Dan and Chip Heath, authors of “Made to Stick” wrote another insightful article in Fast Company this month.

They explained the difference between goals and resolutions.

What really jumped out at me though, was being reminded of the fact that our goals have much more weight, impact, and resolve when we add a higher level of accountability to them.

Making a clear goal and personally committing to it is good. Making a clear goal, personally committing to it…and sharing it with others takes it to a whole new level.

In the article I mentioned, the Heaths observed, “At Microsoft, for instance, employees set ambitious goals for themselves each year, called ‘commitments,’ that are created in consultation with their peers and supervisors and later made public. Peer pressure, or even just peer awareness, is a powerful motivating factor.”

I’m writing this post today for a reason. It’s January 24th. Exactly 24 days since the dawn of our new year when millions of people set new, ambitious goals for themselves. Now, 24 days later, millions of people have already lost their resolve and those great, daring, worthy goals are being dropped faster than they were conceived.

Are you one of them? Already bailing out on New Years Goals?

I’d challenge you to stick it out and establish a new level of resolve by creating more accountability for the great goals you’ve set.

You can do that by telling peers, friends, and family what you’ve decided to accomplish, and what your goals are. It’s interesting how much harder it is to quit a goal that others are excited to see you accomplish.

Check out these great blog posts for more information about this topic:

Sticking With Your Goals

Six Steps to Keep your New Year’s Resolution

At our Northstar Thinktank office here in Austin, TX we have a team of business experts who work hand-in-hand with business owners. These experts give advice, guidance, and insight as our clients navigate through the business ocean.

Through many years of experience we’ve accumulated a lot of valid reasons why an entrepreneur should or shouldn’t jump into a new venture.

Over the weekend I read something that made me realize that there is yet another great reason to jump into the fray…

In the November 2007 issue of Business Week the founders of Threadless.com were featured. In the article, Threadless: From Clicks to Bricks, the founder and CEO Jake Nickelly was asked why they decided to transition from being a completely online business to a brick-and-morter retail business as well. His answer struck me–and not because it’s a sound business strategy, per se, but because it underscores a valid reason for doing business in the first place. He said, “We really had no good reason to open a store. It just seemed like a fun thing to do.”

That’s something I needed to hear.

Your business should be something that’s fun to do.

From now on, the business experts at Northstar Thinktank will make the discussion of “having fun in business” a standard topic.

I mean really, as entrepreneurs, why make the sacrifices we make if it isn’t fun? It’s just got to be fun and enjoyable if we expect to reach the goals we seek.

Check out these great blogs for more information about this topic:

3 Ways to Get Better Results in Your Life

14 Step Guide to Finding the Perfect Career