As we start the New Year, it is an auspicious time to take a look at your goals and how to achieve them. (Wow, where have I ever heard that before?) But, seriously…
Every January, I seek to look at what I have achieved in the past year, and to review my Vision and Mission, first to see how far I have come, and then to plan for where I want to go during the year. Things happen, we grow and change and our place in our family or community changes as well. What may have been super important last year may have faded from our view.
Whatever business you are in, it helps to know yourself first before you decide what you want to do. I can say I have jumped into many ventures without first looking inward for direction. If you haven’t explored this before, now may be a good time to start.
First get yourself a notebook, find a cozy place alone to work on the exercise, and then take some time to write down the answers to a few questions. Writing it down is magical, and will help you so much more than just answering the questions in your head. And think about what fun it will be when, after you are so successful you can’t remember when you weren’t, you find this old notebook and can reminisce about what you were doing and thinking when you wrote it all down.
- What are you meant to do? Only you can answer that question, not your parents, family, spouse, friends, no one else. And if you don’t spend some time on it, the only direction you may be getting could be from others. One of my mentors talks about going to the beach and sitting quietly with a notebook, then writing stream of consciousness about where he saw himself, not just today, but projecting into the future as well. Just saying, at the time things were not going well for him, and now he is a millionaire many times over.
- How can you make a difference? Most of us want to leave a legacy when we are gone, even if we haven’t thought about it quite that way. For some, it might be to build and nourish a happy family, for another rescuing animals, and for another sharing things they have learned to help others in their journey. Think about your personal gifts and how you could use them to better yourself, your family, your friends, the community and the larger world.
- What gives you satisfaction? Imagine the times when you feel really good about yourself and something you have accomplished. What did you do to get that feeling? I love to cook, and am developing recipes for others like me who want tasty food, and don’t know the best way to make it. Nothing gives me the satisfaction of preparing something and sharing it with someone else. When I was competing in dance, I was never so happy as when I did well at a dance competition, and made my instructor proud. Find your bliss, as Joseph Campbell said.
Start the process of self-exploration as soon as possible in order to start off the new year right.
Please leave your comments and suggestions. Feel free to contact me for more information about being a speaker at your group or event.
Trust me I’m a doctor, the Follow Up Doctor.
