(This is a guest post by Suraj Gogoi)
Want to rescue some of your new year’s goals? I usually find it inspiring to read about people’s new year resolutions. However, it can be disappointing when sometimes the focus of resolutions seem to be based solely on the achievement of ‘outcomes’. It is no surprise that often such goals do not last beyond the first few weeks of the year…
When setting any goal be clear about the reasons why you want to have those goals – ‘Why’ is the most important question you need to ask of yourself. When you have a reason make sure that it is a ‘why’ that is potent enough – to make your journey towards your goal pleasant and effortless.
“There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all” - Peter Drucker
A significant part of last year was spent engaging in what I felt was right; this remains for me the right approach in 2010 too. So, how does one set goals to achieve and do things that feel right?
Needless to say I was looking for some inspiration this year and received this from my mentor, Robin Sharma in a post titled “62 ways to make 2010 your best year yet.”
I think this is a fantastically comprehensive list and I hope, like me you will find some great ways around which to shape and refine your own 2010 goals…
So here are Robin’s 62 ways -
1. Remember that leadership isn’t about your position. It’s about your influence.
2. Get fit like a pro athlete.
3. Lift people up versus tearing people down.
4. Protect your good name. An impeccable reputation takes a lifetime to build. And 60 seconds to lose.
5. Surround yourself with positive, ethical people who are committed to excellence.
6. Remember that even a 1% daily innovation rate amounts to at least a 100% rate of innovation in 100 days.
7. Believe in your dreams (even when others laugh at them).
8. Measure your success, not by your net worth but by your self worth (and how happy you feel).
9. Take an intelligent risk every 24 hours. No try-No Win.
10. Read “Buffett: The Making of an American Capitalist”
11. Watch “Man on Wire ”
12. Regardless of your title at work, be a team builder.
13. Remember that business is all about relationships and human connections.
14. Say “please” more.
15. Say “thank you” more.
16. Know your Big 5: the five things that need to happen by the end of this year for you to feel its been your best year yet.
17. Read your Big 5 every morning while the rest of the world is asleep.
18. Read “As You Think.” At least twice this year.
19. Be willing to fail. It’s the price of greatness.
20. Focus less on making money and more on creating value.
21. Spend less, save more.
22. Leave everything you touch better than you found it.
23. Be the most positive person in every room you’re in.
24. Run your own race.
24. Stay true to your deepest values and best ideals.
25. Write a handwritten thank you note to a customer/friend/loved one every day.
26. When you travel, send love letters to your kids on hotel stationery. In time, they’ll have a rich collection to remember your travels by.
27. Read “Atlas Shrugged”
28. Be a problem solver versus a trouble maker.
29. Rather than doing many things at mediocrity do just a few things – but at mastery.
30. Honor your parents.
31. Commit to doing great work-whether anyone notices it or not. It’s one of life’s best sources of happiness.
32. Give more than you receive (another of the truths of happiness).
33. Have your 1/3/5/10/25 years goals recorded on paper and review them weekly.
34. Be patient. Slow and steady wins the race. The only reason businesses that went from zero to a billion in a year or two get featured in magazines is because 99% of businesses require a lot more time to win.
34. Underpromise and then overdeliver.
35. See part of your job as “a developer of people” (whether you work in the boardroom or the mailroom).
36. Wear your heart on your sleeve. When people see you’re real, they’ll fall in love with you.
37. Be authentic versus plastic.
38. Read “The Alchemist”
39. Remember that life wants you to win. So get out of your own way.
40. Consider that behind every fear lives your next level of growth (and power).
41. Eat less food.
42. Drink more water.
43. Rest when you need to.
44. Read “SUCCESS” magazine.
45. Write your eulogy and them live your life backwards.
46. Demand the best from yourself.
47. Remember that the more you go to your limits, the more your limits will expand.
48. See everything that happens to you as an opportunity to grow (and therefore, as a precious gift).
49. Be obsessed with learning and self-development.
50. Become comfortable alone (you are the only person you get to be with your whole life).
51. Smile. It’s a stunningly effective way to win in business and life.
52. Reflect on the shortness of life.
53. Be bold when it comes to your dreams but gentle with those you love.
54. Remember that success is dangerous because it can kill drive/innovation/passion and going the extra mile. Be successful yet stay hungry.
55. Read “The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin”
56. Be of deep value to this world.
57. Own beautiful things but don’t let them own you.
58. Use excellent words.
59. Laugh more.
60. Don’t complain, gossip or be negative.
61. Plan as if you’ll live forever but live as if you’ll die tomorrow.
62. Feel free to pass these lessons on to those you want to help.
(Written by Robin Sharma, January 3, 2010. For more information visit http://robinsharma.com. Robin’s new book “The Leader Who Had No Title: A Modern Fable On Real Success in Business and Life” will be published by Simon and Schuster in March. Many of the ideas above come from it.)
It is important for us to feel that any work or business we engage in resonates with our core values and rich ideals. I believe that our values act as a ‘guiding compass’ and help us make the right choices and decisions in life…
Goals give us our outcomes and our values show us the way to achieve those outcomes.
What do you most resonate with in the list above? What are your ideals and values, the ones that guide you in pursuing your goals?
This post was written by Suraj Gogoi, guest author. Suraj is a psychiatrist, entrepreneur and blogger.
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{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Suraj, There are so many here that I resonate with, perhaps the ones on leadership and positivity most of all. I have learned to be a leader at my workplace, in my volunteer work, in my family and personal relationships, not as a forceful autocrat but as a confident person sure in my knowledge level and willing to share it with others and take whatever comes back, good or bad, and stay detached from it, and objective, and kind to others even in disagreement. Thanks for sharing the wisdom.
Linda@InsanelySerene´s last blog ..Integrity Post #2: Aligning My Actions with My Values
Dear Linda,
Thank you for starting the discussion. It is such a pleasure to connect with you – your blog writing truly inspires me! I fully resonate with you on leadership, I can feel that you lead an inspired life with a secure sense of your own internal brilliance and mission. I also believe that I need to follow those that I’m leading, in order to be a better leader for them, wonder if you have found that in your life too?
You are right, as a leader, you should be able to welcome criticism and disagreement and take it on the chin at times. Didn’t someone rightly say, “It’s hard to lead a cavalry charge if you think you look funny on a horse.”
Suraj, Love that last quote – hilarious! And yes, listening and respecting those I’m leading, or helping, is key to doing a good job as leader. When people feel heard, and understood, they become supporters, collaborators, believers, and friends. An essential ingredient is love, or caring.
I remember my dad saying that about cooking – “Never make a pot of spaghetti sauce without a little TLC!”
Linda,
That’s a wise saying from your dad, I’m sure it was not due to a lack of cooking skills
Leading from a position of love and caring does put me in the right mindset to lead with authenticity and conviction, I guess it’s true for you too!