Well, it is officially Spring in Columbus.  The weather is gorgeous, the birds are chirping, and the first three months of 2010 are in the books.  And while it may very well snow next week (this is Ohio after all), I thought this would be a perfect time to look back on January, February and March to review my progress and plan the months to come.

Since January, a few thousand people have stopped by this blog to read my thoughts on business, charity, and life in general.  Some posts were less “successful,” while others garnered the attention of the Twitter elite. And while I don’t have an official “goal” for this blog at the moment, it has proved to be the perfect platform to express my thoughts and connect with people that I never would have in person (ah, the power of the internet).

In my very first post (A New Year, A New Blog), I adapted Chris Brogan’s idea and laid out three phrases that would guide my efforts this year.  These three phrases were:

  • Yacht Race
  • Chains
  • Tribe

These aren’t specific goals, but themes to keep me focused and ensure I’m spending my resources on the right things.  Shortly after, I made the commitment to take on fewer miscellaneous tasks and spend more time and energy on my main themes.  (In a related note: my man Gary Vay-ner-chuck just posted a video yesterday about becoming more focused for the rest of the year.  Great minds obviously think alike.)

The problem with planning is that everyone gets caught up in the day-to-day.  Take your eyes off of your target for just a moment and you run the risk of falling into old patterns of behavior.

That is why it is vitally important to be able to identify if/when you are falling into old habits.  Constantly ask yourself, “What’s my goal? How am I doing?”  Reverting back to your old habits, attitudes, beliefs and expectations is the way to get the same results you always have.  But if your goal is to obtain a different outcome, then you must make the commitment to do things differently than you did them yesterday, last week, or last year.

The Results

Enough fluff; here are the details:

Hudson, eating up the debt.

I have a real estate deal primed and ready to close next week (yacht race), my fiancé and I have paid off two credit cards and will pay off our third later this month (chains), and I have met more incredible people – online and off – in the past three months than I have over the past few years (tribe).

Was it by chance? Fate? Luck?

Maybe.  ”I’m a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it.”  But most of all this year’s success came from hustle, focus, and a willingness to grow.  As one of my favorite authors (Tim Ferriss) puts it, “a person’s success in life can usually be measured by the number of uncomfortable conversations he or she is willing to have.”  I would argue that extends even further, into new experiences and situations that ultimately open the door to so many more opportunities.

I am still a long way off from achieving my long term goals, but this post isn’t about instant gratification or becoming an overnight success.  It’s about setting and reaching small goals consistently, all the time, over and over again.

Take some time today to think about how far you’ve come this year, what you’ve accomplished, and what you still want to achieve this year. What are your goals for the rest of 2010, and what are you doing to reach those goals?