We’re getting close to the start of a new year. As you wind up this year, you’re no doubt thinking of things you want to do differently next year. You probably have a sense of excited anticipation.
Others of you though have grown weary of the annual New Year Resolutions. Try as you might, you fail to make any significant changes and feel as though you have nothing to show for your effort. What you may not realize is that you probably have made some progress…and you’ve also done some things to sabotage your efforts.
Whether you see yourself in the first or second category, you will certainly benefit by developing a timeline. You won’t be able to chart a course for future success unless you know where you’ve already been.
A good friend of mine was setting up some business initiatives for the coming year and he told me he was going to start changing things up. He felt as though he was hitting a wall and was concerned about what could be a perceived lack of value from his department.
I first met this guy during his first year on the job. In the five years I’ve known him, I’ve seen significant changes in his department and progress. From my perspective, he had added value. I suggested he develop a timeline that showed every initiative he took on in the five-year period. When he looked at it that way, he could actually see what progress was made and it impacted how he shifted priorities for next year. By seeing where he’d already been, he had a clearer path to where he needed to go.
I know we’re told not to look back. I think looking back is important. It identifies patterns, events, and decisions that led to our current reality. If we want to change our current reality, we have to know what to do differently.
Let’s say that you want to get your finances in order next year. You know you don’t have enough money saved up and you think you probably could do better at your budget. You also know you have to plan for your retirement. From where you are to where you want to be seems like a difficult journey. To tackle this monster, go back at least five years and map out your financial journey. Identify times you came up short and borrowed money. Look at the major purchases you made. Take a hard look at your spending patterns. By seeing what got you here, you can identify what you need to avoid next year. If you see that each year you bought the latest gadgets, took a vacation not because you wanted to but because you felt pressured to keep up with your nosey neighbors, or had significant dips in income because of your career field, avoid those things. On the other hand, you might realize that you were actually doing some things right. Maybe you managed to save up some money for one of those vacations rather than putting it on a credit card. Those good practices and decisions can now be refined and repeated.
Looking back is different than staring back. We look back to build a timeline. We stare forward because that’s where we need to be.
Don’t let this New Year be a simple re-run of last year. Identify the re-runs now so you won’t repeat the bad parts next year. I have big plans for next year and I hope you do too!
