Mid-Year Challenges
JUNE 2020 ENDS and JULY 2020 STARTS….
Normally when a month ends and another starts we have this feeling of losing one more month in the year. The year 2020 has a different flavour though. Frankly, it is a feel-good, something like one more month is down and we should sooner see some better news now.
For the year 2020, for once we are not so guilty of our goals and targets going haywire. We are definitely worried but not guilty. And I don’t even know if it is fair or is it escapism, but it is a fact.
Halfway through the year – and clueless about what is coming up, what to expect. That is the beauty of 2020. Never have we experienced this kind of a dilemma. We have learnt to accept, even if it is with a grumpy face. A few changes would be obvious and a few changes will have to be incorporated – consciously.
The goals set at the onset of Jan are somewhere meaningless now. Few of them have exited the goal list before hitting the mid-year. Others are quite on oxygen – about to wither. This is the time to take charge and bounce back. It has not been easy. And, when things are not easy; most of us, we tend to figure out an easier way. I too have done that quite often. I still do it – the only difference now is – I definitely look for an easy way but I make sure I have not compromised with the final goal.
June comes shouting that the iceberg is melting. Time to pull up the socks. This is the time to bounce back. Somewhere it is ok if we lose the track or things are not up to the mark till June, however, this is the time to re-work, to re-align what started back in January. We all get derailed; the question is would we bounce back or bounce backwards.
Thinking precedes action – John Maxwell. Success is never an accident. Here is where I have picked up my first clue – THINKING – and thinking deep. It is ok for me now if I have to change a part of the goals I had set or maybe just change them. A few pointers that have helped me bounce back
01. Think of a past failure
I try and recall any of the past failures that I have overcome. It can be anything; personal or professional, small or big it just has to give me that confidence: I can and I will. I sit and think about that situation. How did I do that? What was my state of mind, what did I think, did I have any strategy, did I take any form of help – talking to someone, reading, listening to some motivation, meditation – it can be anything. This introspection helps me in two ways, one to have that confidence and assurance that I can do it one more time and two, figure out if I can reuse any of the older activity that helped me. This helps a lot
02. Write about it
I try to write it down on a piece of paper. And I write it in as much detail as I can. I have always loved to scribble on a piece of paper and hence this helps me a lot to purge. Once I write it down I feel light and I also have a clear picture in front of me. My thoughts and emotions are better defined and clear now.
Why do I do this and how does this help me? Well, it helps me get back in the groove and somewhere though it looks like it will be hurtful the positive aspects of the failure are a great booster.
03. Focus on the plus side of failure
I am definitely not talking about positive thinking stuff. And honestly, there is nothing good about the situation where lacs of people die and we know many more will still die. Of course, positive thinking is helpful but let us not treat it as fluff. This one is about being specific. Time to grab the pen and paper, again.
– I honestly list down the work upon areas out of the experience
– Next, I list down what can I do differently when I face such a situation again
It’s a simple process but has the power to shift your perspective and help you see that every setback can give you an opportunity for growth.
After all, storms don’t last forever!!