Okay, so you’ve reviewed the goals you had coming into 2008.
You know why you hit some… and missed others.
You’ve studied the circumstances that diverted your attention, stole your thunder, or maybe even sidelined you for part of the year.
But more importantly, you have created a plan to deal with those obstacles in the future.
It doesn’t mean you won’t be tested; it does mean that next time… you’ll be up to the challenge.
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If the goal is big enough… if it is important enough… you will succeed.
Yes, you will overcome the challenges, because the negative consequences of not doing so, far outweigh the challenges themselves… but only if the goal is big enough.
Small goals, you see, provide little motivation.
In this, time plays a big factor. We’ve all been given 168 hours each week; no more… no less.
When I look at this block of time as a resource that I possess, then decisions regarding it become a simple matter of allocation. We focus our resources in directions that move us toward specific goals and missions in each area of our lives.
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So, one last tweak to that list we spoke of yesterday. You may have more or less, but I am setting goals in seven areas of my life for 2009.
Some we will accomplish… some may wait… some may not really be that important after all.
But here we go:
Take that all-inclusive list of goals and micro-goals (which in my case was created at least in part with my family), and give each item a simple tag… based on your own perceived consequences
or rewards:
A = Must
B = Should
C = Would be nice
Focus 80% of your time on achieving the A’s… 20% on the B’s.
Period.
As you accomplish your top priorities… the A rated goals, use the time that is freed up to work on B’s. And yup… you guessed it, C rated goals get attention when, and only if, there is time. Yes, this is time management… life management… designed for meaning and purpose.
Lest this seem overwhelming, remember… it is you who gets to decide the ratings and priorities in the first place. What is important to you?
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Three last observations:
1) The achievement of high rated goals requires belief in ourselves, and the reward.
2) It is helpful to have an emotional tie, positive or negative, to the accomplishment of the goal.
3) B and C rated goals typically will not stand up to any serious challenge.
I look forward to speaking with you soon.
Questions:
What three things must absolutely happen in 2009? What are the consequences if they don’t?
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