop your search for “the one”.

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Top of The World

You don’t know it, but 

Sometimes, I go to a hill that overlooks the landscapes mask of city lights, for a sip of momentary grace.

On this brink of everything I know, I can gain an eye full of the lost Atlantis and the human soul and a breath that fills my lungs with the air between two stars.

If you are now to capture this image of this elation in the framework of your mind, or find transcendence through these words, then at most you would know nothing of the beauty your existence throws to me. For mine is a love no experience, no measure, no words could ever degrade into reality by virtue of degree.

-Shawn Hunter

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