Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple -- Dr Seuss

Today I would like to ask you 3 questions

1. What 3 things are you proudest of accomplishing in 2009?
   
   They can be big things, small things. Things that are important just to you, that made a difference to your family or made the world a better place.
   
   
2. What 1 new thing do you want to accomplish in 2010?
   
   This should be your number one priority, the one thing you focus on every day and that you want to have finished by the end of next year.
   
   It can of course be something intangible like being a good partner to your loved one, or being a good parent. But I presume this is something we all strive to achieve.
   
   So, make your goal different from your family. Make it something that is part of who you are, the dream you have. Something like hiking through Nepal and setting up a charity, starting your own business or learning a new skill.
   
   You do not have to know the HOW. But you should be very clear on the WHAT.
   
   
3. What is your 2010 Word of the Year?
   
   Since I heard about and met Christine Kane, I learned about how resolutions have a tendency to fail because they only address the DO level of your life (quit smoking, loose weight - the classic to do's for a new year).
   
   Christine started selecting a word to guide her through the year which puts you and your actions much more in the BE level of your life. The word you choose becomes the guiding force throughout the year - it grows with you, changes meaning and goes much deeper than a simple 'I need to get more organised'.

Think about the above questions for a while and leave me your answers in the comment section.


Here are my answers:

Things I am proud to have accomplished in 2010:

1. I am proud to have found a satisfactory level of work-life balance. I work 4 days a week, which allows me to be implicated and professional at work without being too stressed. It also allows me to be at home on the afternoons my kids are free. Thanks to my parents who love to babysit, I have one afternoon per week for myself.
   
   
2. I am proud to have finished my first picture book for children together with a brilliant illustrator. It shall be launched as an e-book early next year. You can have a preview here as read by little Elsie who also teaches you to draw Rufus and Lele.
   
   
3. I am very proud to have started two amazing projects:
   
   • I set up some creative workshops to cater to my own lack of creativity at work. I ended up being asked to set up a pilot workshop on creative thinking with my company's HR. The pilot will take place in February.
   • I worked out a concept to bring the corporate to charity. By organizing team building activities with and for local charities, the beneficiaries are not only the community and the company but also the helping employees.

The one thing I want to accomplish in 2010:

I want to start my own business. I have an idea and it's of course closely linked to the above mentioned two projects. All I have to do now is figure out a way to make it happen. That's what 2010 is all about :-)

My word of the year 2010:

CREATE :

My word for 2009 was serenity and although I am not serene every minute of my life, I have achieved a level of serenity that make me happy. I am still flipping out from time to time and my kids can drive me up the wall. But I also know how to calm down, how to get back to being serene.

The projects I started this year were all about creativity. And I want to make creativity the red thread leading through 2010. All I want to do is create. Whether it's art, photography, a good home, children's books, a loving relationship, my blog, creative thinking workshops, the charity. I want to be the one who creates the way all these things look, work and feel. I want to make them all colorful and individual.

I want to continue creating this world around me that's fun, happy, loving...ME.