As a young girl, my wife would read her mother’s home and garden magazines.  She would redraw floor plans displayed in those magazines and dream about someday being an architect.

To further her dream, she even wrote a high school term-paper on Thomas Jefferson’s home, Monticello.

Even though her path of life changed along the way, her dream still lived on.  And this past summer, she was able to check-off a dream-inspired “bucket-list” item as we traveled to see Monticello.

In my previous blog post{target=“_blank”} I suggested you pause and reflect and consider, “Where have I been? and “Where am I now?”

Effective, personal goal setting also requires us to start thinking and asking ourselves “Where am I going?”  What are my 2016 plans and goals? What do I dream to accomplish?

So dream big… bigger… even bigger – because it is your dream, and the dream you dream will define the life that you live!

Insight: One of the reasons people don’t achieve their dreams is that they desire to change their results without changing their thinking.

Since everything begins with a thought, …

“When you change what you think, you change what you do, and you change who you are!” – Bobby Albert

By the way, do you want to stimulate your thinking for the new year?  You can download my newly redesigned and popular, personal Goal Setting Workbook FREE by “clicking here”. This workbook gives you an easy way to set your goals for the coming year.

Every person can** live their dreams in 2016 by applying the following six principles to transform** their thinking.**

Abundance Mindset vs. Scarcity Mindset

People with an abundance mindset believe that today’s short-term pain, sacrifice, and investment in time, energy, and money, will eventually bring long-term growth, blessings and success.

Successful people with an abundance mindset see their resources as sufficient (plentiful). They know more resources will come and more will be created.

People with a scarcity mindset find it hard to invest resources because they feel so deficient. They always feel (in an expedient way) that their commodities are about to run out.

Consequently, people with a scarcity mindset tend to be protective of what they have and what they know. Their mindset encourages them to be selfish with their time, talent and money.

Best-selling author, John Maxwell, talks about the gap between two significant questions:

• Can I? – A question by those who have a scarcity mindset.

• How can I? – A question by those who have an abundance mindset.

Commitment vs. Interests

In order to make this a banner year, you need to understand the difference between interests and commitment.

“There is a difference between interests and commitment. When you are interested in doing something, you only do it when it is convenient. When you are committed to something, you accept no excuses, only results.”   – Ken Blanchard

Lack of decisiveness has caused more failures than lack of intelligence or ability.

You need to have a mental no-choice list. For example, if you never give yourself the option to eat dessert, you’ll never have the struggle.

“To-Be” list as well as “To-Do” list

As you prepare your 2016 goals, plan to live your life with a “to-be” list as well as “to-do” list.

Who you are becoming is so important…It will drive what you do.

“Who you are becoming is more important than what you are accumulating.” – Robin Sharma

Ask “Why” as well as “What”

It generally requires a person to ask questions to figure out what’s really important and what isn’t.

“Successful people ask better questions, and as a result, they get better answers.” – Anthony Robbins

Asking and understanding “Why is this important to me?” will give you the emotional and motivational energy to keep moving forward when you struggle in the middle of a 2016 goal.

Insight: You will lose your way when you lose your why.

“Others” Focused as well as “Me” Focused

Often our plans and goals are very “me-focused”. Could I suggest you add an element where you have an “add-value to others” focus? Think about how you can impact and influence others.

Consider doing something for or giving to someone without expecting anything in return.

“You can’t live a perfect day until you do something for someone who will never be able to repay you.” – John Wooden

Healthy Fears vs. Unhealthy Fears

Healthy fears, like a health scare that stirs you to positive lifestyle choices now, produce good results.

Unhealthy fears, like comparing yourself to others or worried about what others will think of you, will cause you to freeze and not progress forward.

Unhealthy thinking reminds you of all of those past failed attempts and often sounds like “woulda”, “coulda” and “shoulda”.

Think about it, the new year is a time for new beginnings!

As you can see, the way we think can be just the ticket we need to achieve our goals in 2016!

A goal is more than a dream; it’s a dream being acted upon. –David Schwartz

Want an easy way to get started on your goals for 2016? Simply download my personal Goal Setting Workbook!  Get yours FREE by <clicking here>.

Could you share how you have changed the way you think about setting your goals?  Click <here> to share your thoughts. Also, please feel free to share this blog post with family, friends, or co-workers.