Checking In On 2017 Goals by Cindy Stradling CSP, CPC

Way back in January, you set your yearly goals. January is an exciting time for many people, as it offers the chance to start over with a clean slate. You get to think about all the exciting and productive things you plan to do for the year, and put those ideas and goals on paper.

The time you spend making goals in January is wasted, however, if you aren’t revisiting those goals throughout the year. October marks the beginning of the fourth quarter of the year, and is the perfect opportunity to check in once more on those yearly goals. We’re three quarters of the way through the year, and moving into the home stretch on accomplishing our goals. Here are some tips on conducting your check in.

1. Be honest. When you review your progress, don’t skip over anything. Take a hard look and what you said you would do compared to what you’ve actually done.
2.  It’s likely you’ve met some of your goals, and can clearly see that you’ll meet others by year’s end. Take the time to celebrate crossing the finish line on goals and being on track to complete others.
3.  Track what got in your way. You may find that you haven’t reached, or are not on track to reach, some of your other goals. Take a look at the obstacles that kept you from being where you wanted to be as you move into the fourth quarter. Some of your obstacles may be self-inflicted, while others may be completely out of your control.
4.  Make adjustments for the final quarter. Where you’re lagging behind, evaluate the adjustments you should make to make up for the lag. If you find that it isn’t possible to meet the original goal, adjust the goal so that you’re still striving for improvement. Press the reset button and accomplish the most that you can for the remainder of the year.

Don’t give up on your goals. Even when you see that you can’t meet your original goals by year end, it’s unwise to totally scrap the goal. If you’ve found that a goal you set at the beginning of the year is no longer relevant to your success, replace it with a more relevant goal and keep moving forward. If you can’t accomplish all that you wanted for the year, make the most of the time you have left and do the very best you can. If you’ve given a goal all your effort, you still have plenty to celebrate at year end.