Reaching your goals Published March 23, 2012 By Lt. Col. Pam Woolley Commander, 45th Space Communications Squadron PATRICK AFB, Fla. -- How are your New Year's resolutions doing? Did you set goals for yourself? A funny question for the end of March? Maybe. Or maybe it is a great time to check your progress to ensure you are happy with your progress before 2012 slips away. Maybe your goal is to lose some weight? To keep all of your programs in compliance after all the work you did to get them fixed last fall? Or maybe you have taken on a new project/team? How motivated were you on Jan. 1 to accomplish these goals? How motivated will you be on March 30? According to Zig Ziegler, "People often say that motivation doesn't last. Well, neither does bathing - that's why we recommend it daily." Find a way to keep that motivation (and bathing) happening daily! Great free tips can be found as far away as a book store, or as close as your nearest internet connection. But what if you are really motivated, you have done everything all the books say - you have visualized it and set your action plan to get your new fit body, to maintain a completely compliant program, and/or lead your team/project to outstanding progress/results, but you just can't get the results you are looking for? Jim Rohn says, "Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going." But how do you build those habits? Peter Bregman suggests the problem isn't motivation, it's follow through. According to him, "Motivation is in the mind; follow through is in the practice. In fact, the solution to a motivation problem is the exact opposite of the solution to a follow through p oblem. The mind is essential to motivation. But with follow through, it's the mind that gets in the way." So, get motivated but make sure you work on your follow through as well as codify your progress into your habits. Stop letting your mind make excuses and talk you out of the great progress you know you are capable of achieving. In December 2012, it will be wonderful to look back and know you have accomplished your goals!