Here is my latest article, entitled "No More Resolutions." which deals with New Year's Resolutions and how to ensure that you achieve them in 2007! Let me know what you think in the comments, and please feel free to distribute the article (unchanged) wherever you'd like!

It never fails. Every year around this time, you and I begin to consider our “New Year’sResolutions� for the coming new year. Usually the list includes 2 to 5 “goals� that we set for ourselves, encompassing all subjects from health to money.

Consider the “New Year’s Resolutions� that you made for this past year. In 2005, the promises you made to yourself for 2006 were probably very similar to your current resolutions for 2007.

Maybe it was “lose weight�. Or perhaps you wanted to “make a little extra money this year�. It could have been a resolution to get more organized. Whatever your 2006 Resolutions were, I would be willing to bet that your 2007 Resolutions are pretty darn similar!

Am I right?

It doesn’t have to be that way. Hope is not lost in attaining your goals for 2007. Next year at this time, you could be looking back with the knowledge that you kept your word. It is possible.

“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over, but expecting different results.�

With that quote in mind, I want you to consider how many “New Year’s Resolutions� you’ve had in your life. It was probably too many to remember. Or even worse, you’ve had the same resolutions for years now, but never seemed to keep those promises to yourself.

Maybe it’s beginning to hit you. New Year’s Resolutions – for most people – just don’t work.

It could be because everyone seems to have (and break) New Year’s Resolutions year in and year out. Or maybe there’s a desire in all of us to improve ourselves, but not enough of a desire to force us to change what we don’t like about ourselves.

Regardless, it is important to realize that you do not need to have New Year’s Resolutions. In fact, you should NOT have any New Year’s Resolutions. You need to think of your “goals� for 2007 in a whole different light.

There is a way to ensure that your goals for the New Year become reality.

Of course, it’s not easy. But nothing worthwhile really is.

When you “resolve� to make a change, it is a promise to yourself. When we make promises, we usually tend to keep them. That is, unless the promise is to ourselves! Why does this happen?

Because a promise to another person places trust on the line. If I make a promise to my fiancé, and then break it, I will feel devastated because I let her down. Promises to ourselves do not work that way (for most people).

If we promise ourselves to lose weight, but break that promise, the only person we hurt is – you got it – ourselves. And subconsciously, we can handle that disappointment. After all, nobody else got hurt, and we can try again later! This is why New Year’s Resolutions don’t work. They are simply promises to ourselves, which have no “emotional weight� put into them. Sure, we may be disappointed if we fail…but we can handle the disappointment.

Therefore, it’s important to look at our goals from a different angle.

Instead of “resolving� to do something, you have to convince yourself that you need to do something.

For example: You need to do something about your weight. There’s no choice. For every pound overweight, you’re adding risk to your health. You are literally shortening your life with every pound of extra “padding� that you’re packing on. You need to understand that. I mean REALLY understand it. Your life is shorter than it could be, if you only reached that goal of losing weight!

Another example: You need to do something about your money situation. There’s nothing quite like struggling from paycheck to paycheck. It’s possibly the worst feeling in the world, stretched out over an entire working lifetime. You’re literally killing yourself through stress with every year that passes and you’re still in the same financial shape as you were the year before. It’s not just me saying it…this is FACT.

Now, you could be reading this (if you’ve made it this far without writing me off), thinking, “This is nothing that I haven’t heard before.� “It’s all so much easier said than done�.

That’s why I told you it would be hard: Because the answer to life’s struggles and problems lies within life itself. Life is incredibly hard. No matter what, you’re going to have to work at life. It doesn’t just come easily.

If you agree with that statement (that life is hard), then you need to realize: if you’re going to work hard at life anyway, then why not work hard toward a goal?

If you cannot convince yourself – and I mean that in the strongest sense of the phrase – that you need to change, you will ultimately fail.

