We all have goals and dreams, things we aspire to achieve. But there are those of us who seem to make steady progress toward these achievements while others of us always seem to fall short.
What is the defining factor between these two groups?
People who fail to make progress toward their goals don’t take the time to reflect on what didn’t work. Instead, they continue on with the same habits, attitudes, and decisions that lead them to their current place of stagnation.
This is like a ship’s captain setting a course at the outset of the voyage and never making adjustments, even after encountering winds, strong currents, and storms that pushed the ship off course.
On the flip side, successful people regularly take time to reflect on the past. This is as important as planning for the future, and in fact, helps guide them toward aligning their behaviors, habits, schedules, and decisions with their desired outcome of success.
What is the defining factor between these two groups?
People who fail to make progress toward their goals don’t take the time to reflect on what didn’t work. Instead, they continue on with the same habits, attitudes, and decisions that lead them to their current place of stagnation.
This is like a ship’s captain setting a course at the outset of the voyage and never making adjustments, even after encountering winds, strong currents, and storms that pushed the ship off course.
On the flip side, successful people regularly take time to reflect on the past. This is as important as planning for the future, and in fact, helps guide them toward aligning their behaviors, habits, schedules, and decisions with their desired outcome of success.
Those who regularly achieve their goals audit themselves weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annually. They ask themselves how they could have performed better, what impeded their progress, including habits, decisions, attitudes, and distractions.
Photo credit: James Wheeler, Pixabay
Some of the questions they contemplate include:
Continual reflection and re-strategizing keeps us in control of our life, allowing us to correct the direction we are headed and take advantage of new opportunities. This process can take whatever form works best for you. Jot your thoughts and revelations in a journal or notebook. Write them down on a giant whiteboard or on sticky notes and put them on your office wall. Or maybe simply taking time alone for quiet contemplation works for you.
By only looking to the future to hand us what we want – a new job, a promotion, to be our own boss, to save enough for retirement, to get an advanced degree - we let go of steering out own ship. It is easier to blame bad luck, fate, or the world for our lack of achievement that to look too closely at ourselves.
The process of looking back to identify areas that held us back and making a plan to remove those obstacles can be difficult. It makes us feel vulnerable as it reveals our failures, making us take a close look at the mistakes we made. But mistakes are stepping stones to growth and opportunity. Taking accountability advances us forward.
Take charge of your success by setting aside fifteen minutes each Sunday to reflect and plan for your week ahead. You just might be surprised at all you can achieve.
- When was I at my most productive? What caused me to be less productive?
- When did I give up prematurely and why?
- Why didn’t I complete a project? Did I overcommit? Did I need to bring in other experts?
- When was my attitude a barrier to my success and why?
Continual reflection and re-strategizing keeps us in control of our life, allowing us to correct the direction we are headed and take advantage of new opportunities. This process can take whatever form works best for you. Jot your thoughts and revelations in a journal or notebook. Write them down on a giant whiteboard or on sticky notes and put them on your office wall. Or maybe simply taking time alone for quiet contemplation works for you.
By only looking to the future to hand us what we want – a new job, a promotion, to be our own boss, to save enough for retirement, to get an advanced degree - we let go of steering out own ship. It is easier to blame bad luck, fate, or the world for our lack of achievement that to look too closely at ourselves.
The process of looking back to identify areas that held us back and making a plan to remove those obstacles can be difficult. It makes us feel vulnerable as it reveals our failures, making us take a close look at the mistakes we made. But mistakes are stepping stones to growth and opportunity. Taking accountability advances us forward.
Take charge of your success by setting aside fifteen minutes each Sunday to reflect and plan for your week ahead. You just might be surprised at all you can achieve.
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