With September just around the corner, it's the perfect time to reflect on the intentions you set for yourself at the beginning of the year and choose how you are going to make the most of the remainder of the months we have left.
I thought I'd share what this involves for me, as it's something I've tried (and failed) at many times and I feel that the reason why I and so many other people fail to reach their goals is because we simply don't spend the time to check in, reflect & re-align with what it is we actually want.
If I gave you a map with a set of directions for a year-long journey back in January and didn't allow you to check it again after that, how likely do you think it would be that you were still on track?
Personally, I like to work with the seasons so for me that means checking in on my goals & progress every 3-4 months, however I follow a similar framework with anyone who signs up to 3+ months of coaching with me during the mid-chapter check-in as it is easily be adapted to both short & long term goal setting.
Here's how I will be reflecting & re-evaluating my goals this September...
Dig out my Conscious Life Blueprint / Goals for the year This is where I wrote down very clearly who I wanted to be at the beginning of this year, how this would serve me & improve my life and what actions would bring me closer to becoming that person. I break it into life areas, such as Health, Career, Intimate Relationships & Fun, and have a single focus for each that I plan to work on for a certain amount of time in the year so that I do not set myself up for exhaustion and failure by trying to change everything at once.
Reflect & evaluate my progress so far This is so important for two reasons - firstly, no matter how far away I think I am from my goals, I am always surprised by how much I have actually achieved in relation to them... and that's a good feeling! Secondly, sometimes I realise that what I wanted to achieve at the start of the year is no longer of interest to me. As life evolves and our mindset changes with it, we can outgrow our goals without ever having achieved them and I've noticed this happens more and more since I've started my own personal coaching journey.
Ask what excites me and is important to me NOW? This is a great time of year to re-align yourself to your goals or choose a different path if the one you're on no longer excites you. And it needs to excite you! Creating meaningful change takes energy and there's nothing like that zip of excited, tingly, maybe even nervous energy to get the ball rolling. If I'm not feeling particularly passionate about a goal I have decided is important to me, it's usually because I haven't gotten to the bottom of why I want to do it in the first place and that is going to make it harder to achieve. Sometimes visualisation can help reconnect me to the why and re-ignite that excitement, and sometimes I realise that it's not so important to me after all (this is common if you're someone who tends to hold a fear of judgement and subsequently have a tendency to take other peoples thoughts & opinions on board as your own).
Choose my focus for the next 90 days & what needs to happen next This is the fun bit because by now I'm pumped and raring to get started! But before I begin, I make sure I have clarity on not only what action I need to take, but also what is actually achievable, what support & resources will help me and how I am going to hold myself accountable throughout the process. This is not a rigid, step-by-step plan on how to reach my goals, but a strategy that will guide me along my chosen path regardless of the obstacles that fall in my way. At this point, I commit to a single action that will bring me closer to my goal and schedule it in my diarised journal (I love & use the Daily Greatness journals - shop via the link below to get 10% off).
If you're reading this and realising your way off track, with so much you want to achieve in these last 4 months of the year that just the thought is causing your heart to sink, I would urge you to click the link below and book some time with me to talk it through and find out how coaching can help.
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