Sure, you may find some short-term benefits if you stick to your “normal� New Year’s Resolutions. But before long, those resolutions – once they are met – will no longer mean anything. You’ll find that it is difficult to keep your eye on the prize, when the prize has already been won!

That is why it is so important to convince yourself that you need to change. You don’t have a choice anymore. In order to make it to 2008, you need to get healthy, lessen your financial burdens, and become an all-around better person. It is all possible, if it comes from a position of urgency rather than a promise.

The alternative? Next year: same old resolutions, same old shortcomings. You know what it’s like…you’ve done it all before!

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Brett Laffin is the owner/editor of Money2BMade.com. What can a college student teach YOU about making money online? Come find out at my money-making blog, full of internet marketing advice, motivational writing, free products, and so much more!

Now that the New Year is upon us, our television screens are filled with people talking about their “New Year’s Resolutions”. I’m sure that you’ve considered the things that you’d like to change about yourself in 2007. I know I have!

But maybe it’s not about that. Maybe you’re only setting yourself up for defeat, making these New Year Resolutions…

Actually, I’m currently writing a short report (which I will be offering for download soon) about that very topic. It will include my personal opinions and predictions about what will be “hot” in internet marketing and internet business in general in the coming year. Plus, it will help you to prepare for the new year in the best possible way. So keep an eye out for that within the next few days…

In the meantime, it’s interesting to read this new Marist/NBC Poll, which deals with New Years Resolutions. Read it for yourself right here (PDF). But here’s a quick summary…see how it compares to your personal list:

Overall Most Popular New Year’s Resolution: Lose weight.
Most Popular New Year’s Resolution (Men): Be a better person.
Most Popular New Year’s Resolution (Women): Lose weight.
Percentage of Americans Who Are Likely to Make a Resolution: 44%

Again, keep an eye out for that new report I’m writing. It will help you to make more money in 2007, as well as to help you optimize your life for the new year!

When I saw the first commercial for the new movie “Rocky Balboa”, my first thought was “…Anything for a buck, these days…” I couldn’t understand why another Rocky movie was necessary. I really thought 5 was enough.

Then I started hearing some reviews coming in…people were actually praising the movie. They said that the movie was actually worth seeing. I was shocked. But for the heck of it, I did a Google search and located some of the movie trailers.

I’ll be there on opening night.

The reviewers are right…it actually looks like Stallone was able to revive the character of Rocky without “selling out”. It actually looks like the movie will be worth the money…at least based on the trailers!

The first trailer I saw was the one that got me most excited to go see the movie. It’s just a “teaser” trailer, but it contains a monologue by Balboa that is one of the greatest moments I’ve heard in a movie in a VERY long time. Take a look at this trailer, and just try not to be inspired.

…And I’ll let you know how I liked the movie once I see it.

I know this commercial is old…it’s been out for a while now, and I’m sure you’ve seen it. But I honestly love this commercial, and feel that it is a beautiful example of what we - as human beings - can truly accomplish. If you still have not seen it, take 30 seconds to watch it!

What we (humans) bring to the proverbial “table” is something that no machine - no automated process - can provide. It is the PEOPLE behind a business that make it succeed, or cause it to fail.You need to understand: you are an incredible work of God & Nature. At a basic level, you are “programmed to succeed”. The Human Element is present in everything you do…but you have to understand how to direct your “human touch”. Only then will you be able to fully realize your potential, and realize any goal you set for yourself. I will be writing more about this topic in the near future, so stay tuned!

I was on one of my favorite forums today and came across this post. It got me thinking.

If there is anything that can discourage success, it’s failure. That is; when “success” is measured by an unrealistic goal or endpoint, it is doomed from the outset.

So many people fall into the trap of thinking they will “get rich” in business. But what exactly does rich mean to them?? Is “rich” a certain amount of money? Or is it a feeling of financial security? Whatever your goal means to you, you have to make sure that it is attainable.

Think of it this way: If you were to set out with a new website venture with a goal of making $1000 a day through that site, you are setting yourself up for failure before the site even launches.

