7 Essential Tips to Make 2008 Your Best Year Ever

The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams. - Eleanor Roosevelt

As I reflected on this past year, I realized that 2007 has been perhaps my best year ever. It’s funny, because that’s what I thought about 2006, but my years seem to be getting better and better.

And so I reflected on what made these past two years so great, and how I could leverage these successes for even further improvement. I’d like to share some things I’ve learned about the past two (very great) years, and how you might be able to use them to make this next year your greatest year yet.

Happy New Year! The Zen Habits January Challenge: Start Your Year Off Right

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit. - Aristotle

Happy New Year, my friends! I’m extremely excited about having another great year with you guys. I hope the New Year is going well for you and your families.

I’d like to give you a great tip to start your year off right: Join the Zen Habits January Challenge on the Zen Habits forums.

What is it?
The Zen Habits challenges are monthly challenges that have worked great for many Zen Habits readers in the past year. Basic concept: you commit yourself to sticking to a habit for one month. You log in to the Zen Habits forums as often as possible, and report your progress in the daily check-in thread. This accountability to your fellow challenge members is what makes the challenge work.

Resolutions for 2008? Shout Em Out Here

Although I love to create resolutions, I don’t think I’m going to create any for 2008. I’m just enjoying what I’m doing so much that I just want to keep doing it.

I guess that’s my resolution: keep doing what I love.

What about you guys? Are you making a resolution this year? Don’t believe in them?

Perhaps you might consider a Groundhog Day resolution.

Let us know in the comments: whether you’re doing resolutions for 2008, and if so, what they will be.

I’d love to hear them!

Must-Own Resource: How to Be a Rockstar Freelancer

It is this freedom to be your own boss, to select your projects and clients, and to have a different lifestyle. This is what draws so many people to a career in freelancing. - Introduction, How to Be a Rockstar Freelancer

Two of my favorite bloggers, Collis and Cyan Ta’eed, have come out with an awesome new e-book that is really a must-read and must-own resource for any aspiring freelancer or anybody who would like to realize the dream of working for himself: How to Be a Rockstar Freelancer.

I actually helped a bit with the editing of this, and as I was reading it, I thought, “My goodness, these guys have really covered everything!”

I mean, this is a complete resource for freelancers, new and old. If you’re an experienced freelancer, like I am, you’ll still find plenty in here you didn’t know. I did, and already it’s helped me improve the business side of my freelancing.

25 Killer Actions to Boost Your Self-Confidence

Once we believe in ourselves, we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight, or any experience that reveals the human spirit. - E.E. Cummings

One of the things that held me back from pursuing my dreams for many years was fear of failure … and the lack of self-confidence that I needed to overcome that fear.

It’s something we all face, to some degree, I think. The key question: how do you overcome that fear?

By working on your self-confidence and self-esteem. Without really thinking of it in those terms, that’s what I’ve been doing over the years, and that’s what helped me finally overcome my fears, and finally pursue my dreams.

The 10 Key Actions That Finally Got Me Out of Debt; or, Why Living Frugally is Only Part of the Solution

This month, I paid off the loans for both my vehicles! I am debt free!

After focusing on getting out of debt for so long (a few years now), becoming debt free is a wonderful and amazing feeling.

It wasn’t easy — my wife and children and I all made sacrifices. It took perseverance. It took some creativity.

And unlike the common misconception about getting out of debt, it took more than frugality.

Join the December Challenge, and a Zen Habits Facebook group!

This is a couple days late, so I apologize … but I’ve started the December Challenge forum in the Zen Habits forums. I encourage anyone looking to form a new habit in December to go there, join the ZH forums, and post your personal December Challenge!

How it works: The Zen Habits monthly challenges are a way to motivate yourself to form a new habit. I’ve personally found it a very effective way to form a new habit: challenge yourself to stick to a new habit every day for 30 days, and be accountable to a group of people in a forum. I’ve done it to quit smoking, start running, eat healthier, wake up earlier, form productive habits and more.

There is no required habit for the monthly challenges — you decide what your challenge will be, and announce it in the “post your challenge here” thread on the forum. Then, report back as often as you can (daily reporting is highly, highly recommended) and see if you can stick to that habit.