2017 comes to the end. Regardless of what we have done, we have spent 1 year. It has gone completely. You never ever get back a year called 2017. At this time of the year, people start thinking about vacation, about parties, about salary bonus. And then we welcome 2018 and spend it just like 2017. For many, live goes on in that pattern without their acknowledgement, without their awareness. Each has their own unique way of spending their time. And everyone is right.
What if we try something slightly different? I remember Jim Rohn once said
Do not spend a day until you see it finished
Do not spend a week until you see it finished
Do not spend a month until you see it finished
Do not spend a year until you see it finished
It means that you should plan the year before jumping into it. The highest abstract level is that you should have a plan, you should have goals. And because it is so abstract, it is hard to implement. In a good/bad mood, human being will promise many things. I remember I made so many promises every year in the past. Why? Because I fucked up the year. I had to make something to feel better. Guess what happened? I made the same promises every year. Fortunately I realized that fact and changed.
Have you ever asked yourselves?
- What do I want to accomplish?
- What do I want to improve?
- Hey what are my plans, my goals?
If not yet, I suggest you should start from this year. The process will not take you much time. However, it requires your honesty and courage.
I hope you have some free hours with paper and pencil.
What Have I Done Well?
To plan for the future, you have to reflect the past. Many seem to focus on “not good or bad” things when they reflect the past. I would suggest you do the opposite. Thinking about your accomplishments, even small ones, give you more energy. No matter how bad a year is, there are always something we did good. All you need to do is to bring them back from your memory. When you list them out, you can say
Hey, not bad. Looks what I have done well.
Do not find the bad things. Because you will find many. Everyone does. Everyone has good time and bad time.
Write them down. Write them down. And write them down.
What Do I Want to Improve?
It is time to think about the future. Think about your goals, about your desire. Regardless of how you done in 2017, 2018 comes with the fresh air.
Some choose to take on the bad things in 2017 and improve in 2018. I do not think it is a good idea. You cannot change the past. In stead of dragging the bad things along into a year fresh year, why not start over again? Just list out what the hell you want in life and go for them from the ground up.
Setting goals is an art. There are many articles you can read on the internet. But be careful! Because you might be overwhelmed by the amount of information, the steps, the advices. The result is that you might not know how to start.
I would suggest the goals should be specific. Forget about S.M.A.R.T goals. Let’s say you want to improve your health. It is too general. What if you set this goals, by the end of 2018
- Run 10KM in 1 hour
- Do 50 pushup.
That’s it! How are you planning to accomplish that? That is for another day of planning. You will figure out the methods when you progress towards the goals.
If you do that, you know how 2018 looks like when it finishes.
Is that easy? Yes and No. Because
It is easy to do. It is also easy NOT to do.
When I talked about the idea with some people, they told me.
- Yeah! you’re right. I will do it when ….
- You are not in my position.
- I am fine with my life
All kinds of reactions, they are all right. However, the end results are different. What you get tomorrow depends on what you decide today.
What if my suggestions bring you some good result in 2018? Who knows! Unless you give it a try.
Your time, your life, your decisions!
Thank you for your time reading my blog.
Farewell 2017! Welcome 2018!
Great job! 👏