by: Angela Maiers

Pondering Makes for a Perfect New Year!

Practice doesn’t make perfect; pondering does!

Pondering is underrated. In our rush to make plans, “strategize”, and execute, we forget what it takes to hit the mark on our goals. We forget to ponder.

Pondering is not a trivial act of  imagination or a simple exercise in wishful thinking.  Pondering involves deep reflection. It takes time and patience. Pondering requires us to stand still and be present. Pondering can be ignited by the presence of others but  turns into action and practice only in those precious moments of silence.

I have been “silent” for the past few weeks on my blog, in the Twitterverse, and in my life because I have been pondering.

Here are some of the questions that have filled my mind and heart and will guide my planning in the year to come:

• What’s my contribution?
• What story am I meant to tell?
• How will I become the best at making that contribution?
• Who will I touch? How will I know it mattered?
• What is most worthy of doing when everything seems important?
• What will my impact be? How will the world be changed because of my presence in it?
• What do I need to practice tomorrow to ensure that my time here is well spent?

Pondering these questions ensures my new year’s habits and daily routines will be productive and precise.

So, before you write that “To Do” List or set your new year’s resolutions into actions, make sure you have given yourself some time to ponder. It is the recipe you need for perfect success in 2011.

Happy New Year, Friends!