happy new year (audio)

Happy New Year

Time for goal setting

shadow self at Fletcher Field in Franklin

A PDF with the 4 C's that I talk to can be found here
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0wjbnXDBhczaGtUZ25uWEdLUlk/view?usp=sharing

endings and beginnings

Reflections on the end of the first month of the new year 2016

Franklin Line heading into the tunnel in Franklin

may 1

listen to ‘may 1’ on audioBoom

Reflections Jan 23

listen to ‘Reflections Jan 23’ on audioBoom

the new year 2015

listen to ‘the new year 2015’ on audioBoom

3 Word Goals: Mentor, Leverage, Exercise

Following Chris Brogan's practice of 3 word goals, I have turned the page for this new year.

• In 2009, it was Basic, Leverage, and Return
• In 2010, it was Conversation, Content, and Community
• In 2011, it was Analogy, Bold, and Conduct 
• In 2012, it was Learn, Share, and Laugh
• in 2013, it was Mentor, Leverage and Exercise
• in 2014, it was Mentor, Leverage and Exercise

amaryllis

No, I am not being lazy. I think wisdom is arriving with the days I spend. These three words have worked well for the past couple of years and I see no compelling reason for change this time around.

Exercise, Leverage, and Mentor will be the three word goals for 2015.

Exercise - as a life long runner, it has been an issue for me not to have run since mid-July 2013. As mentioned, I developed "Morton's neuroma". Cortisone shots in January did not help. I was able to walk but not run. I went back to the doctor in December as I was getting to thepoint where I miss running too much. Another cortisone shot and advice to not wait so long to return to the doctor is where I am now. Exercise is needed and while walking can work, I want to run.

Leverage - I have come to find more and more that leveraging the network is the way to go. i do this regularly and need to do more of this.

Mentor - one of the key ways to help those around me is via mentoring. I did some. I can still do more. 

(for those who may have visited earlier, as I was walking after posting this, I realized that re-ordering to spell ELM, as in the tree, would be easier to remember and hence follow.)


Do you have a goal setting process? 

What is your goal for 2015?

Three word goals for 2014

Late to this but better late than not at all.

• In 2009, it was Basic, Leverage, and Return
• In 2010, it was Conversation, Content, and Community
• In 2011, it was Analogy, Bold, and Conduct 
• In 2012 it was Learn, Share, and Laugh

For 2013 it was Mentor, Leverage and Exercise


And while I may have broken a rule last year in reusing one word from a prior year, I am going further this year and keeping all three.

Yes: Mentor, Leverage and Exercise will be the new three word goals for 2014 as well.

Mahoning Creek over Meadowbrook Road, Danville, PA

Mentor - one of the key ways for me to help those around me is via mentoring. I did some. I can do more.

Leverage - time is short, I need to be able to leverage and re-use smartly wherever possible. I need to be able to draw upon the network to help advance both Franklin Matters and the Franklin Food Pantry on the home front. I will need to also expand and leverage the network within Citizens Bank.

Exercise - as a life long runner, it has been an issue for me not to have run since mid-July 2013. I developed "Morton's neuroma" and will be continuing treatment for it. In the meantime walking (as much as possible) and other exercises will have to suffice until I can run again.


Do you have a goal setting process? 

What is your goal for 2014?

morning bird songs - mid year look around

overcast morning here in Franklin

listen to ‘morning bird songs - mid year look around’ on Audioboo

3 word goals for 2013

For several years now, I have been following +Chris Brogan's 3 word goal process. To save you some looking here is what I have declared previously:

In 2009, it was Basic, Leverage, and Return.
In 2010, it was Conversation, Content, and Community.
In 2011, it was Analogy, Bold, and Conduct

For 2012 it was Learn, Share, and Laugh

Bananagram titles

This year, my three words are Mentor, Leverage, and Exercise.

Mentor
This is a part of me. I do it a lot. On my running blog, I have the tag line "Leave no buddy behind." I tend to approach an individual and his/her situation in that way. Leading them to their answer. Lending confidence, fostering courage. The relationship is not about me. It is about them and what they can do to help themselves and others. We are all in this together. We might as well help each other along.

Leverage
Hay, you used leverage again? Is there a rule not to use the same one twice? If so, I am going to break it. Continuing the theme of helping each other along, leverage gets at using situations smartly. Doing something once that can be re-purposed. Write once, read many was an older technology (WORM). The concept still applies. In a busy world, working smartly will tend to be more successful in the long run than working hard. Hard generates sweat. If the sweat can be used for something else, then that is leverage!

Exercise
Yes, I run. I am a life long runner and love it. I do walk frequently. There is something about the walk around Franklin that is not unlike "management by walking around". if I am walking around anyway, why not carry the camera with me. That photo, yes it has good lighting, this shot can be useful! Take it, leverage the time on the walk. Maximize the effort with the opportunity for multiple returns. So that is all well and good. What I mean by exercise is that as I build my mileage back up, I need to do more stretching and upper body work. Running is not enough. Not doing the stretching and upper body work will actually hinder the higher mileage running and create the opportunity for injury. Not what I want!

So that is how I am approaching today and the next as we get into this new year. What are your goals for 2013?



+Chris Brogan
#the5

goals delayed

While I have been preparing for my three word goals, I have not solidified them at this time. There is some wavering among the key words and until the wavering settles, I'll continue to ponder them and hold off on announcing them.

