I think Thoreau said it best:
I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. (from Walden)
As 2011 drew to a close, I had a sinking feeling I'd experienced once before. Just as I had when working for a hotel and rising in the ranks there, I quickly realized that success measured in dollars does not correspond to happiness. And, just as I had left that world to try something new - something that would use my best talents to live out my deepest passions - I realized that something needed to change lest I become jaded, disgruntled, unhappy, and any number of other things that would not allow me to truly live.
This year, then, is a chance for me to live deliberately, to see if conscious decisions and deliberate action can help me achieve four key goals for myself by year's end.
I'll be aided by this handy tool that will force me to chronicle daily progress for each goal to see if I end up where I want to come December (or any time in between). I'll also have you, my readers, to tell stories to of the ups and downs of what it looks like when you go all in and push your chips to the middle of the table while betting on yourself.
Coincidentally, this is advice I'd been dispensing for quite awhile. It's easy to encourage others to take risks and invest in themselves. It's time I take my own advice and see what I can make of myself while choosing a pathway that is uncertain, but rewarding.
Here's to your own 2012 of deliberate living. I hope that you can make the choices - however difficult they may be - to accomplish something great this year. If you want to be rich, so be it. I hope that you choose to be happy first and then take the small and consistent steps to build a livelihood around that. Know that I'll be doing the same, every day, and sharing my progress with you.
What are your big goals for this year? How will you live deliberately?
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