It’s gift giving time again and you have probably spent hours at the shopping centers, malls, and online stores buying gifts for everyone on your list. But what about yourself? After all this hard work, you deserve a gift or two for you. Well you are in luck. I have compiled a list of 10 things you can get for free that you can reward yourself with today. And these aren’t just throw away schwag these are actually gifts that can truly change your life. And I’ve done you a favor, by putting them in the order that you should receive them. So without further a-do, here are the gifts.
1. Life Plan: Leadership guru, Michael Hyatt, has put together a wonderful life planning e-book that you can download for free. What better place to start with your gifts than with a plan for your life. You’ll need to sign up for his mailing list to get it and spend a good part of a day contemplating the questions and filling it out, but the results are worth it. You’ll truly know where you are going in the New Year!
2. Goal Setting Toolkit: Once you know where you are going, you’ll need to set some goals to get there. With our popular Goal Setting Toolkit, you can write them down and take them with you wherever you go. Since they are written on business sized cards you can put them where you can see them for quick reminders throughout the day. The cards include short term, long term and BHAG goals.
3. Daily Planner: Once you get your goals in place, you’ll need to break them down into daily goals. This is where a goal oriented daily planner comes in. Just write down up to six priorities for your day at the top and then compile a to-do list at the bottom. You’ll have everything you need for success right on one sheet, including phone, e-mail, and meeting lists.
4. Personal MBA Book List: Now that you have your goals setup, you’ll need to research and learn more about them. Josh Kaufman has assembled a powerful book list to help you do just that. With over a 100 personal development books to choose from, you’re sure to find some titles here that will help you on your success quest.
5. Free Audio Book: Now that you have some books picked out, you’ll have to buy them and find time to read them. Here is a better way. Why not get them in Audio Book format so you can listen to them while running or commuting? Audible (now owned by Amazon) has made this easy to try by offering a free audio book for just trying their service. This list can get you started.
6. Writer’s Manifesto: Now that you have your goals in place and are learning new things, you’ll want to write them down and share them with others. Jeff Goins‘ free e-book will give you a new insight into writing that can make it more fun and provide a better outcome. He has compiled this into a free Manifesto for your viewing pleasure.
7. Blogging Starter Kit: John Saddington has an amazing guide to take your writing talents and share them with the world through blogging. He’ll show you how to setup a blog, add new features, and get it off the ground with a bang. In just a few hours you can be conversing with the world.
8. Cheat Sheet For Writing Viral Blog Posts: Now that you are writing and blogging, you need your words to go viral. Our friends at Copyblogger have a free cheat sheet to help you write posts that will have the viral effect of ten puppy videos. Soon your words will resonate around the globe.
9. Marketing Grader: Now that you have a blog and are sharing it with the world, you need some stats to see how you are doing. HubSpot has a great new tool call Marketing Grader that can help you visually see your stats. Just create a free account and see how the numbers look.
10. Fascination Test: Now that you are done with your list and have created your life plan, written out your goals, published articles and gone viral around the world, you’ll definitely need to find out how fascinating you are. Well Sally Hogshead has just the tool. Click here to take her Fascination Test.
Summary: Hopefully you’ll take advantage of some of the links above. Why not give yourself the gift of success for the new year. This list also makes a great gift for your friends or family, so be sure to pass it on.
Question: What is your favorite gift above?