Looking Back to Move Forward

“A [healthy] being is one who is capable of reflecting on his past actions and their motives - of approving of some and disapproving of others.” – Charles Darwin

As we near the end of 2011, I feel that one of the most important things a person can do is to reflect. We will all undoubtedly have resolutions and goals for the new year, but before we dive into those, let’s look back at how we did this past year. Do you remember your resolutions from January 1^st, 2011? Do you still have them written down somewhere? If so, take a look and see how you did. If you cannot find them, take some time to think about what you were focused on last year at this time. Maybe you had the same resolution that you have had for the past five years. Maybe you had a new resolution. Whatever it was, commit some time to reflecting on your success (or lack of success). Take each goal and ask yourself three questions:


1) What worked?
2) What didn't?
3) Why?

If you thoroughly examine these three questions for each goal, you will be fully equipped for succeeding in 2012. Many times we set goals for ourselves without any type of plan or forethought. Then, regardless of outcome, we never look back and learn from our experience. If you fail to achieve a goal, you have a huge opportunity to learn and try again. If you succeed, you again have an opportunity to learn and apply those lessons to other goals. Either way, if you are not using your past experiences as success training tools, you are wasting time and potential. 

Only once you have determined what works and what does not should you set your goals for next year. You now have the ammunition for battle, and are ready for devising a plan of attack. Start by writing down EXACTLY what you want to achieve. Do you want to lose 20 lbs. this year? Do you want to increase your income by $10,000? Whatever it is, write it down and try to be as specific as possible. Next, write down how you are going to achieve these goals. This part can be vague, but make sure to use the principles and ideas that you have learned from reflecting on last year. If your goal last year was to lose 20 lbs. and you only lost 5 lbs. (or none at all), then you should have a very good idea of what went wrong. Did you not plan your time well enough to get to the gym? Did you leave too many junk foods in the house as temptations? Did you fail to enlist your friends and family in your efforts? Whatever it was, my guess is that it was an unexpected barrier that can now be planned for.

Whatever your goal is, writing down ideas for achieving those goals will set you up for success. It does not mean that it will be easy, or that you will reach your exact goals, but the more you reflect and the more you learn from your experiences, the faster you will reach your goals. And please believe that you truly can do anything you put your mind to. If you want it badly enough, you can and will make it happen. The first step is just deciding what it is you want...

Happy New Year everyone, see you in 2012!!