Time can blur what you thought was important a week ago.  Scary: it can obliterate what you thought was important a few months ago. These guys just made me remember that. (Thanks if you read it.)

So they made a great point: we’re about to step out of the first quarter of 2011 – do you even remember your goals and objectives that you set back in January? Are you making progress? Attacking? Or, have you like me, forgotten some of the New Year fire?

What I was thinking about back in January? Three words that I wanted myself and my company to be about. (Inspired by Chris Brogan ) My three words were: 1. Invest. 2. Compel. 3. Expand. – Sadly, I had to check my moleskine to help myself remember them.

Am I on track? #3 is slowly on the way up. We’re working hard to try and make my small business grow. (Thanks Fernando and my dear Suegra! You guys rock!)

#2 is a blip on my radar – the recent death of my Mom has set me on a yo-yo ride of thinking/wondering/exploring about living a more meaningful life. During this time I’ve read Dan Miller’s “A Million Miles in a Thousand Years.”  -This book made me want to augment “meaningful” to compelling. (If that’s augmenting.) Compelling: I want to start inviting my friends/students/co workers to come along with me on the journey. Maybe read Miller’s book together, and figure out how to write/live a better story together. Infect others with the idea that your life can be so interesting that other people (including yourself) will want to stop and watch.

#1 Invest – The idea here has also been off target. I want to be investing in the great people who work with me each day. Professional development. Training. (And being developed and trained myself in the process.) But investing was also centered around my family.  Again – not as strong as I had envisioned.

Day to day seems to have gobbled up, or competes heavily for quality investment time. I guess part of good planning is learning how to carve out time for what is important, then being disciplined enough to make it happen.

But this is what reflection is all about. Just thinking:  to make  my life matter, I need to constantly focus on what I feel is important. Values. Priorities – and check that my life is lining up to them. (And that time is not drifting them further and further away – a little each day.)  When I’m not lining up, or when I’m  are not lining up effectively, isn’t it time to sit down and refocus on important?

In my mind, my three words are right: 1. Invest. 2. Compel. 3. Expand. I just need to dust off the time that fell on them, and start marching on them again.

How about you? How have your first quarter results been like? Do you think you’re marching along the right path? Are you on target? If not, what are you going to do about it?  See you in the comments – or better yet, why don’t you hit me with an email, and we’ll go for a coffee on it!

Photo By cuttlefish