By Dr. J. David Jackson

As we rapidly approach the end of the year, many will ask, where has the time gone?

Our sense of well being is often dictated by how well Wall Street reports on oil futures, factory production and stocks.

However, contrary to popular belief the most important commodity that is not reported is how well we use time.

The distinguishing characteristic about time is it is an equal opportunity employer.

Everyday everyone is allocated 86,500 seconds to be used anyway they choose. Leaders and those who get on in life understand the key to success is using every second wisely.

Planning is at the heart of effective time management/utilization. There are three dimensions of planning that should be considered: the past (where have I been?), the present (where am I now?), and the future (where do I want to be?). It is the time to begin planning to ensure 2012 will be the absolute best year for Selma.

The process will start by looking at the past, celebrating the successes and learning from the mistakes.

Mistakes are OK as long as you don’t repeat them.

John Maxwell sums this up saying, “the only way you can get ahead is to fail early, fail often, and fail forward.” Next, it’s important to look at the present.  Where am I now? Are you stuck in long-lost moments of glory?

I’m continually amused when I listen to adults 40 to 50 years removed as they muse over their glorious high school sporting days.

All the trophies are in place but they have not done anything significant since their glory days. These are the comfort zoners.

Then, there are some who can’t move forward because they are unable to rise above failures of the past.

They are the would-have, could-have, should-have group. Some things in the past you have to let go to experience the fullness and greatness of the moment. Last, you must address the future. Success or failure is a function of how it is viewed.

The story about the perception of a half-filled glass applies to the future. You can plan based on the presumption that your future is either half empty or half full.

A phenomenal year 2012 is waitingon you and Selma based on planning, and how you will use time.