2024 - Reflecting On Our Goals
As a qualified Coach, it won’t come as a surprise to you that self-reflection is a key part of my life; both personally and professionally. Whilst there is proven power in the accountability that a coaching partnership creates, the key to that partnership is the individual’s willingness to examine their beliefs, values, approaches and biases. At its heart, coaching is problem-solving and one of the best ways to create this mindset is to question. One of the things that many of my clients struggle with is goal setting; the word goal itself may bring out a strong reaction! So today, I want to share what to do if you don’t want to set goals. Here are three ways to reflect on 2024 (and beyond!)
As the year draws to a close, the personal development landscape becomes particularly bustling, filled with reflections on the past and aspirations for the future. You may notice that this is when your workplace typically starts its annual review process, prompting you to assess the “gaps” in your KPIs and the “stretch” targets you’re expected to pursue for the upcoming year. Or, as the nights close in you start thinking about” New Year New You!”
Every journey begins with reflection; at times, this process can leave you feeling disheartened if you only focus on what you haven’t done. This year, I'd like to challenge you to adopt a fresh perspective. Instead of dwelling on your assumed shortcomings, embrace your current position and ponder these thought-provoking questions.
1. How close were you to your goal?
The typical method of gauging your success against “completed goals”. Goals are optimistic, based on expected success, without knowing what the year will bring. No one has a magic ball! So, evaluate your progress within the context of the time that's passed. What small wins and progress can you now see? I'd bet you'll surprise yourself with how close you actually got!
2. What happened instead?
Dig deeper and be honest about the past 12 months; what has happened in your life? Most importantly, reflecting on your original goal, is it still relevant to life? Do you still want it? Was the expected timescale reasonable in the first place? You might discover it's no longer a goal you wish to pursue! If that’s the case, be gentle with yourself!
3. What was an extra surprise?
Lastly, what unexpected twist occurred this year? What curveball altered your course? How did you manage it? How did that change your resources, energy, needs and time?
Bearing all this in mind, re-examine the year through this fresh perspective and reflect on how much you did in 2024. If you're finding it challenging to move beyond the pressure of goal attainment, perhaps ponder these questions to gain new insight and a reality check about how your year has been:
- What did you read?
- What did you enjoy?
- What did you watch?
- What did you listen to?
- Who did you talk to?
- Where did you spend your time?
- What did you learn?
- What did you let go of?
- How did you ask for help?
- Who did you support?
- What new experiences did you have?
Hopefully, when you go through this reflection process yourself, you may notice you have also experimented and adjusted throughout 2024, being agile to react to the realities of life, whilst keeping in touch with what you want to achieve and bring into your life. As we start to close off the year, I want to share a last point, one that is often lost in a world that is always striving.
Sustaining elements of your personal and professional life, especially when life throws us curve balls, is always worth celebrating!
Clara Wilcox is a doubly qualified, straight-talking, practical and experienced coach helping clients navigate the tricky waters of returning to work, career changes and professional development. The Balance Collective has a social mission focused on improving the lives of parents, by working together to build inner confidence and promote a healthy work/life balance.
Isn't it time to have a career to enjoy not endure?
Originally Released On 13 November 2024