Its that time of the year again, dieting, new gym memberships, saving money, etc, etc…
New Years resolutions are the most talked about subject this time of the year. Its a top trending topic on social networks, its the cause of more gym memberships being sold this time of the year than any other time. Everyone is deciding what they want to do or change for the up coming year. Usually by March or April the excitement has died down and its back to old habits. The following is a format that can be used to maximize your potential and accomplish more in 2013 then you have in any other year.
Identifying your Values:
(making tough decisions)
Values help us identify the things that are most important to us in life. Our values are the guidelines for what we will accept in our lives. They set the bar for the kind of standards we live by. Some times, high sometimes low but any value worth having will come at some type of cost. Values were meant to be costly. If they didn’t cost much, we probably wouldn’t appreciate the value. Your values let you know what in life is worth fighting for. All values must be won by contest, and after they have been won, they must be defended. When you live your life according to your values it makes it a lot easier to: make tough decisions daily, be disciplined day in and day out, and to be committed enough to see things through to the end. Its those 3 things that will make the difference between achieving your goals and giving up on them.
Examples of Values: Family, Education, Honesty, Integrity, Faith…
Living a Balanced lifestyle
(being disciplined)
Living a life of balance is about taking care of the most important asset you have in life.. you! Keeping yourself renewed and refreshed put you on track to live life to the fullest. There are 4 major areas to set goals in to maintain a healthy and balanced life, PHYSICAL, MENTAL, SOCIAL, SPIRITUAL also known as sharpening the saw. Dr Stephen Covey talks about sharpening the saw and its importance in his book 7 Habits for Highly Effective People. Sharpening the saw allows for constant growth and renewal in all areas of your life. Taking time to focus and work in the areas most important will save time, money and energy. It makes us all more productive human beings. We either are or know someone who cannot be productive in other areas of life because they are to busy wasting the time in other less productive areas i.e. watching TV. The age old tale of Abraham Lincoln who reportedly said “give me 6 hours to cut down a tree and I’d spend the first 4 sharpening the saw.” Sharpening the saw is about feeling good and that doesn’t just happen. Living a life in balance means taking the necessary time to renew yourself. It’s all up to you. Once you have Identified your values do a quick check to make sure the cover all the areas and begin the process of setting goals in the 4 major areas.
Examples of sharpening the saw:
Physical to Live- eating well, proper exercise, proper rest
Social/Emotional to Love- spending time with loved ones, making important connections with others
Mental to Learn- Learning, reading, writing, teaching
Spiritual to Leave Legacy- Meditation, prayer, hiking, yoga
Write a personal Be, Do, Have statement
(staying committed)
The Be, Do, Have statement can very easily be made into a shallow and materialistic step in the goal setting process. That why having a clear understanding of your values is crucial. Your Be, Do, Have will be the guide to your personal philosophy. Only human beings can reorder their lives any day they choose by refining their philosophy. Develop your own philosophy, don’t borrow someone else’s plan. Philosophy is the sum total of all that you know and what you decide is valuable. Creating your personal plan will take you on a unique adventure. However success is not so much what we have as it is what we are. Your personal philosophy is the greatest determining factor in how your life works out.
What kind of person do you want to BE?
What kind of things do you want to Do?
What do you want to Have?
Identify key roles:
We all have different roles that we have to play in life. These actions that we have to take in these roles differ depending on the time of day and present company we keep. Roles vary from being a parent to being a friend all the way to CEO. Managing these roles are key to maintaining healthy relationships in our life. Role management is also important when it comes to prioritizing goals allowing them to be completed in a timely and orderly fashion.
Examples of Key Roles:
| Roles | Goals |
| Husband/Wife | Date Night, Quality time, Help with house work |
| Father/Mother | Provide for family, Keep them safe, family dinner |
| Brother/Sister | Be Supportive, Spend Quality time together |
| Leader | Personal develop, coaching, prepare lessons |
| Friend | Phone calls, lunch meetings, hangout |
Create a plan of Action:
“The miracle of the seed and the soil is not available by affirmation; it is only available by labor.” -Jim Rohn
Having a plan is only half the battle, the other part is putting your plan to work. It does not matter how well mapped out the strategy is if its executed poorly or not at all. Once you have identified your values, clarified your roles, committed to sharpening the saw and wrote your Be, Do, Have statement, its time to go to work. Write a clear and coincide action steps for each goal. Give them realistic deadlines. Setup positive and negative consequences. Identify the key players needed to insure success. Gather tools and resources needed to complete each goal. Setup a weekly schedule to stay on task. Invest 1 hour out of everyday sharpening your saw. That makes way for your body and mind to continually renew and will allow you to continually grow personally and professionally.
Set goals that push you to be better, stretch you beyond your limits and make those around better for having known you. Life can be measured on simple terms, make reasonable amounts of progress in a reasonable amount of time.
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THEWAZO 