Half-way through 2017: check-in with your goals

How is 2017 going for you so far? Yes, we really are almost halfway there. Which means now is a great time to stop, think, take stock of how we got to here, what we’ve achieved, where we’re on/off course and steps we will take to achieve our goals for this year.

My advice: find a quiet time and place to work through these coaching questions to guide your thoughts (I like to get out in the open, in nature; a park can be good). If you can, find someone with whom you feel comfortable discussing your responses. Why? Because sometimes we can be too hard on ourselves – and other times we can cut ourselves too much slack. So a wise friend can help us see things clearly. Why not share this post with them and set a date for catching up together?

Here goes:

1. What are your goals for this year? Dig ‘em up, you may have forgotten!
2. On a scale of 1 – 10, where 1 is ‘barely got started’ and 10 is ‘I’ve done it!’, how much progress have you made towards achieving each goal?
3. Where you’ve scored 6 or higher, what skills and resources have helped you?
4. Where you’ve scored 6 or higher, how has your progress benefitted you – and others?
5. Where you’ve scored 5 or less, what’s important to you about each of these goals? (if you now find you’re answering ‘not much’, then notice how you feel).
6. For each goal where you’ve scored 5 or less, what will you lose if you don’t reach it? What will you gain if you do?
7. Looking back over your answers this far, what are you proud of?
8. What do you want to change?
9. Have any new goals emerged? If so, where are you so far on your scale 1-10?
10. How will you adapt to get closer to achieving your goals?
11. What’s your plan now?
12. What immediate next steps will you commit to?

Struggling to think ahead? Check out this great TED talk from Dan Gilbert, ‘The psychology of your future self’, where Dan shows us how mistaken we often are about the extent to which we will change over time. My take-out is it’s good to have a mix of short- and long-term goals.

You may find this blog post useful: ‘Staying on track with those NY resolutions’.

Dawn is the author of ‘The Feedback Book’, available now at bookstores and on Amazon.