The New Year Approaches
December 5, 2009It’s always around this time of year that I start to contemplate my life. Taking stock, so to speak, of where I am and where I want to be. As I start this process again, I know I’ll find areas where I’m still wanting, and areas in which I am completely happy. I just think it’s good to take time out of the busy schedule to take stock.
These are the areas that I consider as I take stock:
Career – am I where I want to be? What is next? Where do I want to go?
Spiritual – do I continue to feel connected to the divine? Am I making a good effort to live as consciously as I can?
Family – Where do I need to make a better connection? Where can I make a difference?
Friends – Am a being a good friend? Where do I have room for improvement? Do I continue to feel good about my friendships?
Love life – Do I have one? Am I getting what I need from it? Am I giving what I can to it? Am I being the best partner I can be?
Master List – have I accomplished anything on it? Have my priorities changed, and therefore the list? What am I close to accomplishing?
In looking at these areas, and a few others, I look at my life as a whole and I try to be aware of what I have, need and want. It’s a good exercise, and though I do it more than just at the New Year, I find that the New Year offers a “fresh start” so to speak, a renewed commitment.
To me, there’s never a bad time to take stock.
- Catherine
Thanks for sharing your approach, Catherine. I like a variety of questions to ask and think about at this time of year. I feel like I haven’t been very focused this year, so I am also in the process of evaluating where I stand and where I want to go. What I find interesting when I read the categories you present is how my priorities have changed over the years – family (including my love life) and friends have risen in priority over the years, and career has fallen lower on my priority list.
Thinking about setting goals also reminds me of an article I recently read by John Maxwell about achieving dreams, which reminds me that there is another question to ask myself in each of these categories – am I living my dreams or going in that direction in this area of my life? I will write a post about Maxwell’s article in the future.
Carolee
Carolee – you’ve posed some other really good questions for taking stock… it’s s tough thing to do sometimes – the answers aren’t always what we’d like for them to be – but it gives us an opportunity to do the things we need to so that the next time we ask those questions, the answers are more in line with what we’d like for them to be.