With the old year winding down and the New Year ramping up, there is likelihood that we've spent time comparing how far we've come, with how far we have yet to go. As a year comes to an end and goals are met or significant hurdles have been cleared, it's natural to shut down our drive, energy and creativity. It's certainly acceptable for us to take some time to celebrate our achievements, but it is important that we understand that we are doing this by intent and not by neglect.

However, what would happen if we use this concept on our personal development and growth? Comparing our "current" selves with how we used to be virtually has the same effect as reaching a goal or achieving something significant. When there is no longer a gap to close, what happens? Our energy and creativity are no longer necessary, and we stop our personal growth. This result is a feeling of self-satisfaction which acts as a retardant.

How do we prevent this from happening? The same process as annual goal-setting can be valuable. It's more productive to keep asking ourselves, "Where do I see myself at this time next year? In 5 years? In 10 years? Where do I need to grow to meet these challenges? We need to keep creating these gaps between where we are now and where we want to be, rather than focus on our past selves and our present selves. Each of these gaps represent challenges, some bigger than others, but each need our attention, creativity and energy.

Never accept something less than you deserve. Nothing is impossible to achieve. It's left up to us to re-aim our sights to the next level. As we meet a goal, immediately set another and establish another gap.

We need to find ways to make things happen! The answer is in our attitude, commitment, creativity and energy. It is up to us and we can do it!