The curve balls of life can take your plans, punch unexpected holes in them, and shred them to pieces leaving you with unmet goals, milestones, expectations and thriving frustration, depression, agitation, and hope. So, what do you do about that? How do you salvage the pieces of your plan, your heart, your expectations, and move on without knowing if it will happen again or if it will be debilitating?
Evaluate. Take a look at where you are and measure that against where you thought you would be. This should reveal things you were doing that negatively impacted or took you further away from your goal as well as things you were doing that brought you closer to your goal. Once you identify these things, determine if your goals need to change based on where you are in your mindset and priorities at this time.
Refocus. Now that you have identified those things that helped and hindered your progress in attaining your goal, refocus on the goals you have identified as essential for this time. Determine what your goals are for the Quarter and for the Year. If you’re feeling ambitious, determine your 3-, 5- and 10-year goals.
Wrap It. Put a plan around your goals, setting realistic milestones which are nothing more than check points to help you track your progress. When you take the big goals (6months, 3 years, 10 years) and you chunk them down into milestones or check points, you not only track your progress, but you determine the actions that are needed to get you one step closer to your goals, no matter how big or small.
Celebrate. Always celebrate meeting your goals and check points on or before time. Even if you must slide a checkpoint date, celebrate that you recognized doing it completely is better than doing it just to check it off your list.
Breathe. Too often we stay in steps 1-4 and just starting over for the next goal or the next checkpoint, but this is one of the most important steps of your next move. If you never breathe to refresh, you will not see your goals with new perspectives and ideas. If you never pause to evaluate what you have done and what you need to do, then you will keep going around in circles without an exit. Give the brain a chance to relax, allow the mind time to unwind and grant your spirit the opportunity to purge the stress and invite the tranquility and new perspectives in.