2008 Accomplishments? 2009 Goals?
One of my great clients recommended the book, Your Best Year Yet! in her e-zine, and I was intrigued by the title and bought the book. The idea of actually setting goals for the new year or any time isn’t new to me, as I’ve participated in many seminars and read a multitude of books on the subject. But I haven’t gone through the formal planning or goal setting process in a long time, so I opened the book and read the first 38 pages or so. What an enlightening experience that was!
The book, by Jinny S. Ditzler, is based on a concept the author developed in the 1980′s and eventually became a workshop. Yes, it is about setting goals, and yes, it does require some work on your/my part. There are ten questions, the first four looking back over the previous year, and the last six moving you/me forward.
I’m only at question #1, but it’s already been such a positive step in renewing my spirit that I wanted to pass it on to you. There are ten questions that you must answer. They require some deep thought, and the process could take about 3 hours if you work on all questions at one sitting. So here’s question #1 and how I answered it:
Question 1: What did I accomplish (in 2008)?
To answer this I went to my Outlook calendar–all the way back to January 1st, making a note of major appointments, events, people, meetings, etc. By the time I reached December 2008, I had already filled two pages (I’ll share my list below). I was amazed at my accomplishments – all of them resulting from no real planning –just taking advantage of opportunities and situations that came my way.
What did I learn from this experience? How was I enriched by this experience?
When I looked at my list and then shared it with my husband, I had a great sense of pride in all I had done and had contributed. 2008 has been a year of physical pain toleration and healing from major back surgery, yet I have accomplished far more than I ever planned or imagined I could.
What if I had set goals? How much more could I have accomplished? How sad it would have been if I hadn’t opened this book and answered the first question in the process. I probably would have continued to beat myself up for the things I hadn’t accomplished. Yes, there are many more things I would have liked to have done and didn’t. I allowed the circumstances and opportunities as they were presented to guide me through my year; very few of my successes were planned and deliberate.
So, I ask myself, “Why have I avoided planning my successes and accomplishments? Maybe the answer is, “If I plan, I’ll feel the need to commit. What if I change my mind or don’t accomplish what I set out to do?”
What about you? What’s in store for 2009? Are you going to let 2009 plan itself or are you going to set yourself up for success?
If you’re interested, here’s my list of 2008_accomplishments.
