The official: What's your new years resolution?

[RD]

Ok after some thought, i have made a list:

-grow spiritually

-get more women (*)

-and finish a couple of maps

[FrieChamp]

-get more women (*)

-and finish a couple of maps

I see a scheme there

[Section_Ei8ht]

-finish my portfolio

[Schmung]

Get less absurdly drunk.

Compensate by taking more drugs.

Finish TS.

Do some Source stuff.

Try being 'nice' from time to time.

Make more money.

[Minos]

gain weight

oohhh good one

[Izuno]

Rather than make resolutions, I set goals that are speficic and measurable. Further, I learned this about the nature of goals:

Many people think about big picture goals of whom they want to be. They say: I want to be wealthy, a leader, content, happy, smarter, more educated, etc... So in order to be those ways they think they need to have more things like money, a better job, more education, a better relationship etc. So in order to have those things they go out and do thinks like work harder, spend more time with family, see a doctor about quitting smoking etc... And that's all fine. They see the world as Do -> Have -> Be. And that can sometimes work very well.

But consider that the true nature of goals is Be -> Do -> Have. In other worders, if you simply (and boldly) assert with no evidence that you are a certain way to other people, you'd have to do the things that are consistent with that way of being if you are to stay in integrity. Out of doing what's appropriate for a person who is the way you declared yourself to be, you will then have results consistent with that way of being.

It's pretty much semantics, but think about this:

1) Setting goals that have specific, measurable results are very powerful and work exactly with the be-do-have view.

2) Consider that your toughest goals are tough because they require the most effort to transform who you are in the world (your outlook on life, attitude, etc)

3) If you boldly assert you are a certain way to your friends/family/coworkers, they will more likely listen to you as if you are that way and more likely will hold you to account for what you said, thereby you will have more motivation to stay true to what you said and actually do the things you need to do.

BOTTOM LINE:

State your specific, measurable goals for 2006 to other people out loud...don't just email them or say them to yourself.

Thus, I set goals for what I want to accomplish by the end of 2006, rather than resolutions. Examples:

- have kept a weekly log of my excercise activities. (measured in an Excel spreadsheet)

- be able to curl at least 50% more weight (two sets of 10 reps) (measured by actually performing it)

- get engaged to my girlfriend and set a date for a wedding in 2007 (measured by the ring I'll have to put on her finger and a date set in a calender, communicated to our families)

- lead a seminar on project management and work/life balance with my older sister to a room full of professional type people (accountants, IT managers, business analysts, creative people, exuctives...etc etc) (measured by whether we did it or not)