Don't Let Time Slip Through Your Fingers
How do the best teachers and presenters start their lessons or speeches? Over the course of my professional career, I have had the great pleasure of seeing great speakers command the attention of their audience with anecdotes, examples, and personal stories during the first seconds of their presentation. They hook your attention and reel it in. Despite the initial hook, do you remember the conclusions of those lessons?
Great beginnings always start with a great ending planned well in advance, targets. Each fall, the excitement of bow hunting bubbles from deep within me. Bow hunters take their sport very seriously and spend countless hours at the practice range reviewing technique. Each archer is focused on his intended target so when the moment of truth takes place in the forest, a clean harvest can be recorded. Bow hunters know their target and take time to hone their skills so they can reach their target/goal of harvesting a trophy animal.
2009 is just days away. New Year’s resolutions are made with the best intentions, but often fall short of becoming reality. Why should they become reality? Brian Tracy is an international trainer and author. Mr. Tracy strives to assist other individuals and businesses attain success through target/goal setting. He says, “ A goal that is not in writing is not a goal at all. It is merely a wish and it has no energy behind it.”
Time still remains for you to create targets/goals to set your sights on for 2009, but don’t let time slip through your fingers. Before the last page of the calendar fades into history, grab a notepad or some electronic version of paper and write your own goals.
The plan you create should be personal and specific. My plan for 2009 has 7 categories. Be sure to create benchmarks along the way to track your progress and celebrate the on-going victories as you close the distance between you and your target like the archers above.
The best teachers and speakers don’t just start well they finish well. Make 2009 different and put to paper your own personal growth plan and finish this upcoming year as well as it begins.
Best of luck with your new blog venture here. I found you via a tweet on twitter (ain’t technology grand). Your post here reminded me of Stephen Covey’s “Begin with the end in mind.” If you’re not sure where you’re going then how can you know if you are headed in the right direction.
Blessings on a great 2009!
Thank you, Adam, as you inspired me to get going on my goal setting with this post. Often times I am a procrastinator and this simple post motivated me to identify and set my goals in the final hours of 2008. I, too, found you as a result of a post on twitter and look forward to reading more! I wish you much success in your leadership journey. Happy New Year.