Christmas 2005 is part of the past. The week between it and the new year always finds me thinking about goals for the new year. I rarely do resolutions, but me and my family always 'do' goals. New Year's Day (or the first opportunity to get together after it) we have a nice meal with the traditional good luck fare, including black-eyed peas. No one eats them cause no one likes them but we can't afford to take the chance we won't have good luck. (If anyone has a recipe that makes them tasty, let me know, would you? Or better yet, let me in on the tradition that ties massive amounts of chocolate to good luck for the New Year.) Then we get out a bottle of champagne, the nice crystal and The Goal Sheets: last year's so we can evaluate how we did; and nice blank ones--a whole blank slate--for the new year.
Our goal sheets include sections on Professional, personal, physical, mental and emotional, financial, home and family and one last section that we call "the Stars." (That is for something we truly suspect is out of reach but something we'd like to strive for anyway.) Though we never quite acheive everything we had hoped to, we're often surprised at how well we've done. And it's really fascinating to see that we've even made measurable progress on some of the unrealistic things we've written under "the Stars." And often, what seemed unrealistic three or four years ago, we're putting under the realistic areas of our goals this year.
How do you end the old year and prepare for the new? What are your "traditions"? What are your thoughts as you think of 2006? I hope you'll share.
7 comments:
New Year's Eve it's just me and my husband. We get dressed up and head over to a local restaurant where we sit at the bar and have a glass of wine (or 2 or 3) and snack on appetizers. We don't even stay for dinner. We're usually home before 9:00 and settle in to watch the ball drop in Times Square. We talk about the year that's passed and our hopes for the year ahead. It's simple and quiet and the perfect end to a not-so-perfect year.
We do dinner and a movie. The hubby and I usually agree on a comedy. Nothing dark, or suspenseful or serious. We want to laugh.
And we do pretty much what Nancy said: talk about the year that's past, what we hope for in the coming one. We, too are home by 9 to get those 'midnight' phone calls from another time zone.
When our children were little, we'd take them skating at an outdoor rink after a quick meal in a 'family' restaurant where they supplied crayons & paper.
Now the restaurant's a little more mature, but the conversation's just as fun... and still revolves around the children, no matter how much they've grown.
To everyone...may 2006 be bright and joyful, and may it bring peace to you and yours.
Wow. I am so impressed that your family is willing to do goal sheets with you. How amazing!
Since all our kids are relatively little (12 and under), we're homebodies on New Years. We play games, drink wine, and try to stay up until midnight, LOL.
My husband proposed on New Years Eve in 1992.
I do goal-setting too, but in the past I've only done personal and professional. I love all your categories and might have to try that!
Gail, better half and son grumble about it but my son recently admitted he's looking forward to it this year. And this is what we do New Year's Day--a tradition along with the black eyed peas. We all do our different things on New Year's Eve.
Wow, Allison, he proposed? I'll bet that makes every New Year's Eve feel extra special.
Amy, especially do THE STARS. You'll be surprised at what it does, just having it in your thoughts while you're setting goals for the year.
Bonnie and Nancy, your New Year's Eve celebrations sound very similar to mine--usually very quiet. Dinner and TV, or possibly a movie. In fact, the last couple of years, we've turned down invites to go out because it just doesn't sound as pleasant as our quiet, reflect and talk and do what we want evenings.
Whatever you do, have a happy,
Alfie
Hmmm, well the proposal was spontaneous and we were in the car -- driving -- after breaking down halfway between LA and Sacramento, so it wasn't the most romantic thing in the world . . . though we always stop at Santa Nella as a reminder whenever we travel, LOL.
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