Day 31: Celebrate

This is the final day of our hints and tips on turning your New Year resolutions into real achievements.  In the last month we have talked about how to make your goals clear and compelling, how to take action, how to keep going if times get tough and in this last week we have looked at how to get the most from the challenge you have set yourself.  If you have already achieved your goal, WELL DONE!  You have already done something amazing.  For many of you it is likely that you are still on the journey to achieving your goals.  But I wanted to finish with some advice for when you get to the point where you can say, 'I made it'.  Our tip for today is:

Tip 31:  Celebrate, review, ask, 'What else can I do?'

Celebrating is a key aspect of achieving goals.  We tend to underplay our achievements but celebrating is a good way of keeping your motivation up, whilst also acting as part of the review process.  It can help to heighten your awareness so that you get maximum learning from your adventure.

Reviewing is something you will be used to now if you have been following our tips.  So, certainly cover the usual questions (What did I do?  What did I learn?  How can I generalise from this?  What will I do differently next time?). However, at this stage you might want to widen your perspective.  What does this goal say about you?  (Particularly important if you have overcome a fear or difficulty in order to hit your target).  What does it say about your ability to learn, to persist, to take a risk?  What does it say about your character?  Where else in your life would these attributes be useful for you?

Finally, a common experience I frequently encounter with people who set themselves audacious goals is they say something like, 'If you had told me 6 months ago that I would be doing X, then I wouldn't believe you, but here I am, I can't believe it!'  My instant reaction is to ask, 'If you can do this, what else could you do?'  Goal setting is all about growth and stretching yourself.  If you have achieved something that once you thought was impossible you have just done something amazing.  Perhaps (as Nelson Mandela said) you are powerful beyond measure.... so.... what's next for you?

If you have enjoyed this month's blogs on goal setting, you can find lots more hints and tips on a whole variety of topics on our website www.enthiostraining.co.uk.  Click on Executive Lounge and have a browse!  Thanks for visiting our blog.