Set
goals for every aspect of your life that is
important. Then develop a plan and perform the
necessary activities to make it a reality. The
approach should be systematic and complete. A simple
weekly planner of activities can be used (an example and blank form has been
provided here). Look at what is required and what is
missing. Include a time table for each task and a way
to measure it's successful completion. You may even
develop a report card to measure how well you have
performed in each category. Example categories could
be:
1. Self
Improvement - Do something to improve yourself
(read, write in a journal, attend a class or seminar,
talk with an expert about something you would like to
know more about). Be appreciative of where you are
today (Oprah Winfrey suggests that keeping a
"Gratitude Journal" and making 5 entries in
it each day will change your life).
2. Family - Do something
with or for your family; make somebody happy("random kindness and
senseless acts of beauty" will change the
world).
3. Friendship - Call a
friend that has been a significant positive influence
in the past
4. Health - Develop at
diet and stick to it
5. Fitness - Take an
aerobics class or exercise regularly at home
6. Mind - Write
a poem or short story
7. Spirit - Attend the
church of your choice
8. Career or Work - Enroll in a
professional development class; be active in a
professional organization
9. Charity - Volunteer to
work in a community organization
10. Culture or
Lifestyle - Attend a play, visit a museum or go
to a "meaningful" movie
11. Recreation - Participate
in some type of sport; pursue a hobby
12. Home Management - Keep your
home clean and well organized
Set
dates or time frames for each thing you want to do or
achieve ( today, this week, this month or a year or
five years from now, etc.). It is important that you
keep track of how you are doing. That's why a report
card or score card is suggested for review of your
progress and achievements. Then reward yourself when
special milestones are accomplished.
Making Decisions -
"Constructive Ways to Approach a Decision"
(Sally Squires, Washington Post Article) is an
excellent article on making decisions. It is simple,
straight forward and concise from which I have
excerpted the major points here.
If you
have trouble making decisions, especially big ones,
use this outline as a guide and aid:
1. Options - Look for
options (the more the better)
2. Prioritize - Know what is
important to you (prioritize each objective and each
option)
3. Be Aware - Understand
the circumstances that surround your decision (what
will happen if you select one option over another,
understand the environment around you and the current
and future effects possible)
4. Consequences - Try to
consider all of the consequences of your decision ...
make a list .. talk to people who have been in
similar circumstances and had to make similar choices
5. Accept Results - Don't
chastise yourself if you made the wrong decision
"Judge the quality of your decision making, not
on what happens to you but on how good a job you did
in trying to make the decision." (Baruch
Fischhoff, Professor of Social and Decision Science,
Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh)
Something
to think about:
Be
patient with yourself, be systematic in your goal
setting and planning , and in all your future
decision making pay attention to the details.
