Ready To Win 2018? First, Look Back
Here we are, a week into 2018! Have you made any resolutions? How are they going? Still going strong, or have you already “screwed them up?” Maybe you think if you didn’t set your resolutions on January 1, it’s too late to bother (like me!). Or are you someone who doesn’t bother with resolutions because you think they’re silly, or just a chance to beat yourself up?
There’s something fresh about something new - a new year, a new job, a new place to live. It’s a opportunity to reflect, to consider, and to try to do things differently.
So even if you think New Year's resolutions are silly, you likely still feel a slight pull to consider what has come before and how 2018 might look different.
Even if you don’t call them “resolutions,” are you ready to do the work to achieve bigger and better things in 2018? When you’re intentional about refocusing and setting smart goals, a new year can mean a fresh start - with or without resolutions.
Take a few minutes and look back to 2017 (no, it’s not too late!). Most of us think of December, or the end of our organization’s fiscal year, or our own birthday as the time to reevaluate goals. But often those times are full of distractions - parties, gifts, end-of-year financial reports. Then you miss the window and think it’s too late.
The reality is it’s always a good time to evaluate, so don’t let the fact that you didn’t get to it in December stop you from taking a look back now.
Before you launch into “new year, new you” it’s helpful to evaluate what has come before. Some questions you can ask yourself:
Have you tried to accomplish other goals (or even the same goal) in the past?
Why did you or didn’t you hit those goals? Did you have systems in place to help you follow through, or did life’s curveballs throw you off course?
What strategies helped you achieve past goals?
Were your metrics (how you judged success) helpful? Did they provide you with the information you needed to determine if you made progress, and if not, why?
In our next blog, we’ll talk about how to hit those 2018 goals (we promise, it’s not too late to start!). For now, take a few minutes and evaluate your goal-setting track record so you can make adjustments and develop new systems to keep you moving forward.