Time to reflect and look forward
Image via WikipediaThere are only three days left in 2008. December is a month of looking back as well as forward. Though we are just moving from one month, December, to the next, January (as we do the whole year), it always seems a giant stride. In these tough economic times, it seems we cannot wait for the New Year, hoping it is a better one. I know I cannot wait for 2009; 2008 has been one of my hardest years. However, it has also brought me some amazing experiences and some wonderful new friends.
Sometimes we dwell on the dark side and forget about the small rays of light that touch us. I am planning to use this time to count my blessings (though I refuse to do Year’s resolutions). Now is the time to plan vacations and short trips; decide which books to read or courses to follow; make a list of lost friends you want to contact. I thought this week would be the perfect week for a “Living Life Smarter” theme.
This theme applies both to our personal life as well as our projects. It is a given that there always will be too much to do and not enough time. I recall when I was a kid in primary school time would simply not pass. The school year felt like an eternity. Somewhere after high school time started to move faster and faster. Now, December arrives and I wonder where the rest of the year went.
There are many areas involved in living life smarter:
- Knowing what you want
- Knowing where you are right now
- Setting priorities
- Making decisions
- Planning and scheduling
- Measuring progress
- Dealing with change
- Working as a team
- Delegating work
- Minimizing procrastination
- Your attitude
I could probably write for weeks about this topic, however, I only have a week so I will focus on:
- Knowing what you want – setting goals
- Gap Analysis – where are you now?
- Setting priorities: getting organized
- Dealing with change
Join me! This is the perfect time to reflect on the past year, set goals for the next year and create a plan for execution. Tomorrow we will focus on setting goals. It really comes down to knowing what you want. If you don’t know what you want, you can share it with others or obtain it. As George Bernard Shaw said:
You see things; and you say, ‘Why?’
But I dream things that never were; and I say, “Why not?”
Nathalie Udo
