Late summer always brings up a special feeling for me. As Brunei’s summer holidays draw to a close, I tend to get a little reflective. This is the perfect time to review your progress over the year so far and check in with your goal setting. 

Want to know what my pet peeve is? When I see people only reviewing their goals at the end of the year. By then, it’s too late! Audit your goal setting now, however, and you’ve still got time to tweak and improve so that you can reach those all-important goals before the year’s out.

So, what’s my process? There are five simple steps that I follow to review my goal setting and ensure that I can tick them off that list (isn’t that the best part?!). This is a process that you can follow at any time of the year to check-in with your goals and review your progress.

1. Remember why you set your goals

This is such a simple step but one that’s easily forgotten. Take some time to look through the goals you set at the start of the year and ask yourself, why were they important to you? Why did you set these specific goals and what did you hope to achieve by reaching them?

If you’re taking a SMART goal approach (and I really hope you are!) then this is also a good time to look at how this year’s goals are moving you closer to those big dreams.

It can be easy to dismiss any goals that you might’ve failed to achieve when you go through this review process. However, by making the effort to remember why you set them in the first place, you’re going to find renewed motivation to get up and keep pushing towards that incredible life you’ve envisioned for yourself. 

2. Check-in with the relevancy of your goals

2020 is officially the year of the pivot. We’ve all had to adjust our businesses and our lives almost overnight thanks to a global event that none of us anticipated. So, it shouldn’t be that surprising if you find that some of your goals don’t seem so relevant anymore.

What have you had to adjust so far this year? How have you responded to this fast-changing and uncertain climate? Sure, you could feel despair at how much has changed since you first set those goals back in January. Or, you could look at how far you’ve come. I want you to give yourself some grace here. You’re still standing! That in itself is an incredible achievement, so take the time to give yourself some kudos.

There’s absolutely no point in continuing to chase goals that are no longer relevant. So, if any of your goals aren’t a good fit anymore give yourself permission to cross them out. This is a process, not a blueprint. You can adapt as you go (trust me, success in business is all about adaptation). 

3. Look at the goals you’ve already achieved

This is your chance to review your progress. I really want you to approach this from an angle of achievement rather than failure. If you come into this feeling negative, you’re going to make it a lot harder to adapt and actually reach those goals before the year-end.

Instead, start by looking at what’s gone well. Take a second to ask yourself why those goals have gone so well and look at how you can continue that momentum. It might be that you had an accountability buddy or took the time to set out a really clear plan for certain goals or maybe you had a coach to help you with both.

Which goals are still feeling a little way off? Take a look at how you can tweak your approach and learn from what has gone well so that you can nip any nerves right in the bud. There are still four months left of 2020. You have plenty of time!

4. Celebrate your successes so far

Most of the time, when we sit down to check-in with our goals, we start by looking at what we haven’t yet achieved. Stop! You need to recognise your achievements as well as the failures.

If you keep setting goal after goal without taking the time to soak it all in, you’re never going to feel satisfied. You’re just going to feel like you’re on a never-ending treadmill and, quite frankly, that sounds exhausting!

Try to weave plans for your celebrations into your goal-setting process. Plan some self-care time, celebrate with a special meal with your loved ones, or even take a trip if that’s something that’s available to you right now. Whatever you choose to do, give yourself a few moments to soak in your achievements and reflect on your success before looking forwards to the next goal.

5. Set a plan for the rest of your goals

You’ve got four months left in 2020. What are you going to do with them? What are you going to achieve?

Get really specific about what it is that you need to do in order to achieve those remaining goals. If you can, break down those actions into a step-by-step process so that you can build a clear plan for yourself. Outlining everything step-by-step is going to help you feel much more in control over your future as you have an actionable system to follow.

Or, take your action plan one step further and join a programme that has a tried and tested process for you to work through. You’ll have access to expert support and receive your own tailored advice, whilst joining a team of accountability buddies to ensure that, this time, you don’t miss out on reaching those goals. Plus, you’ll have a group ready and waiting to celebrate your success with you at the end!

Still struggling?

It’s time to get clear on what goals you really want to achieve.

Are you ready to Get Up and Go? 

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