The QLog

Happy New Year 2007!

Yes, the ball will drop in NYC; however, you should also give a little reflection to our favorite NYE song, Auld Lang Syne, probably the best remembered work of the great Scottish poet Robert Burns (January 25, 1759 – July 21, 1796). It is traditional throughout the English-speaking world to sing this during the transition from one year to the next. The same melody is used by the French; however, they have a different parting song entitled Ce n’est qu’un au revoir meaning 'this is only goodbye, not farewell'.

Auld Lung Syne literally means ‘old long since’ but can also be translated as ‘long ago’ or ‘days gone by’. I have posted the lyrics of the common Americanized version below as I rarely hear more than a few people correctly articulate the words after jolly reveries, spirits of the season, and the clinking of those grand cups o’ kindness. Now you have no excuse tonight and can actually lead the chorus!

What old acquaintances have you perhaps forgotten? And what might you do about it?

Auld Lang Syne
Should old acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to mind?
Should old acquaintance be forgot,
And auld lang syne?

For auld lang syne, my dear,

For auld lang syne,

We'll take a cup o’ kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.

And surely you’ll buy your pint cup!

And surely I’ll buy mine!
And we'll take a cup o’ kindness yet,

And for days of auld lang syne.

Have a safe and happy New Year's Eve!

More Goal Setting Questions

Here are some more questions to ponder. I believe these will help  ‘prime your pump’ before embarking on your own goal setting session for 2007:

1. If you were deserted on an island, with no outside contact or other people, what one book would you take? Why?

2. What are three specific things you could do to live heathlier and longer?

3. What is one big problem that you could help solve?

4. Who do you love?

5. What is the purpose of your life?

6. Then, answer these I statements as completely and specifically as possible:

I always __________________________ 

I never __________________________   

I feel __________________________      

I want __________________________    

I enjoy __________________________   

I regret __________________________   

I will change __________________________

Goal Setting Questions

If you are having a hard time setting new goals for 2007, below are some thought provoking questions to stimulate your mind:

1. What did you learn in 2006? Think of all the lessons embedded within your mistakes and successes, both great and small.

2. How can you utilize these past wins and loses to create an amazing 2007?          

3. If you could learn a single skill over the next 12 months that would greatly improve your life, what would it be? How could you achieve that?

4. If you could travel anywhere on the planet in 2007, where you go? Why?

5. What one great thing would you do for free because you enjoy it so much?

6. What one great thing would you do with your life if you could not fail?

7. What one great thing would you do if you suddenly won the lottery and were very, very rich?

8. What one great thing would you do if you were not afraid?

9. How old will you be in one year if you focus your time and energy on achieving your most important goal?

10. How old will you be in one year if choose not to do so? :)

Seven Keys for Weight Loss

If losing weight is one of your goals for 2007, here are seven keys for successful weight loss.

1. Strong Desire – Resolutions are not enough! You need to really want to get healthier. Many people will state they plan to lose weight on January 1, but few will complete the work needed to achieve this after the first week of the year. Without passion for this plan, it will be hard to put forth the effort that is required.

2. A Clear Goal – ‘How Much?’ is an important question. Decide exactly what your ideal weight is before you begin!

3. Realistic Deadlines – Determine by when you’ll complete this life enhancing journey; however, do not try to do too much too soon. Be reasonable when setting targets.

4. An effective plan – You need to find a reliable methodology that works for you which includes both a better diet and increased levels of exercise.

5. Systemic Measurement – You need to keep score. Weigh yourself at least once week. Every day is fine as long as your realize that there will be minor fluctuations. Keep track of your progress over time. 

6. Public Declaration – Diets are not secrets. Share your plan to improve your health, especially with those whom you often dine.

7. A Support Group is KEY – Look to family and friends to assist with your plan. Ask them to keep your honest during meals and not to tempt you with treats or snacks. Find diet partners to work on this together. Another strategy is to hire a coach to keep you accountable.

Update

The ‘blook’ version of Pushing to the Front will be published daily starting January 1, 2007 at this location: http://qlog.typepad.com/pushingtothefront/ 

Hope you decided to check it out.
Thom

Happy Winter Solstice Holiday!

I want to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas. May it be blessed with the good cheer of friendship and the deep love of family!

Qlog will be back on December 26, 2006.

