Taking Stock - Time to Re-examine Your Goals

At the beginning of the year good intentions run rampant.  We are all setting objectives, putting together resolutions, creating goals, and determining that we are, for sure, going to do something better or bigger this year.  Well, how’s it going?  Have you taken stock of where you are at against those goals?

I’ve noticed a trend when it comes to goal setting.  This is what it looks like:

• Beginning of the year starts out strong.  Goals are set and pacts are made to reach those goals.

• Over the course of the next month or two the business shifts focus and you are off and running in a completely different direction.

• A few more months go by and you settle into the same routine you’ve been in for the past few years. 

• Two more months go by so fast you don’t even notice they’ve past.

• The end of the year rolls around and you realize you are in the same spot you were this time last year, but…

...this year is going to be different.  You know why?  You’re starting to read this article.  If you continue reading you’re guaranteed to grow your awareness of how important it is to review your goals and objectives on a regular basis. 

There’s a Harvard study that brings the point home:

Harvard did a study of their own graduates’ goal setting.  Over a period of thirty years they found that only three percent (3%) of the population surveyed actually wrote down their goals. Those who had set goals and had written the goals down made 2-3 times more money than those without goals. Those who took it one step further and carried their goals with them at all times made 10 times more money than everyone else. 

Imagine the success you can have if you write down your goals and focus on them regularly!  Powerful!

From personal experience I can attest to the power of writing and reviewing goals.  I have accomplished every career goal I’ve set out to achieve, some sooner than I thought possible.  The goals are written down and reviewed regularly.  All of my business goals are written down.  They are reviewed regularly, not just by me, but with an advisory board as well.    Huge!

Take stock.  Examine and Re-examine.  On-going awareness gives you a greater chance of reaching the goals than if you articulate them once and never come back to them. 

Sometimes the problem isn’t in the action of taking stock, but just in remembering to actually do it.  Putting a mechanism in place to take stock on a regular basis could be the essential ingredient to support your success.  Here are some methods you can use to remember to take stock on a regular basis:

• Put your goals where you can review them regularly (office wall, refrigerator, in your wallet or purse, taped to the back of your ipod or pda).
  Set up a regular meeting with yourself monthly to review your goals.

• Email yourself reminders.

• Pre-create tasks for the whole year that remind you to review your goals.

• If you want the support and accountability, ask a manager or colleague to meet with you regularly to review goals.

When you do take stock what do you review?  Answering some of these questions may help you:

• Where did I start?

• Where am I now?

• Am I still working toward the same goals I originally established?

• What are the barriers to success?

• What’s gone well?

• What could be better?

• What should I keep doing?

• What should I stop doing?

• What should I start doing?

• What needs to happen for me to achieve this goal?

Have you started yet?  No time like the present.  If you don’t stay focused on where you want to go then wherever you get to should be okay. Take stock!