What in the world does Thom Singer want in 2008

I am a big believer in setting goals and pondering all the opportunities the world has to offer in bounty. I want to achieve more each year than I did the year before. I do not want to settle for a good life when I know in my soul that great things are within reach. You might say I am a "seeker".... as I am clearly one who seeks to discover things I do not yet know and I seek to improve.

Each year for as long as I can remember I set goals for myself. I have three categories: Personal/Family Goals, Professional Goals, and Soul Goals. I write them down and carry them with me, reviewing them often (I want to review them daily, but do not do it that often). I strive to be a better man in all areas of my life. Yes, sometimes I come up short.

Having written goals has proven to help me expand my horizons. I do not always achieve all my targets, but it does help me stay on the path toward success. If I make a mistake and get off course, it is these written goals that serve as a map and compass to get me refocused on what is important in my life.

2007 was a good year. While I did not reach all my goals, and I did change directions on my career (I left Wells Fargo Bank and joined vcfo as their director of business development in September...which has been a fantastic move for me. To become part of such a dynamic, growing and entrepreneurial organization excites and inspires me), I feel that I have made great strides in discovering myself.

My career as a professional speaker also excelled in 2007, as I gave 32 presentations, and traveled to five states (I would like to give speeches in all 50 states by 2017). I released a second book, started the process to write three more, and relaunched my website. (If you have not visited www.thomsinger.com, please pop over there right now!). Finally my family established The Kate Singer Endowment for Cranio-Facial Surgery at the Dell Children's Medical Foundation. We donate a portion of all money I earn from my professional speaking opportunities to this great cause.

So what does Thom Singer want in 2008?

I want to learn, I want to teach, I want to inspire and I want to be inspired. I hope to expand my understanding of the changes that are happening to the business community because of the influx of developing technologies. I sit in an interesting place being wedged between the baby boomers and the younger generations, and I want to discover how that unique juxtaposition can assist others to find ways to better work together.

I have a strong desire to be a catalyst in the lives of my family. I have two highly-spirited daughters who show signs of being able to be more than just "one of the crowd". I want to cultivate their souls to become confident young women. I want them to know the meaning of unconditional love and allow them to discover their own path toward positively impacting others. Together with my amazing wife, I hope that we can inspire these kids to know no limits. I also want to continue experiencing fun stuff with my family and look forward to our travels through life in the new year.

I want to help my company prosper. I trust that I bring unique skills and ideas that will assist in the continued growth and expansion, and that we will all achieve new levels in 2008. I have responsibly for growing the brand, reach and understanding of the organization in our existing markets and as we go into new cities. I am challenged by this role and look forward to the new year with working with some very cool people.

I want more people to read my books, my blog and to attend my presentations. It is through these mediums that I feel most at home in expressing myself. I want to build a connections with those who follow my work and learn from them. I look at the community of people I am connected with through traditional networking and new media tools (ie: Blogging, LinkedIn, Facebook, Plaxo Pulse, Twitter, etc...) ...and I am touched by the special interwoven shared respect that has grown up between participants. I want to excel this to new levels.

I look forward to the 2008 release of "Some Assembly Required for Women", and "Some Assembly Required - Online" which I am writing with co-authors Marny Lifshen and David Morris. These books are taking shape, and I am learning a lot from the process. I hope that these books touch the readers and propel them toward networking success.

I want to give back to my community. Expanding my support for the Children's Hospital and completing my experience with the Leadership Austin 2008 Essentials Class are my focus for the new year. Through these phenomenal organizations I hope to be an example for others. I am young in my journey of community service, but have already seen that the returns outweigh the investment.

In all I do, I want to do it with passion and excitement. I am tired of just being. Instead I want to taste all the flavors. I want my actions to have meaning and to make sure that I am making a difference to others with all that fills my calendar. Time is a limited resource and the only thing in life that is closed to expansion. We get 24 hours everyday, and we make the choices in how to utilize this precious resource. I have wasted much time in my life, and I am dedicated to being a better steward of the hours I have in the future.

Most of all, I want to be grateful in the new year. I cannot begin to express how fortunate I feel to be alive and to share my world with so many wonderful people. I do not believe that I do a good job of letting those in my slice of the planet know how much I admire each one of them. I am the person I am today because of the people who have touched my life. Some people have come in and stayed. Others have just passed through. And yet I have been sculpted by all of them.

If you have made it to the end of this extraordinarily long post, I thank you. As we start 2008 I hope you will come back to The Some Assembly Required Blog and join me in the journey. You can subscribe to the RSS feed, or just visit on occasion..... but please leave comments from time to time, as your thoughts and feedback are what allow me to grow this blog and grow myself.

Happy New Year.

thom
www.thomsinger.com