2009 Has arrived!

2009 ---- A time to Rise and Shine

With the new year and everyone setting goals and resolutions I, too, am determined to do this very thing. My goal, however is to do this often throughout the year of 2009. Many will write goals and maybe make it to February or March perhaps, but then give up or get distracted, lose focus and eventually fall back into their bad habits.

It's interesting to me to see how many people use this one day (jan01) or week of the beginning of a new year to set goals, hopes, and dreams to do better. It's like the date has some magic or renewal of energy that gets people thinking and excited. What about the rest of the year? Do we track progress for improvement? Have deadlines? Why can't each new month, week, or day be the beginning of renewed energy?

To me goals are dreams with deadlines! And making a year from now the deadline is very overwhelming...we must take baby steps and track our progress over the course of a day, week, or month. This helps us to see small improvements, reward ourselves, and continue on the path with endurance.

You seldom see anyone wanting to do worse, however than the previous year, but why is it we tend to slip back to mediocrity and bad habits.

I believe its because we are creatures of habit. Each and everyone of us get into the habit of doing the same things over and over, whether good or bad, we find ourselves spinning our wheels and in the ruts of life. When this occurs we can't seem to see into the horizon of light and opportunity of improvement. We become lax and complacent thinking we're doomed to some awful drudgery of life. That all odds are against us. It's not so.

It doesn't have to be this way. Accountability for ones endeavors helps keep a person aligned and on track to accomplish his or her goal. We must create a laser focus often to see if we're still on the tracks (goals) we've set up for ourselves. And because we are creatures of habit this generally involves two parties...someone who cares and that will hold us accountable.

I believe writing down one's goals is an essential step in the process, but action is required to make things happen, and then often review and tracking progress is critical to staying on track.

Many of these ideas and principles I have discovered through reading and study. I have discovered a very insightful web resource: www.stephencovey.com that is free and easy to set up goals and check them daily or weekly.



You will find my goals on there and I hope to challenge a few of you that want to help to hold me accountable this coming month and year.

A few goals that I have set for myself this year are the following:

Spiritual: Read scriptures 30 mins/day with journal notes and attend the temple once/week or 50 times in 2009!
Physical: Exercise 30+mins/day 5 days/week
Mind/Personal Development: Read/listen to audio 30 mins/day or 1 new book/month.