Get Ready To Set Goals In January

December is generally a hectic time for most of us and before we know it January is upon us. As you welcome in the New Year, your thoughts may turn to the goals you’re going to set yourself for the year. Spending time thinking about and writing down your goals will get your New Year off to a flying start. But stop! Before you think about what you want to achieve next year, I encourage you first to review the past year. Take a look at what you’ve achieved this year to give yourself a firm basis, inspiration and a feeling of success to think about your goals for the next year. Taking stock and reviewing the past year is often forgotten and yet is an essential step to being successful. In the quest to achieve more, we often forget how far we’ve come. This continuous driving forward can leave us feeling that there’s something missing in our success.

December is a great time to reflect on your achievements during the past year, both personally and professionally. The year is drawing to a close and now is the time to tidy up loose ends, consolidate things and be ready for the New Year, and some new exciting goals. Before you jump n nahead to the New Year, I really encourage you to take some time and write down the achievements you’ve made during this past year. Include all your achievements even if they appear small. They all count! In your mind take yourself back to January 1st and ask yourself,

• How far have I come this year?

• What have I achieved?

• What have I improved about myself?

• What problems and challenges have I overcome?

• In what way have I grown personally?

Remember to include achievements that relate to you as a person. Perhaps you’ve become more relaxed or more focused. The feeling of success, which derives from reviewing the past year’s achievements, can be a wonderful inspiration for what you can strive for during the next year.

As you review your past year for achievements you’ll probably find that the things you didn’t achieve also pop into your mind. This isn’t the time to beat yourself up or to think you ‘should’ have done more. This is a time for reflection and acknowledgment of your achievements. The things you didn’t achieve can be reviewed when you’re choosing your goals for the next year. Take this time now to appreciate and connect with your achievements.

I invite you to reflect on and acknowledge your achievements for this year, and harness this feeling of success to be ready to set your goals in January. n