1. Focus on vision and accelerate your progress - Establish a powerful picture of your preferred future as you want it to be in three years. Use this vision as a guideline for all 1998 decisions, plans, communications and actions. Progress is a result of a creative relationship between the present-day you and the future you. To achieve an extraordinary preferred future, something has to change. You can�t just keep doing what you�ve been doing and expect anything other than what you�ve been getting. Performance guided by a crystal-clear vision leads to extraordinary breakthroughs.

2. Focus on free time and turbocharge your productivity - Free time isn�t a reward for working hard, it�s a necessary prerequisite for optimum productivity. We need free time away from the business to rejuvenate ourselves. Proactively allowing for rest, relaxation and rejuvenation, regularly and frequently, leads to increased creativity and productivity. The more free time we take, the more creativity and productivity we will experience. In order to make breakthroughs in income, productivity and creativity, it is necessary to significantly increase the amount of free time away from the business.

3. Focus on cleanups and feel your energy soar - We all have messes in our lives. Messes are situations of disorder, conflict and incompletion that cause you to be distracted, lose energy, break concentration and reduce confidence. Messes can include finances, relationships, physical well-being, agreements and legal contracts. Each time you clean up a mess, you increase concentration, confidence and energy. For 1998, target a mess a month.

4. Focus on delegation and increase your income - Business owners and professionals won�t delegate because they "can�t find anyone who can do the job as well as they can". With today�s vast electronic networks, we now have the ability to link up with the best people in the world. Some may be contractors for you, some could be employees, some might be strategic alliances. Stop trying to do everything.

Superb results come not from a single individual, but rather from teams of individuals, all working within their own distinct areas of expertise toward a shared goal or vision. You�ve heard of the 80-20 rule -- 80% of your meaningful results come from only 20% of your activities. Each time you delegate some of your less productive activities, you multiply your effectiveness.... and your income.

5. Focus on new capabilities and boost your confidence - A capability is anything new that gives you increased ability to accomplish your goals. New capabilities can include: skilled people, use of technology, new skills and knowledge, new products and services, and new systems and methods. Whenever you feel frustrated by the complexity of your business, it means that you�ve gone as far as you can go with current capabilities. It�s time to develop new capabilities. Target eight for 1998.

6. Focus on value and deepen relationships - Your economic opportunities lie in other people�s future. You will succeed in your enterprise to the extent that you help other people to exceed in their lives. Ask every person you encounter what they want to have accomplished three years from now. Focus your entrepreneurial efforts on assisting others in achieving their goals. By adding value to their preferred future, you not only deepen your relationship, you also create huge opportunities for yourself.

7. Focus on your strengths and delegate weaknesses - Conventional wisdom says we should work on improving our weaknesses. This is a terrible waste of time, talent and opportunity. Highly successful entrepreneurs, as well as top scientists, artists, athletes and entertainers throughout history have achieved greatness by focusing on their areas of strength. Everybody has a natural aptitude in certain areas. No matter how hard you try, it is unlikely you will ever be more than average in areas where you do not have an aptitude.

Continuously working on your weaknesses undermines your self esteem since you will focus mostly on your deficiencies. On the other hand, developing your natural talents is self rewarding and motivating, allowing you to continually realize higher and higher levels of ability, achievement and success. This year, experience the immense satisfaction that comes with being superb at something.

8. Focus on habits and forget about discipline - Everyone is already completely disciplined... to their existing set of habits. We have work habits, relationship habits, health habits, and so on. Each of us has a full set of habits which regulate most of our behavior. Progress in life is not a result of more discipline, but rather of developing goal-directed habits. Are your habits working for you, or against you? As you know, it takes about 21 days of daily repetition to establish a new habit. Generally, you can develop only one habit at a time. Over the course of 1998, you can establish seventeen new, productive habits, thereby producing extraordinary results.

9. Focus on your attitude and improve your altitude - Our behavior, our decisions, our actions and our results are based on our beliefs and attitudes. When we feel strong, confident, knowledgeable and competent, we will act that way. If we feel tired, depressed, incapable or weak, our behavior mirrors our feelings. How do we change the way we feel? By changing the way we talk to ourselves, we can manage our feelings and therefore our behavior.
Most people verbally beat themselves up all throughout the day. When things go awry or we make a mistake, we criticize ourselves terribly. Let�s remember that mistakes are the fuel of creativity. If we�re not making mistakes, we�re not doing anything worthwhile. Just say to yourself "OK, it happened. Now, how do we deal with it and avoid this next time?"

10. Focus on quality of life, and enjoy a life worth living - Researchers have said that only 4% of people enjoy both their their work and their personal life. Make 1998 the year that you create balance in your life. Use your skills in goal setting and your persistence in achievement to develop a higher quality of life. Set and pursue goals in each of the value centers of your life: family life, physical well-being, your spiritual journey, intellectual growth, social involvement, and, of course, your financial health. By developing balance in your life, you will increase your energy, motivation, and your sense of satisfaction. In other words, your happiness. Most people are as happy as they choose to be.

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