Goal setting can be intimidating. It can be laborious. It can be setting yourself up for defeat if you simply set a New Year’s Resolution and call it done. Many surveys say just over half of Resolutions set Jan. 1 are forgotten about by Valentine’s Day. How do you end the year as a member of the other half? Well, diligence and daily action are good places to start. But, here we are – July – how does evaluating your goals now put you back on the road to success?
Here are three reasons that evaluating your goals at the half-way point can help you master your intentions.
Your desires may have changed
Several years ago, ready for a new challenge, I decided to use my sales skills helping a non-profit as a Development Director. This was a lofty goal – changing careers – risky. I was given a great opportunity to do this, worked for and received a Fundraising Certification from a prestigious Philanthropic University. Here I was, ready to make a significant difference!
However, the organization I worked for turned out to be not a great fit for me. There was friction between the existing staff, between the staff and the Board, and between the charter organization and the branch into which I was hired. This all melted into a big pot of toxins – the environment within the office was so tense and stressful, success was well out of reach. I had to rethink my goal –
I did. I went back into sales to regroup for a while, before starting my own business. I was able to get my feet back under me and realize what great experiences I could take from this. Then, I found an organization that I believed in and volunteered with them, using my newly earned skills to help move them forward from a volunteer standpoint. I also use this great skill set in my Political Leaders Package, helping individuals interested in running for public office understand the basics of fundraising.
Changing this goal 8 months into the year brought me faster to where I am now. I am forever grateful for the experience and comfortable with the understanding that all things are not a great fit, but you CAN learn from all things.
To talk with me about how to find your right fit, set up a Discovery Call by following this link.
You may be headed in the wrong direction
You’re working hard in January, doing all the right things, meeting all the right people and closing all the right deals. So, your first goal for the new year is to secure that coveted Regional Sales Manager position. Sounds like a great goal – good pay increase, better travel schedule, a good team to manage, and the perfect next step for your successful career.
What you didn’t know is that come March, the company would be merging with a larger, national brand that would change the way Management reports to the Executive Team, the way the field staff reports to Management, plus a pay reclassification across the board. Now is this the dream you imagined it to be? No pay increase, more, more time on the road, and a team you don’t even know.
Now is the time – you still have six months in 2017 to make a great career move! By asking yourself some questions around your intentions and motivations for creating this goal, you can define a new, more appropriate, goal that will guide you to the success you desire.
Look deeper into your career aspirations. Ask yourself questions like:
· Are you looking for a certain title?
· Is it about the salary level?
· What are you really wanting to achieve in your career?
· What does success look like to you?
· What next step can get you the answers to the above questions?
Once you have your answers, now you can start evaluating positions based on what YOUR desires are – not what the company deems as the next rung on the ladder.
You may have reached your goal
If you have been diligently working toward yours goals all year, you may find upon reflection that you have actually achieved one! This is fantastic! But, in the honor of continued personal development and you living up to your full potential, now is the time to set some new goals. Like I mentioned earlier, it is only half-way through the year – plenty of time to make sustainable progress!
Go back to your goal setting strategies, ask your core value questions and come up with some new challenges. This can be a very exciting exercise as you will be working from the elevated vantage point of Success!
Glance backward, plan forward — John C. Maxwell
This is great advice when setting some secondary goals for your year. Look back on what made accomplishing this goal your reality. Some good questions to ask are:
· Can you think of ways to improve on your original plan?
· Which of your habits still need improving?
· How can you further begin to stretch your limits?
· Are there even larger goals you can now reach for?
Most of all, have fun during the process of goal setting, executing and achievement. By taking the time to define them, evaluate and change/add to them, you are living a more intentional life. You will more fully understand what is important to you and why. This is the starting point for you Living Your Purpose …. Enjoy the ride.
For a partner in setting your mid-year goals, call me and set up a Discovery Call – follow
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