100 Days Left in 2008

This morning I received an email in my inbox, stating that September 22nd marks 100 days until the end of 2008. I'm a big fan of goal setting, and each New Year's Day I write up a detailed list of goals for myself. So, reading that was quite a wake-up call for myself (and I hope for you too!).

I love the idea this email was advertising -- a "Finish Strong" challenge. ("The 100 Day Finish Strong Challenge is a structured performance improvement program where challengers compete against themselves to achieve a number of challenging goals and finish the year strong.")

I encourage each of you to think about what finishing 2008 strong would mean to you and your career. You don't have to pay fees to jump on the bandwagon and join this challenge on your own!

1. First of all, decide on your goals. Be specific, be realistic, be focused.

2. Write them down. Goals mean nothing unless you commit to them on paper.

3. Now you need to commit. Are you willing to buckle down and focus on these goals, so you can achieve your dreams? Be honest and serious with yourself. Perhaps your goal is slightly too large, so revise your list to what is truly possible before December 31st.

4. The next step is to make your plan. You now have less than 100 days to complete these goals, so no monkeying around! Are there outside resources you need to make these a reality?

5. Pull out your calendar/datebook, and start marking down personal deadlines, to-do lists, and chart your path through the rest of this year. Yes, this might feel like you're cutting off all spontaneity, but in my experience organization=freedom. The organization you do now will keep you focused, and allow you the freedom of truly working through each step and successfully achieving your goal.

6. Commit again. Okay, you've make your plan and written everything down in your personal organizer, but that means squat unless you actually do it. So that's why I say that once you've gone through all of these steps, you've got to commit once again to your goals. Review them one more time. Is this what you really want? Yes? So go for it!

7. Post your goals and your plan everywhere! Share the with your support team. Telling others about your goals it like the earlier step of writing them down. Make yourself accountable to others makes success much more likely.

Keep me in the loop! I look forward to hearing all about your success stories, and writing about them here at the end of the year!

Julie Mendez