Monday Morning, where did the time go?

I actually started writing my Monday morning spiel last night, but then I realized that what I had started to write would take a while to complete and would be best left for a future Monday morning.

Before we begin our usual Monday morning thinking ritual about goals, go grab a piece of paper and your favorite writing utensil (pen, pencil, crayon). Don't underestimate the power of using an alternative writing source. Although I think quickly with a computer, I don't think I quite get the reflective time I need from using the keyboard because I type so fast. I find my thinking has more depth when I write by hand.

Anyway, are you ready to go? Do this next part quickly.

1. Write out your three most important life goals at this moment in time. Do this quickly.

2. Write out a list of 10 goals (minimum) of things that you would like to accomplish in this next year. Use the present tense and start with "I." Choose upbeat language.

3. If you could actually have any one of the above 10 goals by tomorrow, which one would you choose?

4. After completing numbers 1-3. write out what your major definite purpose in life is.

5. What stumbling blocks will you have to cross over to achieve this goal?

6. What additional skills or information will you need to accomplish this goal?

7. Is there someone you need to contact for help to accomplish this goal?

8. What is your deadline for achieving this goal?

9. What steps will you need to take to achieve this goal?

10. What one action could you take right away to achieve this goal?

Now go back through your answers to #1 and #2 above and decide which of the goals is very important (A), important (B), or just nice but unimportant (C). Write out a list of your A goals.

Now go through this list of A goals and number them starting from number 1 in order of the most important to the least important. #1 should be your most important. This exercise organizes your list of important goals by order of priority.

This is a great first step to setting up a comprehensive action plan for your important goals. I will be curious to see how many of my readers actually do this exercise and what they discover along the way.

Remember the process of successful goal setting begins with 3 basic steps:

1. Think of a goal.

2. Write it down. Try to create a picture in your head of what the goal looks like when you succeed.

3. Repeat the goal or read it often. You can keep a special notebook or journal for this purpose. Every day write out a list of your goals. I used to keep a list hanging on the inside of one of my personal bathroom cabinet doors. I opened that cabinet door every day and read through my list while I was brushing my teeth. You could also use the inside of your closet or another place of your choosing.

It's getting near the end of the year. Please vote in one of the polls listed to the right of this blog post. Be sure to leave me a comment about your goal setting experience.

Tomorrow I plan to start a discussion about intonation. It's something that has been on my mind quite a bit in the past few weeks. I'm eager to share what I know and look forward to hearing from others as to how they tackle this thorny issue.