What Now?

This is totally ridiculous!  I promise you, I blinked and the year was gone! Poof! If you are like me I am sure you are asking yourself where the time has gone.  There are so many things I did not get to do, a whole host of things that are still in the process of happening.  So what now?

This is the time of the year when most people grab a scrap of paper and a pencil and start jotting down their New Year's Resolutions.  This coming year they are resolute to lose those twelve pounds, they will stop smoking, they will make time for their family, etc.  Sadly those promises often are worth less than the paper they are written on.  They are merely a sop to appease our own conscious, a half-hearted attempt to quiet that little nagging voice which whispers that we have not done enough with the opportunities the previous year had provided us with.  Often these New Year Resolutions do not last longer than the first 24 hours, sometimes they make it into the second month, but mostly, before the first term of the year has passed, our best intentions have dwindled into obscurity.

So, indeed, the question is "What Now?" Do we give up on making resolutions?  Do we just fumble along as usual?  No!!!  The old adage "he who fails to plan, plans to fail" is very true.  So, by all means make those resolutions, but KEEP them. To help you, as well as myself, with them I want to share my Wonder Woman Wisdom with you, the five W tools in my WWW suitcase, you know, the one where I keep my Wonder Woman cape (LOL)!

First of all, you have to determine:

1. WHO you are.  Not who others tell you you are, not who you think others think you are, but WHO you are deep down there where it matters.  Other people are often very quick to put us into a certain category or a little box, because it makes it easier for them to understand us.  The truth is that nobody truly knows us completely, they mostly see only a part of our whole picture.  They might classify you as a cat, but maybe you are actually a cheetah or maybe even a butterfly kitten!  Only you really know yourself.  Do not let anyone define you.  Think of five positive words which describe you best, eg. loyal, determined, adventurous, considerate, ambitious, kind, visionary, supportive...  These are the attributes which make you unique.  Knowing who you are will lead you where you need to go.

2. WHAT would you like to change or achieve this coming year? What will be your main goal, your main focus?  Write down the five things you most often wish to do, attain or change.  Once you have written these down carefully evaluate each one.  Which ones will give you the most satisfaction?  Which one makes your heart beat faster with excitement?  Select the three things which you would love the most to be completed by the end of the year.

3.  So you have selected your three main goals for the year, now it is important to evaluate each one by asking WHY?  Why do you want to do this, achieve this or change this?  What would be the payoff you would achieve by accomplishing these goals.  What difference would each one make to you life?  Write the answers to these questions down next to each goal.

4.  Now that you have a better understanding of WHO you are, WHAT your goals are and WHY these goals are important to you, ask yourself WHERE do you want to see yourself in terms of your goals at the end of this new year.  It is fine to know that you are an excellent manager(the who), your goal is to be appointed as a manager at another firm(the what) and you know that managing people makes you feel inspired and fulfilled(the why), but knowing WHERE you want to be makes your goals more tangible.  Do you want to be a manager at a small retail store, the head of human resources or the district manager of a large company?  Do you want to relocate or move abroad?  Knowing where it is you are headed gives direction to your goals.

5. Finally, the next important tool is the question of WHEN.  Every goal we have can be broken up into a series of smaller steps.  We need to give a time frame to each of these steps.  Some steps could be broken into the daily steps I need to take to achieve my goal, others might take a few weeks or a month or two, but it is important to put these onto a timeline to give myself a clear road map to my destination.  It is when we fail to do this that we can get sidetracked by a variety of detours and we may even end up wandering around the desert, totally lost.

Making resolutions helps to give us something to focus on in the New Year, it lifts our spirit and gives us a sense of excitement.  New Year resolutions also helps us to turn our dreams into reality.  These resolutions is what sets the New Year apart from the old year and it gives us the hope that the best is yet to come.

A blessed New Year to all of you.