For many people 2020 was about survival.
The need to adapt to operating online, home working, the kids being home from school – the challenges to existing assumptions and behaviours came thick and fast! And you did indeed survive. You may now be left with that tiredness that comes from using up all of your energy reserves and frankly being sick to the back teeth of cancelling, rebooking and recancelling plans. Not to mention the extra pounds that may have crept on…
With all this on your plate, is it any wonder that the thought of thriving may have dropped to the bottom of the list? If this describes how you have been feeling you might be thinking that setting big goals is the last thing you feel like doing. You have more immediate priorities like coming up for air and having a proper break.
The goals that you need, therefore, might be more akin to preparing for being goal ready.
Setting a new vision is easier when you feel good about yourself, and you have optimism about what the future holds. The vaccine may have given you a glimpse of this, but whatever happens we can be pretty sure that 2021 will be better, easier, and a lot more fun than 2020! With this in mind, it’s a great time to remind yourself of all the great things you have achieved this year and in other years. Remind yourself of times when you showed the most revolve and reached the big goals you did set.
Rather than rush to set those goals again in 2021, why not spend January asking yourself some focusing questions? Here are three you can start with:
Is where I am spending most of my time and effort for ego or impact?
Often goals and objectives are work related. They can be about meeting obligations and expected needs set by other people. That can leave us operating from a place of ego – the status we’ll achieve, and the income we’ll receive. Compare this with working towards making a bigger impact – on our own lives, those of other people, and on the world. Ask yourself what difference you want to make before you set goals, that way you are more likely to choose things that you will stay committed to. You only need one goal to make an impact, which leads my nicely onto question 2…
When am I at my best?
You may have fallen into survival mode this year as a result of the uncertainty around you. There is one thing that doesn’t need to depend on what is happening in the world and that is self knowledge about when you feel better. The problem is that most working women are so stuck in their heads and moving through their life at such a pace that they don’t hang around to see how they’re feeling. Instead they may notice something feels off, and then push it down by busyness or numb it with their nightly G and T. Ask yourself when you are at your best and then be or do that more often. It will bring you clarity about where to focus and make taking meaningful actions much easier to take.
Am I making a contribution to something every day?
If you would like to be a better person this year, you will know that is being achieved by being a better person. If you would like to be more visible this year, you will know that this is being achieved by being visible every day. You get the formula. The thing is, we often say we want things and then take no action towards them. Before you create this pattern, take the time to be honest about what you are truly committed to achieving and focus on only that this year. Don’t go to bed until you have made a contribution to that thing. I promise you – you will feel incredible about yourself long before the end of the year.
The three step model of Awareness, Bravery and Contribution is documented in Susie Ramroop’s book – Be The Leader You Want to See. You can get your copy from www.susieramroop.com, or online bookshops.
About the author
Women in business turn to Susie Ramroop when career and life is not meeting expectations. She expertly stops unhelpful patterns of self-judgement and impostor syndrome and focuses on what matters – progression AND fulfilment. She is a highly sought-after speaker, coaches privately and leads utterly transformational retreats.
Connect with Susie on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/susie-ramroop-mindset-coach/
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