Kellie brought up the subject of New Years resolutions or goals and didn’t receive many comments… Maybe it’s because you don’t want to share your personal goals but most likely it is because you don’t have any written down. Goal setting is a skill that needs to be learned so don’t feel bad if you don’t know how.

Maybe this will help… Last fall we held a goal setting session for staff here at Mighty Miramichi hosted by Jim Rohn via DVD. I’ve been involved with various strategic planning sessions in the past for companies and non-profit organizations, and I found this session on goal setting to be the most comprehensive and do-able, so far.

I’ll try to recreate for you here, the steps Jim Rohn took us through in developing our goals. Now get out a paper & pen and complete each step with me. Or cut & paste this into a Word document and work on it later. At first you might feel a little silly doing it, but trust me, this will really get you thinking about what you want to do and help you get on track.

Step 1) Start out by making a list of five (5) things you’ve already accomplished that you are proud of. This is the toughest one so we’ll get it out of the way first. Come on you can do it….dig down deep and say something nice about yourself. It could be anything….are you proud of the way you raised your kids, the grades you got in school, athletic or musical accomplishments? Proud of the work you do, your volunteer activities, the car you paid for yourself, or the poem you wrote? Maybe you’re proud of the fact you moved away to a strange city all by yourself and went to University. Write down 5 things before you move on.

Step 2) What do you want in the next 10 years? Write down 50 things! If there were no obstacles or barriers in your way and you could have anything you wanted in the next 10 years, what would you choose? Write it all down in a long list. Don’t worry about asking for material things. There are no right or wrong answers…I sense you’re hesitating…a little unsure. Children are never unsure when doing this exercise. They know exactly what they want and are not afraid to claim it as a goal. They write hundreds of things! We should take our cues from them.

Here are a few hints….do you want a car, a big house, to own your own business, learn a new language, improve your vocabulary, learn how to sing, dance, swim, play the piano, or build a hotrod? What about traveling to another city, province or country? Maybe you always wanted to be an actor, teacher, rock star, fashion designer or astronaut. Do you have any health & fitness goals, educational goals, people you want to meet, things you want to build or invent? What do you want for your children or your parents? Do you want financial security, to be debt free, smoke-free or to find the perfect mate or peace of mind? Are there projects you want to finish, friends you want to see again or books you want to read? Write down 50 things.

Step 3) Now, beside each one, write down how long it will take you to accomplish that goal. One (1) year, three (3) years, five (5) years or ten (10) years. Some goals will take longer than others to achieve. You can organize your closet within 1 year but it will probably take you the next 3 years to complete that course at NBCC, five years to write your first novel and ten years to earn enough money so you can build a new recreation centre for your community. Be realistic when choosing a time frame for each one.

You’ve worked really hard so I think it’s time now to take a break. Tune in tomorrow for the second half.

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