I am learning that reviewing my current goals is a very important step towards setting goals for the following year. I never paid attention to the review part of goal setting before but this year, it is helping me set more mindful goals for the future.
What happens when we review our goals?
When we review our goals, we take a formal assessment or examination of our current goals with the possibility and the intention of instituting change if necessary. The way this formal assessment takes place is by simply looking at your current goals.
Review Example
I will use my goals as an example. The first column is the Goals column. The second column is the Review column. The third column is the Change column. I take time to read each goal I set for the year. Let’s focus on my fitness goal of running a 9:15 mile. The review takes place when I think about where I started my year (out of shape due to a running injury on my right calf). I had to slow down and not run for a while. Then I started to walk-run. I then incorporated CrossFit into my fitness journey. Because I measure each run, I can tell what each pace was from January until now. I learned that although I ran fewer miles than usual this year, I became faster than before. My goal was to run a 9:15 mile but I ended up running at 9:04 mile.
Let’s give our attention to the change column. I don’t necessarily want to change my approach to training. I believe that the combination of CrossFit with running has been very effective for me. I do want to become more efficient with my running. I do not have a goal race in mind right now but I would like to run faster. After thinking about my year in running and seeing the results of my training combined with nutrition, I would like to set the goal of running an 8:50 mile in 2022.
The process of looking at my Goals, Reviewing them in detail, and thinking about change is a natural way to set goals for the future. The truth is, some change means eliminating certain goals from my life because they do not fit my lifestyle any longer.
I am going to be vulnerable and give you a good example of how sometimes, some goals are not worth pursuing. My business goal was to turn my side gig into a profitable business. Because I am so positive, the first thing that comes to mind are the thoughts “you can still do it! Don’t give up! You must have passion! Keep trying!” These thoughts are not wrong. Let’s go through my review process and analyze what happened this year.
The goal was to turn my side gig into a profitable business. My side gig went from being a media consulting business in the past to a translation (Brazilian Portuguese to English) business. I grew to be a solo provider by hiring one person to work with me. Let’s review what happened this year in more detail. I worked on growing my business. I contacted several companies and individuals with the goal of offering my services. I never really heard back. I also tried to look into other high-tech ways of growing my business.
I know a few people offer translation services through different websites which aggregate contractual services. The fees those individuals get are not the same fees I receive when I work directly with a company. I tried not to be discouraged in this process. I even heard about a lead that came by through a casual conversation. The lead did not give me the business I needed. While I am grateful for my current contract, I am not sure if I should continue to pursue growth in that area. I tried my best. I will continue to do the work I love.
I prefer to set a different business goal. I am learning that the effort I put into pursuing leads can go into something that customers are really demanding from me. The change I intend to institute is to stop looking for those types of clients while starting to invest more in the area of traditional book publishing. Just as a side note, I haven’t had a lot of success in this area either.
Much like with my side gig, I’ve pursued agents to no avail. Every person someone recommended to help me does not (I’m okay with that). The difference is that I have a deep conviction that this is something I am going to do. No matter how long it takes, I am going to stay the course.
Reading and Reviewing my business goal in detail led me to Change the way I will approach that goal in the next year. As you can see, there are two outcomes from this process.
My current goals will push me to higher goals or they will pull me from unfruitful goals. You have plenty of time to review your goals. I suggest that you grab a free pdf on my blog and start reviewing now!
Resources:
• Click here for the free PDF
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