Changes are inevitable.  They’re a natural part of life.  We can either initiate many of the changes, or let them happen to us.  Or to put it more bluntly, either be the steamroller, or the pavement. 

Making positive changes require good planning & then taking action.  The former means think things through.  Define goals & objectives, them write a series of step to accomplish them.  Then it’s time to take action, hopefully without procrastination.  Like that old saying, “Journey of a thousand miles start with a single step.”

So start today, and identify the changes that you want in your own life.

After abandoning the habit almost a year ago, I am once again writing my goals each morning. The format consists of 10 things that I want to accomplish in my life, and 10 this year.  The two categories help me to better maintain both a long term, and a short term perspective.

It’s a valuable mental exercise that helps me stay focused if I ever become distracted by meaningless activities.  Earl Nightingale, a prominent expert on success & self-improvement once said that “Success is the progressive realization of a worthy goal."  There are a lot of things that I want to accomplish by design, instead of chance.   Guess I’d better hustle.

At the risk of sounding morbid and stating the obvious, all of us will die one day.  But assuming there’s no apocalyptical event that wipes out humanity, or more accurately its technology, then the digital records of ourselves will essentially last forever.

This has huge implications. In the past only a miniscule number of people gets remembered by history, while hundreds of billions lived, died, and were forgotten.

But in the future, people can form a much clearer and sharper impressions of us through our photos, videos, and writings.  Social networking sites such as Facebook makes this archive especially easy.  We slowly accumulate a digital record of our lives that will be here forever…  How will we be judged?  Tragically wasted, or full of life?  And are we recording our real selves, or merely a carefully crafted image presented to the outside world?

Pictures and videos are great for immortalizing our appearances & actions.  But what about our thoughts?  Unless we take the time to write them down.  No one will truly know who we really are. 

So start writing.  And imagine yourself as a recorder of history.  Because in a very real sense, you are.

Life is full of distractions that prevent us to do really meaningful things.  The distractions are usually entertaining, enjoyable and easy, whereas the meaningful things usually take a long stretch of uninterrupted time.  But the latter has the most impact on our future.  I made this observation about my own life, and realized that I needed to cut back on certain activities, such as playing games, watching movies, and dancing.  I will still do them occasionally to relax, but only after the more important things in my life are taken care of, such as family, relationships, and health. 

I will audit my time more frequently to ensure that I’m on track.

I’m not only referring to that activity in the bedroom.   But also in many other area of life, exercise builds endurance and energy.  It helps to get over the dreadful rut.  The hardest part is often the beginning.  Once you get into a flow, it’s much easier to get things done. 

The obvious effect is that you also get fit physically, become more attractive, and gain energy.  Surprisingly your mind becomes sharper too possibly with the increased blood circulation to the brain.  One Alzheimer study actually listed regular exercise as a top prevention method against becoming a mindless vegetable. 

One big reason people give against exercise is laziness and complacency.  For decades, I felt the same whenever it comes to jogging.  I know doing it regularly is good for me.  But somehow I just never kept at it regularly.  But last December I decided to be more consistent and begin to jog, a lot whole lot, but at least once a week.  So far I’m averaging about 20 miles per month.  I like to get it up to 30.  I’ve also found that once I get started, I really enjoy the feeling afterwards.  It’s like a drug that produces a natural high. 

So start exercising and start reaping the benefits!

The two are very much related.  Doing what you say you will do is probably one of the most crucial factors in  building trust.  An acquaintance has the opposite habit of committing to something, and then either not follow through, or cancel at the last minute.  I know people aren’t perfect, and don’t pass judgment based on an incidence.  But after a pattern developed, I knew that I couldn’t trust that person anymore. 

Sometimes people agree to commitments simply to avoid a conflict.  But eventually but following through, they destroy their own credibility.  So it’s better to say no upfront, and set the proper expectation.  It requires a bit of courage, but at least trust and reputation won’t be shattered down the road. 

I recently read an article about a novel approach that a middle school Principle took to deal with bullying.  After identifying them through student surveys, the Principle sat down with the bullies to talk about their problems at home that might be leading them to abuse others at school.  While I applaud his effort, I think the job is only half done.  What he should have also done is to teach those being bullied how to stand up to bullying, and not be punching bags.  That skill will be highly valuable throughout life, because bullies are inevitable.  In nature, and throughout human history, the strong tends to push around the weak.  The number 1 way to repel bullies is not to be weak, or at least appear that way. 

