What are you doing this week?
This is a strange week in our cultural calendar. For many folks, today means back-to-work. For others it’s returning or exchanging, taking a break, or wrapping up family visits. Lots of emails generate automatic “out-of-the-office” messages during this week.
I have two main tasks for this last week of 2010. One involves returning from over the river and through the woods, which means a scenic drive across Nebraska. The other is a brief look back at 2010 and getting goals in order for 2011.
2010
I intentionally avoid a lot of looking back. I try to set up my major goals to include a lot of continuous monitoring, so I’m pretty clear about where I succeeded and places I fell short. I’ll do some thinking about the big picture, but mostly about how that relates to moving forward.
I’ve been sort of a drifter for much of my life. One month blends into another and things sort of float along, and suddenly I realize that a lot of years haven’t had much of an intentional purpose. I think many of us operate in that mode. If that’s you, I invite you to join me in making things a bit more targeted.
If you’re curious, I invite you to read one of my absolute favorite metaphors: Lessons From The Jar.
Core Values
I believe in knowing and reminding myself of my core values. Perhaps you need to spend some time defining these for yourself. For me, this is a time to review, revise and recommit. Whatever I do must point me toward the True-North principles that form the foundation of my life. For me these are:
- Agape (The Choice Of Agape)
- Grace and truth (Grace And Truth)
- Courage (The Priority Of Courage)
2011 Focus
My major focus for 2011 is expanding the circle. That means getting the words to a wider community through broader, deeper, and more diverse connections. So I intend to focus on:
- Attracting more people to the circle.
- Making tighter, deeper connections with people in the circle.
- Doing something meaningful with the circle.
Obviously, that doesn’t mean I’ll devote every waking moment to this single objective. Life’s just not that simple. But it does help me as I make monthly and daily choices. As I fill my calendar and begin projects, keeping this focus in mind provides a reference point for saying yes or no.
Key Words
I like the practice of choosing a single word to signify a goal. Each word means something to me, and helps me keep the goal in my mind.
For 2011, my three words are: Readers, Workshop, and Ride.
Readers: I want to focus on you during 2011. I want to attract more of you and find ways to make our connections more meaningful. This includes speaking opportunities, free ebooks, and perhaps some online workshops or other types of interactions.
Workshop: This is a continuation of a 2010 goal. I want to refine the workshop/seminar I presented in 2010 and find more audiences.
Ride: This is the big project for the year. I want to do a 1500-mile hand cycle ride (Nine Miles An Hour) during the second half of 2011.
Just The Beginning
These three words are reminders of big ideas or dreams. They’re not goals yet, because a goal is a dream with a plan and a deadline. So now I need to do the work I wrote about last week (Next Year Is Nearly Here).
I created the simple diagram with free XMIND mind-mapping software. I’ll expand each word and transform it from a dream to an achievable, measurable goal. And I’ll share some of the results, and how you can help, next time.
Are you in? Want to join in setting the sails for 2011?
Are you setting goals for the coming year? Want to share?
Please leave a comment.
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