Reprinted courtesy of TheCareerNews.com

DALLAS, TX -- You know the old saying about how a journey of a thousand miles starts with one step? The platitude neglects to mention that most of us will probably poop out by mile four, turn around and cruise back home for a nap. And so it is with New Year's resolutions. After a few weeks of joyless self-discipline, we revert to our familiar patterns.

Some would recommend we break our goals into more manageable chunks. Instead of chunks - let's go even smaller. Maybe some easy, early success with baby-step resolutions will inspire us to hang in there past February and tackle bigger goals down the road.

Start by reframing your goal. Instead of, "Find a job this week," try "Make three phone calls today," or "Schedule two networking lunches per week." Just as teenagers use Web sites such as "MySpace" and "Facebook" to enlarge their circle of pals, job seekers can use email and cyber networking to improve their prospects. What better way to touch base with all your contacts than to send a happy holidays/happy New Year email? Even a journey of a thousand miles suddenly sounds totally doable if you decide, for example, that the first step could be buying new shoes.

Article abridged from The Dallas Morning News, and reprinted from TheCareerNews.com. Get the latest breaking News, Tips and Tools for your job search, Free!