Grant Baldwin’s Blog

Over the weekend, we bought a new van.  Well, not a new van but new to us.  (First of all, don’t judge me…I look cool driving it)

If you’ve ever purchased a vehicle before, you know it can be a little stressful.  In the back of our minds, I think we all wonder the same thing: “Is this person trying to screw me over?”  It’s like we like as soon as we sign the papers and drive off, all the lights on the dashboard will come on, the tires will automatically deflate, and a timer will start counting down saying the car is about to explode. 

But thankfully, our transaction was one of the least stressful experiences (side note…we found it on Craigslist…still one of my favorite sites).  Why?  Because the seller was honest.  Not just kind of honest, but over-the-top honest. 

He told me about every possible little thing that was wrong with the van (which wasn’t much thankfully).  Even little things that most people would leave out. 

“There’s a tiny scratch here.  There’s a little wear there.  This button doesn’t work.” 

You know what was weird though?  The more negative stuff he told me about the van, the more comfortable I felt.  Strange I know.

But it gave me reassurance that he was being straight up with me.  He wasn’t going to hide anything.  I knew that if we drove away and the bumper fell off, this guy didn’t know about it or he would have told me. 

It just reminded me how important honesty is in our society.  It’s one thing to be honest about all the good stuff but to volunteer to share the bad stuff too…that’s honesty. 

Keep that in mind next time you sell something…you interview for a job…you turn in a paper…your parents ask where you were last night.

Be honest.  It works.         

If you’re like most people, late on December 31st you came up with your mental list of a few “resolutions” you wanted to keep for 2010.  And if you’re like most people, now that we’re 11 days into the year, you’ve probably already thrown in the towel. 

Why do we do that?  Because resolutions don’t stick.  Goals do. 

One of my goals for this new year is to run a half-marathon.  I’m not some avid runner by any means, but I do want to stay in shape, so it seems like a solid goal to shoot for.  So here are 6 things I’ve done to help make this goal stick for 2010…

1. Write It Down – Don’t leave it floating around your brain.  You’ll forget it.  Get a piece a paper, write it down, and stick it someplace where you’ll see it everyday.  Your pillow, your mirror, that cute guy you stare at everyday (you’re stalking him anyway, you may as well accomplish a goal in the process!).  I typed out my goals for 2010 and have them printed out and on my desk.   
2. Make It Specific – Lose weight.  Earn more money.  Make better grades.  Those are all good goals, but how do you know if you’ve accomplished them?  For me, I could have set my goal as simply: run.  But I wanted to make it specific: run a half-marathon.  You should be able to tell if you accomplished the goal or not. 
3. Set A Deadline – Are you going to accomplish that goal this year or could you push yourself a little more and accomplish in the next 60 days?  The less time you give yourself to accomplish the goal, the more focused you’ll be on making it happen. 
4. Tell The World – By simply sharing my goal to run a half-marathon, I feel like I’m really committing to it.  Why?  Because I’d look like a loser if I don’t do it.  Tell your friends.  Tell your family.  Announce it on Facebook.  Let the world know you mean business. 
5. Make An Investment – Don’t waste money, but if you’re serious in accomplishing your goal, you’ll invest a few shekels in yourself.  For me, I registered and paid for my entry into a half-marathon in Chicago.  The best part: it’s non-refundable.  What is it for you?  Buy a book.  Buy a domain name.  Sign up for classes. 
6. Be Held Accountable – It’s one thing to tell the world, but take it a step further and have someone hold you accountable.  For me, I’m running the half-marathon with my brother-in-law.  We’ve both signed up so not only do we not want to disappoint ourselves, but we don’t want to let the other one down. 

What else can you do to make your 2010 goals stick?