Anne Gottlieb Angerman, MS

Setting Goals in the New Year

Over the Thanksgiving holiday of 2004, I ran the Turkey Trot with my two adult daughters—4 miles! It was at Washington Park in Denver. I was looking forward to it and bought new running shoes—long over needed. I had been running for a few years so I thought the run would be easy. The day of the race it was beautiful and sunny but not too warm.

Starting with thousands of people was glorious. The first two miles were easy. There were bands playing along the way and people cheering. I felt a lot of high energy—this would be so easy!

Mile 3 was getting harder. Part of me started looking at short cuts. My daughters were way ahead of me. Did I really want to do this? Was this supposed to be fun? Mile 3 dragged and dragged and this is when I started wanting to quit. However, once I saw the finish line—I knew I could do it. Yes, I did!

How often does this happen to you? You get so close to a goal but sometimes don’t think you can finish it. That extra work or effort seems endless. This is when many people give up—so close to a goal. With a bit more effort,
it could have been done. It’s amazing how many people I have coached who were a few credits short of a bachelor’s
degree, but never completed it. Years later, they were very regretful.

As the New Year has just past, it is the time to look at new goals and revisit the other ones that did not get accomplished. For me, sometimes as I look at my home office and see piles of paperwork, I shudder: “too much effort." I recently talked to a colleague who said she hates her clothes and hates shopping: “I just want to look up and find a new closet of clothes.” Wouldn’t that be great for all parts of our lives?

Here are some suggestions for setting goals for 2005:

1. As we set goals for the New Year, are they goals for ourselves or others? Don’t make goals for other people! You are the only one who matters!

2. Try different angles. I spoke recently to a client who is trying to lose weight. Rather than trying a diet to lose pounds, I recommended she give something up each month: one month—soda, another month—giving up snacking after dinner.

3. Create a structure for yourself. My oldest daughter, Rachel, has been running triathlons for the Leukemia-Lymphoma Society. She showed me her printed practice schedule for the event in May of this year she will be doing: Orlando Half Ironman Triathlon. It had a list of each week, which activity (biking, swimming, or running) and how far they were supposed to be practicing. They also had a coach who worked with the team. It was completely laid out. What if we had that for our personal and work life! I know for sure many more people would accomplish their goals.

4. Reward yourself! Any changes or goals you reach, find a way to reward yourself either thru an activity, treat, or buying yourself something.

5. Write everything down. The more you record your specific goals, the more successful you will be.

Make 2005 a year of success for you!

Recommendation:

"The Highlands Program gave me a surge of self-confidence and made me more aware about my individual abilities. The Program was extremely helpful, and I referred to my results during my college search. I believe I will also use these results to guide me towards deciding my college major."

BAM, 2005, Freshman at Goucher College

Attitude—More than a Career Factor

For career success, we all know the importance of aptitudes, skills, values, and personality, but don’t forget the importance of ATTITUDE. No matter how skilled we are for our positions, we also bring attitude to work each day which can go a long way. Recently, I spoke to some employers of young adults ages 22-28 who were concerned about these employees. They mentioned that these people called “Twixters” often were expecting too much from their employers and did not like to start at the bottom. On the other hand, I have received a number of E-mails lately mentioning the Tsunami. It’s the first time I’ve heard people expressing gratitude for their lives. No matter how difficult our lives might seem right now, expressing gratitude and having a positive attitude can take you very far. Its also important to realize: It's not what happens to me (the event): but what I tell myself about it.

Upcoming Speaking:

Book and Speaker to Recommend in Denver:

Do you know anyone from 22-30 who is struggling to find themselves in the world? The book to read is
Ready or Not, Here Life Comes by Mel Levine, MD.

The book addresses how today's society makes it difficult for kids to grow into productive adults and what we can do about it. The book discusses how American society is in the midst of an epidemic of work-life unreadiness because an alarming number of emerging adults are unable to find a good fit between their minds and their career directions.

The author will be speaking in Denver on Feb. 15th at 12:30 PM at the Denver Press Club. Please call Katie Walters at 720-931-6810 or e-mail her at kwalters@denverathleticclub.org.