It’s Okay, Think Again

I took a walk in the park with the goal to seek silence and space to think. In the slowness I saw blessings surrounding me. I saw and enjoyed the light and designs of the reflection of a power plant in a canal. I appreciated a bunch of ducks dunking their heads in the water. I thought, “How is it ducks find the time to hang out and play regularly?” Life is on unto pilot, so we must STOP, and take space to get away from the busyness. In that silence and place away from distractions we can plan by using goals to help guide us toward the person we want to be in life.

Some wisdom from a bear in the Hundred Acre Woods, “Did you ever stop to think, and forget to start again?” — Winnie the Pooh

We’re a month into the year 2014. Did you make goals you want to achieve this year? It’s not too late if you haven’t; we still have 11 more months to tackle dreams and to grow. If you did set some goals, are you regularly reviewing them? My goal this year is to review and re-evaluate my goals monthly. Yes, I made a plan to make a plan!

Form a Habit

My question for you unconventional and non-comformist readers is:

Answer this question at the bottom of the post.

What habits do you want to form this year?
Where do you want to make a difference in your life and the lives around you?

‘We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit’. Aristotle

Be SMART when planning your goals.

“A goal is a dream with a deadline.” Napoleon Hill

For example, my goal in 2013 was to read 36 books, 3 books a month. I didn’t meet my goal but I saw success that I read a few more books than I did in 2012. Labeling the months I completed the book helped me later reflect which months were slower because of busyness or personal reasons.

My 2012 Reading Book List

Jan-Wheat belly by William Davis
Jan- A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
Feb- Sarah Woman of Genesis by Orson Scott Card
Feb- Beautiful by Katie Piper
March- The Circle-Black (Ted Decker)
March- Released from Shame by Sandra Wilson
March- On Every Side by Karen Kingsbury
April- Pearl in the Sand by Tessa Afshar
April- One Thousand Gifts Devotional by Ann Voskamp
April- Kisses from Katie by Katie Davis
April- The Cure by Bruce McNicol
May- One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp
May- Little Bee by Chris Cleave
May- The Chance by Karen Kingsbury
June- Ocean’s Apart by Karen Kingsbury
June- Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott
June- When Joy Came to Stay by Karen Kingsbury
July- Where Yesterday Lives by Karen Kingsbury
August- The 4 Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferris
August- The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga
September- Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon
September- Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
September- Pretties by Scott Westerfeld
October- Specials by Scott Westerfeld
October- The War of Art by Steven Pressfield
October- Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki
November- A Thousand Tomorrows by Karen Kingsbury
December- Tribes by Seth Godin
December-Divergent by Veronica Roth

Set Stakes and Accountability

Accomplishing goals isn’t easy. To attain self-discipline it helps to set boundaries with yourself. Here are some tips and tools:
1) Tell a Friend: Ask them to check in with you regularly. Ex. weekly, monthly, every-other day
2) Pay a Friend: You have a goal and steps on how to accomplish that goal. If you miss that step or don’t accomplish that goal you pay your friend an amount of money that would sting your wallet. For example, an uncompleted goal a $100 would be painful. For a step missed in a goal $10 would stink.
3) Pay an Accountability websites:
stickK : You can choose if you want to put money on the line, send money to a charity or an anti-charity (a charity you oppose).
Habit Forge : It’s FREE for the first habit and less than $4 a month after.

If you really want to see growth in yourself you will be intentional, make SMART goals and have accountability.
How will you shine this year in the world? Write it below and then write it on Facebook.

I never did anything by accident, nor did any of my inventions come by accident; they came by work. “ – Thomas A. Edison

(Note: The light photography above was taken overlooking Tempe, Arizona. Pictures were taken with 10,000 Smiles Photography and my friend Lindsay.)