In the meantime, take a walk in the cold and enjoy the scenery of winter in Central PA. A visit with some good friends over the New Year's weekend provide the opportunity for this (and other photos).

The stream of my thoughts around the three word goals is still flowing!

Have you got your goals yet?

3 word goal preparation

Approaching the end of the year, start of the new year will follow. Reviewing what has happened and what I'd like to prioritize for the new year.

I am thinking about my three word goals. Are you?

The possibilities are endless... what will the goals be?

3 word goals - 2012

In 2009, it was Basic, Leverage, and Return.
In 2010, it was Conversation, Content, and Community.
In 2011, it was Analogy, Bold, and Conduct




As we start 2012 today, my three words will be Learn, Share, and Laugh.

Learn - there is so much learning to be done. I have opportunities at work (with RBS Citizens Bank) and with my position on the Board of the Franklin Food Pantry. And those are just two key ones. I do seek out opportunities to learn and will return to SOBCon in May 2012. I will continue to support unconferences in New England with the return of PodCamp Western MA, PodCamp Boston, another Job Search Jam Session (or more). I am overdue making it to PodCamp New Hampshire, maybe this will be the year.

Share - I will continue to share what I have learned in a meaningful way. I am toying with another twist to the daily five things (#the5) I find to make the findings more meaningful to those they get shared with.

Laugh - life presents many opportunities for laughing and laughter is good medicine so I want to find ways to laugh more.


What are your goals for 2012?

3 Words - 2011

Chris got me started on this in 2009.  I continued in 2010.

And now, I have chosen my three words for 2011: analogy, bold, conduct.

Why?
What's behind these three words?

Those are fair questions so let me explain what I think I am about so you can help keep me honest this year.

Analogy - I need to do better at telling stories. I can deal with the facts. I can be creative and come up with an analogy to help explain something to someone. I need to do more of this. Find the analogy. Build the story!

Bold - In some circumstances, I don't hesitate to step forward and take the lead or do what it is necessary. In some I hesitate. I need to be bolder. I am confident with what I can do and how I can add value. I just need to be a little more forward, in more circumstances, more frequently.

Conduct - This is the verb, to conduct. The conductor of an orchestra creates the tempo and coaches the individual musicians on when they come in, how they play together. I have some opportunities already lining up where it will be good to be the conductor. I don't need to be in the spotlight. I need to be able to coach the folks around me to be as bold and step forward to do it. They can.

I am looking forward to 2011. These three words should be the themes around which all the individual goals and objectives fall in line.

2011 can be a very good year. I have the vision of what it can be. I'll need your help to keep me honest about staying on track. Don't be bashful about asking for help. Don't be bashful about telling me where I am not fulfilling your expectations!



Photo from Flickr by Phantom of the flicks

Job search notes: 3 word goals

Good ole' Punxsutawny Phil is reported to have seen his shadow on Feb 2, otherwise known as Groundhog Day. I saw mine while out for my morning run.

I realized while running that I needed to catch up on my three word goal for 2010. I had been busy with work, et al but now with that project complete, this is as good a time as any. I continued to draft this in my head as I finished my run through Franklin.

My three words for this year come from a discussion with a good friend as we re-work my resume. My prior versions as accurate as they are of my corporate and chronological work experience leave out the developments I have made outside the workplace all along the way. I felt that the community building work with the unconferences and Franklin Matters was not fairly represented. Over the course of several conversations, some themes revealed themselves and I'll use these are my 3 word goals for this year.

Conversation - continue to explore creative ways to engage folks in a conversation. I want to get to the heart of the matter for their point of view. Sometimes easier said than done. It will take time, patience, and good listening to 'read between the lines' as to what they really mean when they say what they say.

Content - the subject matter at hand. I have a few areas of content creation. I used to have more and skinned down to writing about Franklin, job searching and exploring the good experience. JJL has ended but the life long learning needed to do more than survive in this economic world will persist.

Community - My good PodCamp buddy Chris Brogan in his book Trust Agents (co-authored with Julien Smith) advocates building an army. In Franklin, I have grown my subscribers to over three hundred. With 19,000 registered voters, my BHAG is to get to 10,000! There is plenty of work to do.

How do the three words connect? I am looking to create good conversation around content that matters and build an engaged community.

What do you think of this? How am I doing?

What are your goals for this year?


-------------

Last year's goals:
http://steves2cents.blogspot.com/2009/01/3-word-goals-for-2009.html



Mid-year status:
http://steves2cents.blogspot.com/2009/06/3-word-goal-status-check.html

3 Word Goal - status check

June 2009. Midpoint for the year at hand. Time for a mid-summer night's dream. Time for reflection on what has happened thus far.

Each month we stop and look back over the month with Rapid Fire Learning. This opportunity is a more powerful view, five plus months worth of actions and achievements to review. Are we still going this way?

I started the year with 3 goal words: Basic, Leverage, Return. You have permission to click through and read that posting before continuing. I'll wait.

You can read the reminder of this mid-year self-review on the Joyful Jubilant Learning blog as my contribution for this month.

2009 goals

What are your goals for 2009?

Chris Brogan has some thoughts on setting and simplifying your goals into three words.

It will take some thought to come up with mine. By the end of the week, I should have them ready to share here.

In the meantime, check out Chris's advice here