Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – 2006
The week between Christmas and New Year is, hands down, my favourite time of the year.
I absolutely love it!
That’s because it’s the time I prepare my diary (calendar) but, most of all, it’s because I do my year-end review and goal-setting for the next year.
A colleague of mine paid me the biggest compliment recently (she doesn’t even know it!) when she told me that of everyone she knows, I’m the only one she’s ever met who is this intentional about my goals.
It’s because I firmly believe that if you drift through life, there will be tons of things left undone simply because of lack of intention.
I don’t want that to be me.
Anyway, back to the process…
Some of the year-end thinking can be done as you go about your life (in the shower, while driving, etc.) but there comes a point when you actually need to sit down with a gorgeous pen and notebook, or with your laptop, and make the time to write things down.
There’s tremendous power in creating a sacred space for your thoughts, dreams, intentions and goals.
Phuket, Thailand – 2006
It’s also the perfect time to start the new year with a clean slate – isn’t that so appealing?
I’ve booked out a half day tomorrow for exactly this purpose. If that’s not enough time (these things sometimes take a lot longer than you plan), I’ll take another two hours on Thursday, and if I need more, again on Friday.
Some of the things I’ll be thinking and writing about are:
- my biggest accomplishments this year
- things I definitely don’t want to repeat
- the things I need to let go of – commitments, relationships, emotions 🙂
- my word/ theme for next year
- what my definition of success for 2011 will look like
- and finally, the actual goal-setting
and so on
What about you? Have you created your sacred space yet for your 2011 goal-setting?Loch Lomond, Scotland – 2008
This was the first time I actually sat down and wrote out a year end review. I came up with my word/theme for the year. It is Healthy. Physical, Emotional and Spiritual Health. Healthy relationships, Healthy Finances, and Healthy Habits. It took me a while to go through the year end review and come up with the right word, but once I hit on the word Healthy it just felt right. This was a very powerful exercise and I’m glad I did it. Now I just need to set my 2011 goals. Thanks, Marcia!
Tonya, your comment made my day – seriously! I love that you did it and that it worked so well for you.
I haven’t… but I LOVE this idea. I used to journal daily as a teen, and gave that up as I got older. Recently I;ve been feeling pulled to do it again. Maybe writing out some of these thoughts/ plans would be a good way to get started.
Violet, just do it. Even if you only start off with an hour and see how you go…
Awesome post Marcia! I totally agree. If you don’t have defined goals and a plan to fulfill them, you will wonder aimlessly wondering why you did’t get this done or why that isn’t finished yet. I am taking time this weekend to figure out my goals and plans for next year. My word/theme for 2011 is “Focus”, which is something I definitely need to work on. Look forward to your posts in 2011. Happy New Year!