1. This Months Thought
2. Make 2007 The Greatest Ever
3. Quotes of the Month
4. Strictly Business: You Gotta Make Some Noise!
5. Humor: The Old 'Hollywood Squares'

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The start of a new year is a wonderful time to take stock, adjust course and affirm your priorities, but it doesn't happen by accident. Take time to review. Take time to plan and develop your system. And get the support you'll need. You can make 2007 your best, most productive and rewarding year ever, but only if you arrange for success in advance. Do your homework! Make it happen!

It's hard to believe, but 2006 has come to an end. With Christmas and New Year's both having come on Monday, my sense is that most people, businesses and organizations really shut down for the holidays.

And that means that you can start this week on Tuesday by reviewing last year and planning the year ahead. I strongly urge you to take some time - at least an hour - to ask some good questions, jot some notes, and make your choices.

I learned long ago that This Months Through subscribers are not ordinary people. This Months Thought readers are more ambitious, more optimistic, better educated and definitely more "awake" than the average person. You take life seriously! You have goals and want life to work out well. You want to achieve some important things. Let's make it happen in 2007!

In my 4 years of coaching, I've developed a simple three-step process that I use with most of my clients every year. I think it makes a difference and I urge you to take the time to give it a try. Here we go:

1. First, REVIEW THE PAST. "Those who fail to learn from the past are doomed to repeat it."

The first step to changing the future is to acknowledge what already is. Ask good questions about 2006. What did you learn? What worked well? What would you like to repeat? What are you proud of? How did you grow, change or improve this year? How about your relationships, your career, your lifestyle? How about your income, your health and your hobbies? Ask good questions, and write down the answers.

2. Second, MAP THE FUTURE. I like the term "map" because this is not a dream, a fantasy or even just a goal. What exactly would you like to change in 2007? Do you want to increase your income? Lose weight? Improve some relationships, buy a new house or change jobs?

Mapping the future requires that you balance optimism and ambition with a conservative assessment of what's possible. Remember, reality never lies. It's unlikely that you can change everything or do everything in one year. What are the specifics you really want to change in 2007? Ask good questions; write down the answers.

3. Third, GET A SYSTEM. I'm a huge believer in plans and budgets and strategies. If you want to increase you income by 25%, you'll probably have to make more sales, work more hours or learn new skills. When (exactly) will you do this? If you want to lose ten pounds, you'll probably have to exercise more and eat less. Make a plan!

And get plenty of support. I've written about the power of having a “Board of Directors”. These are not paid staff but strong people you surround yourself with that help keep you focused in the direction you want to go. Also collect reminders, books, tools and equipment that automatically move you in the direction you want to go. If you want help determining if you have the people to maximize your "board" support, I recommend you purchase the book Vital Friends by Tom Rath. It outlines 8 vital rolls you need from people if you want to accellerate your personal growth and to reach all your goals.

Get a coach or work with a Mastermind group. Make sure your family, friends and colleagues know exactly what you want to achieve, and make sure they support you every step of the way.

The start of a new year is a wonderful time to take stock, adjust course and affirm your priorities, but it doesn't happen by accident. Take time to review. Take time to plan and develop your system. And get the support you'll need. You can make 2007 your best, most productive and rewarding year ever, but only if you arrange for success in advance. Do your homework! Make it happen!

If you are truly committed to making things better in 2007 get a personal coach. You'll get the support, the systems the resources and the accountability to make it happen! Contact me at: rodger@rodgerblaker.com

"If you can DREAM it, you can DO it." -- Walt Disney

"Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars." -- Les Brown

"Aerodynamically a bumblebee shouldn't be able to fly, but the bumblebee doesn't know that so it goes on flying anyway." -- Mary Kay Ash

"You don't get to choose how you're going to die, or when. You can only decide how you're going to live Now!" -- Joan Baez

Last month I read about two people who have become experts in marketing. One is a man who has attended all the "boot camps," read the books and taken seminars from the best marketing gurus around. The other is a woman who has created a personal library of marketing and business books that cost over $100,000 in the past ten years.

The main point the author of the article pointed out was that unfortunately, neither of these two people had applied what they know and consequently their businesses hadn't grown.

These are classic examples of "analysis paralysis." They studied their market and learned the techniques. They knew how to write sales letters and they knew the latest in online marketing techniques. They knew about using endorsements, about using graphics and colors, about "reversing risk" and identifying their target demographics.

What they didn't know is how to make noise.

They had not taken enough action! One business owner I know told me recently that her greatest fear is "making a mistake!" Like, get over it already!

If you're going to be in business, you're going to make mistakes. (I suspect that's true in life; I know it's true in business.)

The key to building your business is taking action. Of course it's good to know what you're doing. Sure, it's good to put the odds in your favor as much as you can. But in the end, you've got to take a chance and make some noise!

If you want your business to grow in 2007, think about what you'll do differently. What will you expand or contract? How much will you spend on advertising? What new products or services will you offer? Which ones will you cancel?

In the end, growing a business is about taking action. It's about making the best judgments you can, and then taking the plunge. What are you willing to risk trying that your competitors aren’t which will give you a competitive edge over the rest of the heard?

If you'd like help with this, consider hiring a business coach. Being an entrepreneur means the responsibility is on your shoulders and that can be a lonely thing, so build your team! Get help. Get advice, get support, get someone to (figuratively) "kick your butt" and get you into action. If you'd like to talk about it, drop me an email at: rodger@rodgerblaker.com

A long-time subscriber sent these to me and they made me laugh to my cheeks hurt – watch it now! Some are slightly "off color" but I didn't think they were beyond the scope of This Months Thought subscribers, so enjoy!

If you remember the original "Hollywood Squares" and its comics, this may bring tears to your eyes. These great questions and answers are from the days when "Hollywood Squares" game show responses were spontaneous and clever.

Q. Do female frogs croak?
A. Paul Lynde: If you hold their little heads under water long enough.

Q. If you're going to make a parachute jump, at least how high should you be?
A. Charley Weaver: Three days of steady drinking should do it.

Q. True or False: A pea can last as long as 5,000 years.
A. George Gobel: Boy, it sure seems that way sometimes.

Q. You've been having trouble going to sleep. Are you probably a man or a woman?
A. Don Knotts: That's what's been keeping me awake.

Q. Which of your five senses tends to diminish as you get older?
A. Charley Weaver: My sense of decency.

Q. What are: "Do It," "I Can Help," and "I Can't Get Enough"?
A. George Gobel: I don't know, but it's coming from the next apartment.

Q. As you grow older, do you tend to gesture more, or less, with your hands while talking?
A. Rose Marie: You ask me one more growing old question Peter, and I'll give you a gesture you'll never forget.

Q. Charley, you've just decided to grow strawberries. Are you going to get any during the first year?
A. Charley Weaver: Of course not.....I'm too busy growing strawberries.

Q. During a tornado, are you safer in the bedroom...or in the closet?
A. Rose Marie: Unfortunately, Peter, I'm always safe in the bedroom.

Q. According to Ann Landers, is their anything wrong with getting into the habit of kissing a lot of people?
A. Charley Weaver: It got me out of the army.

Q. Jackie Gleason recently revealed that he firmly believes in them and has actually seen them on at least two occasions. What are they?
A. Charley Weaver: His feet.

Q. According to Ann Landers, what are two things you should never do in bed?
A. Paul Lynde: Point....and Laugh

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Rodger Blaker works with executives, small business owners and professionals who want to grow in their business and create an extraordinary life!

For info on resources for your success, visit: http://www.rodgerblaker.com or call me at 214-485-2238.

Please forward this copy to your friends and colleagues! That's how I grow!