New Year Resolutions

"You are not yourself ever since you came back from Europe", - said the client's Managing Director.

"You don't seem inspired any more. Your meetings are monotonous as if you are physically present in a conference room, but your mind is somewhere else. What's going on?"

And I used to think I was good in pretending.

The MD was right - I stopped caring. I lost my passion and my drive. Because I no longer saw a point. The reason was my trip to Europe.

I usually plan my "new year resolutions" while I am in Europe that I visit every year. I evaluate my past, my present, and set new goals for the future. I stress when I don't meet my own expectations and not reach set by myself peaks.

Needless to say, 2008 was rather a rough year for most of us. Everything that could go wrong did, including the economy and its global meltdown. While many were losing their jobs, I should have felt lucky I was promoted.

Yet, I focused on the negatives. On what I did not have, did not achieve, did not accomplish.

"Don't lose your vision. Don't stop dreaming. It is what keeps one moving when things turn into a total disaster. Think of the end of your last project with us. You pulled it through because you believed in its success, " - finished our conversation the MD.

Before midnight, right on the intersection of the old and new years, I've decided to take a different approach and think about my accomplishments, the path I've traveled, and who I've become. Instead of focusing on the negatives, I listed the positives, and lessons learned from the mistakes I've made.

I suddenly felt inspired!

So, set your goals, think of the next year, next project, next day. Keep dreaming and aiming high! You are your own person and even if a road you travel is not always straight - it makes it interesting to walk on. It makes you look forward to tomorrow and reach the unreachable.