Every year at New Years most of us set goals or resolutions for we want to accomplish in the upcoming year. These can be anything we want to improve or make better in our lives with popular ones often including diet, exercise, quitting smoking and saving money.
“If you want to live a happy life, tie it to a goal, not to people or things.”
– Albert Einstein
Now that the summer is winding down it is a good time to look at those goals and do a little refresh. Maybe we have accomplished the goal and need to take things to a new level? Or more likely, maybe we need to step up our efforts and recommit again to accomplishing what we set out to do at the beginning of the year?
“If you aim for nothing, you’ll hit it every time.”
– Source unknown
Some people find goal-setting to be a frustrating experience as they never seem to get where they want to go. The problem with this mentality is we forget about the journey. Even if we don’t meet our goals the process of getting close to them usually makes us better people. For example, if our goal was to lose 50lbs and we only lose 10lbs that may seem like a failure but if we have gotten used to exercising regularly or eating at home, that’s a good, meaningful change.
“A goal properly set is halfway reached.”
– Zig Ziglar
It may also be possible we overshot our goals to begin with, so achieving them wasn’t realistic anyway. Therefore, having a mid-year evaluation is helpful in thinking about where we’ve come and what’s going to be the most effective way to push on forward. We may even need to take a break from the goal and come back to it at another time and that’s fine. As the saying goes ‘life happens when we are busy making other plans’!
“It’s harder to stay on top than it is to make the climb. Continue to seek new goals.”
– Pat Summitt
A mid-year resolution refresh can also be helpful in setting completely new goals. A lot can happen in life in between Winter and Summer and perhaps you need a new goal to address those changes. For example, if you have received a promotion at work your new goal may be applicable to that. You might have a goal to not be late to work or a commitment to make a new commute more enriching. There are lots of new experiences that can come up and continual goal setting helps us to always improve.
“If you’re bored with life – you don’t get up every morning with a burning desire to do things – you don’t have enough goals.”
– Lou Holtz
With so many relationships being based online today, it is always good to remember we are not alone in our goal setting, or at least we don’t have to be. There are all kinds of resources available to help us. For example, if someone is trying to lose weight they could participate in a weight loss competition site such as DietBet.com or if they want to date more they could sign up for a website like eharmony.com. There are tons of options that can help with any goal.
“Goals are the fuel in the furnace of achievement.”
– Brian Tracy
Goals or resolutions can be frustrating when they are looked as a burden and not a motivational tool for a more exciting life. By taking a second to have a look at our goals we can readjust our expectations and also appreciate our accomplishments. It’s an exciting process that when done right can make us the best versions of ourselves we can possibly be.
Do you do a mid-year goals evaluation? Have you found it helpful? We would love to have your feedback.
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