What is important is to make our day to day living the path that leads to our dreams. To go some where you must first decide where it is you would like to go. Once that is decided, you can now decide how you want to get there and how fast it needs to happen. Know that there will be challenges along the way, things you forgot to consider, road closures and distractions from your destination.

How you deal with these “disconnections” will be determined by your resolve, your commitment to your destination and plan of action. Most of us are driven by the need to just survive each day. But let’s say you really want to be more in control of your life and where you are headed.

Here are 3 steps to help you:

1. Take a look at where you are now. You can’t decide where to go until you determine where you are now. Let’s say you are a club player rated 3.5.
2. How long have you been there? Are you recently bumped to that level or have you been that level player for the past 4 years.
3. Where do you want to be? Your goal is to become a 4.5 player.

Once you have determined where you are on the map and where you want to go you can begin to determine your course for getting there. How long you have been where you are will be the motivation for moving to the new destination.

Here are 3 questions that will help in deciding what your path might be:

1. Potential, do you have the athletic or supreme resolve to get where you want to be?
2. Resources, do you have the financial, professional, friend or family support to help make this happen? Do you have the necessary network?
3. Time, do you have the time to begin the journey full time or do you need to do it part time for a period of time?

Now that you have taken inventory of these questions, let’s see what will help keep you on your path on a daily, weekly and monthly basis.

Here are 7 factors to consider:

1. Motivation, what is your true motivation for your decision? Is it fame, money, pride, or sense of achievement?
2. Improved skills, is there a plan on how you will develop the improved skills necessary to continue your journey?
3. Support system, do you have a network of people that you can confide in, ask questions, and want to see you succeed in difficult times?
4. Recognize nay-sayers, do you know how to avoid situations and people who will try to discourage you along the way? There are many who do not want you to pass them on your way and many who cannot see what you see.
5. Create a winning environment, create a visual on the wall of others who have succeeded, read motivational biographies, talk to “can do” people and tell others of your plan so they can help you keep your commitment.
6. Create a reward system, just like you have to plan rest stops on your trip, take time to reward your self for progress made.
7. Re-evaluate and recommit, take time to look how far you have come, rest and go again with renewed energy.

The achievement of your goal will be a journey with many unexpected interruptions, challenges, achievements and surprises along the way. Should you reach your goal, you may find it was the journey that was as satisfying as the achievement of you destination.

The important part of a resolution is the process of evaluation, the commitment to make a change and the courage to make it happen.

My tennis resolutions for 2009 are 3:

1. Play tennis 3 times a week
2. Have a conditioning plan for strength, flexibility and speed
3. Keep a journal of my tennis journey to help my awareness of my journey and to be able to reflect upon my experiences

What are your tennis resolutions for 2009?

Happy New Year to you, may 2009 be the year you do!

Photo Credits: 1

• A Moment of Hope – A Moment in Time /caption]With the difficult economic times and stress in the United States at this time, Americans, ever the hopeful, were ready for good news. They were eager to be a part of a celebration that times were changing. America had elected a new president – an African-American president and a new......
• Ken DeHart Presents “Strategy and Tactics of Tennis” at Missouri Valley USPTA USPTA Master Professional, Ken DeHart was the kick-off speaker at the 2009 Missouri Valley USPTA Conference at the Homestead Country Club in Kansas City, Missouri. Ken presented a 4 hour continuing education course on Strategy and Tactics to more than 80 tennis teaching professionals and high school coaches attending......
• SJSRC Annual Wooden Racquet Tennis Social /caption]Each year, around the 4th of July and Wimbledon, SJSRC Director of Tennis Ken DeHart goes into his storage and pulls out a selection of wooden tennis racquets from his collection of over 2,000 old tennis racquets, gathers up some interesting books on the history of tennis, orders some white......
• Hit for Haiti - A Hit - Almost [/caption] Friday night is date night for Karen and I.  Kameron is spending the night with his friend Jordon. I had gotten home first from the club and started to string 1 of the 4 racquets for the night.  I turned on the TV and went to the Tennis Channel......
• Racquet Mail: How to Change Grips Quickly at the Net [/caption] Racquet Mail: Now on the 2 tip you mentioned to change to bh grip with the hand holding the frame of the racket and that it is a mistake to change grip with the hand holding the grip. Why is that? I saw you pulling your shoulders upwards in......

• Jacobson Wins First Title at the Travelers Championship The end of the Travelers Championship might have seemed like a great present for Frederick Jacobson, but it seems that the real winner was his daughter. The one shot victory was promised to his 5 year-old daughter before he started out. He told her that he would be holding up......
• How to Eat Right When No One Else Will For many dieters, the biggest problem they face isn’t necessarily their own lifestyle change, but rather the fact that the people around them refuse to go along with the idea. It can be nearly impossible to focus on eating the right way when you eat out or are sitting across......
• 4 Tips for Starting Off a Coin Collection For many, the hardest part of a hobby is actually getting that hobby started. This couldn’t be more true than it is for those who are looking to start a coin collection. With thousands of different coins available to collect, it can be hard to understand where to start or......
• How To Avoid Mistakes While Starting An Online Business ? It is a common fact that beginners are tend to make more mistakes. Yes, that too applicable for those who are willing to start their own online business. Generally, the mistakes that beginners make may cause diversified side effects or direct effects on their business. What brings to hap those......
• Repost of my First Post Picked Up By Main Stream Media - My Journey to Millions Almost 2 Year Anniversary August 5th, 2010 will be 2 years for My Journey to Millions! To put that in perspective: High School was 4 years College was 4 Years Law School was 3 years I have been Married 2 years and 2 months For the next couple days I am going to re-post......