New Year's Resolutions

Today we look back at 2012 and think about all the good and bad things that happened to us during the year.  There are plenty of TV programs covering the best and worst of 2012.  It’s also time to start making our new resolutions or goals, plans, whatever you call it.  It’s been said that by April or even sooner, the resolutions made are abandoned. But that's not my case.

I strongly believe in new year’s resolutions, which I prefer to call new year’s goals.  I have been faithfully making new year's goals since 1988.  I have a folder labeled “Goals / Plan of Action” where I have kept my resolutions since 1988 until 2007.  In 2008, I continued with the practice, the only difference is they are saved now in an efile in my computer. 

A tradition in my life has been to pause for a few hours on the 31^st, thank God for all His blessings during the year and then it's performance review time.  I take a look at the goals that I  had set for the near-to-end year.  How much did I accomplish?  I go one by one writing next to each resolution a “Yes” or “No” or “In Progress.”   I then proceed to start with my new list of goals for the new year.  I divide my list in categories like, for example, “Personal” “Financial” “Professional” and “Spiritual.”  Attached to my list, I have a series of pre-typed questions that I take the time to respond because I think that gives my life perspective.   The questions are: 

What would you like to have happen in your life this year?

What would you like to do, to accomplish?

What good would you like to attract into your life?

What particular areas of growth would you like happen to you?

What blocks or character defects would you like removed?

What would you like to attain – both little things and big things?

Where would you like to go?

What would you like to have happen in friendship and love?

What would you like to have happen in your family life?

What problems would you like to see resolved?  What decisions would you like to make?

What would like to happen in your career?

What would you like to see happen inside and around you?

Like I said, I have these questions pre-typed and I answer them year after year right after I have made my list of goals for the new year.  

Today I couldn't resist looking in my folder and reading the goals/resolutions I set many years ago.  I find it fascinating going back in time.  Just an example, in 1988, I wrote:  “Drive a Ferrari.”  What?  Lol!  I must confess that shocked me and made me laugh.  I can’t believe I wrote that.  Hmm, that was a naive and super ambitious Delma at the time.  By the way, we should make sure that our goals are attainable and work on a plan of action and a time frame.

I just love doing this every end of the year.  It’s such a good time to examine myself, my accomplishments and my failures.  Starting a year with a new set of goals is refreshing and gives my life structure and a roadmap to follow during the next 12 months.  

Are you a goal setter?  Do you typically set goals at the first of the year?  If not, why not?

“Our goals can only be reached through a vehicle of a plan, in which we must fervently believe, and upon which we must vigorously act.  There is no other route to success.” – Pablo Picasso