Well it’s that time of year again where secret Santas are the worst kept secret, where Santa hats are dawned like tuques on cold winter days, where bored and grumpy old people angrily ring their hand bells in malls hoping to coax someone to drop a buck or two into that floating little Salvation Army ball, where crumby gifts are secretly exchanged, where the yearly “going to church ritual” is fulfilled, and where New Year resolutions are made with reckless abandon.
The problem with the latter however, is we state them as resolutions when in fact for most, they are simply a wish list. If all the stars aligned, then somehow everything on that list would magically and effortlessly happen, otherwise most are left unchecked and carried over to the following year.
Of course, this is only relevant to those who even bothered to take the time to write something in the first place. Did you?
Whether you did or didn’t is really not the point. What is relevant is what new and exciting things happened to you over the past year that really took your life to a whole new level.
Here is a quick task. Write down the 5 most significant things that happened to you this year as a result of your efforts. My guess is, most people will have a hard time coming up with one.
[Note: As a way to provide motivation for others, head down to the comment section (Whoa! Not yet. Finish reading the post first.) and share your greatest accomplishment this year.]
The problem is we get so caught up earning a living, and following the routine of our daily lives that suddenly a year passes (and it passes quickly doesn’t it?) and we realize we have not done anything significant other than simply exist.
And it’s not that we don’t want amazing things to happen, it’s just that somehow we don’t put our own growth as our top priority. In essence, we neglect ourselves. We work really hard (most of the time) to keep our commitments to our significant other, our employers, our friends and family, yet we think it is OK not to do the same with ourselves.
We need to flip that model around and begin putting ourselves at the top of this pyramid. The logic is simple. You can’t be the best spouse, employee (or business), friend or family member unless you are the best you that you can be (sorry that was a lot of you’s eh?).
Once we are on the correct end of the pyramid, then setting goals and following through on them becomes extremely important. Again think back to my earlier question. What amazing things happened for you in 2009? If you can’t point out anything, then you have simply existed, which is fine for some, but unacceptable for those of us who want to do something amazing with the lives we have been granted.
This is not a post about how to go about setting goals however. There is no one right way to achieve this. What works for me, won’t necessarily work for you.
I was reading a post earlier this week by Chris Guillebeau. He talked about the fact he is going to take the next two weeks to review his progress for 2009 and then begin identifying those things he wants to accomplish in 2010. He has been doing this for the past 5 years now and has seen amazing things happen in his life as a result.
I recommend you read it. I believe it is actually going to be a five part series, but it just might give you some great ideas and motivation for your 2010.
Leo Babauta, who is the author of the highly successful Zen Habits, takes a more simplistic approach to goals. He is all about doing less, with less being only that which is really important. Check out his post entitled, “Really Simple Goal Setting.” That too may give you some ideas on how to go about this.
Maybe goal setting or resolutions is the wrong term altogether. Guy Kawasaki, who authors the blog, “How to change the world” talks about the idea of mantras vs missions. Of course, he is discussing this in relation to businesses, but perhaps there is something there that could be applied to the business that is you. Maybe a mantra or mission might be just the key for some of us.
Regardless of what method you ultimately choose, when 2010 comes to a close, what amazing accomplishments will you be able to point to?
Your takeaway…
Set aside at least a few days to review 2009 and write out a list of your amazing accomplishments. Differentiate those which were designed and those which were simply happy accidents. Are you happy with what you accomplished? If not, then your current system doesn’t work. It may need to be tweaked or trashed altogether in favour of a better one.
Do some research on goal setting and see what other people are doing. Start with the links I attached above . As I mentioned earlier, goal setting is personal, much like our fashion styles. We need to find that system that is just right for us. Be open to the thought that it may be a hybrid of different ideas from a collection of people.
Once you have a system that you think suits your needs, take the time to identify what you want to see happen for 2010. Ideally, you would like to share it with a group of people who are on a similar mission. Feel free to drop me an email if you would like to create a group where we meet monthly (online) and talk about our goals and the progress being made.
Today’s Task…
It’s time to quit neglecting you.
To an idea definitely worth quitting,
Dean
ps…Don’t forget to write down what you accomplished this year that you are most proud of?
