Our
Mission:
To help people
live happy, successful lives; to harness their natural power and live
to their full potential.
"We all have
two choices: We can make a living or we can design a life." ----- Jim
Rohn
WHERE NOW?
Well, here we
are again, enjoying this magical time of year that includes the Winter
Solstice, Christmas, Hanukkah, and New Years … the 'Holiday
Season'.
For much of my life this season has meant family gatherings, comfort
food, getting together with good friends, and celebration, all that
warm fuzzy stuff … and it still does. But for quite a number of
years now it has also represented something else that's become
important to me … choice and decision.
Should you and I look back on this past year with objective
self-honesty we would see that our current situation and circumstances
are for the most part a result of our past choices and decisions;
something that may be gratifying or otherwise, depending on what we're
presently seeing.
For many years I didn't connect the dots between my choices and
decisions, and how my life was unfolding. The truth is that although I
had a vague idea of how I wanted my life to be I certainly wasn't clear
enough to articulate it to anyone else. Over time however I came to see
the value of gaining this clarity, and so established a ritual of sorts
that I participate in religiously at around this time each year ...
it's a series of exercises actually.
Here's why. I've learned that if I start my year without knowing what I
want from it there is a good chance that what I end up with will be a
real hodge podge of things both wanted and unwanted. I've proven that
to myself often enough. So one year quite some time back I did
something differently. I jotted down a few questions that guided me to
evaluate the previous year in terms of the quality of my relationships,
who I was and was becoming (both personally and professionally), and
what I had and had not accomplished. They also led me to decide on new
objectives moving forward.
Each year since then I've added to and refined these questions for the
purpose of providing me with more and better information to help me
choose and decide upon my future direction. This isn't complicated
stuff but, because it peels back the surface layers and digs into who I
really am, it does require self-honesty in order to be of real value.
Completing this process usually requires about 8 - 12 hours over a
period of 2 or 3 days ... an investment in me that I consider extremely
worthwhile. It enables me to learn from my previous year's successes
and failures (each year inevitably has both), and encourages me to
bring only the lessons forward, leaving the baggage behind where it
belongs. It also causes me to review my values, recommit to who I
ultimately aspire to be, and to clearly define my objectives and
desired quality of life for the coming year.
To me this is really important but I've learned through conversations
with many, many people over these past few years that very few take the
time to do it.
Why don't they? Good question. Maybe they've never thought of it, or
perhaps they feel they don't have the time, or possibly they don't
perceive there to be enough benefit to justify the effort.
The reality is however that if we don't learn from our successes, we
may not be able to duplicate them. If we don't learn from our failures,
we may make similar mistakes again. If we don't become clear on, and
commit to, our values and guiding principles, we may compromise them.
If we don't decide upon who we would like to be as a person, we may
become someone we don't like or respect. And if we don't choose
the quality of life we want to enjoy, well, we'll just have to take
whatever life decides to give us.
I've learned that we really do have far more choices in life than many
people believe, but it's up to us to make them. We're not victims
unless we choose to be … but by not choosing otherwise, that's
exactly what we become.
What I love about this year end evaluation and objective setting
process is that regardless of what is happening in my life at the time,
when I've completed it I have a real sense of closure in regards to all
that took place in the past, and I have clarity and a great sense of
optimism heading into the months ahead. It's a wonderfully positiveand
liberating feeling.
Have you ever asked yourself "where now" as you look ahead?
Well if so, and just in case you don't already have a process of your
own that can help provide answers, I have included here as an
attachment a few questions that you might find helpful. Please feel
free to use them as thought starters and add others that are relevant
for you.
Will you block out some personal time for yourself over the next
several days to do this? I hope so. It's an investment in you, one of
the best investments you'll ever make.
Wishing you a happy and successful 2009,
Reg Neufeld
"Dream lofty
dreams, and as you dream, so shall you become. Your vision is the
promise of what you shall one day be; your ideal is the prophecy of
what you shall at last unveil." ----- James Allen
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Reg Neufeld, founder of Growing Into Success Training, is a teacher of
life success and achievement principles using practical, step-by-step
processes that can help you get from where you are to where you want to
be. If you're ready to take control and begin living a truly happy and
successful life, get your FREE success tips now at www.growingintosuccess.com
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Reg Neufeld
Growing Into Success Training
402 - 1838 Nelson St.
Vancouver, BC
V6G 1N1
604 868 1232
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