Thursday's Thought

If you are like me, the end of 2015 seems to have come out of nowhere. I could point to the unseasonably warm weather - or the frenzy of activity that has marked the past few months - but irrespective of how it happened, we have fewer than three weeks (!) until we welcome a new year.

As our minds turn toward the blank slate of a fresh calendar and all we hope to achieve, experience, and accomplish, I think it is important to remind ourselves of exactly how we feel at this moment. A bit frazzled? More than a little tired? Eager for a fresh start? So before we crowd the currently clean landscape of 2016 with sweeping goals and resolutions, let's just consider this: We will have the same 24 hours in a day, the same seven days in a week, and the same 52 weeks we had this year.

I know I fell short in a few of the goals I set this year, and something tells me at least a few of you did, as well. A year is, quite simply, never as long as we think it will be. And while I am a strong advocate of dreaming big, I am also growing to appreciate the value of taking a long view.

Rather than list 15 things you want to accomplish in 2016, spend some time reflecting on what might be possible by 2026. What unthinkable goals might you be available to achieve if you focus and invest your time, energy, and resources well? Could you finish a degree? Buy a house? Travel the world? Set an audacious goal - then identify what you can do THIS year to move you down the path.

Dream big - but give yourself time to get there. And enjoy the journey...