Monday, December 31, 2012

No More New Years Resolutions


Here it is folks, the end of 2012, and the beginning of 2013.  As always, it's a great time to review, reflect, and most importantly, re-focus!  I'm not fan of New Years Resolutions though.  According to surveys, 92% of New Years Resolutions are not kept, and 80% are gone by January 20.  Not a fantastically successful rate is it?  I agree.  I am however, a fan of setting goals, in a productive way, that improves the batting average of goal setters, and makes them more likely to be a goal GETTER!

I think goals should be broken down into categories.  You can create your own, but here are some of the areas I work on:  Physical, Business, Spiritual, Personal.  I'm not saying those are the best for you, I'm just saying that's what I use.  Under each area I might have 3-5 goals set.  I don't set them by just sitting down on January 1 and saying "what do I want this year?".  I take some time, sometimes a month or so in advance, on a regular basis to start thinking about, and (here's the key) writing down possible goals.  I spend time thinking about what I really want to accomplish in the coming year.  After all, if you're going to design your life, it's probably best to not just go off willy nilly writing things down in my opinion.

Once I have them written down, I review them and think or pray about each of them toward the end of the year.  I want to make certain that this is the direction I want my life to go, the direction God is leading me, and a direction that will provide a challenge for me, but not an insurmountable one.  I just completed a serious review this morning of my 2013 goals and feel like they're pretty well set.  So, now what?

It's one thing to set a goal.  But if we really want to accomplish those things, they need to be in the forefront of our mind.  I can't expect to just jump in a car and drive without focusing on where I want to go, and so it is with my life.  In becoming a goal getter, laser sharp focus is needed.  This focus is developed by a habit of reviewing my goals every day.  How often?  EVERY day.  What does EVERY day mean?  It means, EVERY day.  Is that clear? :-)   So every morning I should be rising early and spending 10 minutes reviewing my goals, AND setting up my daily plan for getting me one step closer to them.  My to do list should include steps for moving in the direction of goal achievement.

Finally, I'd suggest re-evaluating the goals quarterly.  Mostly they shouldn't change much if I spent a lot of time setting them.  But my plans for achieving them might easily change if I find I'm not getting closer to the goal.  But sometimes even the goal may have to change if it's become abundantly clear it's not the right goal. That should be a rarity if we've done appropriate goal setting.

Setting and achieve goals is part of a wellness lifestyle. It's fun, it helps keep us focused on becoming the person we're designed to be, and helps us connect with our sense of purpose.  I wish you an amazing 2013!

Until next time...Be Well!!

Dr. Bruce

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