The year that has been has taught us, if nothing else, that life is extremely unpredictable, and circumstances can change drastically in a heartbeat. If so, is there still any point to setting new year resolutions and goals anymore? Sure, there is. Setting self-development goals helps guide you on the path towards becoming a better version of yourself. As with every journey, checking in regularly on your progress is crucial to actually reaching your destination. It is important to check in on your goals for the year, preferably around the halfway mark, to see if you’re still on track to achieving them.
Review Your Progress
Look at the goals that you had set and ask yourself – are these goals too difficult or easy to achieve? Have you been putting in the work to achieve them? Are you still motivated about achieving these goals? Reach deep within yourself and answer them honestly. Setting aside time and headspace to check in with your progress allows you to take stock of your efforts – to see if you need to be putting in more or readjust your goals to fit your motivations better. One way you can track and review your progress is through regular journaling. It helps you keep a record of your daily habits and tasks, making it easier for you to revisit your actions and headspace over time.
Check In with Your Why’s
Often times we set goals without truly delving into why exactly we want to achieve them. If you find that you haven’t been progressing as should, then you need to ask yourself why. Why you haven’t been doing so, and more importantly, why you set those goals in the first place. Your motivation that pushes you towards achieving your goals needs to be strong – you need to be fully convinced that achieving this goal will help you solve the issue that you’re facing. If your why’s aren’t strong enough, it will be extremely difficult for you to gather enough motivation to achieve your goals.
Set New Goals
Sometimes, you might find that your why’s are indeed strong enough and yet you haven’t made any progress on your goals. Why is that? You probably are not the same person as you were when you set the goals. Your circumstances might have changed drastically – i.e., your personal life, your health, your job etc., and that might have affected your ability and motivation to achieve the goals you set. Goals aren’t set in stone – they can always be adjusted or even rewritten. You might need some extra time to achieve your goal, or it might not even be relevant anymore for your current situation. Don’t be afraid to set new goals. It’s perfectly alright to change your goals to fit the current you better.
Goals are visions and ideas – they can come into existence at anytime and anywhere. You shouldn’t pressure yourself to set them at the beginning of the year and achieve them by the end. You can set and achieve your goals whenever you want to. Make sure that you have the right motivation to achieve those goals and that they help you grow into a better version of yourself that you will love.