5 Tips for the New Year
The end of a decade and what has been achieved, learnt, lived through, mastered and experienced? As you look back on 10 years – remember the ball dropping on the new millennium – what did you want for your life then? Where are you now? What is still left to happen?
2010 looms as a promising year in so many ways – a new start again, a chance to make things different maybe, an opportunity to make a difference in your world. As you look back in another 10 years with 2020 hindsight what will you see? Here are some tips to help as you enter the new year… How will you design your future to be what you really want it to be?
1) Reflect and celebrate
Tony Campolo, a great communicator, once talked of a study done with people over the age of 95 – the question was asked “if you had your life over again what would you have done different”? One of the overwhelming replies was “reflect more” – they felt that had they taken the time to stop and take in what they heard, what happened to them, and around them, they would have taken in and learnt more. As you reflect on the wonder of life you feel fully alive. As you look back on 2009, or before, stop and reflect on what has been achieved – be easy on yourself no matter what kind of a year 2009 was there will have been times of success, achievement and things to be proud of. Reflect and take the time to acknowledge how far you’ve come. How can you celebrate where you are now? If you need a tool to help you reflect here is a good one I’ve found recently created by a friend of mine – Download Here
2) Compelling goals
New years’ resolutions are more often than not broken very quickly. So this year set compelling goals instead – focus on the why and not the what – so instead of lose weight – focus on having the energy to play with the kids, or being able to feel confident when you do a presentation in front of lots of people. Why is the goal important to you and what happens if you don’t achieve it?
You may have heard of SMART goals – which means specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time bound – well here’s a twist on that theme – specific – yes make the goal tangible, measurable – yes you need to be able to know when you achieve it, accountable though instead of achievable – make sure someone helps you along the way, it’s always easier to stick to a plan when you know someone will ask you about it. Then instead of realistic and time bound the r is for resonance – it must be something you want to have, something that makes you buzz thinking about it and the t is for thrilling – make it a big goal that you gulp at when you think of what it would mean to achieve it.
I heard an inspiring talk this weekend from Jake Meyer, the youngest man to climb Everest – he was very passionate and motivated to achieve his goal. He titled his talk ‘Big dreams – big rewards’ and he spoke of the power of having such a big goal (like a mountain), when there are obstacles along the way they seem so tiny in comparison to the mountain – you will always keep the goal in focus if it is so awe inspiring.
Another take on goals is to make a one word goal for the year. I did this last year and it helped me to focus on what’s important for me. Mine was “richness” – this was not only having enough money to live and do the things we want, but richness in my relationships, in how I spent my time, in how I looked after myself and those around me. Having just one word to remember and focus on made it easier to achieve.
3) Live in the present
This may seem like a contradiction to the previous point but when we live in the past or the future we miss what is happening right now – in this moment, it really is the only moment we can be sure of. In 2010 let’s experience every moment and learn what we can along the way. When you live in each moment, and are present as much as possible, you see so many good things around you – moments of beauty in creation, tenderness with kids, the kindness of a friend or the aliveness of someone crossing their finish line.
4) No limitations
I have found that most of us, if not all, live our lives by the ‘shoulds’ and ‘oughts’, the ‘musts’ and ‘have to’s’ and they are different for us all. They may be things we are brought up being told, things we believe or rules we have made up in our heads to make sense of our world. They can help us towards freedom but in many cases they can also limit us in what we experience, achieve and who we become. This year be conscious of those saboteurs that want to hold you back and keep you in the status quo – they may not be serving your best interests in terms of you being yourself and living your values fully. (Take a look at this Taming your Gremlin book that we recommend)
5) Know and honour your values
This brings me onto the last and in some ways most important tip for 2010 – BE YOURSELF – know what makes you YOU – what really makes you feel alive. Is it family, friends, nature, work, achievement, honesty, compassion? – we all have values that we live by (whether we are aware of them or not). Know who you are and make sure you are being true to yourself. Once you can honour your values and live them as much as possible you become more fulfilled and really start to make a difference.
2010 could be your best year yet – I say that every year to myself and I must admit as I look back 2009 has been challenging in many ways; personal loss, struggle, hardship and regrets BUT there’s also been perseverance, endurance, strength of character and lots of love along the way. If you would like help to achieve this and really take control and design your own future please review my Design Your Future programe and contact me to find out more.
A new year and a new decade, let’s look with new eyes and see what could be achieved this year…
