This is part 3 of 4 on my series of creating goals that don’t suck.
1. What was accomplished in 2010? 10 questions to ask…
I mentioned last week, that I have begun the process of reviewing 2009. My rationale is simple: I can’t successfully plan for 2010, until I can put 2009 in perspective. It would be like getting remarried and not knowing why the previous marriage failed (or if you are Larry King, why the previous 6 marriages failed).
As such, I have been stealing a few hours here and there throughout the week to simply record my accomplishments. As my list has begun to grow, a few themes have emerged that have helped make the process more thorough and comprehensive.
Below are 10 questions to ask to analyze and organize your accomplishments. These are in no particular order and for each I have added something relevant to my own discovery.
- What work did you create that matters?
- I started my blog and my consulting business.
- What risks did you take that were way outside your comfort zone ?
- I quit my job. 1st official day of unemployment was January 1st, 2009
- What steps did you take to enhance your physical health? spiritual health? emotional health?
- I began to incorporate more raw food into my diet (physical)
- What important trips did you take that really enhanced your life?
- I went to see my brother and his wife in Vancouver-Awesome trip!!!
- What relationships did you add/take to the next level?
- Kyle and Brian Pulis (added)
- Alex Kluge (developed further)
- Vince Charbonneau (developed further)
- Angela Cache (developed further)
- Colin McLean (developed further)
- What books did you read that had impact?
- Some of the more significant for me were The Dip, Trust Agents, Purple Cow, Ignore Everyone, The Long Walk to Freedom-current
- What programs/products/online leaning did you partake in that added to your growing skill base and will help distinguish you from the crowd?
- currently enrolled in online program entitled Lateral Action, a program for online entrepreneurs
- purchased ebook, 31 days to better blogging
- What things did you quit that have made a significant difference in the quality of your life?
- my job, coffee, thinking it can’t be me who leads a movement
- What qualities did you develop that have made you a better spouse, son or daughter, friend, citizen, a better you
- the biggest for me was the courage to share my ideas online and allow them to be judged
- What causes did you partake in that you were really passionate about?
- donated money on a monthly basis to Humane Society (need to do more in this area however)
What questions do you think are missing from this list? Let me know. What might you discover about your 2009 if you were to answer these questions?
2. Step #2…
Up next? I need to review what I was not happy with from 2009. This will be entirely new for me. I have never really considered looking at what I was unhappy about, but I believe this will have the greatest impact on my goal setting for 2010. For instance, I was am not happy with how tight my budget was. I have virtually no wiggle room for emergencies.
How about you? What were you unhappy with in 2009 that you are determined to change in 2010?
3. What 2010 holds for me/us…
Once my assignment for number 2 has been completed, I will then be ready to create a realistic yet aggressive plan for 2010. I will also be using Google Docs (free program) to record my goals so I can visibly measure them when I track my progress. By using Google Docs I can check them anywhere, from any computer. I will show an example of this next week.
While this is a work in progress, I think this might be the most crucial aspect of my success. You see I have created goals in the past, but as I illustrated a few weeks back with my 2009 goals, I never keep them front and center as my guide. For 2009 I created my goals in January but didn’t look at them again until December. Not an effective technique me thinks.
So what does 2010 hold for you?
As always, thanks so much for being here. You make this all possible.
To ideas worth quitting,
Dean
ps…drop by the comment section and let us know what your thoughts are to any of the questions above.
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