Want to make 2017 your best year yet? Of course you do. If you answered no to that question, you may be a masochist.

So how do you make 2017 your best year yet? You only have to do a few simple things and voila!

The first thing you have to do is believe it’s going to be your best year yet. The New England Patriots were able to overcome a 25 point deficit in the Super Bowl because they first believed they could come back. Faith is a very powerful thing; it can make the impossible possible.

The next thing you have to do is develop a winning mindset. I love this quote from Jay Wright, the head coach of Villanova basketball. He says, “What’s most important in life is not what happens to you today, it’s about waking up the next day and saying I have control over my attitude. I’m going to have a positive attitude today.” I love this definition of positive thinking. It’s the best definition I’ve heard so far: “Positive thinking is a mental and emotional attitude that focuses on the bright side of life and expects positive results. A positive person anticipates happiness, health and success, and believes he or she can overcome any obstacle and difficulty.”

You also need to focus. Here’s another quote I love from Dale Carnegie: About 90% of the things in our life are right. Make sure you don’t overlook the 90% that is right because you are focusing on the 10% that isn’t.” I think this is definitely one way to work smarter.

If you’re going to make 2017 your best year yet, you have to spend your time wisely…making you more productive. Change your focus this year. For instance, don’t focus on your goals. Don’t get me wrong, you should always set goals and do your best to achieve them, just don’t focus on them. Goals are just end results. What you should focus on is doing all the right things. If you do that, your goals will be met.

If you’re in sales, focus on making your calls, establishing rapport, getting your customers to like and trust you, have a genuine concern to help your customers success etc. etc. If you do all that, you’ll close your deals and your sales goals will be met. One more thing about goals. I believe business owners get burnt out because they are not seeing their “desired” results. Don’t set such lofty goals business owners. Instead, set smaller more attainable goals. Then when you reach those goals, you’ll feel really good and you’ll be motivated.

Since we just hit on motivation, let’s talk about the next step: be motivated. Here’s an awesome definition I found about motivation: “Effective motivation is a lifestyle. Motivated people live a lifestyle where they are motivated to achieve excellence in everything they do. Every task, every activity, every challenge is an opportunity to set a goal, to try something new and achieve it.

Being consistent is another step but if you look at a portion of the motivation definition, you’ll see how to be consistent…”achieve (or at least strive for) excellence in everything you do…every task, every activity and every challenge.” Don’t just do a good job or even a great job. Do things in such a way that your work is considered exceptional!

Another thing you need in order to have your best year yet, is to be passionate. Here is yet another awesome quote, which is actually my quote : “We should love our work, whatever our vocation. We should always strive to be the best and throw away the “can’t see it from my house” and “good enough for government work” attitude. Do everything to the very best of your ability so you can be proud of what you accomplish.

The last thing you need to be is committed. Being committed is feeling dedication and loyalty to a cause, activity or job; wholeheartedly dedicated. How committed have you been…50%, 75%?  Sometimes we get burnt out and just go through the motions, running on fumes. We’re no longer 100% committed like we were went we first started our new job, or opened our new business. Our zeal is gone and our expectancy level is gone or very low. Make the decision daily to be 100% committed. Trust me in this…you reap what you sow! Whatever you put into your job or business, you will reap a harvest. Sometimes it will be a 1 to 1 ratio, but sometimes you’ll reap a harvest that’s five fold, ten fold or even one hundred fold.

So in closing, if you believe and follow the action steps above, I know 2017 will be your best year yet. How could it not be?

Article source: www.mikebova.com

About the author: Mike Bova is an award-winning stand-up comedian and motivational speaker. He also owns and operates Bova Constructors general contracting business and the marketing firm Upstate Marketing Strategies. For more information on Mike, visit www.mikebova.com