I’ve been thinking a lot about where 2009 went, how I spent it, and what I need to do next year to improve my life. My eldest brother always says: “If you always do what you always did, then you’ll always get what you always got.” I definitely see him as someone who is constantly striving to achieve his goals, and I know that this is true. My problem? I know very well the things that are NOT working in my life. I sometimes just feel powerless to change them.

If I’m honest with myself, I’ve been struggling with the EXACT same challenges for the last 10 years. (Uh…tell me about it. That was as hard for me to write as it was for you to read.) But sometimes, especially at the end of the year, unadulterated, absolutely brutal honesty is required. For example, this same brother once asked me, very sincerely: “say–how long have you been fat, again?” Brutal. Honest.

Now, before you judge him for such an insensitive comment, or me, for getting off topic, let me give you some background. My brother and I used to be health nuts. On the weekends, we used to ride our mountain bikes on trails or hike. He ran everyday and so did I, to the tune of  two miles per. He was talking about the phase that I went through where I would only eat food that came out of the ground – no sugar, no salt – no meat. I was the picture of health. Then, after a divorce and a knee surgery, I packed on 50 el-bees and never lost them. Five years later – still fat. So, he was really just asking me how long it had been since my surgery, or at least that is what I tell myself.

But I digress…

The point that I am making is this: I know that I’m overweight, that my diet is crap, that I get NO sleep and that I have a few habits (that shall remain nameless) that are very, very bad for my health. That understanding has done nothing to change my behavior. So, what’s the point of a year end review? Were I to do one, I suppose I would have to give myself a D+.

Brutal. Honest.

Nevertheless, I believe that there is value in the process. One of my favorite bloggers, Chris Guillebeau agrees. This week, he writes  about performing your own annual review. I would highly recommend that you follow the preceding link and read his post. Here’s a guy who has managed to live exactly the way that he wants to and to share what he’s learned with others.

Essentially, Chris breaks down the review process into three steps:

Step 1: Review the Previous Year
Step 2: Outline Goals and Overall Focus for Next Year
Step 3: Make Decisions in Support of the Goals and Focus

I’d love to know if you intend to complete your annual review process. If so, drop in from time to time and let us know how you’re getting along.