Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Plan for Success

Since we got our farm, my husband has longed to have a really big Christmas tree. And I mean really, really big. We have a room that could take such a tree – in fact a small tree looks totally lost and out of place.

Well this year his dream came true. We found this brute of a tree, brought it home and then the fun began. Our first challenge was how to get it into the house. We ended up opening up a never-used door, moving heavy furniture out of the way, just so we could get it in.

Next we had to get it into the tree container and with just two of us, that was no simple task. Decorating the tree came next. Andy needed a two level ladder to put the angel on her perch at the top, and to add the lights and decorations. It was nerve-wracking holding on to the ladder as he delicately placed everything on the tree. Bottom line, it took us all day to decorate it.

Now anyone who came to the house during the holidays admired the tree, always commenting on its size and it was a thing of beauty. But it’s a bit like setting lofty business goals – be careful what you wish for, because sometimes when you get it, it’s not what you think, entails a lot more work than you thought and is over in a flash.

Will we do this next year? Probably not. It’s been a one-year wonder. We did it, have the photos to prove it but I suspect next year, we will be back to a more modest tree – but who knows, memory is a funny thing – we may, by then, have forgotten the work, and just remembered the joy.

As you set your goals for the year ahead – think long and hard about what you want – and what you will do if you are successful. Often we over look that part – the planning for success and it’s just as important because you don’t want to get there and find it’s not what you wanted after all or it was not worth the effort to get there.

No comments: