First things first – Prioritise

We are still exploring our ability to set goals and plans for a new year and hopefully we have beaten that old enemy known as anxiety.

But there is one element which needs to be considered to ensure our plans will be effective and our goals achieved.  We need to identify what is really important and how quickly we need to accomplish it.

Priorities are set based on importance and time. You might have something that does not look so important, but when you have a certain deadline for it, time becomes the reason to make it a priority.

On the other hand, you might have a plan that is very important, but you are not committed to doing it within any time frame.

How do you balance such priorities – time and importance? The answer is yours alone.  Remember these are your plans, your goals and your life.

Jot down your goals and then next to each one, try to list reasons why it would be rewarding for you to achieve such a goal. Add a number of reasons to each goal.

Review your list and then consider some goals which are not so appealing, but which you are aware have deadlines.  If you miss one of these deadlines you might be putting projects at risk or creating a situation which could get you into trouble with the law.

To illustrate this, we know that for most people, submitting their income tax return is not a priority which feels very rewarding.  But, if you don’t do it, you’ll find yourself on the wrong side of the law, owing money to the government and  setting in motion a chain reaction which can eventually compromise your financial standing and credit rating.

Go back to reviewing your list.  Twenty items cannot be considered as priorities,  so cut the list down to a maximum of eight priorities, to be accomplished over three to five months.

As you achieve or complete some of the items, you can certainly add more to your list, but never compromise quality and efficiency for speedy completion.

This tip works for every “To Do List” you will create.  Learn to prioritise and you will find that besides being efficient, it saves time.

Your enemy – anxiety

 When we are listing our goals for the New Year or embracing a new season in our life, it seems that we forget our human limitations and everything we haven’t done in years past now become our priorities.

We list many goals and long term ones are classified as immediate.

Of course, by the end of a time period, we realise we haven’t achieved much. We planned on 20 and have only accomplished two. Anxiety sinks in, followed by frustration.

Instead of honestly considering the much we planned for, we look down on ourselves as if we are the barriers to those achievements.

We push harder then and we are anxious about any outcome, even if it’s not within the standards required – so that we will have some small reason to feel better.

Anxiety is your and my biggest enemy.

We should toss it aside when planning!  You will not be able to accomplish 20 tasks in one year, especially if they have been pending for a long time.

If you have just made advances towards a goal, be it a personal change or a career achievement, don’t allow anxiety to lead you to precipitous or bad decisions.  It does not matter how long your journey takes, what matters is that you will get to the point you need to.  Persevere and be consistent.  Prioritise quality.

Confront reality with dignity.  You have not achieved what you planned, but  there is no reason to be anxious to set another goal. Give yourself time to work on what you have listed as priorities.  Do not disregard your needs and intentions,  work on this goal that has not been achieved so far.

The most important lesson I have learnt is:  learn to celebrate the little you have accomplished and do not allow the much that is missing to put you down.

Live every day with intensity, not because you want to reach tomorrow, but mostly because you are making the most of every minute of this day.

Who knows if your greatest priority isn’t to learn to deal with anxiety?

Wishes

While I wish you a wonderful 2015, I know "wishes" do not make something come true. Effort needs to go into making changes.  So, instead of wishing you this or that, I want to share some tools to help you to achieve success and joy in 2015.  This will be more constructive for you.

 
Every year-end I review my goals, assess what has been achieved and set new goals. I guess a lot of people do the same. Are you wondering whether or not I managed to reach my goals?  No, not all of them!  The ones I did not realise become my priority for the new year or are reviewed because they might not have been realistic or relevant any longer.

Before setting goals, we need to do an exercise which enables us to understand better who we are and who we want to be.  It’s easier said than done, but very necessary.
If you don't know who you are - your values, your likes and dislikes, your priorities and failures, the chances are that you will set unrealistic goals that will not be achieved.
It is very difficult to establish who you want to be if you don't first know where you stand. 
So, who are you?

·                Make a list of what you like in terms of your appearance and what you don't;

·                Have a clear idea of how you see yourself as a daughter, a mother, a sister, a wife, a friend;

·                Highlight areas of your life which you are not happy with - marriage, profession, friendship;

·                Consider how you addressed problems and challenges in the past year and be honest with yourself in assessing whether or not your way of doing things achieved good results

·                Do you tend to imitate people?

·                Do you tend to follow your friends or family decisions for you?

·                Do you worry too much about other people's opinion of you?

·                How do you see God in your life?

·                How do you believe God sees you?

Those are a few questions to assist you in drawing up your own profile.  While you are doing it, I am sure you found a few extra points that required urgent change. This is all part of "who you want to be”. 


                                                                              To be continued....