Looking forward to 2013

First, I want to say that I am grateful for all the tremendous feedback and support that I have received since I started this project a couple of months ago. All of your words of encouragement has meant the world to me! Thank you. I’m really looking forward to a great 2013 and I hope you are, too.

In that spirit, I wanted to give you a little something…

For many years I’ve set personal goals. I take this exercise seriously and try to be creative each year. In college, I even used PowerPoint to present my goals. Yes, I go a little overboard. I guess you could say I’m a goal-geek.

I took a look back at my goals from the last few years. They were good, but I knew I had to change. First, there were way too many. And, they lacked a specific focus and none of them mentioned anything about being more present.

This year, I’m taking a new approach. For those of you who love setting personal goals this time of year or for those who want to start, I’m sharing my goal planning sheets with you.

I have a few recommendations for how to use them, so please read if you decide to download (click on images below):

Set aside some time to reflect and write. This does take some focus and the best results will only come from spending a little time on it.

You can print these sheets as many times as you need. I may not have left enough space for what you might write. So, you can simply use them as a guide.

The first two sheets are more self-discovery. This is what I lacked in my previous versions of setting goals. I always reflected on how many of my goals I was able to accomplish, but never really evaluated on who I was as a person and where I was going. Once you identify what you want to focus on and what is important to you, you can set better goals. For an example of the “who I am” piece, click here for mine.

The last two sheets are for developing and filtering your goals. Like I said, I always had too much. I would strongly suggest having six goals or less.

Since 2005, I have been organizing my goals by the following categories: Live, Love, Learn, Work, Play and Give. This has helped me to make sure my personal goals were well-rounded.

I’m still using that organization structure this year, but will be filtering goals from them. I would challenge you to do the same. When you are selecting the final goals for yourself, really thinking about the “why” behind the goal: what’s in it for you and the people you care about? You’ll need to figure out what your truly willing to commit to.

I hope you find this helpful, I’ve been enjoying reflecting and outlining how I am going to be more present each and every day.

For inspiration, I’ve created a Pinterest board (which I plan to make into a real board in my house) to keep me inspired throughout the year. I would recommend that you keep your 2013 commitments out so that you can be reminded of them often.

Have fun and here’s to a wonderful 2013!