Sure, there are MANY people who make MORE than $1000/day on their websites, but they didn’t go from ZERO to $1000! You know the term: “baby steps”.

You need to set out with a goal in mind that you KNOW is achievable. For example, it wouldn’t be unrealistic to have a goal of one sale by the end of the month. Hey…you may find that you make 50 sales by the end of the month! Consider your goal “achieved”.

NOW…grow your goals. Shoot for 60 sales by the end of the next month. Soon, your “original” goal of $1000 per day may be achieved. But maybe it never will. The point is…if you let your goals grow, there’s no limit to what you can achieve. If you start out with unrealistic goals, you’ll be encouraging your own failure.

Just take that into consideration if you’re feeling discouraged about making money online. Don’t focus on your aspirations…focus on a small, achievable goal. That’s how you build success.

First of all, you’ll have to forgive me, because I don’t have all the peoples’ names correct in this story, but I think you’ll find the main idea worth paying attention to.

I happened to be watching TV the other night, and landed on a story about the history of…Dominos Pizza. It was actually pretty interesting, which I think says a lot about the shows on TV these days.

But I digress. The show began to discuss the different breakthroughs that Dominos Pizza was responsible for over the years, such as the infamous - but now defunct - “30 Minute Guarantee”, and even the development of the “HeatWave” Bag. You know. That big pizza bag that keeps your pizza warm while it’s being delivered to your door.

Well, it turns out that an independent inventor is responsible for this infamous pizza bag. A woman (and this is where the name escapes me) created the bag and sold the idea to Dominos.

I think it would be safe to assume that this woman received very nice compensation for her invention…and probably still receives payments from the company to this day.
Now…take this story and apply it to YOUR world. Can you make money by helping OTHER businesses out? If you’ve ever been afraid to start your own business, but always wanted to find a way to make some $$$ on your own, then this might be a great avenue for you!

You don’t have to be an inventor to take advantage of this idea. I know of one man who makes very nice money by simply delivering meals to customers from Outback Steakhouse. They order the food, he picks it up and delivers it to them for a nominal fee. 10 orders a night and he’s made himself $100+!

Think about it…look at business from all angles. Maybe there is where you’ll find your success.

When you really think about it, there is an obvious reason that EVERYONE in the world is not wealthy. In fact, it’s the same reason that it is impossible for everyone in the world to become wealthy.

Politics, governments, and foreign policies aside, there is only one reason that most people will never reach their goals: It’s just too hard.

Maybe you’re one of those people. Consider it. Do you find yourself putting off the hardest things in your life? I certainly am guilty of this at times.

Need more proof? Why are so many Americans overweight? There’s one very simple answer to this as well! I hate to disappoint everyone, but there is no complex answer here, either. It’s because exercise, dieting, and eating healthy is all hard work. Because we’re all looking for the “magic pill� that will make us thin, we don’t want to put the effort into losing the weight. Same goes for making money online!
In today’s “if it feels good, do it� society, and “instant gratification� mentality we’ve all come to adapt, hard work is an immediate turn-off. In fact, it is the reason that most people live their lives without reaching their potential. Does any of this sound familiar? I did to me, once I realized that I was making this same mistake.

You need to approach internet business just as you would as any other business. Even if you’ve only spent $100 to setup your internet business, approach it as if you’d spent $10,000. The effort you put behind your venture will effect its outcome 10 times out of 10.

…And if you do nothing else, be sure to understand: internet business will take effort. It’s not as easy as advertised. I promise. But a little effort - and a solid attitude - will take you a loooooong way in this field.

In the words of the great late President Kennedy, don’t choose to make money online “…because [it is] easy, but because [it is] hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of [your] energies and skills, because that challenge is one that [you] are willing to accept, one [you] are unwilling to postpone, and one which [you] intend to win.�

This attitude will make you succeed. You won’t allow yourself not to!