Did you make any New Year's resolutions? Or are you among those who cynically reject the whole concept, knowing that most people who make New Year's resolutions have abandoned them half way through February?
If the only planning you do is a last-thing-in-December resolution that "I'll eat less in the New Year" based on guilt over your over-indulgence at Christmas time, then the chances are that your New Year's resolutions won't last. But planning is an essential part of a successful life.
Imagine building a house without any plans... no idea where to dig the foundations; when to have the concrete delivered; how many bricks to buy... not a good idea. It's a cliche that many people spend more time planning their summer holidays than they spend planning their lives, but sadly it's true.
If we are to make the most of the opportunities life offers us, we would do well to think it through, plan it, monitor our progress and get some accountability for actually doing what we plan to do. Of course, our plans need not begin on the first of January, but periodic reviews are essential and January and July are as good a time as any to begin a new cycle.
So here's my review of goals I've achieved over the last few months:
1) Completed my first degree - 36 years after first enrolling at university!
2) Run my first half marathon in 25 1/2 years.
3) Enrolled for a Certificate in Mentoring and a Diploma in Coaching, which will take me a long way towards a long held goal of becoming an expert in personal development.
4) Been accepted as a "matriculated" student for an MBA - another long held goal.
5) Launched my career as a professional coach. Professional status and paying clients are still to come, but I am coaching and my coaching is making a difference. I'm on my way.
6) Last, but not least, I've broken out of a six year long mental slump, feeling a failure, and I'm getting back to feeling like the high achiever I was previously.
I've set myself a list of new goals ... which I'll share with a small group of people who support and believe in me, and I'm on course with plans to achieve them. I'll be writing more about setting and achieving goals in the coming weeks.
If you'd like some help planning your life, rather that letting in be "what happens while you're busy making other plans" give me a shout.
If the only planning you do is a last-thing-in-December resolution that "I'll eat less in the New Year" based on guilt over your over-indulgence at Christmas time, then the chances are that your New Year's resolutions won't last. But planning is an essential part of a successful life.
Imagine building a house without any plans... no idea where to dig the foundations; when to have the concrete delivered; how many bricks to buy... not a good idea. It's a cliche that many people spend more time planning their summer holidays than they spend planning their lives, but sadly it's true.
If we are to make the most of the opportunities life offers us, we would do well to think it through, plan it, monitor our progress and get some accountability for actually doing what we plan to do. Of course, our plans need not begin on the first of January, but periodic reviews are essential and January and July are as good a time as any to begin a new cycle.
So here's my review of goals I've achieved over the last few months:
1) Completed my first degree - 36 years after first enrolling at university!
2) Run my first half marathon in 25 1/2 years.
3) Enrolled for a Certificate in Mentoring and a Diploma in Coaching, which will take me a long way towards a long held goal of becoming an expert in personal development.
4) Been accepted as a "matriculated" student for an MBA - another long held goal.
5) Launched my career as a professional coach. Professional status and paying clients are still to come, but I am coaching and my coaching is making a difference. I'm on my way.
6) Last, but not least, I've broken out of a six year long mental slump, feeling a failure, and I'm getting back to feeling like the high achiever I was previously.
I've set myself a list of new goals ... which I'll share with a small group of people who support and believe in me, and I'm on course with plans to achieve them. I'll be writing more about setting and achieving goals in the coming weeks.
If you'd like some help planning your life, rather that letting in be "what happens while you're busy making other plans" give me a shout.
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