Making 2005 the best year ever
2004 is coming to an end, and time has come to look back on the year that passed and the things you achieved, and - more importantly - the year that you are about to create.
And yes, I do mean CREATE.
For far too many people, a year is just something that passes – it’s just 365 days that goes by. And after that, 365 additional days are waiting to pass by.
And at the end of the 365 days most people will look back and conclude that “I’m basically right at the point where I started the year”
Some because they didn’t have any goal and some because they gave up on their goals.
And some will even look back to the year before and conclude that “I’ve failed two years in a row, so next year is probably going to be the same”
And it’s true – they are right – if they continue to do the same things that have “helped” them maintain a Status Quo they are bound to miss any goals they set for themselves.
But you see, reaching goals is actually a very simple 3-step process.
1) Find out what you want
2) Create a plan
3) Work the plan
Simple, right? – but not necessary easy.
And this is where so many people fail – because they confuse “simple” with “easy” and end up treating their future with less respect and dedication than needed to make it a great one.
“But you said it was simple; doesn’t this mean that it will work all by itself without me putting any efforts into it?”
Sorry, but even simple systems need to be worked to actually work.
Or in another word “TANSTAAFL” – Or There Ain’t No Such Thing As A Free Lunch.
But enough about the pitfalls – let’s look at what you can actually do to increase the likelihood of you reaching your goals for 2005
And I used “likelihood” deliberately. This is life, so there are no guarantees.
But by lowering the level of chance and circumstances and raising the level of commitment and deliberate choices you are far better equipped to reach those goals.
So, let’s look at the 3 steps one by one.
Find out what you want
When most people start doing new things they either do too much – or too little.
This is only natural as they are just starting to learn.
When you begin to learn how to drive you will either take turns too fast or too slow – but with practice you learn how to adjust the speed depending on lots of different factors such as weather conditions, the state of your tires or the condition of the road.
It’s only natural that you become better and better at it with practice.
The same goes for lots of different “practical” things that you learn in life. Breathing at the right time when you are swimming, drinking sports drinks while you are running without splashing it all over your face or creating the perfect soufflé.
But lots of people, when it comes to behavior or thinking, will completely forget to adjust – even if they are failing miserably.
They will insist on doing too little of what’s really needed or too much – or even something that’s completely wrong and counterproductive.
But change is needed – and more in the beginning that after you have become proficient at something.
So, with this in mind I think you are ready to find out what you want to achieve in 2005.
Most people – when thinking up New Years resolutions – will spend too little time figuring out what it is they really want to achieve in life.
They get an idea for something that can be improved in the year to come – that is, they are actually looking for things to fix rather than looking for what they want to achieve.
Or they look for things that they can stop doing instead of finding out what it is they want to begin doing.
So, this is the low end of the scale: People that don’t spend enough time really finding out what it is they want to achieve.
At the other end of the scale you will find those who spend most of January, February and March clarifying, discovering and detailing what it is they want to achieve. They will consult several different goal setting gurus in a quest to find the ultimate, fail proof way of defining their goals.
These perfectionistic procrastinators will overload themselves with information, but will never take any concrete steps that will allow them to get on with creating the plan.
But you will want to work somewhere in between these two extremes. You’ll want to find a balanced approach that will ensure that you spend enough time defining your goal, but not too much time.
Also, most people will create goals based on what other people want from them – or what they think other people expect from them.
Quitting smoking, loosing weight, organizing the house, achieving a certain position where you work or whatever it is that your own surroundings explicitly, implicitly or maybe just in your own head expects you to do is not the right way to define your goals.
What you should do is take a look at your values.
You see, it’s your values that drive you forward in life.
And you already know this – if you think about it for a moment.
Because, isn’t it true that things that you have almost effortlessly achieved in your life were things that were consistent with your values? And isn’t it also true that goals that were set for you by other people – according to their values – have had a tendency to fail?
Spend the first week of January thinking about who you are, where you are in your life and where you want it to go.
Write down all your goals, ideas and thoughts.
Don’t censor anything – just do a massive one-week-brainstorming.
At the end of the week you sit down and evaluate all the notes you took.
And here’s something that might surprise you:
Making more money isn’t a goal – period.
And neither is becoming a millionaire - or owning your first piece of rental property.
They are all means to reach your true goals.
You see, goals are not physical things that you can pick up and look at.
Goals are internal states. It’s your thoughts and feelings and emotions.
If you want to visit K2, then making more money is just a part of the plan - your true goal is to feel the thrill and satisfaction of making it to the top of that mountain.
If you want to buy your dream house in 2005 then it’s not the house in itself that’s your true goal.
But your thoughts and ideas of how it will be to live in the house is what makes it your dream house. It’s not your dream house because it has a pool – it’s your dream house because of the things you will do in or near the pool (and how that makes you feel).
So spend the next week getting as many goals as you can down on paper.
Next week I’ll have something prepared for you that will help you prune your brainstormed list into a list of true goals.
To your wealth and growth
~Henrik Flensborg
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