Have you ever received one of those holiday letters?  You know, the
kind that tells you everything that's happened in the person's life
during the past year, from births to deaths, the good, the bad, the
ugly, and everything in between. . . ?

A few years ago, as Donna sat down to write her New Year's
resolutions, you know, that list of things you think you should do
but for the most part never happen, she remembered those holiday
letters and decided to try something different.  If you're tired of
writing out your resolutions but still want to set some goals for
the coming year, try this:

Write the holiday letter you will be writing one year from today.

Date your letter December, 2010,
Begin your letter with:
Dear (your name)
What a great year this has been!  This year I . . .

In this letter you get to tell, in as much detail as you can, the
story of what will have happened to you by next December, 2010.

Place yourself in the future, looking back.  Report on all the
insights you acquired and milestones you attained throughout the
year as if they have already happened.  Write everything in the
past tense.  No "I hope, I intend, or I will."  Instead, you'll
write something like, “I had fun exploring new networking events
this year.  I served on a committee which led to establishing a
closer relationship with Sue.  Not only are we friends, but we do
business together, as well.”

Write about the person you will have become by next December.  What
are the attitudes, feelings, and worldview of that person who will
have done and become so much during the year.

Sometimes, when attempting an assignment like this, your inner
critic might get in the way and either stop you before you start or
keep you focused on what you should do in the coming year rather
than what you really want to do.

Here are some tips to get you going while keeping your critic at bay:

1. Get yourself in a great state – excited, playful, full of anticipation.

2. Set a timer for 5 minutes and start writing everything you want
to have done by this time next year.

3. Think about your personal, family, social, career, financial,
community & spiritual goals. 

4. Get as many words down as possible in the 5 minutes . 

5. Don't stop writing, keep the pen moving across the page.  Don't
censor. 

6. Write fast without stopping to consider, to edit, to rearrange,
or critique.

7. Plow through objections, mow down the inner voice that
criticizes your every word.

8. After the first 5 minutes are up, take another 5 minutes to make
any changes necessary for you to feel satisfied with your letter.

If this project sounds like a good idea, don't put it off.  Do it
now!  It only takes 10 minutes to capture your thoughts on paper
and set yourself up for success in the coming year. 

Once you’ve written your letter, you can either put it in a special
place where you can find it next December, or place it in a
self-addressed stamped envelope and ask someone to mail it to you a
year from now.  No matter what you do with it, just writing the
letter moves you that much closer to achieving your goals.

Wishing you a wonderful new year where you receive your heart’s
desire.