Three months from today, I’ll celebrate another trip around the sun.  The older I get, the more important it has become for me personally to not just age, but to grow.  To be able to look back and see where I was, and where I am, and hopefully identify how I have evolved during the span of a year.

I have always been a planner, a list maker, a goal setter.  Unfortunately, I’ve not ever been very good at any of these skills.  And yes, I’ve come to think of them as skills – techniques that can be learned, refined, and, if properly implemented, lead to an increase in productivity and success.

Yes, I have set goals and achieved them, made plans that have gone off without a hitch, kept lists that have helped keep me on track, but all of these have been short-term.  I have never been consistent in setting or maintaining long term plans, lists, or goals.  That isn’t to say that I haven’t accomplished things I’m proud of, but I am acknowledging that I’m not quite where I’d like to be.

One of the things I set out to do this year was to get as organized as possible, on paper and otherwise.  I’ve done a somewhat decent job of this, especially recently.  But today, I am doubling down:  I am determined to have sorted through every single thing I own by the time I celebrate my next birthday.  

This isn’t necessarily what some would consider a long term goal.  I mean, it’s only three months!  For me, though, this is less about the length of time than it is having one huge goal and tackling it step by step, over a period of time.  It’s going to take sustained effort to make this happen.  And if I pull it off, it will be one of the best presents I could ever give myself.