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Setting Attainable Goals
"Think Anew and Act Anew" for a More Organized Life
Abraham Lincoln: "The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise with the occasion. As our case is new, so must we think anew and act anew."
His words seem very relevant given the upheavals surrounding us today. There is no question that times are difficult. We are confronted by economic crises, political shifts, and technological changes. When every news edition seems to bring more reports of turmoil, it is easy to become discouraged and even depressed, to avoid being proactive and just go with the negative flow.
Yet we have a New Year starting, and with it comes the symbolism of a fresh start - new calendars, new projects, new opportunities. We haven't changed intrinsically. We still work hard, produce goods, and provide needed services to our customers and clients. We care about our families and our communities.
The Serenity Prayer might serve as a reference in determining your current direction:
Accept the things I cannot change
Courage to change the things I can
Wisdom to know the difference
Maybe you cannot end the war on your own or hike up the stock market prices, but you can effect changes in your individual sphere. Assess where you are, who you are, and what you want. Do not settle for doing the same things that did not work for you last year, or repeating resolutions. 2009 is your "tabula rasa," your blank slate.
Think Anew
- What do you want to do differently?
- What small annoyances are you tolerating that you could quickly fix?
- What have you neglected?
- What new people or activities do you want to add to your life?
- Where do you want to be at the end of 2009?
If you are going to act anew, you have to change a behavior, not just wish for it. Reading a how-to book or listening to motivational tapes does not get things done. You've already tried that, and you know what you "should" do. Now is the time to actually "choose" to do it. Change the things you can change.
Act Anew
- Print your answers to the five questions. You might have several responses for each.
- Pick your top priority for each area.
- Write an active statement starting with "I choose to..." or "I will..." (vs. "should," "want to," "have to").
- Next, to ensure that you accomplish this, you have to list and commit to the needed steps. To help you achieve your goals, I have four free worksheets available on my website. You are welcome to print those out and use them to guide you.
- As each of your priority choices is completed, select another one of your original answers on which to begin working.
When you approach 2009 as your tabula rasa, you elect to avoid being pulled down by the gloom and doom of today's news. You become proactive, with an organized plan, so that you can improve in the areas on which you want to focus. As the economy settles down again, you will be ahead of the game because you committed to action instead of putting life on hold.
You are thinking anew and acting anew, looking toward the future.
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