There are two definitions of success – one is that you are standing on the
top of the mountain – this is great, but eventually you’re going to have to
come down. The other definition is from Napoleon Hill (author of Think
and Grow Rich), “Success is the progressive realization of a worthwhile
goal”.
Through the perspective of that second definition, how was your 2020?
Almost everyone was derailed in one way or many by the
unpredictability and stresses of 2020. How did you do with that stress?
What are some of the adaptations you had to make? Some of the things
you learned... or things you learned you could do without? What are
some of the ways that you showed up in good or great ways?
This time of year is a great time to take a bird’s eye view of your life and
make sure you are going the direction you want.
There are concrete steps to doing this, and the sooner you do them the
longer you will reap the benefit.
Define your top 5 core values.
Write down your personal Vision and Mission statements.
Decide on the top 5 things you will focus on this next year.
Make a step by step plan for each.
(Want support in doing this? Join my Setting Your Intentions For
2021 class this Wednesday 12/16 at 6pm PST!)
Everyone has core values, and these shape our behavior, even if they are
not consciously worked out.
Deliberate reflection on them helps you make choices that are an even
better fit for yourself in the future. This season is a great time to look
over your values. Revisit and refine the list each year.
And how about your personal vision and mission statements? Having
these well defined helps you keep your effort focused on what’s important
and also gives you a way to keep track of your progress. These
statements are great to have on post-its by your bathroom mirror, on your
car dashboard or desktop. Read them often and keep them fresh!
As you may know, I’m committed to living a life where Doing and Being
are balanced, so my values, vision and mission are about both
achievement and surrender.
Warren Buffet encourages us to write down 20 goals, decide on the top
five and then protect your time from being siphoned off to the bottom 15.
In any case, defining and writing down your goals is a sure way to make it
more likely you will achieve them.
Some people are natural methodical goal setters and planners. Not me! I
have to work at it. My preference is to live life spontaneously by the seat
of my pants. This, unfortunately, is not the way to build anything
substantial - like a house, a retirement fund, a business, or a family. Long-
term projects (which are the important ones to me) all need to be broken
down into methodical, step by step plans.
Figuring these out beforehand is hard work and requires patience and
imagination. For most long-term projects this planning is essential. And
write it down!
Most people are not methodical about doing this kind of life review and
planning, and their lives reflect that. As you know, the results you achieve
usually reflect the quality of your planning. So take advantage of the
energy of this season, use the introspective time of the dark of the year to
look within, review your last year, recall your core values, your mission
and vision statements and set up your plans for achieving your 5 most
important goals in 2021!
(Want support in doing this? Join me for my Setting Your Intentions
For 2021 class this Wednesday 12/16 at 6pm PST!!)
