It’s that time of year again; time to establish my goals for the upcoming year. It was not that many years ago that this activity was left for work activities only. I guess it has been 10 + years that I’ve consistently established personal goals and objectives each year. Before that, I did like a lot of others and made New Year’s resolutions, most of them not lasting more then a few days and some not even that long. There were the quitting smoking and losing weight mantras, none of which were very successful. There were a variety of other not so successful haphazard attempts at self improvement. These failures were not necessarily due to a lack of self discipline or will power but more a result of insufficient planning and execution. You’d think that someone with 20+ years of project management experience would be capable of goal setting. Truth be told in the last decade or so I have been fairly successful at both setting and achieving personal and professional goals and objectives.

One of the primary keys to successful goal setting is to make your goals realistic. It’s ok and is encouraged to put things out there that will push you beyond your comfort zones but make sure they are centered in reality. Be willing to fail, there will be set backs, just get up, reevaluate, and adjust accordingly. Remember that no plan is perfect and that adjustments are necessary for success. Take a continuous improvement mentality with everything you do. You may not be the best or most successful at something today but if you consistently make small incremental improvements eventually you will achieve success. At the end of each day renew your commitment to being a little better tomorrow. Celebrate your achievements along the way and recognize the incremental improvements you have made. Write your goals and objectives down and make them known. Accountability to yourself and others will help you persevere when things get tough.

So here we go, for the entire internet world (or at lease the one or two of you that may read this) to see. The following are my personal Goals and Objectives for 2009.

1. To inspire and encourage others, especially family and friends, to explore and deepen their faith, to pursue a healthier and more active lifestyle, and to become active and engage in their local food chains.
2. To raise awareness about congenital heart disease and meet my fund raising goals for C.H.I.N. (Congenital Heart Information Network) through the Janus Charity Challenge and the Ford Ironman Wisconsin Triathlon.
3. To successfully complete my Ironman training plan, improve my bike and run disciplines, and arrive at the starting line of the Ford Ironman Wisconsin Triathlon mentally and physically prepared to compete.