Monday was the 1st day of the second half of the year.
A lot of people get to the end of the year without having attained the goals and objectives they set themselves in their business and personal lives!
That is why this week it is crucial to review how the 1st six months went, assess where you are in relation to where you want to be at the year end and decide on the course corrections you need to implement.
1. The first thing to do is to re-evaluate your goals and ensure that your vision has not changed and is still in alignment with your values.
Goals are not set in stone. You can set new goals and completely change your strategy because the important thing is the end result and that you fulfill your dreams!
2. The second thing is to review what you have accomplished in the first 6 months.
Look at the results objectively and ask yourself why you achieved or not achieved each goal.
Don’t play the blame game – don’t blame the economy or others. Take ownership of the results.
Celebrate the wins and commit to overcome self-imposed or external obstacles by learning from the mistakes you have made and working on what the areas need improvement.
3. The third thing is to assess where you are in relation to your goals – if you wanted the full year sales to be $500,000, you should be at $250,000 (provided there is no seasonality); if you were planning to lose 20 pounds, you should be at least 10 pounds lighter by now.
Are you below expectations, on track or above the mark?
If you are above expectations in everything then you were not ambitious enough and you should ask yourself if you are really happy with the life you have or are just afraid of stepping out of your comfort zone.
4. The fourth thing is to decide on the goals for the rest of the year (revised or new) and come up with a step by step strategy to achieve them.
This is not an easy task, especially where business or your professional life is concerned.
Should you be aggressive thinking about the next ‘boom’ cycle or should you be conservative because economic cycles have changed and there is too much uncertainty about the future?
I would strongly recommend controlling your overhead, having a safe cushion on your cash flow forecasts and a contingency plan.
Invest in your business skills and keep your eyes on the markets.
5. The fifth thing is to take ACTION. Ask yourself frequently if what you are doing at the moment is the best use of your time to get to your objectives.
Most entrepreneurs that fail spend more time in ‘reaction mode’ than in ‘action mode’.
Make sure you take time to think, assess and adjust your next step.
Remember that a plane is off course more than 90% of the time but the pilot keeps on making adjustments so that the plane gets to the right destination.
‘I can’t change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.’ Jimmy Dean
Happiness depends on the quality of your thoughts and your actions, so if you want to be able to look back and feel you have achieved something with your life, you must be at the helm and don’t go adrift.
Remember life is about the journey, not the destination!
