Happy new year everyone. It gives me great joy to welcome you to this beautiful year, its a bit belated but my people say – the first time you see someone during the day, that’s morning. I’m glad you made it over to this other side, being alive alone is something to be grateful for. Many desired to see this year but couldn’t.

I had a great 2013 and there is no way I can count my blessings in 2013 without mentioning the love, encouragement and lessons learnt in blogging. Thanks to everyone who read, commented, shared and also those who gave their articles to be shared here – Sly, Bukky and Demola. The WordPress guys sent their annual report of this blog for 2013 and I was amazed, a very high point was that the blog was viewed in about 41 countries of the world!

You know the saying – to whom much is given, much is expected. I’m actually working to see that I show my gratitude for the support so far. One of the ways I want to do this is by getting a domain name so that its easier to refer this blog or locate (as suggested by the WordPress guys). I tried doing that but couldn’t pay as Nigeria is one of the very few countries blacklisted by the vendor used by WordPress, sad thing for the nation. Still working on it and hoping it will be achieved before February.

Its a new year and its the season of resolutions, I thought about writing in that line but went through the first post for 2013 and I think it did justice to goal setting, you might want to read it again.

As I tried setting my goals for this year, I had great help going through Michael’s blog and I must confess – that brother has a great thing going on there and you should go see it. He set a target of writing a post a day! I wish I can take the challenge but I can’t, however I took something out of that – give more to those who read your blog this year and so this year there will be at least two (2) posts here every month.

Inasmuch as I don’t want to over flog target setting by writing about it today, I thought to share with you a tip I consider helpful on the issue. This year, I have had great help on the topic of goal setting as I read Sam Adeyemi’s “The Super Achiever’s Breakfast.” He wrote – If you don’t have  a target, you won’t hit one. Very instructive. I had a great time pondering on that line. Allow me share my thought with you.

Many times in life, we get frustrated because we are not playing according to the rules of the game. As someone conversant with the rules of football, one of the problems I had while learning basketball in Secondary school was how different its rules were from football even though they had similar names. To enjoy the game I had to learn the rules and what they meant. I have no doubt in my mind that rules govern this world, seen and unseen, although exceptions abound. Bananas and pineapples don’t carry “seeds” in them but they reproduce. Exceptions they are, but the general rule stands, seeds are needed for reproduction.

Stephen Covey in his best selling book, “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” said – to achieve something you need to “identify and apply the principle or natural law that governs the results you seek. … There are principles that govern human effectiveness – natural laws in the human dimension that are just as real, just as unchanging and unarguably ‘there’ as laws such as gravity are in the physical dimension. … Principles are like lighthouses. They are natural laws that cannot be broken. As Cecil B deMille observed of the principles contained in his monumental movie, The Ten Commandments, ‘It is impossible for us to break the law. We can only break ourselves against the law‘”.

Goal setting is a principle of achieving objectives. Let’s make a simple illustration out of football. Assume that somehow, before a match begins someone forgets to erect the goalposts! Every shot taken may have well been a goal but for the lack of goalposts, they are wasted shots.

If you don’t have  a target, you won’t hit one! Set your targets. Happy new year, once again. This is also wishing you a terrific year ahead.

I am @seunalade