I started taking stock of my year in 2002. I found it useful at the end of the year to list what I have accomplished, what I am thrilled about, what I wished had turned out differently, what I am proud of, what I learned, what were the pleasant surprises, and the not so pleasant ones, what I want to develop as a habit, and what I want to do differently in the future.
My plan for 2005 is to make it the most amazingly satisfying year yet. If you follow these simple steps and do the work, you can have incredible results too.
First Figure out What You Want
In order for the year to be satisfying, the results and outcome of your actions have to fulfill YOUR needs, expectations, wishes, and desires. So, naturally the first step is to figure out what those needs, wishes and desires are.
To do that, set aside some time, find a quiet place, arm yourself with a pad and pen and complete the exercise below. List the different areas in your life that are important to you. Here's a typical list to get you started: your health, your financial situation, your relationships, and your career. You can use these or substitute some items or add to them.
Next, choose one area; any one is fine as long as it has importance to you. Then list the needs and desires that you have regarding this area of your life. When you run out of needs, then move on to the next area you want to achieve results in, and start listing your needs and desires for that area. What usually happens is that one area will trigger additional thoughts about another one. So, you don't need to be systematic about this. You just want to get through all the areas you want to focus on, and get as complete a list as possible.
Now that you know your desires, converts those into outcomes that will satisfy these desires. For example, one of your desires may be to improve your financial situation. The outcome that satisfies that desire is to have a reserve fund in the bank. So, go through your list of desires and define your outcomes.
Then convert your outcomes into goals. Building on our example, a goal could be to have put aside a reserve fund of $5,000 by the end of the year. Check how well you have defined your goals by verifying that they are specific, measurable, actionable, relevant and time-based. Go through your list and convert your outcomes into goals.
My suggestion on developing goals is to try to have a selection of short-term (1-3 months), medium-term (around 6 months) and long-term goals (1 or more years). It is important that you have all three because if your list consists only of big, hairy, long-term goals, it is hard to keep yourself motivated. But if you can celebrate accomplishing a few goals each quarter, it is much easier to keep going.
Now Figure out What You Have to Do
By now, you might be a little overwhelmed because you have 4 pages of goals. So, it is time to prioritize. Review your list, and rank the importance of each goal. Choose a simple system, like assigning them a rank of 1, 2 or 3, with 1 being the most important to you. I have to stress again that this is about what is important to YOU, not what you are expected to care about, or what society thinks should be important to you. Unless you truly care about the outcome, you will find it hard to motivate yourself when it comes time for action.
Now select the most important goals you want to work on. Don't discard the rest, just put them aside till you have time for them. Now, convert the goals into actions ? what do you have to do to accomplish the goal?
Again, building on our example: to save $5000 in a year, you have to put aside $420 a month. Can you do that? How? One action might be to establish a monthly budget that enables you to set aside that amount each month. Or another action might be to review your monthly expenses and decided what you can cut out to enable you to contribute to the reserve fund. Put as much detail as you can in your actions. Make sure that you give yourself deadlines for completing them. If you have an on-going action (like working out 3 times a week), assign yourself the action to develop a tracking system to let you know whether you are sticking to that commitment of not.
Now you have your road-map for the whole year. All you have to do is to take the actions needed for success. Do a check-in quarterly to see how you are progressing. Make adjustment based on what you have done and what might have changed in your life (nothing should be set in stone). Celebrate all your successes along the way, and just keep going. At the end of the year, you will be amazed at all that you have accomplished, and how good you will feel.
? 2004 Inez O. Ng
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Do you need some structure and accountability to propel you forward? Personal Coach Inez Ng has worked with professionals and entrepreneurs to transform their aspirations into reality. While focusing on specific areas, her coaching positively impacts all areas of her clients' lives. Learn more about coaching with Inez at http://www.realizationsunltd.com
executive chauffeured services Bradford .. Madison to Airport carWe all want something to look forward to. The best... Read More
Successful people set ambitious goals. But the high standards and... Read More
The entrepreneur game is filled with an amazing variety of... Read More
Human beings are visual creatures. Our imaginations are powerful tools... Read More
Jim Rohn, the success guru and mentor, said, "Failure is... Read More
Jim Rohn wrote in his book The Five Major Pieces... Read More
I was hired to do some training for a sales... Read More
Language constitutes our belief system. What we believe is true... Read More
Can anyone become a successful businessperson? I am asked this... Read More
One the most important Self Improvement skills to develop to... Read More
My life is a bubble; but how much solid cash... Read More
In my private practice for the past 13+ years I... Read More
Many of us have lost sight of what we really... Read More
Success is a journey and along the way we need... Read More
Knowing when to disconnect, shut it off, unplug, or walk... Read More
I don't need to be a gypsy fortune teller to... Read More
Imagine that right now, right here, today? there is within... Read More
The most important quality you can ever develop is having... Read More
All of us could work on our skills in influencing... Read More
What are your fears? Fear of failure? Fear of success?What... Read More
You teach others how to treat you by how you... Read More
If you ask most people whether they would like to... Read More
Very few of us can pick up a complex task... Read More
"What a week!" you say at the end of a... Read More
It's simple and powerful.The philosophy of successful people is often... Read More
O'Hare Chicago prom limo ..Everyone wants a life that works effectively, whether that means... Read More
Many people talk or write about the science of success... Read More
Affirmations are emotionally driven statements of intention and faith that... Read More
All work and no play makes Johnny a dull boy... Read More
The story that is being used to illustrate the concepts... Read More
Everybody wants to get to the top, whether it is... Read More
Any person who goes through life without experiencing failure is... Read More
Courage is something that is reflected and reciprocated, and is... Read More
Reading lots these days? Having trouble remembering and recalling? For... Read More
We speak every day without fully recognizing the impact our... Read More
People like to emerge as winners by hook or crook... Read More
How many times have you thought about being successful, famous,... Read More
Opportunity is all around us and has many facets, but... Read More
Dare to Dream~It is said that every person has at... Read More
Everyone wants to be successful. Everyone wants to have more,... Read More
Imagine that right now, right here, today? there is within... Read More
Often, what people say about other people behind their backs... Read More
How do you land your dream job, win... Read More
Whenever I'm feeling stuck in a rut, I go out... Read More
Hey,Josh here from Investor Wealth Academy sitting 29 stories above... Read More
If you were to evaluate the major influences in your... Read More
So, how can you succeed online without ever experiencing the... Read More
(Excerpted from the 1999 Weekend Seminar audio/CD series)Parents, leaders, employers,... Read More
Have you ever thought about how you want to live,... Read More
A More Effective WayI own a stack of self improvement... Read More
Success |