Can you believe it’s already the end of March? Yes, April is upon us! The end of Q1 is nigh!
How has it gone? Are you on track with the Quarter 1 goals that you set in January? Are you making progress on your yearly goals? Or did you start the year with excitement and commitment to action and, somewhere along the way, you lost momentum, your motivation dipped and you forgot you even set yourself goals?
Not to worry! The great thing is each day brings with it a brand-new chance to start over. So here is your chance and I can help you get started.
Reflection is a powerful tool and this is a great time to do just that, in a quarterly review. Here are a few tips to get you started:
- Set aside uninterrupted time in your diary to do your quarterly review. Block it out on your calendar and turn off all distractions. Get yourself a drink, get comfy and let’s begin.
- What’s gone well? Celebrate your wins, acknowledge the good stuff. What were your highlights? What have you achieved? What progress have you made? What or who helped you achieve your wins?
- What’s not gone well? What obstacles did you face? What was challenging? Did you experience setbacks, frustrations or hurdles? How did you overcome them or if they are still staring you in the face, how can you overcome them? What will you do differently next time you face a similar challenge?
- Review your goals. Do they still excite you? Are they still relevant? Yes? Great, then what is the next step you want to take? Make it small, be kind to yourself and stop focusing on the mountain peak. That might be what caused your resolve to waver in the first place. Focus on that first ledge in the mountain and outline the steps you need to take to get there. Just to the first ledge. Do you have everything you need to take that first step? What resources are you lacking? Do you need support from someone? Who? When are you going to take this step?
- Ask yourself, “What have you been avoiding that needs your attention?” You know what it is. It’s that niggling thing that's always at the back of your mind. You push it further back, but it never goes away. It nudges itself forward again and pops into your mind when you least want it to. Time to tackle it? Go on! How nice would it be to enter a new quarter with all those bits and bobs you’ve been avoiding tied up in a neat bow? And why are you avoiding them? Are you lacking skills, confidence, knowledge? Ok, well then how do you go about getting those things? Or do you just plain not want to do it? Does it even need doing? Yes? Do it! No? Scrap it – life’s too short!
- What have you learned about yourself? Self-awareness is a superpower. Only when we are self-aware can we identify where we can make positive changes in our lives. Did you develop any skills? What helped you develop them?
- What do you want to stop, start and continue?
- What next? On to Quarter 2? What do you want to have achieved by the end of Q2? Put the steps in place now so you know where to start and this will help you keep momentum. If you feel you need accountability to keep you on track, think about who could provide this. A coach, a partner or friend or a colleague are all good options. Choose carefully and choose someone you trust. To help you set these goals, first work on your vision. If you can’t picture your goals, how can you achieve them?! Really go for it with your vision, where are you, what are you wearing, what are you doing, who is with you, how do you feel? Visualise it as deeply as you can to help you know when you have achieved this goal.
- If it helps you, then set a SMART goal to help keep you focused:
- Specific
- Measurable
- Achievable
- Realistic (or relevant)
- Time bound
Good luck! This could be the start of the most productive year of your life!
