The New Year Is Here! Any Goals for 2015?

Summarizing today's post: Making a plan for 2015, a quick resource guide for you, & developing your photography skills.

graphic courtesy of flickr.com (artist info)

Today is the second day of 2015, hard to believe the new year is here! I hope you didn't make any "new year's resolutions" this year, but instead made a goal or two for yourself. Resolutions (95% of them anyway) dissolve by February. Goals are real. So don't jinx your plans by calling them by the wrong title.

What's the difference? A resolution is something made on a whim without much thought. It's just something you say. A goal is something you write down. Then make small, measurable steps towards achieving it. It's not a pie-in-the-sky dream, it's something that can really happen.

Don't know what to shoot for in the form of a goal?

Here's the quickest and easiest thing to get you started: Start reading something in an area that excites you. Search out resources that line up with your interests. Join online communities that talk about things you are interested in. You don't have to set the world on fire (as I said here), just start doing something a little different.

With that in mind, I wanted to give you a few links to some resources that you may find interesting. These are some of my personal favorites that I refer to constantly to help better my own life.

1. Joe McNally's blog, found here. One the best resources for developing your photography skills, written by a professional photographer.
2. David Hobby's blog, found here. One of the best sources of free information about off-camera lighting in photography.
3. Seth Godin's blog, found here. He is a marketing guru that gives practical advice on achieving your entrepreneurial dreams.
4. Michael Hyatt's website, found here. He talks about this very idea of developing goals for yourself, and also building a platform for you to speak from.
5. Dan Miller's "48 Days" website, found here. Huge inspiration on generating ideas and developing plans to better your professional life. He also offers a podcast as well.
6. Lastly, Dave Ramsey's website, found here. I can't leave him out. He has truly been a life changer for me in the way I view finances. He's a Godly man who gives practical instruction on how to get out of debt and win with money. He offers a multitude of free information via his radio show and podcast. 

I will stop with these six for right now, but there are many more I could list. My resource list go beyond the heading of photography, but I list them because they help me in other areas my everyday life. I thought you'd benefit, so I wanted to pass it along.

The important thing I want to get across to you is that you need to rely upon some good quality resources in order to help you achieve your goals in 2015. Don't try to do it alone. We all need help. Make a plan to do something this year.

I truly do wish you a happy new year. It's going to be a good year, I can feel it. Can't you?

Have a nice Friday and thanks for reading!

Brant

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