Boots McBlog

Earlier in the week,  I wrote about how I approach setting and achieving my resolutions and goals.   As promised,  I am following up with a few more  nudges towards making 2012 the best yet.   These are perhaps the most difficult tips to reaching goals.   Ideally,  these steps will precede the resolutions.  The good news,  it’s never too late to apply them.

By now we are making a couple of weeks headway into those resolutions.    This is a good time to do a gut check.

If there is any hope of achieving the plans and goals written prettily across the page,  they must first ALIGN with the plans that God has for us.

We must ask ourselves,

“Are these plans MY plans?  Are they for me and my benefit?   Are they for  my glory?”

If the answer is yes, even if we successfully check off every lofty goal we’ve set,  we’ll ring in 2013 feeling hollow.

Last week,  I sat down with the CEO of our company.  We reviewed my 2012 goals and plans.   Before our meeting, I had studied our company’s strategic plan and used it to guide my  professional goal setting.  My boss seem well pleased with the presentation. He gave feedback and encouragement. He tweaked a few plans for the better.  Both the company and myself are poised for success.

Can you imagine the disastrous outcome had I walked into his office with what I conceived to be GREAT ideas that had nothing to do with who our company is or where we going?   What if  I did what I wanted to do,  without regard to the bigger picture?  Without aligning my goals with the company’s goals, I labor in vain.

The same is true when I fail to align my heart with God’s plan through prayer, scripture reading, and friends who hold me accountable.

Getting our vision, personal mission, our values, our strengths,  our goals,  and resolutions in line with God’s plan for us is a tough, soul searching process.   If you don’t even have a clue to this process,   a great place to start is with the Woman on a Mission Bible Study written by Linda Slaton.  I participated in the group two years ago, and I am forever grateful for the clarity and peace God gave me through the work.

I have an audacious vision of where I am called to go in life.    The goals I’ve set, put me closer to achieving that vision.   My intentions are good and I’ve done my best to align my ways with His.   Here’s the rub and possibly my greatest challenge… leaving room in the plans and  the good to allow God to astonish me.    I think it’s a challenge for most of us.   We take our grand ideas and our human brains cannot begin to fathom them in higher ways.   He calls us to seek Him first. Put him  FIRST ….at  the top of goals, our dreams, our visions, our resolutions, our to-do list….and all these things…. these wonderful, amazing opportunities we could never have orchestrated in our own ways…will be added to us. I have total faith if we yield to Him and give him space in our plans and our hearts,  he WILL wow us.

It’s my prayer and a challenge for us as we set sail further into 2012,  let’s go back to those resolution lists and add at the very top:

#1.   Let God Astonish Us

gracefully yours,

boots

xxoo

Hip Hip Hooray!  Let’s give 3 cheers for 2012 is officially here.

Along with the new year are new hopes, resolutions, and dreams.

I’ve been impressed and inspired by the BIG ideas that have crossed my blog reader and twitter stream.

To me, there’s nothing better than sitting down with a clean slate, daydreaming big (and small) ideas and the steps to achieve those goals.

I’ve spent the better part of the last 2 weeks on my own and working with others to hone my own plans for 2012.  Planning, strategizing and putting goals and programs into action is what I  do professionally.  It’s what I’ve always done, whether it was planning a party,  a patient’s health goals, a clients diet plan,  or a marketing plan,    The strategy remains basically the same.    What I use at the office, I use on a personal level to build a better …well,  me.

In my experience,  a key element  to move lofty goals and pretty plans from paper into action and results is effective communication.

Effective communication allows us and others to understand, internalize and focus.  I do this by whittling and wordsmithing my goals into a single word or simple phrase.  Quick bites I can easily recite and use  to outline / structure my actions.

For my personal goals, I post these words in places I see numerous times a day.  For example,  they are on the home screen of my phone &  the inspiration board by my desk.

I also use them daily/weekly in MyAgenda ( yes, I’m old school.  I like a handwritten calendar).

Along the side bar each week, I write my 5 words/ phrases.  Then, I make sure I’m doing something each week to move me closer to achievement of the particular benchmarks I’ve set within each goal.  I schedule my workouts,  write my meal plans,  track my volunteer commitments, and make notes of birthdays and names of friend to whom I want to drop a note.   This is where I’m also adding my blog post ideas this year.

5 words or phrases.  I love the simplicity.

move more• eat well • share • save • grow

The repetition becomes a cadence  for marching forward to better self in 2012.  Now that is something to cheer for!

Do you have a secret to organizing and achieving your goals?   Do you  word or phrases to inspire you this year?  I’d love to hear.

[ In the next few days, I'll SHARE with you another strategy I use in successfully setting & meeting goals ]

Cheers + Happy New Year!

xxoo,

boots