New Year's Resolutions

It's that time again. Time to review the past year's accomplishments, trials, challenges and transitions. Time to see what worked and what didn't work. Time to evaluate goals and realign one's self with "the plan".

2008 has been an interesting year for me. I started it off with the hopes of making 2008 my year to be great and in many ways it has been. I landed several media interviews including my first television spot courtesy of Anthony Ponce and NBC5, I watched myself appear in a small cameo in the Dark Knight in the scene just after Bruce Wayne threw his lamborghini in front of a police convoy, I helped three times as many people as I did last year and in the process doubled my income.

On that same token, 2008 has also been filled with several major challenges and disappointments. The year began on a severely injured ankle of which my doctors gave me little hope for recuperation, my daughter's mood disorder progressed alarmingly and for all my mediation skills my unruly neighbors have made it impossible to cohabitate in peace. Needless to say, many of my goals have gone uncompleted and at times even I have found myself overcome with a feeling of despair and hopelessness.

Despite these issues and drastic deviations from my plan, I am happy to say that I am coming out this year ahead of the game. I wanted to increase my writing, which although not as much as I would have liked, I have done so. I intended to gain more coaching clients and speaking engagements which I did. I cleared my life of negative people and in the process found love.

That is what it is all about. Setting goals, creating a plan and then holding on to that plan with your passion and purpose in check. Life will happen but it is how you choose to react and "pro-act" that really makes the difference. You can either let those unexpected difficulties creep in, hinder you and leave you immobilized or you can stand up, overcome and keep moving. I could sit here and rattle off the number of things that I have not accomplished although I had every intention to or I could focus on what I did do, where that leaves me right now and plan for how to move forward.

The new year is a natural time to reflect and start afresh. Doing so requires clearing the clutter from your life, whether that clutter is things, negative people or your own fears and stagnating self-talk. It starts with a personal choice followed by immediate action. Choose it, state it and then do it. Accept that things may not always go according to plan and know that you may need to alter your actions in the interim but the point is to keep on working toward that prize.

I am preparing for the new year with a personal evaluation that includes celebrating my successes, being thankful for every blessing and forgiving myself for my shortcomings and failures. I will be posting my new list of goals for 2009 in the next week or so and of course I will be looking to you, my faithful readers, for support and help in holding me accountable.

To your dynamic success and happy living!

Niquenya