As one year comes to an end and you start to look forward to the New Year, it is only natural to start thinking about things you want to do differently (exercise more, eat healthier, quit smoking, etc.), but instead of making the same old New Year’s resolutions, try something different this year.  Before looking forward to next year, let’s look back on the past year.  Take some time to reflect on what went right in the last year.
 
• How did you grow as a person? 
• What qualities have you strengthened? 
• Which current relationships in your life grew stronger? 
• What new relationships have you forged? 
• What memories have you created? 
• Did you take a special trip or vacation? 
• Attend a conference or seminar that impacted you positively? 
• How have you contributed to your community? 
• Did you donate time or money to a cause that’s important to you? 
• What have you achieved or accomplished in your personal or professional life? 
• Did you meet your business goals? 
• Receive a promotion or award at work? 
• Complete an important project? 
• What are you proud of having accomplished in 2009?

Set aside 30 minutes to actually sit down with a journal or a piece of paper and write down as many things you can think of.  Aim for at least 25, but don’t stop there, write as many as you can.  Challenge a friend or family member to join you and then share your lists.  Next, take a recipe card and on one side write down your top five most important accomplishments.  On the other side write down three ways you’ve grown over the past year.  Keep this card handy for whenever you need a positive boost.  Focussing on what worked is a great foundation for planning for the upcoming year.

Before we set specific goals for the year, it’s important to do some basic self-assessment.  I use the Wheel of Life as an assessment tool.  You can do this by drawing a large circle on a piece of paper and divide the circle into ten slices.  Each slice represents an area of your life.  The categories I use are:

• Fun and Recreation
• Career
• Money
• Spirituality
• Physical Environment
• Personal Growth
• Significant Other/Romance
• Health
• Friends
• Family 

Feel free to use these or add or subtract categories that make sense to you.  Seeing the centre of the wheel as 0 or not satisfied and the outer edge of the circle as 10 or completely satisfied, indicate your level of satisfaction in each area of your life by drawing a curved line to create a new outer edge (for example if my level of satisfaction with my health was a five, I would draw a new line about 1/2 way through the Health slice).  Once you have indicated your level of satisfaction for each area, take a look at your new wheel and reflect on your life – how bumpy is your ride?  This assessment allows you to see visually where you may be out of balance in your life.

In the next post we will use this information to set S.M.A.R.T. goals for each slice of your life and I’ll give you some tips on how to achieve these goals.  Tune in to see what S.M.A.R.T. means to me and to find out the one thing more than any other that makes some goal setters successful.

So, let’s recap:

• Take time to make a list and celebrate your accomplishments from 2009
• Write down your top five accomplishments and three ways you’ve grown in the past year
• Do the Wheel of Life self-assessment
• Stay tuned for part two...