Don’t just set goals this year, completely reinvent your life!

Don’t just set goals this year, completely reinvent your life!

Massively change your life for the better…and for more happiness!

With all the talk of New Year Resolutions and goal setting etc I thought it timely to remind you all of one of my philosophies…

…that too many people settle for "okayness". 

Now "okay" is better than really bad, but "okay" is not as good as it could be for most of us; because most of us settle for less than we could have…less happiness, less success, less health and wellbeing and so much more. 

So when I work with people to set goals, as I'll be doing (among other things) in Sydney on February 18 in a fun filled and life changing workshop (check it out HERE) I encourage them to THINK BIG!

And this is why I found the following article so interesting and hopefully, something you'll also find useful. It begins like this…

Blowing up your life by Michael Neill

Over the past week, my business manager and I talked and thought and dreamed (and drank a lot of caffeinated beverages) with one purpose in mind – to “blow up” my business and start again from scratch.  This is not because there was anything in particular wrong with Genius Catalyst – it’s had another “best year yet”  in the midst of difficult economic times, and I like to think we’ve made a positive difference in the world along the way.

It’s just that I could feel that we were in danger of continuing on an upward trajectory based on sheer momentum, without any of the inspired energy that fueled our initial ascent. And what goes up, when you take away what’s driving it up, will of course come down.

Years ago, I read a wonderful book called The Strategy of the Dolphin. While I don’t remember enough of it to know if the bulk of its business ideas have stood the test of time, the one I always remembered was a version of this simple diagram…

…and it continues like this…

The bell curve represents the typical rise and fall of a business, idea, or project that tries to continue to grow in a relatively straight line from where it started. The peak of the success of the idea is also the point at which its decline becomes assured. This “beginning of the end” stage of a thing’s evolution is coincidentally known as “jumping the shark”.

(The original reference is from the TV show Happy Days, a hugely popular 1970′s sitcom here in America. In an effort to cash in on the show’s popularity, the producers put together a three part special that culminated in Henry Winkler’s “The Fonz” jumping over a shark on water skis. I actually remember watching the “Jumping the Shark” episode as a child, and even I knew something had gone terribly, terribly wrong. 🙂

In order to avoid this otherwise inevitable decline, the trick is to deliberately embark on a new project or pathway before reaching the peak of the trajectory you are on. This allows you to go through some of the early “teething” stages of a new project while still being carried forward and supported by the ongoing success of the old one…

Now you can keep reading the full and original article HERE but more importantly I'd like you to think about your goals for 2012 and whether or not they're BIG AND BOLD enough!

Any thoughts? Post your comments and/or questions HERE on The Happiness Institute's Facebook Page because happiness is partly about achievement and accomplishment so blowing up your life and starting afresh with significant goals may well be an important part of your happy new year!