Joy, Contribution and Journey of 2009
January 1st marks the beginning of numerous New Year’s resolutions. It’s always an interesting conversation starter to ask any audience (large or small) "do you create New Year’s Resolutions?".
The problem, as I see it, with New Years Resolutions are that they are made in haste, as an opportunity to break self imposed standards during the holidays. So many people over spend, over eat, & over indulge in November and December with the claims that come January it will all turn around. I am however, not against making resolutions because I think it’s very important to have measurable goals and something to work towards.
My solution has always been to create big picture goals that resemble more of a pathway than a particular to-do list. To-do list type resolutions never work for me because my focus and priorities change as the year progresses and consequently by February I can’t even remember what I wanted to accomplish. I think setting a goal with a 12 month deadline only breeds procrastination which results in guilt.
I went to a leadership training in October of 2007 and one of my biggest take aways is that in order to accomplish any goal you must always be taking steps in the direction of your end result. Which of course means you know what your end result will look like and then make sure to take steps towards that every day. I set goals or "resolutions" for myself every month in the different categories of my life: personally, professionally & for this blog. When I create my year at a glance goals I am working from an eagle eye view of what I want my year to look like at the end, knowing that life happens and plans change and life rarely unfolds the way we expect. I actually wrote my list about a month ago but recently I came across two blog posts that have inspired me and helped me to focus my goals even more.
Chris Brogan recommends coming up with 3 or so keywords that tie to goals and work from there. The thing that I love about Chris’ approach is that it’s broad enough to encompass multiple areas of life, yet it’s also narrow enough that I will definitely be able to remember in February what my 3 words were.
So I read back over my list in my journal and came up with 3 words for me: Joy, Contribution & Journey.
- Joy: It’s very important to me to find and create joy both in my own life and those around me. For me joy manifests through creativity, music, cooking, reading, learning and being with my favorite people. I also think that it’s important to find a way to bring joy into otherwise mundane tasks. Life is too short to be grumpy for no reason.
- Contribution: Contributing as far as a goal for myself is about always working towards something bigger. It’s important to me that I’m contributing to my future and to the lives of others. My purpose in blogging to to contribute to and learn from the blogging community. Contribution is also about the small parts that make up the whole. Taking time out to do household tasks on a daily basis may not seem like much on a small scale but overall it contributes to creating peace and comfort in my home. In 2009 I will be contributing to my health, finances, & education specifically.
- Journey: “Focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it.” – Greg Anderson. As someone who is results & goal oriented I often have to remind myself that the journey is part of the fun. Celebrating accomplishments as they come instead of always striving to step up the next rung of the ladder.
The other post that inspired me to refocus my resolution was Tiffany Monhollon’s Forget Resolutions. Tiffany recommends picking one theme – her’s being discipline. And so for me, my theme for 2009 shall be joy – finding, creating & inspiring joy in myself and others.
What would be your 3 goals and/or your theme word for 2009?
Other recommended reading on this first day of 2009:
