Chinese Year of the Tiger, ROAR
“I feel like I have a lion in my chest.”
This is a phrase I have used in the past to describe those times when the passions, dreams, visions, energy, and drive all collided in my chest, set my blood racing to the point that I wanted to run at full speed down a beach listening to Coldplay’s ‘Viva la Vida’ and let out a mighty shout.
This is how I feel most times that I look at my goals and visions, as I do every year for my annual review!
What I have done,..
Every year since about 2001 I have made a habit of doing some sort of annual review. That first year, when I was just about 21, I had no idea what I was doing. Planning next year was almost unfathomable. Forget planning even next week!
At this point, my annual review is almost habitual and systemized. Though I have made some changes and improvements to the approach, the effect is still the same; Review, Rate, Plan. The goal is to have earmarked any victories and set targets for the following year.
Prior to 2008, I would look at the previous year. I would wonder why so little got done. Then, I would look out over the next year, draw any willpower I had, and throw myself at the coming year’s goals. As you can guess, I was busy and even accomplished a thing or two. No matter, I was always exhausted, always stressed, and many times felt like I had so little context for what I was doing.
What I Do,..
November 17th, 2008 I looked at my Annual Review process. I decided that I need to improve the system itself. So, I poked around. I was floored to finally absorb Brian Tracy’s Ultimate Goal-Setting System. This dramatically improved my life.
Brian Tracy recommended that one have a vision and goals set for 3 – 5 years.
“We overestimate what we can accomplish in 1 year, and under-estimate what we can accomplish in 3 – 5.” – Brian Tracy
This floored me, and changed my point of view. I committed to taking the time I needed to create a life vision, including a vision and set of goals for 3 – 5 years. This dramatically decreased my mindset of scarcity, alleviated feelings of depression, and gave me some space to take the time to think strategically.
So, what I do now is based on having taken the time to create a life vision and accompanying goals for the next 3 – 5 years. From there, take the time to “reverse engineer” how to attain the goals. Break them down into year chunks and deal with them that way. Give it a try.
Now that I have set that background, this is what I do:
- Read old journal entries. (What were the goals I set? What were my hopes for the year? What things were I thinking about? What was my context when I set those goals?)
- Read over my planner. (Did I keep appointments? Was I consistent in using my planner? How long did I estimate it would take me to do projects and how long did I really take?)
- Read my Master Vision statement over. (I generally know this by heart, but it is a good inspiration.)
- I look at the goals I set and see what I accomplished and what I did not. I write these out and put them on my wall to keep in mind what I have accomplished. This shows me what I am capable of. Its a great self-confidence boost!
- I perform a Self-Analysis Questionnaire. I use the one that Napoleon Hill offers in ‘Think and Grow Rich.’
- I tweak my Master Vision and goals. I know new things and have betters ideas and knowledge to project with. After all, a plan is what we do until we have a better plan, right?
- I look at what my 3 – 5 year goals will require for this year, break them down into 12 month chunks, and write them on my wall calendars in my war room.
Generally, that is the overview. Again, when I first started this was a real chore. I had to force myself to think about the big picture. I was not always honest with myself on where I slacked too much or my weaknesses.
In the next post on the 2009 Annual Review, I will cover Annual Themes and my actual Milestones/Accomplishments, then will follow with one more on what I am setting my sights on over the next year.
See also: 2009 Annual Review Part 2 of 3, 2009 Annual Review Part 3 of 3
### Photo by Tony Hisgett
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