“A window of opportunity won't open itself.” - Dave Weinbaum

AMEN Dave! You do have to be conscious enough to open the window of opportunity when it shows up. How else are you going to get where you want to go this year? It would be a shame to be at the airport when you ship comes in. But believe it or not, most people miss fabulous opportunities everyday. Why? Because they don’t prepare for them. In other words, their mouth doesn’t match their actions.

If your intention is to truly shine and make 2009 your best year ever, the first order of business is to going to be to get really clear (crystal clear) about where you want to go  in your business/life this year. Then you have to have the right success strategies and the right mindset to take you there.

Here is the exercise that I use to open myself up to receive the opportunities that are waiting for me in the New Year.

You’ve heard me talk about my theme and my prosperity board that I design every year, well there are a few steps that I do that leads up to the finale.

1.Write down all your accomplishments from the past year. Sometimes we have a tendency to minimize our accomplishments if they are not big bang sort of things. Don’t do that. Take time to validate yourself. And while you’re at it, start an Accomplishments List for 2009. Every time you complete one of them, write it down or cross it off your list. Believe me, on the days that are not so good you will be glad you have this list to support you.

2.Make a list of everything that did not work in 2008. That’s right, you heard me. How are you going to make changes if you aren’t clear about what didn’t work?

3.Burn the list of things that just didn’t pan out in 2008.I know this sounds a little airy fairy, but trust me it works. Get a clay pot or fireproof bowl, go outside and burn that sucker. Don’t judge the list, don’t beat yourself up, just burn it. Believe me, this is cathartic.

4.Make a list of what did work in 2008.This is the list that you will take into the new year to guide you and build on. This is validation. When one thing doesn’t work, you tend to negate all the good strategies that did work for you.

5.Get crystal clear about what you want to create in 2009.This is where most entrepreneurs shoot themselves in the foot. If you don’t get crystal clear about your intentions and goals, you can’t get there. If you are having trouble figuring this out, then get support. Call a coach or mentor to work with you to show you how to do get clear, focused, and on track.

6.Write a Vision Statement or Heart’s Desireof what you truly want your life/business to look like one year from now. This is called a CMI - Clear Mental Image. If you can’t see it, feel it, you can’t get there. Read it every day. This is one of the most powerful exercises that I do for myself.

7.Make a Prosperity Board.This is very powerful and fun also because it brings your vision to life in pictures. Most of you saw mine last week. Here’s what you do. Get a sheet of poster board and gather up all your magazines, scissors and glue. Then start cutting and pasting pictures that represent what you want in your life this year. More importantly, how you want to feel this year? Post everything that matters to you on your bulletin board where you can see it every day, all day. It keeps me focused, on track, and brings a smile to my face.

8.TAKE ACTION! Nothing changes until you take action.You can’t keep doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. I have a quote on my bulletin board that keeps me focused that says,“Is what I’m working on right now, getting me closer to my goal? If not, stop doing it immediately.”

9.Believe in Yourself!Only accept thebest for yourself.Make your life and your business a priority in 2009!

Apply these 9 principles to your life in 2009 and watch your goals come true.