Reflect and Assess Where Yiou Are:-

At some point on your road to your goals, you’ll need to take some time to reflect and assess where you are, where you’ve been, and how this is affecting where you want to go.

One way you can determine how you’re doing and where you’ve been is to journal.  I personally am not a journaler, nor do I think everyone needs to be.  But journaling is a great way to track your progress.  If you feel intimidated by a blank book that’s sold as a “journal,” blog it.  Blogging is a good way to put your thoughts down and out there in cyberspace.

Or choose an audio-method:  speak in to a tape recorder.  If, like me, you’re not a journaler, keep track of your progress and setbacks in the form of check-marks or some other recording-method.

I personally like to reassess after achieving some part of my goal.  There is usually a natural denouement that comes with an accomplishment—a little bit of “time off,” as it were.  I use that time to consider what I’ve finished and how it fits in to my goals and success.

Another time to reflect and consider is when you’ve hit a stumbling block.  As you look at the obstacle in front of you, try to figure out where it came from and why you might not have seen it before you tripped over it.

If you have strayed off-course and found this boulder that way, this is the time to determine that.  If you’ve lost sight of your values, you may have found this problem as a result of that.  Reassess now and get back on track.  Don’t forget your key value of integrity and realize that integrity is the most important thing as you pursue success.

Finally, use reflection time to re-evaluate your goals.  Have your goals changed a bit since you wrote them down?

An example is a goal to pursue your doctoral degree and defend your thesis within 3 years of starting your program.  If you were single when you started your program and got married during your education, you might find that your timeline is less important now than it was 2 years ago.  You might find that if you take an extra year to defend your thesis, you’ll have a richer, more productive document to defend, as your spouse may be able to help you consider things you hadn’t seen before.

Regardless of how you assess and consider your goals and your path to success, it’s important that you do.  Everyone needs tweaking along the way, and that also applies to the goals we set for ourselves.