We’re almost done. There are just a few more weeks left in
2008; How did your year go by? Did you accomplish all that you wanted to, all that
you thought you would? Can you remember where you were last year at this time,
just after Thanksgiving? Were you making plans for 2008 and thinking of all the
things you were going to do differently over the next 12 months?
I hope you conquered your goals and made your plans a reality! If you didn’t reach your goals, don’t beat yourself up - just let it go. If you didn’t conquer your diet, your finances, your time management goals, or whatever the case may be real ize this: the past is the past and that’s where it’ll have to stay. The Lifelong Project doesn’t judge, it inspires; it’s time for a fresh start!
For most of us January 1 is when we officially kick-off new goals, resolutions, and vows to make this year really count. Nothing wrong with that at all - it’s a new year, a new day, and clean slate. The problem with waiting out the next four weeks, however, is that we should be taking action now so we know how to manage our resolution in January, February, and beyond. The action you should be taking now is really three simple activities:
- Determine what you want.
- Figure out how to get it.
- Clear project constraints.
Once you know what you want, really want, then you can figure out how to get it. The trick is it’s sometimes tough to know what the heck you want. If you want to change your life then you should really explore and dissect what it is you say you want. Really examine your desire and get as specific as possible.
For example, don’t say you want a new car, define exactly what kind of car you want and why you want it. Don’t say you want to lose some weight, define exactly how much weight you want to lose and why. Don’t say you want to spend more time with your family, define how much time you want to spend with your family, what you’ll be doing in that time, and why this is important to you - and them.
Notice the reason why? That’s your meaning, your purpose for the goal. If you can’t define the reason why, you won’t have much motivation to get the things you want. You need to identify why you want something so you can go about figuring out how to get it. Part of achieving your project is determination to achieve your goal. If goals in the past faded away after a few weeks I’d bet you didn’t have a real purpose attached to goal and without purpose there’s not much determination.
The last step you should take this month is clearing away constraints. Constraints are anything that limit your options. Once you know what you want and you’ve figured out how to get there it’s time to get rid of things that are blocking you from achieving. Often our biggest roadblock is the person in the mirror - if you’re self-defeating, sabotaging, and layering guilt on yourself about your wants, goals, and ambitions you’ve roadblocks to remove.
I encourage you to take December and to complete some business analysis work: determine what your requirements are and prepare to succeed even more in 2009. The Lifelong Project is a wonderful mechanism to move from here to there but it’s up to you, the most important person in your project, to know where the project is heading. Get ready!
