Have you ever heard of the “New Year’s Game”? Have you ever played this game? On Tuesday, I attended a Toastmasters meeting themed “Goals”. In one of the speeches, I was reminded of a very popular game I used to play every time towards New Year’s day but, was not aware at the time I was playing this game.

This is how I played it. Every December, I would invest in setting goals, pursue them for the first 3 weeks of January, forgot about them until November when I reviewed my progress for the year as I looked to set new goals for the New Year. It was so bad so much that at one point, I would have the same goals for 2-3 years. I lost my zest for life. On Tuesday, I was reminded that this game is real. We set goals for ourselves in our life and in Toastmasters but due to life’s competing priorities, we find that we lag behind on some of our goals and completely forget others.

As we approach the first half of the Toastmasters year, I would like to ask if you are playing the New Year’s Game? At what level are you?

I hope you haven’t completely forgotten why you decided to be a part of Toastmasters this year. How are you using the Toastmasters programme to make your life better? I would hate to see you lose your zest for life by playing this dream shattering game. Take this opportunity to reflect on how different your life would be if you achieved the goals you set for yourself and start playing catch up. If you have achieved your goals already, congratulations – take time to celebrate this achievement and save someone from this nasty New Year’s Game.