Looking Forward

I'm not big on making New Year's Resolutions. I think most of them are doomed to fail because we make them out of pressure to start off a new year with a clean slate or at least a cleaner slate than the one we're bidding goodbye. I'd rather start changing something on the day that I realize it needs to be changed or, if I'm feeling contrary, procrastinate about it for awhile first.

The whole, "I resolve in 2011 to (fill in the blank)" just doesn't work for me. I'm much better with the mindset of, "I want to (fill in the blank) and I will begin on (pick a day)." The resolution then becomes a project. I'm very project-oriented. For someone who's usually a dreamer and and idea-generator, this method is quite concrete and detailed. It works.

I'm the same way with long-term goals. I do better when I break them down into steps that I will take to achieve the end-result.

Whether working on weight loss or working on a book, the big picture is often overwhelming. Instead of thinking, "I really need to lose a lot of weight this year", I'd rather focus on, "I can follow a healthy food plan today." I don't have to worry so much about completing a new book at the outset when, instead, I only need to write the first chapter, then the next and so on.

Several months ago for my day job, we spent a day with a coach who had us do a standard personality study. No surprise that I wound up in the "Creatives" category, but I also bled over a little into "Bottom-Liner". This is helpful because, as an idea-generator, it's also good to be results-oriented. Otherwise, what's the point of generating ideas if we don't use them to accomplish something.

Looking forward to 2011, I have lots of ideas for things I want to accomplish. Now I'm tapping into the other part of myself to formulate the plan.

What's on your agenda?