To what degree do the goals and aspirations of those who are close to you impact your life?  For example, let’s say you and your best friend get together to create New Year’s Resolutions for 2013.  At the end of next year, you see that you are on track to achieving your aims, while your friend is struggling.  They’ve been leaning on you for support, and you’ve been there for them; but you’re so busy trying to get your own things done, that you haven’t been as proactive in supporting them as you would have liked to.  They get really down about the lack of success, and lose confidence.  Depression sets in.  How does this reflect on you and impact your life?  What if this were your companion or child?

These are interesting questions, and ones that are often neglected as we go about a new round of goal-setting that focuses on our own lives – the one we have most control over.  While that makes sense, it is worth considering whose lives you have an influence in, and thinking about how you can be of service to the goals of others that you care about.  You can’t do it for them; but sometimes, being a good cheerleader or sounding board is enough to make them feel accountable and cared for.  Think about the positive energy, appreciation and other benefits that come from the success of others, which you might be able to play a small part in.

In Timebug’s upcoming CEO of Me Workshop series, we will be exploring further what role relationships play in our own life goals, as well as that of others.  Key topics include raising awareness on who the stakeholders are in your life, who else’s lives you influence, and group time allocation decision making.