I’m sitting in my kitchen overlooking a beautiful lake in the south of Berlin. The business year has not yet fully started. This is definitely the ideal time to start thinking about the year ahead of me. At least this is what most people do these days: setting new priorities, rethinking their values and trying to change a few things to the better.
We have all learned to set ourselves SMART goals (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-bound), but when we look back (if we look back), the results are not always as expected: we might not have quit smoking, become healthier or friendlier to our wife, etc. (see flipchart…)
Never-the-less, don’t stop having great resolutions. If you have been able to put at least one in place, this will have helped make your life a better life!
I have set myself only a few goals: publish a book, run a half marathon and focus my work on business games (I also have some goals for my private life – but those are private). My resolutions might be easier to fulfil, because I have only a few and I started working on them last year. And I have already achieved 30% to 80% of the results. Remember resolutions don’t have to be defined on the 1st of January only!
I think the first and the last steps of putting something in place are always the hardest. The start of the New Year is a great help, but what we probably need is an ending phase, that helps us bring to an end what we planned to do. I find summer holidays great: they help me reevaluate my goals and give me new energy to bring them to an end. So this is my biggest recommendation: don’t forget to find some time during the year, to do what you are doing today! Happy New Year!