December for me is a time for reflection. It’s a time to reflect on the year gone by.
The time to look at what I have achieved, what were my joys, my sorrows and my successes? I do this is preparation for the year to come. In preparation for January, and the ritual of setting my goals for the coming year.
A list of Achievements
Start by making a list of all you have achieved this year. It’s important to celebrate and recognize all of your accomplishments. Sometimes we let things go unnoticed. Great work becomes expected and achievements some would die for, are disregarded as just another day’s work. Today you are going to change that. Take some time to contemplate the past year. What was good about it? Did you achieve anything in work, did you master a new talent, did you perhaps give up a bad habit? Even things that may seem minor like starting to eat more healthily should be acknowledged, as these actions can have a big impact on your life overall, so put those things down on the list as well.
What do you need to improve on?
When contemplating on the year gone by ask yourself, what can you do to make next year better? Being aware of what needs to improve is the only way that you can consciously make improvements. Life is a journey that we can only strive to make better daily, little by little. Are you wasting time doing things that don’t need to be done, or perhaps you are trying very hard and not getting the results that you had hoped for.
Shaping your goals for 2012
This list will be the starting point for your goals for next year. So if you have identified that you spend too much time on social media, know that you are not alone but decide what is your ideal outcome, think about how much time you would like to spend and what type of strategy you can come up with to make that happen.
Perhaps you find that you are a procrastinator
You could start by reading the following articles
7 Symptoms of Procrastination and how to fight them
Procrastination; the thief of time
When you have done that and identified your reasons for procrastination, decide on what you need to do to avoid it going forward.
2012 can be your best year yet, if you identify and plan the goals that will make that happen. One of my goals for 2012 was to get a book deal, last January when I thought about what I wanted to achieve in 2011, there were many things, but to answer the question “What would make it the best year yet” the answer was to get a book deal, so once I had identified my goal, it helped me to focus on that as my priority. There are always many things we want to do and achieve but by identifying the one or few things that can make your year memorable you will be more motivated during the year to achieve it.
So take some time this week, a short time to think. A welcome gap from all of the hustle bustle and preparations. Take some time to plan and create your ideal future.
I challenge you to make your life a masterpiece. I challenge you to join the ranks of those people who live what they teach, who walk their talk.
Tony Robbins
Take some time this week to think about making your life a masterpiece, there is no reason why you can’t do it, if you believe you can.
Part 2: Goal Setting for 2012 coming next week
