Can you believe we’re already into the second month of 2008? All those things you’ve heard about time are true – it waits for no man, it marches on, and there’s never enough of it. February really snuck up on me this year.
Have you gotten your New Year’s Resolutions out and scoured over them yet? I got mine out and put them under the spotlight last night. I got a pen and divided a sheet of paper in two (yes, Michael dearest, a piece of your cherished printer paper…drives him nuts when I use his printer paper to write on). On one side I wrote “Things I’m Doing Right” and on the other, “Things I’m Doing Wrong.” The two sides and I spent about 30 minutes together over a glass of green tea.
See if you recognize yourself in my reflection.
I started off like a rocket – I’d say that for the first two, possibly even three, weeks of the year, I was a machine! I walked every day, red meat and fried foods were just a memory, I was on schedule with all of my online work, I got a lot of things organized and accomplished….. I was on top of my game, man. Then, by the time the end of the month rolled around, well….not so much.
It all comes down to one word, I think: F – O - C – U – S. During the first days of the new year (weeks if we really put forth the effort) we are so honed in and so focused on the changes we want to make. Because of this steely focus, we’re more aware of the lines we’re trying to stay within. When we lose that focus, the lines aren’t so clear. They become faded and gapped. After a while, we’re outside of lines we forgot even existed!
The good news is that lines can be reinstated, focus can be reestablished, and the whole honing in thing can be revisited Thank God for the prefix re-, right? That’s why frequent little self checkups are so important. If we catch what we’re doing wrong early enough, we can get right back on track. It’s also good to see what we’re doing right, of course, because a little encouragement goes a long way.
If you suspect that you have a few “wrongs,” don’t fret….fix.
When I was a teenager, I played in a softball league. Whenever we took the field, we’d always warm our arms up before the batter stepped to the plate. The throws to first didn’t count – they were just there to serve as warmups. It allowed us to work out kinks, get our confidence up, show off for the boys at the fence…that sort of thing.
Think of setbacks as warm-ups. They point out where you need to aim next time. Learn from them, then move forward with even more determination. Your goals won’t know what hit them.
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Thanks for your thoughtful article.
I have a daily blog and I have been writing a series of articles on making 2008 your best year ever. I love the ideas and have gotten good feedback. What is also true is that I am more motivated by an inner desire to be present than by goals or tasks. I guess the mystic in me calls me to explore more than produce.
I like your writing and am interested in joining with other self-development people in helping each other build traffic and share links.
Check me out at http://www.ExploreLifeBlog.com.
Peace and success to you,
Joseph