Well, I have started off the new year a bit behind schedule but I have a good excuse. In years past I have done an exercise at the beginning of each year to evaluate what happened the previous year. I have missed doing this the last couple of years and I feel this has caused me to repeat some mistakes and miss some opportunities.

It took me several days but I went back and looked at pervious years and the past year and the patterns of my behavior are so clear. Here are the questions to ask and it works best to go month by month. It helps a lot if you have a journal but you can also work off a day timer or other appointment book.

What happened?

What was great?

What did I learn?

Who was I and who did I become?

What did I hate?

After doing this exercise for the past year take the insights and form 4 main goals for the coming year. I was very interested to see how far I had come in some areas and how stuck I still was in others. For example, clutter in my life was a big issue back in 2002 and I still struggle with this. Clutter in my office, car, barn and house slow me down when I have to search for things before doing even simple projects. Clutter in my mind keeps me from staying focused.

On the other hand I have come a huge way with my horsemanship and relationships with friends. In 2002 I was just starting to increase my internet marketing and this year I am going to the next level with social media prospecting for my network marketing business. I had just started reading the Robert Kiyosaki books in 2001 and already I knew I wanted to share this valuable information on financial education with others. This will be one of the main focuses of my online work over the next year.

Letting go and turning things over to God is an ongoing process and I am gaining on that as well. Even though doing this exercise for last year and several before took me a few days I feel it was hugely beneficial and will pay off in clarity and focus over the next year. It also gave me a chance to count all my blessings. I wish everyone a very happy and prosperous new year. Madalyn

sunset 2009