Figure out what you want to do. Set up a program for yourself. Follow it, journaling your progress as you reach your goals. This way you know you are doing what you need to be doing and by setting intermediary goals you have the "grades of success" you are looking for.
One example of this is in my blog below. That is a running program I began a few weeks ago.
Another example is what I call my ERR (Early Riser Regimen) Program, which was directly inspired by Steve Pavlina's article on becoming an early riser. To explain simply, I set a big-picture goal of becoming an early riser. Then I asked what does that mean. To me, it means waking up at 6:00AM every morning. These were the most important points I defined. Following those, I asked myself how. Here is the way I'm doing it:
I started at a comfortable time for me, 7:45AM. Then I would go down ten minutes whenever I'm comfortable with the previous time, most of the time that is roughly a week, but it's been more and less. I started in February, I am on the path to achieving my goal by late May/early June 2007. The journaling helps me stay on focus, evaluate problems and solve them (I'm a young guy, so I go out late relatively often, late nights are an example of a big issue.). It also allows me to chronicle the grades of success and gives me a record of my results. I also like to write the things I've gained from the ERR Program because it reinforces my positive attitude towards the project and allows me to reflect.
Those are two examples of journeys I am currently on and feel like I have achieved something in.
Success, however, for me is achieving and maintaining the end-goals of these projects, the mini-goals are stepping stones in the road. I am happy about them, but not too happy.
Let me know what you decide to take on and the methods of your success.
|