Be attentive to little things.
Eventually, they will be the big things;
and often, they matter the most.
Last week I discussed how you can enhance your life through self-focused improvements, activities and habits. I shared the value in rituals and habits to our daily lives, as well as my daily habit.
Now this week? Relationship-Focused Changes
I discussed how I am working on my relationships in my 2014 goal setting post.
To recap, one goal for 2014 is to ensure that I am spending adequate time with people who matter to me. This includes my best friend and cousin, my family, and even friends from high school I don’t see anymore.
I began this goal in January by taking my grandmother out for breakfast. I knew just that I extended the invitation out to her made her happy, as it did for me. The fact that there isn’t any special reason, like a birthday or holiday, makes it feel more special and gratifying to me. It gave us both something to look forward to; simple but enjoyable.
Breakfast was only an hour and a half, but it was time-wasted otherwise. So why don’t we capitalize on it? Usually the effort and the change that an unexpected event will make it inconvenient can stop us. Nevertheless, I am glad I had set the plan and stuck to it.
Next up, I’ll take my godmother and mother’s best friend out. She may not be blood-related, but she’s been dedicated to me as if she were and I’ve always appreciated it. Unfortunately, classes and work distracted me from returning that dedication to her.
So how do I make sure that I keep working at this?
I’m sure every one of us has made a “resolution” at some point in our life. The “successful” ones tend to last a few months, while most are forgotten before they begin.
That is why I need to make myself accountable and organized.
1. A Blog Entry: I posted about my 2014 goals, which made them public and accountable.
2. Weekend Calendar:
a. I made a weekend calendar for the year so I can see every day available for all months and plan well ahead. I also left some space to make notes to make sure I can list those I want to see. You can download your own calendar here if you want to plan your weekends similarly.
b. It was important to make this simple, clean, and separate from my work calendar. It would likely get lost in the chaos if I threw it in my Google Calendar anyhow.
c. Finally, I believe physically writing provides much deeper, insightful, and emotional engagement. It truly connects you to your inner self. Typing, as fast as I can and as much as I enjoy the computer, does not offer this benefit to such an extent. Scheduling and deciding who to see is much more special and gratifying when I am present.
3. Personal Accountability: As soon as I had an idea of who I wanted to see in a few weeks planned, I let someone know who could keep me accountable. For my first two months, that would be my mother. Additionally, I try to contact the individual 2-3 weeks ahead so they can plan, and it keeps me accountable well in advance of the actual day. You can’t forget and disappoint then!
I believe the key word to succeeding at your goals is accountability. The best method I have found is having my blog and website. It shares my goals, but also makes me reflect on them with my blog entries. You can start your own basic blog for free at WordPress.com.
That’s all for this week. I do suggest you follow the same process as I do for my goals.
What You Can Do Now:
(1) Make it public to keep yourself accountable;
(2) Keep yourself accountable with someone specific to check in with you;
(3) Set time aside to focus on only your goal. You can apply this to anything and see success.