“Man does not simply exist, but always decides what his
existence will be, what he will become in the next moment.” Victor
Frankel
2006 – What Kind of Year Was It For You?
New Year’s resolutions are a month away. It’s not too early,
though, to be getting ready for the New Year. Companies use December to
check reality against projections. We should do the same. We should
take stock of what worked and what didn’t work in the past year. I’ve
composed a list of questions to help you in this process. If you answer
all the questions in this article, you’ll be well on your way to a
fruitful 2007.
What Worked in 2006?
- What did you accomplish?
- What worked for you? What career initiatives? Financial goals? Family
connections? Health and fitness objectives?
- What brought you joy?
- Did you have time to have fun? To feel peacefulness and satisfaction?
What Didn’t Work so Well?
- What plans or goals are leading you away from your true values, your
true self?
- What is draining your energy and costing you peace of mind?
- What attitudes or behaviors might you have that are sabotaging your
health? Your family? Your financial goals? Your dreams?
- What relationships are broken and need to be fixed, or discarded?
What Change Orders Are Needed?
Like any work in progress, we need to sweep away the clutter that
is getting in our way, keeping us from focusing on what is truly important. Once
you’ve identified the things that need to change, those things that
aren’t working for you, you’ll need to let them go. Letting
go of bad habits and attitudes requires self-discipline. It’s very
simple: unless self-destructive patterns are broken, there’s no need
to proceed with planning for a better life.
Sometimes we get the idea that once we’ve set a goal we must stay
with it no matter what. That simply isn’t true. If a bus is headed
toward you doing 60 MPH, you’ll swerve to get out of the way. The
same is true of goals and patterns that no longer serve us. They simply
must be cleared away. The way to do that is to write up an official set
of change orders for yourself, then act on them one by one. Refer
to the list you made above, what’s not working, to begin your list
of change orders.
Back To the Drawing Board for 2007
Once you’ve noted what isn’t working and what you
will change, you can proceed to the drawing board for some fun and creative
planning. Here are some questions you may want to consider:
- What would make 2007 my best year yet?
- What will be my top three or four priorities?
- Are these in line with my values and my overall objectives?
- What support systems (people and know-how) will I need to have in place?
- What relationships will I mend and nurture?
- Where will I focus most of my energy?
- What must I do and who must I be to accomplish this?
- What will bring me joy, peace and satisfaction?
Take a Clue From the Chinese
Why not try naming the year? Instead of the year of the dog or
the rat, you can have the year of fitness, or financial health or friendship.
It’s fun to create a year that is dedicated to a specific objective.
I’ve found this be hugely successful. I named 1986 the year of growing
my public relations business, and that focus kept me squarely on target.
The result was a banner year.
Look Into Your Personal Crystal Ball
Here’s another technique that works. Sit down right around
New Years and write your predictions for the year, in the past tense. Date
the predictions Dec. 31, 2007. For example you may want to write something
such as this: This past year we had record growth in the company, with
xx% increase in profit over 2006. This was the year my wife and I
made that trip to Tuscany. This was the year I decided to tilt my career
in a different direction, and I achieved 90% of my goals in that regard.
Once you’ve written your predictions, tuck them away to be read
at the end of the year. You’ll be surprised how many of those statements
will prove to be true. Every New Year’s Eve afternoon, just
as the sun is setting, I have a cup of tea and make a ritual of reading
my old predictions and writing new ones.
I wish all of you a joyous holiday season, followed by the best year of
your lives!
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The
first snowfall of the season combined with a full moon tide to give us
a taste of winter this morning. In spite of the balmy autumn, 2006 is indeed
drawing to a close. What kind of year was it for you? It was a mixed bag
for me, with the good and hopeful far outweighing the disappointing. Some
of you may remember this particular issue of The Coach’s Bench from
December 2003. Do take a few minutes to answer the questions. I think you
will find them thought provoking.