What is your destination for 2012?

"One day Alice same to a fork in the road and saw a Cheshire cat in a tree. 'Which road do I take?" She asked, "Where do you want to go?' was his response. 'I don't know', Alice answered. 'Then', said the cat, 'it doesn't matter."

From 'Alice in Wonderland', written by Lewis Carroll

Week 23

Ready or not for 2012...here it comes!

I'm hoping you did some reflecting along with me last week.  Through self-introspection often comes the desire to make some changes and to set some new goals. So I thought, what better time to reach out in an 'all out' attempt to convince you to set goals in the form of small steps for 2012.  

I always smile when I remember this anecdote:

"A pilot on a local airline carrier walks back to the bulkhead and addresses his passengers.  He announces firmly, I have some good news and some bad news for you.  What do you want to hear first? “The passengers shout out.  “Give us the good news!”  The Pilot continues, “Ok. The good news is that we have picked up a tail wind and that means we’ll be arriving at our destination one hour early.”  The passengers smile, then quickly respond,  “Now, tell us what the bad news is”.  The pilot answers slowly, “The bad news is, well the bad news is….I don’t actually know what our destination is….I don’t know where we’re going.”

Can you relate?  It’s like so many of us isn’t it?   Speeding through life and yet not certain where we’re going. We’re up at the ‘crack of dawn’ and as soon as our feet hit the ground we begin the race.  We scramble to get the family fed and off to school or work. We rush through our days, and then we hurrying home at night, check the calendar, start the dinner (shoot...what should I make?), then it’s feed the troops, get the homework done, read a story to the babes, then tuck them in bed, check the email, read the paper, get ready for tomorrow and then collapse in a heap at night, absolutely spent. 

Yes, we’re busy and we’ve got high blood pressure to prove it.  Stress seems to be a natural part of our lives and many of us are popping pills to keep this crazy life style going.  It almost seems that we pride ourselves in the many extra hours that we spend at work, or with chores at home, as if each one was a badge of honor.  We hear people brag about the lack of sleep they can survive on.  We’re actually proud that we can drive, text, eat, keep a eye on the kids in the back seat and listen to the daily radio news, all at the same time. Our days are crammed full of work, errands, activities, and our ‘to do’ lists continue to grow.  We’re seem to be picking up speed, but like the airline pilot, often times unclear about where we're going.

Well perhaps 2012 can be different.  It’s a new beginning.  If you haven’t already done it, why not take this time to plan for a destination that will help lead you to a healthy and happy year.   I’d like to suggest that you try doing it the SMART way.

S - Start with a Specific end in mind.  And that’s no small task.  Many of us speak about things we would like to accomplish in very general terms. We say things like, “This year I will do better and try harder.”  But a clear picture of exactly what that looks like becomes more difficult.  Visualize what it would look like if your goal was achieved, and write down the specifics.

M- Make it Measurable.  Once you’ve got the end in mind then make sure it is measurable.

A - Action =Accomplishment. This one is often the most difficult.  We have to first decide what the actions are in order to accomplish our goal and then we need to do it.   It we want to achieve our goals, wishing it, just  won’t make it so…. we have to regularly act in order to accomplish.

R- Review, reflect and renew.  We must review our goals regularly, are you continuing to do the actions required?  Is it a reasonable goal, or do you need to adjust and renew your goal?  Don’t toss in the towel if you aren’t losing the weight you had planned, or getting in the exercise time you had hoped for, instead adjust the goal to a more realistic accomplishment.

T - Take Total responsibility – No doubt along the journey to achieving goals we will be tempted to make excuses and blame outside forces for those seemingly impossible barriers we face.   We might hear ourselves saying, “But, it’s so hard! I would do it, but… I need to wait a little longer.   If it weren’t for... I could do it.   Nobody understands! It's not my fault...I tried to but...."    If you are finding yourself pointing the finger outwards, turn it around and say out loud…”I am responsible. I am responsible.”

Where do you want to go in 2012? Why not begin today to chart your journey, the SMART way. Start with a specific end in mind, make your goal measurable, take action, review, and take responsibility.

Small step: Write out goals/small steps for 2012, and do it the SMART way.