How on earth did it get to be June? Wasn’t it only yesterday we were ringing in the New Year and setting our goals for 2018? The first day of summer is almost here. This might be a good time to take a look at your goals to see how you’re doing. Do a mid-year goal check-in and decide if you might need a reboot.

Whether you set personal goals, professional goals, or both, it’s good to evaluate if you’re on track to reach whatever deadline you set. This year, I set quite a few goals to accomplish. Some have already been accomplished. Hurray!  However, quite a few are nowhere near being on track. Darn!  Which is why, I am implementing a plan of… Stop, Drop, and Roll.

Stop, Drop, and Roll was a fire safety technique I learned back in Canada when I was a kid. It was the safety precaution that was drilled into us, so we would know  what to do if our clothes ever caught on fire. It was a proactive measure to “learn not to burn.”  Even after fifty years – I still remember that lesson. I figured this was a great metaphor to prevent getting “burned” by elusive goals.  Ready to Stop, Drop and Roll? Lets get started.

STOP

Mid-year is a great time to stop what you’re doing and reflect. Have you made the progress you were hoping to accomplish? Are you just a little off track? Or, are you totally derailed?

Taking the time to reflect lets you evaluate what might be keeping you stuck. When we stop and look at where we currently are, we can better figure out what’s holding us back. What are our roadblocks? Is the goal too big? Did we break it down into enough actionable tasks? Do we need a better plan?

During this period of reflection, it’s a good idea to think of ways you can tweak your goal or change the process, so you can get where you want to be. Zoom out and look at the big picture. Think about where you are now and where you want to go. Once you have that vision, think about everything that has to happen between the two points.

If you evaluate your progress and you realize that you’re not getting closer to your goals, you need to re-adjust your approach. Reaching our goals is kind of like flying an airplane. If the pilot doesn’t know where they are and where they want to go, they will never reach the final destination.

DROP

Sometimes we may find that the goal we set for ourselves no longer matters. We are constantly changing and so is our business. Think about why you created the goal in the first place. Maybe what was important to you in January is no longer important to you in June?  It’s perfectly fine to change your mind.

If your goal no longer resonants for you, it’s okay to drop it and take it off your list. After all, the only goals that really matter… are the goals that really matter.  When we set goals it’s almost a given that we are going to encounter setbacks and failures. When we meet resistance it’s normal to feel like giving up. If you have a really strong reason to keep pushing through, because the final outcome really matters, you will find a way to persevere. On the same token, if don’t have a big enough WHY you won’t have the motivation to stay the course.

ROLL

If you decide that your goal still matters and you want to make better progress, you need to roll away any roadblocks you’re encountering. Most often our biggest hinderance to achieving our goals is “us”. We can be our own worst enemies with the stories we tell ourselves.

Have you ever battled with some of these thoughts?  “If only…” or “I’m never…”  or “Why do I always…” When this kind of “stinkin-thinkin” gets planted in our head it can grow like a weed. Negative thoughts dis-empower us and stop us from taking action.

For anyone that has ever gardened, you know that weeds have a nasty habit of choking the flowers. If weeds are left to grow they can eventually take over the whole flower bed. Unfortunately, getting rid of those weeds is a lot of work. You can’t just rip off the tops because they’ll grow right back. Instead, you have to pull those weeds out by their roots. This is a great mirror of what happens to us when we allow negative thoughts to take root. Negative thoughts effect our beliefs, which in turn effects our actions, which in turn effects our results.

In conclusion, our goals must have meaning and purpose. To achieve our goals requires continual reflection and analysis.  We must be mindful of how our thoughts, beliefs, and actions impact our results. I hope you will join me in doing a Summertime Goal Reboot.

Yesterday was my birthday. I decided it was the perfect time to Stop, Drop, and Roll. I am happy to announce that some of my 2018 goals have been dropped from my list. By doing that, I was able to add new goals that better resonate for me. The final result is that I now feel more energized in my personal and professional life.

Before you head off for your summer vacation, take this opportunity for a mid-year check-in to determine if you need to reboot your 2018 goals.