Ah, the New Year! Full of possibility and opportunity. I welcome it with open arms and a hopeful heart.
There’s something special about the beginning of a new year, like the smell of a new car. After the rush of December it’s a good time to reflect on the year that’s passed and look forward to the one to come. We start with a brand new calendar, unmarked by prior commitments. We have a wonderful opportunity to assess our goals and priorities. It’s an opportunity to evaluate the way we use our time.
Time? What does time have to do with goals? Everything, is my answer.
Time is the one thing that will make the most difference to how successfully we achieve our goals this year. We can’t earn more time, or bank time for a rainy day. Each of us receives the same gift of time every day. How we use our precious allocation will determine how effectively we reach our goals for this year and beyond.
For example, if my goal is to lose weight, I may choose to allocate time to exercise daily and plan meals. If my goal is to be a good parent, I may choose to play board games with my children twice a week. If my goal is to earn a degree, I may choose to set aside every Saturday for study. You get the idea.
I’ll leave you with some key tips to ensure success –
- set goals for each area of your life
- get specific
- then get specific about how you’ll achieve those goals
- realistically allocate time to achieving each of those goals
- regularly review your commitments to ensure your time is spent achieving your goals, not someone else’s
I hope you’ll take the opportunity to review your goals, and use your time making 2009 a wonderful year for you.
