Postcard from Asheville

January 2015

A New Take on Goals

Some of us like to write our goals for the New Year. After all, it’s hard to map where you are going if you don’t have a destination in mind. And research shows that we are more likely to meet a goal if it’s written down.

I used to write an annual marketing plan about this time of year. My very detailed plan included sections dealing with my professional, personal, physical, and spiritual lives.

Last year, I tried something new. Instead of writing goals, I wrote intentions. I:

1. Listed all of my accomplishments during the last twelve months.
2. Listed any disappointments I experienced over the past twelve months.
3. Wrote down what I had learned from both my accomplishments and disappointments.
4. Listed four primary lessons or guideposts I wanted to remember over the next twelve months. (I decided any more would be too hard to keep track of.)

I came up with four intentions:

1. Root and connect.
2. Befriend time.
3. Live in gratitude.
4. Practice generosity.

This year, I’m trying something different. Instead of focusing on what I want to do, I’m focusing on who I want to become. It’s a subtle distinction, but an important one. I believe doing follows being. Or, who we are determines what we do.

Again, I’m limiting the attributes to four to keep it manageable.

In 2015, I’d like to become more:

1. Grounded. I’d like to live life more from the inside, out. I’ll do this by connecting internally—with my core values, wants, and needs—before venturing out into the external world.
2. Grateful.
3. Loving.
4. Joy-Filled. (Check out the article I wrote on this subject a while ago.)

Why don’t you join me? Who would you like to become in 2015? Can you list four attributes?

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