At the beginning of each year, our team gathers back together after a two-week leave for the holidays – one of the many coveted perks of working at Obsidian – and one of our first orders of business internally is to think through and turn in our Hopes & Dreams document for the new year. This document contains our personal list of professional goals we hope to achieve this year, as well as things we hope and dream for Obsidian as a firm.

While these are focused solely on the professional side of my life, taking the time to think about what I’m hoping for and dreaming about for my career always encourages me to do the same for my personal life. I believe that being hope-filled and believing in endless possibilities for the future are essential for a happy life, and I’m thrilled that this type of thinking is a requirement of my job here.

Why, you might ask, am I writing about my hopes and dreams for the new year in August? Well, that’s because we all just recently received an email from our leader, Courtney, with a reminder to revisit our Hopes & Dreams document to see how we are charting success so far this year. What a great idea! Don’t just dream about it, chart a path toward achieving it!
Photo Courtesy to Flickr User Nicole Pierce
Not many employers require you to sit down and think about what you hope for the new year – some may be scared to ask, as it might include a new job – but even fewer employers are going to care enough to check in with you to see if you are on the right path to fulfilling your dreams. But, you really don’t need anyone else to tell you to do something like this or remind you to chart progress. You can do it on your own – and you don’t have to wait until Jan. 1 to get started.

It is important, however, to set a timeframe for your hopes and dreams so that you are motivated to do something about them and have the opportunity to look back at various points along your given timeline to see how far you’ve come.

And, if you want accountability, gather some of your co-workers together and get them on board to come up with their own hopes and dreams. Then, make plans to get back together midway through the projected timeframe to see how things are progressing for everyone. It could foster an environment of encouragement and investment in each other. It could be really awesome – maybe even as awesome as our environment at Obsidian! #maybe