Start your year off right by setting goals

By Annette Richmond

Happy New Year! The start of a new year is the perfect time for new beginnings. If you’re like me, you vowed to make a few changes in your life as you counted down to 2011. Unfortunately most of those New Year’s resolutions will be forgotten by March.

But this year can be different. This year you can turn your resolutions into results. If you're serious about making changes in your life you need to start by setting goals: concrete, measurable goals.

The first step is to decide on your main objective or long-term goal. It’s essential to be specific. Generalizations like "I will lose some weight” or "I will go back to school" don't work. Goals need to be specific statements of what you intend to do. For example, "I will lose 10 pounds in two months" or "I will go back to school this fall.” Once you have established your goals, you can create a plan to achieve them.

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What to look for and what to avoid in an employment contract

By Annette Richmond

Being offered an employment contract can be a good thing or not. It all depends on whether or not you know what to look for. Who better to ask about the ins and outs of employment contracts than a contract lawyer? With this in mind I contacted Karen Myers, Karen Wackerman Myers, LLC.

Myers, who is admitted to practice law in New York and Connecticut, agreed to share her expertise with us. She also noted that while her answers are generally applicable to New York and Connecticut, some states (most notably California) have very different law relating to employer-employee relations, so having a local lawyer review your employment agreement is always advisable.

CI: )What are the most important things to look for in an employment contract?

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What you can and can’t expect from your college roommate

By Lynn Bode

With the temperatures plummeting this time of year, many of us tend to hibernate inside our homes. But, hibernating is for bears. As humans it's important to stay active through all four seasons. Yet, a poll of 5,000 people found that 30 percent get no exercise at all during the Winter months.

Just because it is cold outside doesn't make it open season for an excuse not to exercise. There are multiple exercise options one can choose to participate in regardless of what the outdoor thermometer reads. Depending on your location and likes, you can choose to workout inside or outside.

All that is required for Winter-time workouts is some planning and employing all safety precautions. If you prefer to workout outside, keep the following tips in mind.

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Carole Martin is a coach with over 18 years in Human Resources Management. She is an acknowledged expert in the use of behavioral interviewing techniques.

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Style expert Bridgette Raes is the author of Style Rx: Dressing the Body You Have to Create the Body You Want and the president of the NYC based style consulting company for women, Bridgette Raes Style Group.

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Annemarie Cross is a multi-award winning, triple certified Professional Resume Writer, Career Management Specialist, Speaker, and Author of 10 key steps to Ace that Interview!

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Annette Richmond, MA, is founder and editor of career-intelligence.com and The Career Intelligencer. She is author of several publications, ebooks and interactive workbooks on career management.

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