Thom's Disclaimer: Please accept without obligation, express or implied, these best wishes for an environmentally safe, energy efficient, life embracing, socially responsible, low stress, non-addictive, nutritionally enhanced, and gender-neutral celebration of the winter solstice holiday as practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice (but with respect for the spiritual or secular traditions of others, or for their choice not to practice any such spiritual or secular traditions at all) and further for a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling, psychologically balanced, and medically uncomplicated onset of the generally accepted calendar year (including, but not limited to, the Christian calendar, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures).

The preceding wishes are extended without regard to the creed, age, race, physical ability, religious faith or lack thereof, economic status, philosophical outlook, political affiliation, sexual orientation, genomic organization, choice of computer platform, or the primary musical preferences of the wishee(s).

Pass It On

What kind of legacy do you want to leave behind?

As you begin to succeed with your goals, the next step is to share your time, talent, and treasure with others. In fact, I would suggest this is a responsiblity, a civic duty. Yet, this does NOT mean one should wait until you are wise and gray or worth one billion dollars.

What if you are only 25? No problem, certainly you have enough life experience to mentor someone who is 20 or 15. Sharing your gifts is part of the journey, not something that should reserved for an endgame. Community service is a good first step if you are unsure of where to begin.

Life is not measured in what you take, but by how much you give. Remember to Pass It On.

See It Through

“Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do.” – Johann von Goethe

Goals and plans are important steps; however, the crucial feature for successful completion is ACTION! You need to do something every day to move your goal forward. Also, one must be prepared to overcome all the obstacles that are likely to appear every few weeks!

The only way your goals will be successful is if you choose to See It Through. Be ready for roadblocks. Focus on finding a way to do at least one small action every day for your biggest goals regardless of how busy 'life' is. You must insure that you can carve a small block of time for these tasks, projects, goals, and dreams.

Plan It Out

Goals are not enough by themselves. After you decide on the ‘what’ it is necessary to consider the ‘how’. You need to Plan It Out!

On September 12, 1962, JFK gave his famous moon speech at Rice University where he stated the destination would be the moon! He said “We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills…”

Yet, JFK also recognized that this grand national goal included solving a great number of technical issues. He stated “But if I were to say, my fellow citizens, that we shall send to the moon, 240,000 miles away from the control station in Houston, a giant rocket more than 300 feet tall, the length of this football field, made of new metal alloys, some of which have not yet been invented, capable of standing heat and stresses several times more than have ever been experienced, fitted together with a precision better than the finest watch, carrying all the equipment needed for propulsion, guidance, control, communications, food and survival, on an untried mission, to an unknown celestial body, and then return it safely to earth, re-entering the atmosphere at speeds of over 25,000 miles per hour, causing heat about half that of the temperature of the sun--almost as hot as it is here today--and do all this, and do it right, and do it first before this decade is out--then we must be bold.”

You must be bold too. You will not always have an easy roadmap. Often, there will be unknown variables much like the space program encountered; however, you can do your best to determine the types of things that need to be completed for successful completion.

Initially, the best methodology is to map out your overall strategy is to proceed backwards. Start from the desired goal and figure out all the major steps that would have to be completed in order to get there from the current state of affairs. What would be the half-way mark? Determine what you are currently missing (e.g. skills, capital, experience) and ways you could acquire them.

After you have a broad outline, refine each major step and make it more detailed. Add the smaller tasks too in the correct order. Try to create a rough timeline. Eventually, you’ll want to include specific dates to act as deadlines for each task in order to keep your project moving forward. Remember the six Ps: Proper Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance.

Write It Down

Wishes are mental phantoms that rarely become corporeal. Stop merely wishing and begin writing!

Create a life plan list. Write down everything you want to be, do, and have before you breath your last breath. Sometimes, it is easier to divide this into three different lists (1. Be 2. Do 3. Have). This exercise has been referred to as ‘thinking on paper’ and I believe it is a good first step. I suggest spending a full hour just writing down those things, experiences, or states that you would really, really like to include in your life. Do not stop writing until you have at least 100 goals/dreams/wants on paper. Next, I’d recommend you re-write this same list; however, rank each item so you know the most important desires and those that would fit into the someday-maybe category.

Take the top 20 items and expand each of them with as many details as possible. Be specific. Clarify exactly what you mean. Write a few paragraphs (minimum) for each one in order to define its essence for you.

Bottom Line: Writing It Down is the essential first step for Life Mastery. If an arrow is not aimed at a specific target, how can it strike the bullseye?