What are you doing in 2012?

Happy New Year!!  Hope your year is off to a delightful start.

I have recently been reading Dave Ramsey's most recent book, EntreLeadership.   I picked it up for 50% off, and used a gift card to buy it, so my reading of this book, would also be Dave Ramsey approved.

I am not very far into it yet, but one of the very first chapters is about dreams, visions and goals.   Being that today is January 1, 2012, I thought a quick blog on goals was very appropriate.  And for the record I am merely conveying the concepts from his book, these are not my original ideas.

New Year's resolutions are bound to be thrown around this time of year, but most of those don't last much past February.

Try sitting down a writing a few concrete goals for yourself for the upcoming year.   Your goals can be driven by a number of things: family, career, finance, physical health/fitness, spirituality/faith, social, or intellectual goals to name a few common areas.  Dave has a few recommendations for writing your goals.

A key component of goal writing, is to actually write the goals down.  This way you remember exactly what you are trying to accomplish, and you can visually see it as a reminder.  While you certainly don't have to share your goal(s) with someone, it would also help to keep yourself accountable.

Make sure your goals are measurable and have a time limit on them.

For example, 'I am going to lose weight in 2012' is a crappy goal.  It doesn't really hold you to anything. 

"I am going to lose 20 lbs" is better, but still lacks a time limit, to really push you towards that goal. 

"I am going to lose 20 lbs in 2 months."  Now were talking.  The goal is measurable and specific.  Another benefit of a specific and measurable goal, is that it gives you several other mini goals or short term goals.  If you know you want to lose 20 lbs in 2 months you can break that down to 10 lbs a month, or 2.5 lbs per week to help you stay on track.

Lastly, your goals should be something you want to achieve.  Not something your significant other, your mother, or your doctor wants you achieve.  If it is not something that you are really geared towards accomplishing, the first obstacle you encounter will likely shut your goal down.

I haven't fully finished writing my goals for 2012, and maybe I will even blog about my own goals when I do finish.  In the mean time go write some of your own. :)