Goals challenge for 2006

I am a goal setter. Several years ago I stumbled upon the power of writing down my goals and the steps required to achieve them. It has been rewarding—and sometimes amusing!—to go back in later years and review those goals and my progress. There is much to be said for living a life by design, rather than a life by default. (I’d credit someone else for those words, but I’ve read them so many places I don’t know where to begin.) This year, I even put goal setting on my Christmas list—I asked my son and daughter-in-law to take time to think about and write down their goals as a family as a Christmas gift to me. But it’s really a thinly disguised gift to themselves.

Although simply writing down your goals is sufficient, I prefer to work a little harder at mine. I write down a list of goals, then go back and put some action items toward my top three goals. And I now write all of this in a spiral notebook that I've dedicated to that purpose. When I'm really concentrating on a particular goal, I spend time each day rewriting my goal and the associated action items--just a few minutes each morning to maintain my focus.

There are a number of good books available on goal setting and resolutions, but I believe the best is Goals, by Brian Tracy. It's available in print, digital download, and audio. I have all of these versions, as I go back to this book several times a year for a refresher. Obviously, I can't recommend it highly enough.

I've already formulated my goals for 2006, but I'm spending some time refining them this week. Here's a sample of the goals that are currently on my list:

• Write another book in 2006.
• Organize my craft/hobby room.
• Earn my CISSP credential.
• Complete the patent process for my AD Maturity Model.
• Lose weight. (This one makes the list every year. My goal should be to not need it on my list in 2007!)
• Complete my college degree by year end 2007. (This one requires massive action in 2006, so it makes my list now)

So now I've put these goals into the public domain, and by making them public I feel a bit more pressure to accomplish them. I'll post occasional updates, and look back at this time next year to see how it went. My next steps will be to elaborate on each of these goals, creating action items that will move me in the right direction. Just going through this exercise boosts my confidence about achieving the goals. And reviewing the list of action items every day keeps me focused on getting the work done.

For those of you who are inclined, I hope I've encouraged you to reach for a new goal in 2006. Please share it with me, and I'll be your cheerleader throughout the year to help encourage you toward success!