It’s that time of year—time for New Year’s resolutions.  I’m a very goal oriented person, and I believe in goal setting on a regular basis. If I fall short of the goal, it doesn’t prevent me from resetting that goal and trying again. Sometimes determination is the only thing that gets you to the finish line, and sometimes you must be determined to rededicate yourself in order to accomplish a long-term goal. Writing goals often fit into this category.

New Year’s resolutions are a special category of goals in my book, and I believe there’s success in numbers. The more resolutions I make, the more of them I’m likely to keep. More importantly, the act of making the list gives me a way to take stock of life in large and small ways.

One of my heroes is Zig Ziglar, who loves to quote J. C. Penny: “Give me a stock clerk with a goal and I’ll show you a man who will make history; give me a man without a goal and I’ll show you a stock clerk.” Let me say that a stock clerk is a worthy occupation, but you get the point. I take stock of  my goals most closely and most critically at this holiday hallmark.

With this onslaught of good intentions comes the ever-faithful vow to be more organized. A trip to Office Depot, my trusty kitchen timer, a box of garbage bags, and I’m ready to reinvent my office space, my closets, my bookshelves, my kitchen cabinets, my datebook, my paper flow, my time management philosophy, and my writing schedule. The list of what I want to reorganize beginning January 1^st is always endless.

Organizationally speaking, my primary mentor is my sister-in-law Dottie Arnoult, a successful real estate agent and million-dollar producer, who taught me invaluable life skills, a lot about mothering, a lot about initiating ideas and how to be my own boss in the ways that matter. Dottie coached me in starting my own business in the mid 80s. All those lessons I learned from Dottie have served me well as transferable skills in a host of subsequent enterprises. I won’t say I’ve always worked the Dottie Arnoult plan, but when I feel the need to get back to basics and get myself squared away, the first voice I hear is Dottie’s. The first steps I take are those steps Dottie taught me. She’s always with me in spirit when January 1 rolls around and intermittently throughout the year.

The second voice I hear is that of my friend Ginger B. Collins, writer, sailor, marketeer.  I met Ginger when she signed up for a writing class I taught at John C. Campbell Folk School several years ago, and we have been good buddies ever since. I’m in awe of her daily to-do list. I get tired just thinking about all she can accomplish in twenty-four hours, but it helps me reach higher and farther after I talk to Ginger. Her ambitious focus is contagious.

Most recently, Ginger–and my good friend Susan Greg Gilmore, author of Finding Salvation at the Dairy Queen–have pushed and shoved and cajoled me into the 21^st century by getting me motivated to start this blog, do more with my Web site, and initiate my voyage on the sea of social media.

One of the many things Dottie and Ginger have in common is a belief in writing down one’s goals. My goal-setting hero, Zig Ziglar—whom I will make an honorary girl for the purposes of this goal setting blog–says that a Harvard study proved one is much more likely to accomplish one’s goals if one take the time to write them down. Do you have your pen and paper? Then get busy!

Visit Ginger at her blog Off the Top of My Red Head at www.coppertopcollins.blogspot.com or visit her Web site at www.gingerbcollins.com.

Susan Greg Gilmore’s virtual home is www.susangregggilmore.com, where you’ll find a link to her blog and more info about Finding Salvation at the Dairy Queen, a SIBA book of the year nominee.

Suggestion: Watch these three U-Tube videos of Zig Ziglar talking about goal setting. He’s a southern storyteller as well as a business consultant; you can’t help but enjoy his coaching.

 “Zig Ziglar Setting Goals 1 of 3”: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ae-VJ_lauCw

“Zig Ziglar Setting Goals 2 of 3”: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kiQV0oTyd98&feature=related

“Zig Ziglar Setting Goals 3 of 3”: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=su2UuP3aqZg&feature=related

Exercise: After listening to Zig, make your list of New Year’s goals. Include some short-term, mid-range, and long-term goals. And make some goals connected to your writing aspirations. Everything Zig says applies to writing goals. If you’ve set some of these goals before and fallen short, don’t get discouraged. Get determined. Rededicate yourself to what’s most important. If you are a creative person, your creativity is important. Don’t let anyone tell you it isn’t!