Is It Time To Re-evaluate ?
By this time next week, we will be into February. That's right, the 1st of February will be next
Saturday. So, it is a good time to re-evaluate ? I mean we been at 'whatever' for just over three weeks now, that's if you 'turned over a new leaf' at the beginning of the year.
January can be a very hard month to get through, not least for some, having that credit card bill in your letterbox and realising exactly how much you spent in the run up to and during Christmas.
How are your New Year's resolutions holding up ? I know we discussed how the 12th was crunch time for many of us. Did we manage to carry on with them or have they well and truly fallen by the wayside ?
Wherever you're at with all of this, I thought it might be a good time to have another look at everything we've planned. One of the nice things is that we can change anything we want.
A common failing for many of us, is that we set the bar to high, find we can't reach it and then become demotivated, down on ourselves and decide to not bother at all. I know, I've been there. We set about trying to blast our way to fitness or give up every last bit of 'pleasure' when it comes to food, entertainment and life in general. Too much, too soon.
Goal setting and aligning our targets can be a road full of potholes. Sure, many of the things we are trying to achieve are going to be difficult. A quote I heard once, not sure who said it,
"If practice was easy, then it wouldn't be practice"
That being said, we have to realise that for the most part, it's not going to happen overnight. 'Stuff' takes time and if we try to get there too quickly, it's normally over well before we've really started.
So for a number of you, the days are running out and it doesn't look like you're going to make this first batch of commitments. That's not a problem. Would you like to know why ? Here's one way of looking at it.
Now you have some 'data'. You see, before you didn't. You just chose what seemed right and went with it. No, it might not have worked out for a whole plethora of reasons. I'm sure you could come up with a few, without really thinking about it too hard. Life has a way of 'raining on your parade'
Whatever the reasons, now you can re-evaluate with your newly gained knowledge. Hypothetically, using an imaginary task, lets say that your goal was to complete twenty 'whatevers' but you only managed to get fifteen done, now you have a 'benchmark', if you like.
You now know what you can do in a month, so you can adjust the 'target' to make it more realistic. I know it may be like I'm teaching you 'how to suck eggs' but I think this is often overlooked, mainly because we feel quite low because we didn't achieve what we set out to do.
Pick a figure that works for you. If fifteen was an out and out struggle, then maybe try to get
there again, you've done it once already. You may even want to reduce it slightly, so as to take some of the 'self-induced ' pressure off. Maybe you felt comfortable with fifteen and want to push a bit more, that's good but remember, be realistic.
If you have to reduce everything, it's no biggy, you can add to it when you feel the time is right. You are doing all of this for you, not anyone else.
One of my 'fails', was that I wanted to transfer all of my WA post URL's onto a spreadsheet. The benefits of this are many (I think). I planned on having them all done by the start of the year. I actually finished it last night. I underestimated the magnitude of the task and how 'mind-blowingly' tedious it was going to be. Still, it's done now.
Now is as good a time as any to have another look at where you're at and adjust, if necessary, as we move closer to month number two. Regardless of whether or not you have reached your goals, it never hurts to look at them periodically, just to make sure they are working for you. If they're not, change them.
Goals and targets are not there to ridicule you but to help you move forward and grow at the same time. If you are constantly moving forward, even if by only small increments, then you cannot fail to end up where you set out to be. Two quotes to end with, one mine, one not.
"The inevitability of gradualness cannot fail to be appreciated" Sidney Webb
"Some things in life are inevitable, success is one."
Wishing you all a wonderful weekend.
Twack Romero.
(Cover Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net)
Recent Comments
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I donāt set particular goals for a month, that way I donāt get demotivated. A pile of orders can interrupt my flow with WA because I then have to focus on them rather than here as they have to be out within a certain amount of time.
Life is a bit too crazy at the minute, with childminding too, so I decide to do as much as I can at any given time I have.
Itās a good job I am used to juggling many things at once, like many of us do. Actually I work better under pressure and am more focused. More time sees me going off at various tangents.
Doing as much as you can is about the best any of us can do. I agree, that when our backs are against the wall, we respond at a higher level, maybe it's the cortisol working in our favour.
I relish the 'tangents', it's where the 'A ha' moments live.
I've just found a book that I saw someone pick up in a film I watched recently. Had to 'freeze frame' a couple of times to get the author and a better look at the cover but I found it in the end.
It's also my latest site, a place where I can wirte as randomly as I like, as often as I like.
Yup Twack, definitely time for a monthly review!
Ok, I am very likely to find things that I can do better... but I also must have done some stuff that I can pat myself on the back for?
So that cup of coffee, choc cookie and 'feet up' for a few minutes 'off' can be a justifiably deserved bribe to keep going!
So sad how I motivate myself... cuppa and cookies all round folks? Sue š
The concept of 'bribing' oneself is an interesting one to explore.
As for the feet up, cookies and coffee break, you betcha ya can. Progress is progress adn deserves to be rewarded.
Love your post thank you for sharing.
Goals are great way to know your heading in the right direction, a lot of people set goal way outside what they know they can achieve so they do fail and then they go on with there normal life that keeps them feeling comfortable.
Perfect example is i worked for a big gym in Melbourne, every January they would make over a million dollars on new memberships over there 10 gyms and on average only about 10% come to the gym after the first week.
We were only one gym there are hundreds in the area and it would be the same there as well
So over the years i have learnt to set achievable goals and as you said adjust as i go along
Have a great day
Ross
Thanks Ross and you're more than welcome.
I have heard similar 'tales of woe' in regard to gym memberships. Maybe it should be compulsory to have to join in October only.
Being realistic and creating 'achievable' goals is the best way to be, for sure. Sometimes it takes a stronger character that can be happy with what we haven't done, than the opposite.
Thanks for taking the time to stop by, it's very much appreciated.
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I love this post, Twack, it feels as if I have written that, if my English was so sophisticated and fun at the same time.
I didn't have any particular goal on the 1.1., just a new domain. Then I've set 50 to 60 "whatevers" (I love this word) till the end of June which is perfectly achievable, two to three a week and it's going well so far. January is good.
I keep setting new goals that are additional to the original ones and have my vision in mind, that's the most important thing. If I can see myself "there" then it's easy for me to go that direction.
I have to finish this as it might as well be another post instead of a comment.
Have a beautiful Sunday, my dear friend!
Lenka
I briefly saw your comment nearly an hour ago but had to answer all messages chronologically, so I'm only just coming to yours. Saving the best till last, as they say.
We must be intune, as I started my new site sometime around the same time as yours, my first post was indexed on the 1st, so it's close.
Having that 'vision' just brings you closer to making it real, it's so important. I started an acceptance 'speech' a few weeks ago and yesterday I was talking with one of my sons. I mentioned I was wriitng it and he he said "What for ?" and I said "It doesn't matter, I know I'll be giving one at some point" He liked that.
This year I will be more about 'doing' than writing or talking, as well as, not instead of.
It's going to be a good year Lenka, I know it.
Enjoy what's left of the weekend. Bring on tomorrow.
It really does bring me closer, I strongly believe that. My problem has often been that I didn't know exactly what I wanted so I couldn't get it. Obviously. Now it's different.
I like that you are writing your acceptance speech, I haven't done that but I visualise myself living where I will live and being who I want to be. It feels like having the crystal ball. I guess it goes easier with practice, many people say it's hard for them to visualise anything.
This year will be awesome, you are right.
Life is good :)
So very, very good. š