2012 Goals Update

How are you doing on your New Years' resolutions this year? I didn't make any; I've seldom been able to keep them anyway. I did set a few significant goals for the year though, and I am beginning to make progress towards accomplishing those.

One of my goals for the year is to read a number of books. I just finished "Not a Fan: Becoming a Completely Committed Follower of Christ" by Kyle Idleman. I strongly recommend it.

Perhaps the main reason I want to read more this year is that I want to learn more. There is so very much to learn and I know so little. As someone very interested in performance improvement, I want to learn so that I can improve my performance in many differnt areas. I also want to learn much more so that I can teach others. If I am not continually learning, I may soon find I have nothing worthwhile to teach others. At the very least, due to the rapid increase in information we are now all surrounded with, I will find my knowledge is soon out of date.

Another reason I want to read more this year is more selfish and can, if I am not careful, lead towards me being arrogant. I want to read more, and learn more, because I want to be a learned person. I also want others to consider me a learned person. I want to know many different things and I want people to consider me as someone who knows many different things. Now I don't think this is purely selfish, nor does it have to be arrogant. I want to know much, and be considered as someone who knows much, because I want to grow into a mentor, coach, and advisor to many people. This relates directly back to my interest in performance improvement. I not only want to improve my performance but I want to help others improve their performance. Ultimately, I want to do this at both a personal and organizational level.

Another goal I have this year is to write more. My writing these posts from time to time is one way I hope to continue that. Writing has several benefits. It helps me clarify and refine thoughts and ideas by putting them on paper, even if I am typing them out on this digital paper. It also provides one way for me to potentially teach others. At the very least it gives me a potential opportunity to positively impact other's performance. If anyone reads what I write, learns from it, and applies any of it so that it causes performance improvement in their lives, that will be a good thing. Me writing also gives me a chance to become known as someone who knows much.

This leads me to another lifetime goal, though not one I will likely reach this year. I want to become a sought after public speaker. This is once again so I have more opportunities to positively influence performance. If I read much I hope to therby learn much. If I write much I will better crystalize my learning. If people read what I write, they will perhaps learn from it. If enough people learn from what I write, someone may want me to speak about what I am writing, learning and reading. One key to all these things coming into place is a word I used in the third paragraph above - worthwhile. What I am learning, and what I want to teach others, must be seen by others as worthwhile. If people do not see it as worthwhile, from their point of view, I will have a more difficult time getting speaking opportunities.

I sincerely hope others will see this as worthwhile. It is to me.