How to reset your life goals even when half the year is over

Goals are the beacons we drive towards in our lives. And we need to adjust our course as we learn more and find what works and what doesn’t.

I got great at setting out my goals at the beginning of the year. Over Christmas I would spend time reflecting and laying out my plans for the year.

Instead of greeting each day with surprise and wondering what was going to happen to me, I’d have it all mapped out so that I was the one doing the happening!

But halfway through the year, a lot of water has gone under the bridge. I’ve done a lot, learnt a lot, achieved a lot, and crucially - found out what is not working!

So it’s essential to reassess your goals and see if you’re on track to meeting them, whether you’ve drifted way off, and even if those goals are still what you want!

But does goal-setting work?

It can be easy to look at what you wanted at the start of the year, see you haven’t achieved it all, and say, “Goals don’t work.”

But in fact they’re essential to moving your life forward, rather than milling about aimlessly, taking each day as it comes, and wondering why it’s not working.

Imagine a football pitch with no goalposts! 22 people aimlessly running around kicking a ball with no idea or plan of what to do with it! Having something to aim towards is the first step to actually getting there.

So think of what you really, really, want! What would you like to have achieved by Christmas 2021? This can take a good session with a notebook and much pencil-chewing.

Being able to break these goals down into measurable steps is vital to the whole operation. The goal has to be measurable!

“I want to earn more money” or “I want to lose weight” are not goals. They’re vague fantasies.

“I will have earned x thousand by the end of December” or “I will lose x pounds per month” are realistic things you can aim at and measure your results. This could be a big shift for you - moving from vague fantasies to achievable goal-setting! 

Now, once you have some goals to aim for, you have to constantly adjust and re-assess. You don’t just “set it and forget it”! 

Things change. Outside events change things (haven’t we just seen a massive spanner in the works over the last year?). Your plans will change as you find out what works and what doesn’t suit you.

There are other people in your life you may have to accommodate. Helping clients to manage their expectations so they can achieve without disappointment is one of my prime tasks when I’m coaching.

Lastly, review and see exactly what you did or didn’t achieve, and why. 

Goal-setting is one thing. Goal achievement quite another.

But the most important thing is to see that you did it! You gave it a go!

If you set a goal, you want to review and - whether you reached your goal or not - know that you took the necessary actions. Keep doing that, and you are going to surprise yourself with your results.

If you want some help with this all-important task, drop me a line so I can help you get started.

See you in Creativity Central!