We are getting close to the end of the year. And now is the time that many people look back on what happened in the past year and try to figure out what they want to accomplish in the next.
Every year we begin really fired up, but end the year pretty much the same as the beginning of the year.
If you are like most, you be ending the year having not accomplished the goals you wanted to achieve at the beginning of the year. How do I know this – two reasons – one, I am like you and some years I achieve all I want and others (like this past year) I don’t. And the second reason is that statistics show that most people do not achieve their new year’s resolutions.
For me personally, 2019 was not one of my favorite years for many reasons and I am kind of looking forward to a brand new decade (can you even believe it??). There were a lot of things I wanted to achieve this year which just went by the wayside.
Without going into the nitty-gritty as to why it wasn’t such a great year, the one thing that I am going to do is take 100% responsibility for not achieving the goals I set at the beginning of the year.
Now, if you have been reading this blog for any length of time, or you know me personally, you will know that I am a huge devotee of “success literature.” I am always reading books written by some of the people whom I consider my “virtual” mentors. These are personal, spiritual and business development authors of whom you may have heard – Wallace D. Wattles, James Allen, Napoleon Hill, Dr. Wayne Dyer, Brian Tracy, Jack Canfield, Darren Hardy, Jason Goldberg, Florence Scovill Shin, Louise Hay, Lewis Howe, and Larry Winget, to name a scant few.
Nearly every single one of them says the same thing: You must take 100% responsibility for everything,
“This includes the level of your achievements, the results you produce, the quality of your relationships, the state of your health and physical fitness, your income, your debts and your feelings – everything!” – Jack Canfield, The Success Principles
This means that you can no longer make excuses. If you haven’t achieved your goals for 2019, take full responsibility for what did or did not happen. Do not blame others or circumstances for not getting the things you wanted accomplished.
I am guilty of doing so this past year. I blamed all of the negative things that have happened in the past 18 months on my father’s passing and, as a result, did not do what I needed to do to achieve the goals I set. I let myself wallow in sorrow and misery. Now, before you say it is healthy to mourn your loss, there is a difference between grieving and what I did. I allowed myself to get mired in the depths of a depression from which I wasn’t sure I was going to extricate myself.
Happily, I have an amazing group of friends and colleagues who were there for me (even at times when I didn’t want them to be) and have helped me come out the other end stronger. I am in the process of creating my new goals for the new decade. And I am taking 100% responsibility for achieving them all.
Have you ever heard the term “BHAG”? BHAG stands for Big Hairy Audacious Goal. Jim Collins and Jerry Porras originally coined this term in their book, Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies. A BHAG is a goal that is meant to push you. It’s a goal that isn’t impossible to reach, but that you will definitely need to do the work and be dedicated to achieving it. And, even if you don’t reach it, just doing the work you need to try to accomplish it will actually change your life and career. You don’t want the goal to be too far out of reach – that would make you feel defeated – but you do want your goals to be a stretch.
In 2020, I have some really interesting goals for every area of my life, and they are all realistic and definitely achievable if I do the work necessary. Over the course of our time together, you will learn more and more about my goals, but more importantly, I want to help you with yours.
By the way, there is one BHAG I have this year and that is to help 2,020 attorneys on their journey to become rainmakers.
What is your BHAG for this year?
It doesn’t have to always do with business or career. Let me know by emailing me and we can try to figure out how you can achieve your Big Hairy Audacious Goal together.
- If you are a mid-level associate who would like to become a partner or a partner looking to become a Rainmaker and are interested in individual coaching but would like to take it for a test drive, schedule your Rock Star Rainmaker Training Trial Session.
- If you are a law firm leader and would like to discuss bringing a training program or a Rainmaking Seminar (with Ethics CLEs) in-house please email me.
Speak Your Mind