I would like you to answer this question: "In December of last year did you achieve all you set out to achieve in January of the same year?"

If you are like most people, the answer is probably "no."

Next question: "Did you set out to achieve anything last year?"

Aha! Now that's a more interesting question I think. Deciding at the start of a year that you want to achieve a certain result by the end of that year, is an example of our old friend goal-setting.

High-performance people set goals. Winners set goals. Losers never set goals. Why? Because it takes about 20 minutes of concentrated effort to write down your goals, and losers have far more important things to do than this. It interferes with valuable boozing time, for example. Such a task would take up nearly a whole episode of a soap opera. You could read a trash newspaper from cover to cover in this time.

But there is a more important reason why many people don't write goals. It is this. Writing goals commits you to action, otherwise there is little point in writing them.

Turning your dreams (goals) into reality will not happen automatically. It will require work and effort.

"Ohmygod!!! WORK, and EFFORT??? Forget it man! I'm not writing down anything on a piece of paper which will commit me to that!"

This is why people do not set goals (write down their dreams). They cannot bear to have that piece of paper leering at them in silent accusation as the months tick by.

But what is at stake here? Nothing less than undreamed of wealth, unlimited happiness, and a totally fulfilled life. Perhaps more importantly, you can meet your fear head on and live like a warrior, not a frightened rabbit.

The older I get the more I wonder what the hell we're all so afraid of. Like you, I travel the world and see or hear about real problems; murder, torture, death, disease and starvation. Then I return to this grey, stuffy country to witness intelligent and privileged people wasting their lives away down the pub or propped in front of the TV screen for (on average) four hours each night! Unbelievable!

And these people are also timid beyond belief. They are completely risk-averse and will run bleating to the authorities if the tiniest upset ruffles the calm waters of their uneventful lives. I am saying all this in the hope that it will make you shudder. None of it applies to you, of course.

Achieving great wealth and happiness starts with having a dream. Today's dreams are surely tomorrow's realities. So you blew it last year? You have a chance to redeem yourself this year - if you have the guts of course.

Got any fight left in you, or have you thrown in the towel long ago? Are you a shivering, frightened little mouse or a human being prepared to fight and win? Are you going to spend the rest of this year bleating and moaning about how you cannot succeed? Or are you going to do something about making your own success a reality?

Are you prepared to fight?

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