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How Can 1/1 Be So Powerful?

How Can 1/1 Be So Powerful?

I am fascinated by the power date of January 1st of any year. What is it about this one date that has so much power of promise over us? It is the one date used most often to set our goals for the New Year. The promises we make to ourselves to lose weight, get into shape, stop smoking, save money or do our dream job.  It represents hope of a new beginning. A feeling of I can’t fail this year or can I? Can 1/1 be so powerful?  Let’s take a look.

Let’s start with one of the most popular New Years goals, weight loss. According to a survey by Franklin Covey, 40% of people who set this New Year’s Resolution break it before the end of January. An astounding 33% stated they were never committed to keeping the goal in the first place. I would bet it is even higher, because most people won’t admit that. Goals are so important in our lives directions. Yet the majority of Americans just sail around like a ship without a rudder. Complaining about how bad their life has become, as if they have absolutely no control, which is very sad.

When my children were young, we had a large Disney movie collection on VHS, yes I’m old. My daughter would fixate on one movie for weeks at a time without changing videos. I recall coming home from the office when she was on the Alice in Wonderland kick. It seemed whenever I walked in the movie was at the same part until I could recite the dialog with her.  The part was when Alice came upon the Cheshire Cat.  Young Alice found herself at the fork in the road and she asked the Cheshire Cat which way she should go. The Cat replied “where are you going?” Alice replied “I don’t know” which the Cat replied “then either road will do.” I believe most people are in that same mode of thinking. Without goals, either road will do. But how do you know if you have succeeded, if you don’t have a destination? This is why goals are so important.

I find goal oriented people are much happier. They complain and blame less. They certainly are more successful than those wondering their way through life. We always hit what we are aiming for. Napoleon Hill once stated we get what we think about most of the time. Goals help direct ones thoughts to accomplish anything in life they want to accomplish.

My hope is that everyone will set an achievable goal that makes them stretch and stay with it throughout this year. May you exceed all of your goals and dreams. Happy Prosperous New Year!!!

If you don’t know where you are going, you’ll end up someplace else.”–Yogi Berra

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Tim Wilhoit is owner/principal of Your Friend 4 Life Insurance Agency in Nashville, TN. He is a family man, father of 3, entrepreneur, insurance agent, life insurance broker, salesman, sales trainer, recruiter, public speaker, blogger and team leader with over 25 years of experience in sales and marketing in the insurance and beverage industries.

16 Responses to How Can 1/1 Be So Powerful?

  • Goals are wonderful. But I think that one of the biggest reasons people do not plan and try to follow through is accountability. If they have a mark to be measurd aginst they get nervous to perform, but if the have no mark to attain then any thing is ok.

    With out being proactive and making goals we agents founder and do not do what we should. I am looking forward to a great year. I have sit down and map out where I want to work, what to accomplish, and have sit attainable high goals to push me and make me more of a go getter this year.

    While the rest of America is sitting around complaining about the other party, the “cliff”, or the whatever I am not going to participate. I am going to make a differance because I know that only I can controll what I think and do. I can and am going to be a voice of hope and prospareity so that my clients will know that they and they alone will be the only ones to care enough about themselves to put money into the cookie jar to have a retirement and to avoid estate problems, critical illness, or whatever else is throwed at them this year or in the future.

  • Thank you Jason well said.

  • he reason I think this date has the power that it does is, the day it is, no I am not trying to be deep, but as you said Tim it is the start of a new year, we all have a clean slate. The other thing people do on this date or the days before is look at their life over the last year, and they see some things they like and some they do not. This is why people set goals, to change those things they do not like. I was told by a person I admire that; “A goal is a dream, unless you write it down”, I do think this is true, if we do not write the goal down, or tell someone else, it is too easy to not have that goal at the end of January. The other way to keep our goal is to have measuring points, weight is a good example,You can say I want to loose 60 pounds in 2013, that is 5 pounds a month, so by the end of anuary do we celbrate that we did loose 5 pounds or do we look at Febuary and say I need to loose 10 pounds, or do we say it was a goal that can not be reached and go for the ice cream. A goal needs to be measurable and attainable, so yes set the bar high, but not to high you give up. May be in June you have lost 40 pounds and can adjust your goal and say I am going to loose 80 pounds in2013. As I said the slate is clean on January first, make goals, write them down, of the things we want to change, but also look at the good from 2012, and make goals of how to improve or repeat the good.
    I want to wish all a very healthy and prosperous New Year!!!!

  • Robert, I totally agree with everything. I appreciate your feedback and I wish you a very happy, healthy and prosperous New Year!

  • We made it to another year, with leaps and bounds, ups and down, leaving old challenges behind and starting anew. We hope and strive for the better of every thing in our lives and our surroundings. Remember life is only life as we have it and it is as good as we make it, I feel the days that we live are not promised to us much more a new year 2013. So we need to make the best of it and continue to move forward doing what we do best, helping others. Good health to all in 2013.

  • Gail, very well said. I appreciate you sharing with us. Happy 2013 to you as well. Let’s make the best of it!

  • Tim this was so light on the humor side yet so thought provoking…..causing us to really think about our real goals for the year. Thanks for all you do!

  • Janice, thank you so much for your kind words. Happy 2013!

  • Many look at the beginning of a New Year and the New Year in itself. as a time for a fresh start where new expected goals and dreams should happen (Accountability). It is hope that all that has happened in the past year, will remain there especially, if there were no good fortunes. I personally feel that the powerfulness of 1/1/ of any new year, lies within each individual’ s mind, how it is perceived.

  • Very well said Gail. Happy New Year!

  • January First is the key to a successful year. But my first step in making sure it is maximized is to step back one day. December 31st is my day of reflection. To make January First the most impactful I can, I need to take all the choices and decisions I made, all the actions I took, all the results I achieved and use the power of hindsight to learn from them. I can then take this insight and apply it going forward. That’s what can make January First so powerful. I can compare what I set up to achieve last January First with what I actually did by December 31st. This can be incredibly effective if you’ll just be honest with yourself. Celebrate the victories and learn from where you fell short.

  • Lynn, that is a great and productive way to finish and start a new year. This is why you are so successful!

  • Tim, I appreciate your beautiful comments. Hoping to continue to read your great posts throughout this year.

  • Good point! Goals should be achievable but you can still dream a little.

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