The Year 2011: Commitments vs. Confusion

“In beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, in expert’s mind there are few.”- Suzuki Roshi rnBy now, most of you are coming out of the Christmas Cheer Coma and are back at work scratching your head and saying to yourselves, “Whew!” Now what?” Your doors are open, your butt’s in the chair, but you’re not too sure where you want to go yet. And of course, with the New Year comes our infamous New Year’s Resolutions. You know the ones like, “I’m going to get healthy. I’m going to make a million dollars,” and so on. Unfortunately, the problem with most resolutions is that they don’t last as long as the hangovers. Why is that? I have learned that most resolutions are about what you think you should or should not do as opposed to what you choose to do, whereas making a commitment to change is a whole different ball game. Commitment is making a conscious choice to do something with your whole being. That type of commitment comes from your core, not your ‘Guilt Gremlin.’ If you do take this route, ultimately you don’t end up shooting yourself in the foot as often. There is a quote by Suzuki Roshi that says, “In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert’s mind there are few.” If you are going to be about making changes this year, then tack this quote to your forehead. The idea of beginner’s mind is to empty your mind of old ideas and old beliefs that can keep you stuck so that you can be open and ready for new possibilities that will take where you want to go. You can’t determine where you’re going in your business or your life unless you determine where you have been. And you can’t get there asking the same questions you asked last year. You need a fresh perspective. You have to do a little excavating. New Year + New Goals + New Questions + New Actions = Results and Success. Here are 4 questions to ponder to get you started and pointed in the right direction for the new year. This is not a test but you may want to take out a note pad and pen and jot down your answers. 1. What were my accomplishments last year? Write them all down so you don’t forget them. 2. What worked and what didn’t work in last year’s plan? Be honest with yourself. 3. What are you going to have to do differently (action steps) in 2011 to take you to your next level of success? 4. What kind of support are you going to need to reach your goals? Keep in mind, the only thing that changed on January 1st was the date. Now you have to decide if it will be a year full of opportunities and possibilities, or just more of the same old same old for the next 364 days. If you like what you are doing and don’t want to change, keep doing what you are doing. However, if you don’t like the way your business/career or life has been going, now is the time to make some changes to get it right. The key is to get clear about what you want to change and your goals for getting there. And most importantly, enlist the support you need to get there. It really does help to have an outside perspective. Accountability is a key ingredient to attaining your goals and making sure you reach your next level of success.