In the post How to Deal with Bullies at Work, GeekMBA360 took the high road in recommending to continue do the right things, and not let the bullies get under your skin.  It’s a classy approach.  I’d recommend it.  Additionally I suggest if someone gets in your face, you get right back in their face.  By building a tough reputation, you not only dissolve that particular case of bullying, but also deter future ones.  Just make sure you use this tactic only to respond, and not to provoke.  Otherwise, you might become a bully yourself.  

Fear can be paralyzing.  In the current uncertain economic environment, it’s very easy to be afraid.  The world seems to be ending.  And there appears to be no recovery in sight.  Everyday, more bad news about layoffs and the incredibly shrinking stock portfolio can be depressing.  But what can we really do about it?  Well on a grand national level, perhaps nothing.  But in our own lives, we can do a lot to adjust to the present and plan for the future. 

A very important thing to do is to get into the mental state that we’re in control of our own lives.  That is crucial to prompt us to take actions and improve our situation.  Support system from family and friends are also crucial as we battle against the big bad world.  Also try to think through worse case scenarios, and list what you can do now to prepare for them.  Whether it’s stocking up on canned food and emergency supplies, or buy some gold, by taking those actions, you lessen your fear, and build your confidence.

Winston Churchill once said, “If you’re in Hell, keep going.”  That dry humor is especially needed today.  Be a leader, and project confidence, instead of contribute to negativity.  Overcoming fear is crucial to take the necessary actions and succeed!

Assuming his account of the story is accurate, the survival of Football player Nick Schuyler in Gulf of Mexico is remarkable.  3 other men were  also in the boat, as they went on a fishing trip.  Around 5:30p on that fateful day, the group ran into trouble as their anchor caught the coral causing the boat to fill with water, and eventually capsize. 

All 4 men were able to secure life jackets, and held onto the boat.  And yet 48 hours later only 1 survived.  Why was that?  Obviously being in the chilling water clouded their judgments.  According to Mr. Schuyer, 1 man freaked out, and disappeared into the night.  Another became violent, and threw punches before finally diving into sea, and never to be seen.  The third man, and perhaps the most tragic having survived for almost two days, and was just hours from the rescue thought that he saw land, and decided to swim towards it, also was never seen again.

Apparently Mr. Schuyler had a reputation for toughness and self discipline.  He was also able to cling onto a mental thought of not having his mom attend his funeral.  In the end, he survived and endured, while the other men didn’t.  The lesson if any that can be drawn is to stay calm and level headed however difficult the situation.  I know, easier said then done. 

The other lesson seems to be not to venture far from the scene of the accident, especially if the chance of a search is high.  A couple of years ago, a family of 4 was stuck in a snowstorm on a remote road.  The husband decided to go for help while his wife and 2 children waited.  The man ended up travelling in circles before stumbling to hypothermia and froze to death.  His wife and kids were later rescued by helicopter.  Had he stayed put, he most likely would have survived. 

We should all have goals, something to strive towards.  Whether it’s building better relationships with our loved ones, or improve our health & finances.  Goals make life more meaningful.  Let’s face it.  Life goes by pretty fast.  Goals help us with priorities and better allocate our most precious resource, time… 

Why not set your goals today?  Take a few minutes and write 10 of the most important goals in your life.  Then be sure to review them often, preferably daily, to make sure they’re still relevant & up to date.  Goals can also act as milestones to help us figure out whether we’re on track.  Or to put it in a more bluntly, if we do something that helps us achieve our goals, then we’re behaving intelligently.  And if not, then stupidly.

Make sure it’s specific & measurable.  For example, “I want to make $100K in 2009” is a goal, whereas “I want to make more money” is a vague wish.  In that case, here’s a buck.  That’s more money.  So mission accomplished. and back to watching mindless TV on the couch? 

Sarcastic remarks aside, goals help us grow & hopefully become better people.  Goals provide us with a sense of direction & purpose.  So have some goals.  And start accomplishing!