UpSkill: The mid-year goal setting check up

Let us take a moment to reflect on our goals as we’ve come to the middle of the year. Can you believe we’re in the middle of the year? But that’s how fast time flies. And so let us pause. And to go back and think about the goals we set for ourselves at the beginning of the year.

In January, I recorded 10 episodes. They were all related to goals. The most popular episode of UpSkill Talks is “Episode 14: Your SMARTEST goals.” And that tells me that goals are very, very important to you. You already know they’re important to me as well, so let’s discuss.

May was my birthday. When it comes to my birthday, I take time to reflect on a new year. My birthday is a new year for me, but it also comes shortly before the midway point of the calendar year. So my birthday helps me to pause and think about how am I doing on the goals that I set for myself at the beginning of the year.

Anthony Robbins says that with goals, we can create our future in advance and certainly we want to be the architects of our future. And so this makes sense that goals are so important to us. In one of the episodes, someone shared a comment with me and said, I don’t actually set goals. I just developed new habits. And I had an opportunity to communicate and said, there are many types of goals and habits fit under the category of “process goals.”

We’re most accustomed to setting “performance goals,” which tells us how we perform, but these goals, which are the habits, the process. Those are also goals that we set for ourselves. Anything that moves us from where we are currently to another point can be considered a goal. And so now that we’re at the mid point this year, how do you feel? Let’s take a moment to reflect on our progress so far this year.

For starters. We are grateful. We are here at the middle of the year with the privilege to reflect. We are here. We’re fortunate and we’re grateful. So that’s an accomplishment in itself. Just being here. It’s a big deal. All right, so that’s one.

So now let’s take a moment and review our goals. Take a look at the goals that you’d set for yourself at the beginning of the year. Were these goals worthy? Were they ambitious? Did they align with your purpose? Do these goals matter for what you want to do, the impact you want to have, who you want to become, how you want to feel? And most importantly, do they provide a transformation? Do they make your life better? Do they move you forward? Do they make you feel better? Do they impact the lives of others? Do they bring about change in your community, in your family, in our world?

What kinds of goals are you setting? Are you challenging yourself to stretch a little bit more? To get those ambitious goals that move you forward? The goals that you can touch without stretching may not move you forward. So we need to be revisiting, reviewing the goals and being honest with yourself? Think, “Do these goals actually move me forward?”

Now let’s check up on our results because that’s important. We need to be looking at our results. We track results. What have you accomplished so far? Remember in one of the episodes I talked to you about the importance of maintaining an accomplishment log. And this is very simple to do. It’s something you could put in your notes on your phone. Just make a note of the things you are accomplishing because we don’t always remember what we’ve accomplished, and forgetting can be enough to diminish our confidence for setting new goals. Be careful to be mindful and to be kind to yourself, and write down the things that you are accomplishing. The big ones, but also the little ones.

I recently got invited to speak at an event. That was a big, big deal for me. But you don’t only have to acknowledge the big wins. The little things are also noteworthy and you should be tracking those and celebrating those.

So now we’re in the middle of the year. What have you accomplished? What did you set out to achieve by this time? Maybe you haven’t achieved some yet, but what have you done? What steps can you take? Who can you call? What email can you send right now to begin to move closer to that goal?

Cataloguing the stretch goals can be toughest. We know that they are hard ones, and we might not want to write them down, or tell people about them, because then it makes us more accountable.

Do the first step. Maybe make the first step. Maybe you don’t need to achieve that entire goal of this year. Maybe starting down the path for that goal is adequate for this year. And next year you take the next set of steps with it. Go back and review your goals and to make sure that your goals stretch you.

The third thing I’m going to touch on is the process. Think about your process. What’s working well? What needs to improve? What do you need to start to fix the problem? For me, I need to bring the consistency that I have in my professional development and in my work to my fitness routine. Look at your routines and practices and be honest with yourself.

What do you need to achieve this year? You have six full months to do it. So identify what’s working well for you, continue doing that even better. Cut the unproductive habits or thought processes. One thing that I recognized in my own reflection is a story that I’ve been telling myself about my fitness. I’ve been telling myself. It’s a false narrative that I am within striking distance. It’s something that I share, even with my kids: “I’m within striking distance.” It means I could get in very good shape within six months in case I wanted to get in shape for a particular time or event. This impacted the energy and the effort and the focus that I applied to my fitness routine. I accepted that being close to fitness — being in striking distance — is good enough.

I’m really grateful that I’ve identified the story that was getting in my way. Now I can make the decision that this story’s not good enough. I’m going to change that narrative. I’m going to stop telling myself that because I deserve to be in the best shape of my life.

And so I want you to identify the stories that are getting in the way. I want you to identify what’s working well for you. I want you to identify what you need to do to make it better. We’re only halfway through the year. If we start to pick up the pace, if we start to make changes right now, we will be closer to the goals than if we just ignore them. So whatever you’re doing right now, please pause.

Look at those stories that you’re unconsciously telling yourself. These stories that are getting in the way. Is there an area of your life where you’re setting goals but not moving forward?

Go back and think about what is it that you’re telling yourself. What’s impeding your progress? Find that story and let’s rewrite a story. I’m going to rewrite mine and I’m going to encourage you to come along on this journey. Let’s rewrite these stories and put positive narratives in that help us to achieve our goals. You deserve your goals. You deserve to be able to create and go after the future that you deserve. So look at what’s working well. Look at what needs to get better and look at what’s getting in the way.

If you didn’t set a goal, it’s not too late. If you don’t like your goals, it’s not too late. If they’re not stretchy enough, it’s not too late. If you didn’t develop the habits, it’s not too late. If need be, treat this as the beginning of your year. If you haven’t started yet, it’s not too late. We have six months in the year. We can get a lot done. Let’s go after what we deserve.

Throughout this month I’ll provide strategies and tips to help us move forward. See you next week.

That’s it for this post. Thanks for reading. Please continue to read, comment and share so that we can get the word out about how we can all UpSkill one bite at a time. See you next Monday.