Setting Goals for 2010, Starting NOW!

The process of setting goals helps you choose where you want to go in life, whether it be in health and fitness, success in business, winning a tournament, being a better friend or something more specific. It's yours and yours alone to decide what you want, and then to aggressively set a path how to get there. By knowing precisely what you want to achieve, you know where you have to concentrate your efforts. You'll also quickly spot the distractions that would otherwise lure you from your course.

More than this, properly-set goals can be incredibly motivating, and as you get into the habit of setting and achieving goals, you'll find that your self-confidence builds fast.

I seem to relapse into workaholism with every major MMA or Grappling event we host. My Team and I spend countless hours, missing family functions, losing sleep and pulling all-nighters for 4-5 weeks straight before a big show. How do I keep pushing forward? It's simple and it's no secret.

I set aggressive, yet attainable goals for myself at the beginning of each year and apply my Cimins-family style work ethic which is similar to a famous Chinese saying for work ethic, "No man who wakes up before dawn and works 365 days per year will fail to bring wealth and success to his family." What this proverb forgets to mention, without balance in your life, you could end up missing your family and enjoyment of your life. Work to Live, don't live to work, trust me, no amount of money or sacrifice of your soul or art of expression is worth accepting any less.

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Starting to Set Personal Goals:
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Goals are set on a number of different levels: First you create your "big picture" of what you want to do with your life, and decide what large-scale goals you want to achieve. Second, you break these down into the smaller and smaller targets that you must hit so that you reach your lifetime goals. Finally, once you have your plan, you start working to achieve it.

Don't sit back on that GREAT idea one more day, set goals, follow your heart, put it into action, and a tremendous learning experience is guaranteed. People are so quick to say, "Worst thing I can do is fail?", but it's flawed thinking...change your thought process to say, "The Best thing I can do, is try and LEARN." Remember, pass or fail was in school, this is life and as long as we pull ourselves up each time we fall and have loved ones around us, we're guaranteed success in the most important thing in the world: LIFE.

Once you have decided your first set of plans, keep the process going by reviewing and updating your to-do list on a daily basis. Periodically review the longer term plans, and modify them to reflect your changing priorities and experience.

MY CHALLENGE TO YOU, TO BE COMPLETED BEFORE DECEMBER 31ST, 2009:

1. Write down what major things you accomplished this year, both personally and professionally. Look it over and be proud (or extra focused) of what you did and or can accomplish.

2. Write down your goals, both professionally and personally for 2010.

3. TAKE ACTION - life is short, stop waiting around and watching your "great idea" show up on an infomercial like a SNUGGIE...everyone thinks they invented that..LOL.

EXAMPLE:

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My Accomplishments in 2009:
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1. Conceptualized, Branded, and produced "FightExpo", the first Mixed Martial Arts, Grappling and Extreme Sports cross-over expo in the history of the sport.

2. Became the First Grappling-only event in the History of Las Vegas to be hosted at a Vegas Casino (Texas Station Casino, Dec. 9th, 2009)

3. Partnered with the Ultimate Fighting Championship to Run the first UFC sponsored Grappling Tournament at UFC Fan Expo July 2009

4. Increased Gross Revenues by 20%

5. Hired a great hard working employee and rising star, RYAN in Aug. 2009

6. Launched the New Website of Grapplers Quest in BETA mode: http://NewGQ.com

7. Launched our Autism Fundraising Organization, Grappling Autism, Inc. - http://GrapplingAutism.org

8. Raised $5,000 for Autism with our First Team Walk in March 2009 in North Bergen, New Jersey

9. Supported and Sponsored several great organizations with Charity Fundraisers with OD's Roadies, one of my friend's mother's MS-Walk Teams

10. Expanded our apparel line from 3 t-shirts, to a full blown, nationally sold clothing line available in many martial arts supply stores and retail chains worldwide

11. Expanded our DVD line to 22-Titles with retailers ranging from Blockbuster Video, Best Buy, and every major dvd distributor in North America

12. Achieved 5,000 Fans on Facebook (http://GQFans.com)

13. Achieved 1,000,000+ Views on our YouTube Channel at: http://LiveGrappling.com in 5 months, averaging 200,000 views per month!

Keep your goals for yourself until you put them into motion. Even people that love you can squash your ingenuity with negative attitude, lack of confidence in themselves, or just bum you out...TAKE ACTION first and share your success stories later.

Last tip...Turn negative energy into positive energy and only take good vibes from the right people and throw away the trash that comes your way. I got rid of several bad people in my life in 2009 and my life started improving almost immediately. See you on the mat or ringside soon!

Sincerely,
Brian Cimins
CEO, Grapplers Quest

P.S. DREAM, VISUALIZE, PLAN, AND TAKE ACTION!

P.P.S. Much respect to Charles "Mask" Lewis, who's inspirational words during his short life will continue to inspire all of us to "SIMPLY BELIEVE" in ourselves every day.