I've been told leaders are readers. It doesn't matter what you read. It just matters that you read. I've also never met a successful person that didn't appreciate reading. Successful people seek knowledge from books and as a result, I've made it a personal goal to read for the last couple of years. My goal in 2012 was to read one book per month. Below are the books I read to achieve that goal. Some were easy reads, some took weeks. Some books were for fun while others served a personal growth purpose.

1. If It Were Easy, They'd Call the Whole Damn Thing a Honeymoon - Jenna McCarthy
2. Extreme Focus - Pat Williams
3. Girls in White Dresses - Jennifer Close
4. The Long Run - Matt Long (Great inspirational read!)
5. 50 Shades of Grey - E. L. James (I had to see what all of the hype was about.)
6. 30 Things Every Woman Should Have and Know by the Time She's 30 - Editors at Glamour
7. 50 Shades Darker - E.L. James (I had to see what happened since the 1st book left you hanging!)
8. Leadership 101 - John Maxwell
9. Generation X - Jen Lancaster (She's my favorite laugh out loud author. Great read when you just want to be entertained. Start with her first book Bitter is the New Black.)
10. It's Not About the Pom-Poms - Laura Vikmanis (The former dance team captain in me couldn't resist.)
11. Eat and Run - Scott Jurek (Great read if you need some running motivation.)
12. The Happiness Project - Gretchen Rubin
13. Knowing Your Value: Women, Money and Getting What You're Worth - Mika Brezezinski

I am attempting to finish one more book. White Girl Problems by Babe Walter. I fully intended on reading another business book, but the selection at Target was limited. Guess I'll end the year on a funny note. I can always start 2013 with a more sophisticated read.

End of the Year

As the end of the year approaches I can't stop thinking about what my goals should be for 2013. I rush to think about what to accomplish next and I'm tempted to overlook what I accomplished this year. Our lives encourage us to move so quickly and to cross things off our lists so we can move onto the next.

This December, I encourage you to reflect on your 2012. Make note of all you accomplished in the year. You might be amazed at all you did or you might feel disappointed about what you did not do. Either way, you'll be better prepared to set your goals for 2013. The great thing about a new year is that you get a fresh start. Celebrate your achievements, learn from your mistakes and go into the new year ready to make it your best year yet.

New Year Achievement Mix

I've been teaching cycling classes in Los Angeles for over two years. I love being able to help people reach their fitness goals. One of my favorite classes is my New Year's goals setting class. Since fitness related resolutions/goals tend to be among the most popular this time of year, I wanted to share my achievement playlist. I hope this mix motivates you to do big things in 2012!

Beautiful Day - U2
Eye of the Tiger - Survivor
Its My Life (Techno Remix) - Bon Jovi
Winner ft. Justin Timberlake & T.I - Jamie Foxx
Dreaming (Libra Mix) - BT
Right Now - Van Halen
We're Gonna Win - Bryan Adams
Stronger - Kanye West
Gold - Antoine Clamaran
Dream On - Aerosmith
Heart Of A Champion - Nelly
I Made It - Kevin Rudolf ft. Birdman, Jay Sean, Lil Wayne
Victorious - DJ Tiësto
You Gotta Be - Des'ree
Don't Stop - Fleetwood Mac

Life By Design

We had friends over for Christmas Eve and one friend mentioned how glad he was that 2011 was coming to an end because it was such a tough year. I'm sure they are a lot of people that feel the same way. I, thankfully, feel very differently. I think 2011 was a fantastic year full of accomplishments, new challenges and great memories. I am a firm believer that living life by design rather than default can make all the difference.

What does life by design mean? It means being international about what you want and what you want to achieve. It involves setting goals, writing those goals down, knowing how to achieve those goals and tracking/reviewing your progress frequently. I'll admit I didn't accomplish all of my goals for 2011. I gave up on running a total of 1,200 miles this year when an injury knocked me out of the running (literally and figuratively). I did, however, cross off running Disney Marathon and setting a new PR, running a second marathon (something I had never done before), hitting mt intern recruiting target at work, reading 12 books and running a 5k with my husband (well I'm hopeful this one gets crossed off because the race is tonight). My goals are typed and hanging in my office. I also talked about them frequently with WIN BIG and other supportive people.

I'm making some changes to my 2012 life by design approach. I've already written my design statement and have started to build the habit of reading it every morning. (I had one in 2011 but failed to read it daily). I've also set my goals and limited them to 5. Easy to remember, track and they all have clear achievement deadlines.

Over the next week before we have the chance to start fresh and new, I challenge you to think about what would make 2012 a great year. Write it down, review it and maybe come out to a WIN BIG meeting to discuss. You'll be amazed at what you can do when you know where you are going and how to get there!

Thankful

It's the perfect time of the year to give thanks. Why does it take a special holiday to give thanks and appreciate what you have? Regardless of why we feel the need to give thanks, it is a reason to think back and reflect. 2011 has been an incredible year. I'm thankful for the goals I achieved, the things I learned and the people I met. Today, I am thankful for my new iPad thanks to a Black Friday deal. My hope is that posting updates will now be much easier. Be on the lookout for more frequent posts, motivating quotes and goal setting ideas.

Things Successful People Do

"Successful people habitually do the things unsuccessful people are unwilling to do!" 

In my opinion, there are several things successful people do. When I think about the successful people I have relationships with, interacted with or read about they have some things in common.

Successful people...

Have a vision, focus or clear set of goals - Successful people seem to be working towards something. They have a vision for where they want to go and they get others excited about that vision. Successful people set goals, write design statements and then review those goals and statements to track their progress.

Value growth - Successful people read a ton. Next time you are with a leader of an organization, ask him or her what he or she is currently reading. Successful people also pursue higher education, certifications in their designated fields and attend seminars to learn. We've all heard it before that knowledge is power.

Surround themselves with other successful people - Funny that this keeps coming up in my posts. The people you surround yourself with say a lot about who you are and where you are going. Surround yourself with like-minded people, people that are achieving things and on the track to success. Being around other successful people can be a source of inspiration for you to reach your own goals.  You can also learn from other successful people. Pay attention to the things they say, their mannerisms and how they act professionally. Find out how they got to where they are and where they are going.

I am sure there are other things that can be added to this list. What have you noticed successful people having in common?

Shaping the Person You Will Become

The other day at work I listened to our managing partner speak to our new training class. I did not want to attend this training session because of the numerous items on my to-do list. Yet, I put aside all of my tasks and projects to attend this session and as a result ended up learning something great. Our managing partner said there are two things that can impact the person you are five years from now.

1).  The things you read.

2). The people you surround yourself with.

How are you shaping the person you will become?