Happy New Year! Again.
It doesn’t seem long ago that I was writing a New Year’s post. I’m not quite sure what happened to 2012, but it sure went by fast. I had big plans for 2012. What about you?
My goals relied almost exclusively on the launch of a new website that was scheduled to roll out in January, 2012. However, the project was delayed multiple times throughout the year. The result was that all my “big plans” for 2012 were never pursued.
Well, now I have big plans for 2013. Yes, I do. For the most part . . . the same ones from 2012. Maybe in 2013 they’ll come to fruition. How about yours?
As 2012 was coming to an end, the frustration of being unable to pursue my 2012 goals trumped the importance of launching an amazing new website loaded with information and resources, so instead I launched a basic new site that [enter optimistic view] has wonderful opportunity for growth.
What epiphany did my trumped frustration bring? The realization that action, any action, no matter how small, is better than no action. Hindsight 20/20, had I known I’d launch the site before it was everything I wanted it to be, I could have done so last January and spent 2012 pursuing my goals anyway.
Nevertheless, I could have still pursued my 2012 plans in different ways that perhaps didn’t rely so heavily on the website. I could have worked on aspects of my plans that didn’t require the website. I could have reorganized my plans so that everything else was in place when the site did launch, rather than waiting until after the launch to begin pursuing my goals.
What about you? Did you achieve your goals? Were the plans you made fulfilled? If not, why? Did you blame something else, like I blamed the launch of my website? That’s too easy. I can’t blame anyone or anything other than myself. I should have found other ways to move my goals forward. I should have walked around that boulder instead of stopping in front of it and staring at it all year, willing it to move. I should have taken action.
If you haven’t been achieving your goals, now is not the time to make new ones. Now is the time to determine why goals aren’t being achieved. What can you do differently that will allow you to pursue your goals even in the face of the obstacles that challenge you? Once you know what’s preventing you from attaining your goals, then you’ll be in a position to make new goals.
When you have your new goals, make a plan to bring them to life. Then break the plan down into milestones, tasks, and to-do’s. Write them down. Writing them down makes them real; concrete. Put them on your calendar. You’ll be off to a good start.
There’s one more step, though. Without the final step, all that effort will be for not. Failure to complete this last step is the biggest reason goals and plans aren’t achieved. Every successful person has taken this final step. What is it?
Action. They take action.
You can, too. Do something. Do anything. Take the smallest task and do it. Then do the next one. Commit to your goals. Commit to your milestones. Commit to taking action. When you run into that boulder, don’t stop. Walk around it. Climb over it. Crawl under it. Chisel through it. Just as long as you’re taking action.
I’m going to pursue my goals this year, regardless of obstacles. No more excuses. I’m going to step around that boulder and keep moving forward. What about you?
Here’s to wishing you a healthy, happy, and prosperous 2013! Above all, never lose sight of that which means the most in life!