How to Check in With Your Goals in 2020
So, by the grace of God, we’ve made it through half of 2020. I hope it hasn’t been that rough for you and hope that you’ve been able to take it easy on yourself. My strategy to get through has been to take it one day at a time and it’s been working for the most part. And even though we’re swirling in “unprecedented” times, many of us still have the capabilities and drive to continue the work and execute the goals we set at the beginning of the year.
If you’re taking time to yourself and nursing your mental, please by all means, keep going. This will be the most important work you will ever do. We prioritize ourselves, our feels and our mental over on this side of the internet.
For those continuing to work on your goals, we’ve made it to the midpoint of the year and we’re entering into the 3rd quarter. It’s time to do a check in, but we’re going to handle it a little differently this year.
Here’s how to check in with your goals for 2020:
Recall.
Hopefully when you took the time to set your goals for 2020, not only did you make them very clear by creating S.M.A.R.T. goals, but you recorded them in a way that would be easy for you to check back in with later in time. For myself, I created an aesthetically pleasing vision board and created a thousand checklists to stay on track. Look over the goals you set for yourself, your business, your craft, whatever-what-have-you. Refresh your memory on what they were, how you chose to measure them and what made them relevant when you made them your goals in the first place.
Align.
With this stay at home order and political unrest, a lot of us aren’t the same person we were at the onset of the year. We’ve had time to deeply look within, to dabble in new hobbies and start the tough conversations we weren’t having enough of before. We’ve had time to completely change up and jump onto a new path of life so now is a great time to look over your goals and see if they align with any of your updated values and visions. If your goals still serve you, that’s great, and if they don’t, that’s cool too. Goals aren’t meant to be written in stone and you can change them anytime you see they aren’t serving your vision anymore.
Analyze.
With a good overview of your goals, it’s time to get to the nitty gritty. Start with the basics by checking in with each goal. Answer the following questions with as much detail as possible. These probably serve best as journaling questions, where you can write freely without inhibitions.
Have you been able to execute this goal? Why or why not?
For the goal you’ve achieved, what details and actions helped you get the win?
What unexpected challenges rose up for this goal and how did you face them?
Are the resources you need to reach this goal still easily available? i.e. you wanted to pay off a credit card but your financials took a hit due to Covid and you can’t put as much as you wanted to towards your balance right now.
What did you learn about yourself working on this goal?
Will you be moving forward with this goal or eliminating it for the time being?
What inspires you about continuing the goal ahead?
Adapt.
How do you want to move forward? After taking the time to analyze everything and get a good look with what you’re working with, here is where we trim the fat. Take out everything that isn’t serving you anymore and adjust what’s left in order to reach your full potential by the end of 2020. If necessary, update any timeline or detail to make them easier to work through. Add any new goal to the mix. Make sure that the goals you’ve set moving forward are still qualify as S.M.A.R.T.
Commit.
Continue to do the work and design your best life. Be patient with yourself but also don’t let off the gas. Set affirmations, create a routine, set boundaries, do whatever it is that you need to do to continue on your path to greatness.
With Love,
Delaya B.