Friday, December 28, 2007
Review of the Year and Plans for the Next
Contact: http://www.charlottehinksman.com/ for NLP coaching services in Wellington.
I was lying in the rose garden of the beautiful Botanical Gardens in Thorndon (conveniently my 2nd backyard) today, on the last Saturday of 2007. I had a heap of books open on my rug, and my special notebook on which I was scratching away with my pen. A lady and her elderly mother, examining the different breeds of roses and scents around me, pleasantly start a conversation;
"You've a nice spot there!" the daughter exclaimed.
"Yeah, it's beautiful isn't it?" I replied.
"Are you studying?" she asks pleasantly.
"No, I am writing down all my goals for next year...." I start, propping myself up on an elbow.
"Oh, that's nice...." she says, absently, and walks away.
I could have perhaps said anything there and elicited the same, absent response. Perhaps I looked too young in my summer gear and sunglasses to be fussing about goal setting. Perhaps their image of me being a busy young student fitted better with them. Perhaps they were just being polite and weren't all that interested! It did get me thinking though, how many people use this period of rest over Christmas and New Year to reflect over their achievements of the past year, and plan for the next one? How many of us are too busy frantically socialising or shopping in the sales to take the time to really think about what we want the next year to bring us?
I have had the same end of year ritual for 2 years in a row now. I clarify my values in all areas of my life; career, spirituality, relationship, personal development and health & fitness, and set goals for each area, including my financial goals. As a result I feel I take an active role in creating the kind of year I want to have.
This last year (2007) for example, was so full of amazing opportunities and achievements - I created that! I knew what I wanted and I took action. I invited opportunities into my life by being focussed on what I wanted. Now, with so many of those goals and plans either ticked off or well on their way to being so, it seemed the last Saturday of 2007 was a perfect opportunity to praise myself for all I had achieved and to plan for the next yearly cycle of 2008, which, according to my astrological predictions, is going to be very busy indeed!
I have a book that I like to open again and again: The Secrets of Creating Your Own Future by Tad James, one of the early NLP pioneers who patented Time Line Therapy. I like the book, it reminds us of the principles of energy and The Law of Attraction, and also reminds you to be "at cause" of your own reality; instead of blaming yourself or others for your perceived un-successes, it's about getting the life you want by firstly, knowing what you want, and then being focussed and taking action. He deciphers between people who are "active" and those who are "reactive". Active people are the "doers" of the world, they make things happen, where as reactive people are more passive and tend to study, too anxious to make a move in case it doesn't work out. Make it your NY's resolution to be an Active person! Be a doer, get things done, allow your dreams to come true.
It has also been a year of personal development promotion, with movies and books like The Secret coming into the mainstream. I like writing my goals as if they have already happened and I am giving thanks for them; "I am happy and grateful that I now have..."
My formula for energy alignment and goal setting for 2008
1. Spend an afternoon looking at your past year, congratulating yourself for all you've done, even if takes a while to find those things, look, they will be there no matter how small, and praise yourself.
2. Clarify your values, those things that are really important to you for each area of life (see above). For example:
Career
Freedom
Flexibility
Financial reward and prosperity
Challenge
Interesting
Development and growth
Achievement
Fun
Changing the world
Estimate these in order of importance, with the most important first (NB this is just an example!)
3. Write out all the things you would like to achieve for 2008 for each area of your life, write them in the present tense or past tense, as if they are happening or have already happened, and give thanks for them. Use the word gratitude and grateful a lot. Keep these somewhere special, a notebook by your bed or laminate them and stick them up on the wall and refer to them often. They can and will change, and that's OK too! As you grow and develop your preferences and desires will too. They are in no means set in stone and that's a good thing!
For example: "I am so happy and grateful that I completed the half marathon safely with praise and a real sense of personal achievement".
Wishing you all the best happiness over the year. Enjoy being Active in your own life!
Charlotte.
I was lying in the rose garden of the beautiful Botanical Gardens in Thorndon (conveniently my 2nd backyard) today, on the last Saturday of 2007. I had a heap of books open on my rug, and my special notebook on which I was scratching away with my pen. A lady and her elderly mother, examining the different breeds of roses and scents around me, pleasantly start a conversation;
"You've a nice spot there!" the daughter exclaimed.
"Yeah, it's beautiful isn't it?" I replied.
"Are you studying?" she asks pleasantly.
"No, I am writing down all my goals for next year...." I start, propping myself up on an elbow.
"Oh, that's nice...." she says, absently, and walks away.
I could have perhaps said anything there and elicited the same, absent response. Perhaps I looked too young in my summer gear and sunglasses to be fussing about goal setting. Perhaps their image of me being a busy young student fitted better with them. Perhaps they were just being polite and weren't all that interested! It did get me thinking though, how many people use this period of rest over Christmas and New Year to reflect over their achievements of the past year, and plan for the next one? How many of us are too busy frantically socialising or shopping in the sales to take the time to really think about what we want the next year to bring us?
I have had the same end of year ritual for 2 years in a row now. I clarify my values in all areas of my life; career, spirituality, relationship, personal development and health & fitness, and set goals for each area, including my financial goals. As a result I feel I take an active role in creating the kind of year I want to have.
This last year (2007) for example, was so full of amazing opportunities and achievements - I created that! I knew what I wanted and I took action. I invited opportunities into my life by being focussed on what I wanted. Now, with so many of those goals and plans either ticked off or well on their way to being so, it seemed the last Saturday of 2007 was a perfect opportunity to praise myself for all I had achieved and to plan for the next yearly cycle of 2008, which, according to my astrological predictions, is going to be very busy indeed!
I have a book that I like to open again and again: The Secrets of Creating Your Own Future by Tad James, one of the early NLP pioneers who patented Time Line Therapy. I like the book, it reminds us of the principles of energy and The Law of Attraction, and also reminds you to be "at cause" of your own reality; instead of blaming yourself or others for your perceived un-successes, it's about getting the life you want by firstly, knowing what you want, and then being focussed and taking action. He deciphers between people who are "active" and those who are "reactive". Active people are the "doers" of the world, they make things happen, where as reactive people are more passive and tend to study, too anxious to make a move in case it doesn't work out. Make it your NY's resolution to be an Active person! Be a doer, get things done, allow your dreams to come true.
It has also been a year of personal development promotion, with movies and books like The Secret coming into the mainstream. I like writing my goals as if they have already happened and I am giving thanks for them; "I am happy and grateful that I now have..."
My formula for energy alignment and goal setting for 2008
1. Spend an afternoon looking at your past year, congratulating yourself for all you've done, even if takes a while to find those things, look, they will be there no matter how small, and praise yourself.
2. Clarify your values, those things that are really important to you for each area of life (see above). For example:
Career
Freedom
Flexibility
Financial reward and prosperity
Challenge
Interesting
Development and growth
Achievement
Fun
Changing the world
Estimate these in order of importance, with the most important first (NB this is just an example!)
3. Write out all the things you would like to achieve for 2008 for each area of your life, write them in the present tense or past tense, as if they are happening or have already happened, and give thanks for them. Use the word gratitude and grateful a lot. Keep these somewhere special, a notebook by your bed or laminate them and stick them up on the wall and refer to them often. They can and will change, and that's OK too! As you grow and develop your preferences and desires will too. They are in no means set in stone and that's a good thing!
For example: "I am so happy and grateful that I completed the half marathon safely with praise and a real sense of personal achievement".
Wishing you all the best happiness over the year. Enjoy being Active in your own life!
Charlotte.
Labels: Goals for 2008
