My Five Goals for 2011

Yesterday’s auspicious date of 1-1-11 made me pause and think of even more magical things that should have been happening that afternoon at 1:11 pm, or at 11:11 pm after we had all retired. Beside gawking at the numbers what does one do with them? In my case I take this opportunity to present my goals for 2011.

I love the tradition of goals…Cindy always used to write her goals with a girlfriend of hers, on New Year’s day. I still get a kick out of looking at goals I posted in 2004 about where I wanted to be and what I wanted to get done. By God I knocked a few out of the park, others I was way, way off on.

For 2011, my goal is a complete re-tooling of our venerable website, GoNOMAD.com.  We’ve languished for more than ten years in a tech backwater, publishing static pages one by one, and a November meeting with a series of Internet experts has pushed me over the edge. So this year we move to a content management system, so that soon, publishing an article will be no more time consuming than putting up a blog post. Well sort of.

My second goal is to pursue some of the intellectual goals that I’ve spoken of, and thought of for too long but haven’t acted on. I want to speak Spanish and I want to write a book.  I will take concrete steps toward these two things–a little every day.

My third goal is to work harder and longer. I seem to skate by during the day, checking email way too much, and not focusing on the really crucial work that with a skeleton staff, now lies waiting for me. I’ll take it on with a renewed vigor–I’ll put in longer hours and get more done so that my revenue curve points up, not straight or down.

My fourth goal is to be gentler to people all around me. I will hold back from criticism, and fight an innate instinct to say no before I say yes. I will open up and allow more ideas to filter through me, and try to see the point rather than quickly say no, or be doubtful. In line with this, I plan to accept people more easily, and stop allowing my preconceived notions about their merits to detract from hearing what they offer.

My fifth goal is easy….I want to keep going to the Y and continue with a stricter overall health regimen.  That post-workout feeling is all the reward I need, I just want to keep remembering that and continue to work my work-outs into my regular routine.

I promise to revisit this blog in 2012 and see just how well I did. What are your goals for the year?