The Red Velvet Lawyer

  Two Aspirational Words for 2024 Almost every year, for a decade, I've chosen a word for the year representing my overall aspiration.  I did miss a couple of years, including 2021 and 2022.  I think my transition to retirement interrupted my usual year-end planning process. But, I'm ready to declare my aspirational word for 2024.  Actually, I've picked two words.  Christine Kane, the entrepreneurial coach I used for three years, suggested the use of one word.  Her selection tool is no longer available, it seems.  But, she discusses the concept here .  Chris Brogan chooses three words for each year.  Here are his selections for 2023.  He uses them to positively guide his actions in the coming year.  Should he commit to this project?  Does it align with his three words?  The words should inspire action.   He lists seven rules for picking the words.  And, he encourages you to review them daily. I am picking t...

Using the Sunday Summit to Close the Loops In three prior posts, I talked about my goal setting process for 2020.  See here , here , and here . This year, I did something I have not done before.  I reviewed the weekly Sunday Summits I prepared during the year to see if I had listed any projects that remained undone.  Thankfully, the list included about a dozen items, many of which I had captured on my to-do list for the winter break between semesters.  I'll close those loops, as David Allen, author of Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress Free Productivity , advises people to do.  I strongly recommend the use of the Sunday Summit -- created by entrepreneurial coach Christine Kane .  I wrote about it here as a weekly planning tool.

Goal Setting Words for 2019:  "Expert" and "Support" "The process of setting intentions and joyfully reflecting on them is how, over time, we transform extrinsic into intrinsic motivations, and thereby sustain the energy and purpose to live true to our best aspirations."  Thupten Jinpa,  Two Exercises for Turning Intention into Motivation . Starting in 2014, I began picking three words to remind me of my goals for the year. Chris Brogan gave me the idea. Here are his words for 2019 with some tips on choosing the words. Here he describes the word-choosing process as part of a broader planning process based on the following steps: The Big Story Vision Goals Plans and Milestones Daily Calendar Brogan says: You could argue which goes first, a vision or a big story. I’d accept either. But to me, a vision is a story told in goals, so I put it below the big story. The big story is that which we want to believe about our life and o...

In Search of Goal Setting Words for 2018 "The process of setting intentions and joyfully reflecting on them is how, over time, we transform extrinsic into intrinsic motivations, and thereby sustain the energy and purpose to live true to our best aspirations."  Thupten Jinpa, Two Exercises for Turning Intention into Motivation . Starting in 2014, I began picking three words to remind me of my goals for the year.  Chris Brogan gave me the idea.   Here are his words for 2018.   To my surprise, I started picking yearly words even before Brogan did.  My coach, Christine Kane, had encouraged us to pick one word . Here is her tool for finding the right word.  In  2014 , I picked:  Robin, launch, and wealth.  Click on the link for an explanation of why I chose those words.  In  2015 , I picked:  Well-being, manifestation, and love.  In 2016, I must have completely forgotten about the goal-setting ...

"Calling it In from  the Universe" As part of my goal setting process at the beginning of this year, I reviewed the materials I assembled during my three entrepreneurial coaching programs offered by Christine Kane .  One of her workbook tools asked me to answer this question: "What will you have created/manifested/attracted in the upcoming year? The tool asked me to list ten things. I must have filled out this "intention and clarity" tool during the February 2015 retreat in Asheville, North Carolina.  At that time, I had applied for the job at Qatar University, but I did not have a job offer. I had visited Dubai in December 2014, and I knew I wanted a job in the Arab Gulf region.   Here is what I put on the list: New circle of close colleagues. New circle of expat friends. Inroads into Qatari culture. Travel in Asia. New fitness level. New home furnishings. New car, New student relationships. New diet. More cultural life.  So let me ...