Want to kick butt in 2011? Learn from 2010.

My life has changed dramatically in the last 365 days or so.  Exactly one year ago, I was a college kid on winter break, tasting the satisfaction of blogging for the first time and dreaming about running a marathon.  Today, college is over, I’ve been blogging for over a year, I ran my marathon, and I now live on my own in the city of Providence, Rhode Island.

You might think with all this “newness” that I’d be fixated on new goals, new horizons, and anything and everything new- but you’d be wrong.  For me, 2011 is all about following through on the things I should have done in good ol’ 2010.  Particularly, I’m thinking of four perennial lessons of commitment and responsibility that are indispensable to a great life- even if I need to be constantly reminded of them.

#1: Apply the lessons you’ve already learned.

How long have you been consuming personal or spiritual development information?  Have you been acting on that information, or just passively absorbing it?

Chances are, you already know what steps you need to take to improve your life.  Remind yourself of those steps, re-affirm your commitment to them, and set out again with more resolve- and a stronger plan- than ever.

For most of us, the biggest room for growth isn’t in learning something new, but rather applying what we already know.

#2: Follow through on goals you’ve already set.

We humans have a tendency to set our sights well beyond what we can reasonably accomplish.  Did you achieve everything you set out for in 2010?  Probably not.  Instead of considering yourself a failure, just transform your unfinished 1-year goals into 2-year goals.  And while you’re at it, ask yourself why you haven’t gotten around to them yet.

#3 Finish the projects you’ve already started.

How many unfinished projects do you have lying around?  Did you start a great book a few months ago, but never finish it?  Bloggers, I know you all have about 200 unfinished projects to tend to.

Finishing what you start is one of life’s most important lessons- and for some of us, it’s the hardest lesson of all.  Just remember that nothing feels better than seeing a big commitment through to the end.

Goal #4 Learn from the experiences you’ve already had.

Reflect on your life- really reflect on it.  How have you spent the last day, week, month, year?  Write down everything that comes to mind.  Sometimes we get too busy living our lives to reflect on what’s actually going on.  We become blind to our own patterns; deaf to our inner aspirations.  What a sad state of affairs.

Maybe it’s time to remind yourself, in the immortal words of Socrates, that “the unexamined life is not worth living.”  If you think about that, you’ll see that it’s true.  The great human foible is selfishness, unconsciousness.  The more conscious we can become of how we live, the greater our potential for excellence.

Go ahead, have your fun….

I know, ‘tis the season to set new goals and enjoy that fuzzy, clean slate feeling.  I’m certainly not denouncing that.  Just make sure that your goals for the future are informed by the lessons of yesterday.  If you can do that, and live the examined life, then you’re destined for something great.

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