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2007 was another big year for me not only in terms of activity, but also in terms of opportunities and personal development.

I have quite a bit to review from 2007, lots of amazing breakthroughs, new beginnings, and connections with some amazing people. I’m not going to discuss these in this particular post, but I will in my next. This post is to give myself grades on goals set.

Here the goals that I had set at the start of 2007, and my review of them now:

Health

Do not eat chips: A+

I went 12 months without eating chip eg. hot chips, potato chips, wedges, gems, hash browns and corn chips etc. There were only couple of occasions where it was a difficult task, basically when I was presented with a meal with them unexpectedly.

Play sport or do an outdoor activity once a week: A-

After 5 years not playing any competitive sport, I returned to my favourite sport in Australian Football. It all started when I got a taste of it playing 9-a-side football on the gold coast. After which time, I had made the decision to then go play with the Griffith Gladiators, who were just up the road and in a lower division. Read some of my posts about Griffith gladiators Australian football club.

See the Dentist: C-

Here is a good example of bad goal setting, where if you’re not specific enough, then you can achieve it but not have it make any affect on your situation. I DID go see the dentist, but I didn’t make it a priority to see him again and get the required treatment. My goal should have been, “See the dentist, get the required treatment AND see him regularly so I can maintain my oral health”.

Only drink alcohol once a week: A-

This one was fairly easy, but I thought this was important to set so that I compliment my endeavours with my health. I even learnt to just enjoy my time regardless of alcohol.

Family

Make an effort to speak to each of my family members once a week: D

I started the year off quite well, but as I took on more responsibilities towards the end of year, my regular contact with my family diminished. This lack of being in the “family circle” of communication almost lead to Christmas being cancelled. I’m not going to reveal the details, but lack of communication and not making family a priority had severe and immediate effects on the family as a whole.

Respond to calls from my family with top priority: B-

As this seems like a “no brainer” or a “why do you even have to set that as a goal” goal, I get overwhelmed sometimes with returning calls as I take on more responsibility elsewhere in my life. Whilst I would consider this a pass, I think I can still improve in this area.

Be responsible for Neo (my cat), give him the attention he requires and let him enjoy life: B+

Whilst most of those close to me think that neo gets more attention than they do, there were a few occasions where I would be late home from work at night or in the morning after a night out. This meant that neo would have to wait an hour or two to get fed. Now don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t like he was starving, BUT it’s a routine that I have set for him and I’m committed to keeping him healthy. I had a bit of scare with neo this year with he got a paralysis tick but it just meant that I appreciated his time and attention more.

Personal

Manage my finances with budget planning and to save for a holiday: E

I really bummed out on this one, with bad money management and budget planning. This is one of my priorities this year.

Always be open to love, if it presents itself, embrace it: C-

I met some amazing people this year, and was lucky enough to spend some quality time with them. Whilst I appreciated and enjoyed my experiences, I know there was something holding me back. I am so grateful for the time, attention and patience I received with the girls I met this year, and even more grateful for the ones who are now close friends.

It’s funny how you can think and talk about getting over someone, but it’s not until you actually do, that you can move on. The new year has already presented me with a way forward and I look forward to overcoming some challenges within the coming months. I have a lot more to say on this matter so sign up and “Keep in the loop” to get access to some of my other confessions about love.

Allow myself to enjoy life, keeping a balance between work time and personal time: C-

I started the year off quite well, but found that it become harder and harder to maintain due as I took on more responsibilities towards the end of the year. I did make sure though that I gave myself sufficient sleep to go into the new day, but underestimated the value of time to “do my own thing”.

Be Responsible and safe: B

Probably too general to have a set goal, however I do believe that, in general, I was fairly responsible and safe. I have some passionate thoughts about being responsible. Check out the section “Committed to life” (Work in progress).

Career

Try and obtain one new client a week: B

As I joined the workforce, this became less important, however I was very pro-active in my networking and connecting with people in 2007.

Leverage on my experience with RSPCA: A

My experience with RSPCA and in particular sparked my interest in Internet Marketing and making it my primary skill function.

Look toward working with MSIT, QUT, NRAand modaitalia for fashion work: A-

The NRA fashion awards are being held in 2008, probably because of media coverage restrictions which meant I didn’t cover it.

Learn to really chase leads – eg. Phone up exisiting clients and get contacts for new ones: B+

Logistically this was not entirely feasible as it required a heck of a lot of time to fulfill. I did however learn some amazing ways to automatically chase leads, and have the leads come to me, pre-qualified and ready to buy.

Be really organised as I would expect from any other business: C

Similar to some of my other goal reviews, I did this really well at the start of the year, but as I took on more responsibility, I diminished significantly. One of the my mentors who really helped with this was Brian Tracy.

Tuesday (Oct 2) was my Dad’s birthday. I had an unusual start to the day, I woke up lethargic and Neo was sleeping on my bedside table right next to me. He never sleeps there and usually only sleeps at my feet. But, it was great to wake up and have him there watching over me.

I stumbled into work, and perhaps less than enthusiastic than other days. My boss had noticed something in me, but I felt a bit lost and it took an hour or so to get into gear. As I progressed through the day, I was trying to think of why I was feeling unenthusiastic about being at work and it dawned on me that it was Dad’s birthday. I suppose I started to miss my dad and was less concerned with my work tasks. Once I had pinpointed the source of my discomfort, I was able to understand what I was feeling with some sort of awareness. I was also then able to get my work done as required.

Now whatever happened on Tuesday, really wasn’t too extraordinary, but it’s just funny how deep inner emotions can affect mood and behaviour.

Just as a bonus, I’m gonna share with you something Dad told me and is now a part of me.

As a journalist and radio announcer, Dad was always great with words and communicating with others. One of the best things dad taught me was to think about what I say before I say it. It’s something I do naturally now and it’s rare that I say anything that I regret or leave unresolved. It has helped me immensely in terms of communication but just as a life lesson that can applied to other aspects of my life.

In the next post I have made a podcast of an interview Dad did with AFL legend Ron Barassi in 1981.

Happy Birthday Dad, I hope have broadband wherever you are so you can relive a great interview with an AFL legend.