Groundhog Day Goal Assessments

Revisiting Goals for 2010

In my post outlining my Goals for 2010,  I wrote that I was focusing on three goals for the year:

My three goals are located in three separate areas of my life.

They are:

Business - Develop one of my blogs into a cash-generating entity that will become part of the Barry 2.0 effort to be economy independent within 3 years. This goal is one I’ve put off for far too long. I know how to do it. I have all I need to make it happen, I just haven’t done it.  Now is the time.

Personal - Reach my goal weight of 185 pounds that will eliminate the need for BP Meds. I’ve lost 10 already by walking twice daily with Buddy. However, I’ve not really taken the goal seriously enough to make more healthy changes.  This goal requires me to make lasting changes if I am to reach and maintain my target goal.  That’s 40 pounds in twelve months or a net loss of 3.3 pounds per month.  Sounds doable, right?

Spiritual – Meditate daily for inner peace and insight. This is a goal that will greatly effect the other two. I learned to meditate a few years ago in the Kriya Yoga tradition. And, when I practiced religiously (pardon that very bad pun ) I felt different, was more focused throughout the day, and was generally a much happier person.

I’d like to say that I’m well on my way toward reaching them.  But that would be..um..lying.   So, instead of singing false praises about my goal-directed activities, I’m going to come clean and say that minimal progress has been made.

Progress to Date

Here’s a snapshot of my progress thus far:

1. Business Goal: I’ve begun the process of setting up another blog for this purpose. Mums still the word on that for now. I’m also reading Gary Vaynerchuk’s ‘Crush It.‘
2. Personal Goal: I’ve lost 11 pounds (net) according my doctor’s scales (15 by my own). Largely a factor of  walking once or twice daily. So, still a way to go, but some progress made.
3. Spiritual Goal: I begun practicing medication meditation again.  (Talk about a Freudian moment.) This time, I’ve doing simple Buddhist mediation, as described in Steve Hagen’s ‘Meditation Now or Never,’ that focuses on momentary awakening and mindfulness.

So some progress, yes. But it’s minimal.

Enter Groundhog Day Reassessments

David Seah’s blog has long been one of my favorite reads. He’s an investigative designer, and an awesome one at that. His Printable CEO and Compact Calendar series of tracking forms have been useful for me. Please check them out as David doesn’t charge for them.

But perhaps David’s most influential post was this one on Groundhog Day Resolutions. Simply put, you review your goals for the year on a series of days when the month and day agree on numerical values: 1/1, 2/2, 3/3, 4/4, etc.

The Benefit of Groundhog Day Reassessments (GDR)

I see adopting GDR’s as having distinct benefits for me:

1. GDR’s invoke accountability. If I know I need to review my progress on a given date and post about it here, then I’m much more motivated to act on these on a more regular basis.
2. GDR’s remind me of what’s important.  Namely, these 3 goals.  The beauty of working on only 3 goals is increased focus on each. Because I chose meaningful goals, I’m also more inclined to reach them.
3. GDR’s serve as milestones.  Before the interstate system and its accompanying mileage signs, there were only milestones that marked how far you’d come from your destination. GDR’s serve as meaningful milestones marking how far I’ve come on a goal.

Where to Now (St. Peter) ?

Forward, of course.  See you on 4/4 for my first GDR of 2010!

If not sooner on another topic.