Let's Take Stock.

We are literally only a few weeks away from the New Year and I can guarantee that when January does arrive you will be inundated with a whole bunch of email newsletters telling you how to make your life better, richer, healthier, how to make more money and letting 2010 be your best year yet.

However, if you wait until January, like the majority of people do, it will be too late to make a significant difference to your results in 2010.

I believe the secret is to start building momentum right now, Today. So that when January 1st arrives you will already know where you are heading, you will know precisely what it is you want to achieve and you will know specifically what steps you need to take and the actions that will get you there.

But before you rush off and madly setting new goals for 2010, STOP.
Let’s evaluate what you have achieved this year first.

A mind map could be a useful tool for this as it encourages both left and right brain thinking Carolyn Barber, who runs www.wayfinderassociates.co.uk was our guest speaker at Winning Women this month and she demonstrated how mind maps could be used to track success.

Just as you would a normal mind map, start in the centre with either an image or word that describes your success and then use the branches to focus on how you achieved this.
Your main branches will probably be include, events, preparation, actions, review, feedback and future planning. Sub branches can then be connected to second and third level branches if required.

Of course the mind mapping tool can also be used to set goals for the coming year, but what if you didn’t quite achieve what you set out to?

Here are some questions to ponder

What progress have I made to achieving my goals?

How much on a scale of 1-10?

What inspired me to make the action I’ve taken?

Have I allowed enough time to do all the things I want/need to do?

What got in the way of me taking further action?

Has my goal changed?

What adjustments can I make to increase my effectiveness in 2010?

What have I ultimately learned about myself this year?

I’d love to hear your stories, leave a comment below to tell me your biggest achievement in 2009 or if you'd prefer send me an email allison@allisonmarlowe.com

I look forward to hearing from you.