A New Year for Growth

This time of year everyone's talking about new years resolutions and goals. As a rule, I don't make resolutions. They have a bad reputation. I do set goals for the year, though. It's always a challenge for me to set them in a meaningful, useful way.

You start reading about goal-setting, and pretty soon you become confused. Some gurus say to do it one way and some propose a contradictory method. What really works?



Ultimately, I think it comes down to a desire-a real desire to change, with a powerful motivating reason or cause behind it.

I find that compartmentalizing my life into 5 or 6 roles or areas is helpful (family, church, work, community, talents & enterprise, sharpen the saw). Then I have a statement for each about what I want to be, and then goals that involve doing or having.

Critical to success is reviewing the goals regularly. Napoleon Hill and others assert that you must read them aloud morning and night. I've encountered other thinkers who believe that is too often. Whatever the case, I intend to to better this year to keep them top of mind.

I've also found this year that my goals are less about stuff, or even specific accomplishments, and more about growth and preparation for the future-near term and eternal. For instance, most of my "have" goals relate to provident living-type of stuff, e.g. garden, fruit trees, food storage, etc.

As much as I hear that 2010 has to be better than 2009, I hope people are actively planning for that. I had a pretty good 2009. I fully expect 2010 to be much better still, and am acting accordingly.

For the past few days I've thought of that song that begins "When I was 17, it was a very good year." I think every year should be the be best year of our life so far. Obviously it doesn't always work out that way. That said, though, attitude can make a big difference, but that's a topic for another day.

May this be the best year of your life.