The Year Wanes: Stop, Think, Plan

Wane is a great word, isn't it? The word has a slight musical quality when pronounced, and it even sounds a bit more "literary," shall we say, than another synonym one might use, for instance, dwindles.

The dictionary defines wane this way: (1) to decrease in size, extent, or degree, as to dwindle, to diminish in phase or intensity--used chiefly of the moon, other satellites, and inferior planets, (2) to become less brilliant or powerful, as to dim, to flow out, to ebb, (3) to fall gradually from power, prosperity, or influence.

Significance of Waning Year

So, wane is the proper way to describe 2011 as it dwindles away, minute by minute. In fact, if you're like most people, you probably feel little pressure to charge ahead, accomplishing great tasks and pursuing your goal achievement in the next few weeks that you felt at the beginning of the year.

Are you kind of tired? Worn out? Maybe you're thinking, I'll just coast until the New Year when I can start fresh.

This year, like most it seems, illustrates that time is not fixed. It ebbs and flows with some days seeming to take longer than 24 hours to pass while some weeks race along faster than a jackrabbit in west Texas. When bad things happen, we have a tendency to want time to just pass as fast as possible in order to put distance between us and the bad event. Perhaps that's because we've been told that time heals.

Stop Now, Think Now

As this year draws to a close, you’re probably looking back and wondering where the months went. Now is a good time to assess how you spent your time--and your money. Did you get value in return? Did you achieve at least one of the things you wanted this year?

If not, don't wait for the New Year to make a plan on how to do things differently. Start now. Figure out where you went wrong in 2011. Write it down. Create a campaign as carefully as the Allied Forces planned D-Day.

Points To Consider

1. Know what you want.

2. Know what it takes in terms of time commitment to achieve what you want.

3. Know what you need to learn in order to attain what you want.

4. Know what you may have to sacrifice to get what you want.

5. Know the steps you need to take to get from where you are now to where you want to be.

Takeaway Truth

Everyone focuses on making every dollar count, but it’s even more important to make every minute count. You see, you can increase your wealth, dollar by dollar, but you can’t ever add more minutes to your day. Plan how to spend your minutes wisely.