CategoriesObserveProgressThink About It

The Half Year Highlights

We need to keep track of our wins and celebrate them. So get out your journal, or any piece of paper, and your pen. The half year highlights need to be listed out.

We are in the midst of Q2 earnings season. This is when companies reveal how they did in the second quarter of the year (April, May, June). Granted, this year has been a little different so far. But the announcements coming out are making interesting reading, especially when comparing to Q1 2020 or Q2 in 2019.

Every quarter, corporations note down their key accomplishments and share them. You should also get into this habit. Though you do not have to share them. However, you should be honest with yourself. It is easy to make excuses, develop reasons and blame circumstances. There is no need to do that. You are better than that.

So if you have your monthly goals list, you can compare against that. If for some reason you did not set out your goals in late 2019, you can simply note down your highlights to date.

Be clear and specific. For example, I can note that I have written this daily blog every day since I started on 10th January (on target). In addition, I have had readers from 50 different countries (well above target). Finally, the family has successfully come through this initial Covid period (on target).

The half year highlights should also be celebrated ?. Presumably you have worked hard and been disciplined to achieve these milestones and make progress on your goals. Even if you weren’t quite on target, you will have sacrificed time and effort to get your results. Celebrate them and work harder and smarter in the next quarter.

Good luck!

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CategoriesGoals, Results & New Thinking

Be Specific – It Will Change Your Life For The Better

Generalising can be too easy. Being too general can make communication challenging. Be specific – it will change your life for the better.

If you have ever had someone give you directions, this idea will make more sense. Some people are fairly vague and general in delivering commentary on how to get somewhere.

This is in contrast to someone who is clear about where they are sending you. It’s great to get good, clear, specific direction or instructions. It makes life so much easier with less anxiety or stress.

Another good example area is the realm of gifts. Someone might say they would like a book about baseball for their birthday. Great! You think that this will be easy. And it could be.

Go to the shop or browse online for a baseball book. But it would be even better if they had narrowed down what specific type of baseball book.

Baseball books could be about being an owner, manager, coach, player of a specific position, groundsman, talent scout, admin, other office support worker, agent, hot dog vendor or souvenir shop staff, to name a few. In addition, it could be a work of fiction, an autobiography, biography, or historical analysis, etc.

When confirming the request, ask them to be specific – it will change your life for the better.

Remember to do this with your goals. Make them very specific. It might feel a bit weird at first but it’s an important skill to develop. If you don’t, the universe will find it hard to deliver on your request.

Rather than getting a baseball biography about Babe Ruth, you could end up with an autobiography written by a disenchanted hot dog vender.

Make your goals specific!

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CategoriesActionGoals, Results & New ThinkingTime

Focus For The Next 4 Months

One third of the year has come and gone. If you’re like me, lots has happened and lots hasn’t. I have to focus for the next 4 months to catch up on a few things. Amazingly, four months have already zoomed past and it hardly feels like the year really got started.

We’ve had a bit of an interruption on our little planet, of course.

Now that things are settling down a little though, don’t let that interruption be your reason for not achieving your goals. You must take stock of the last four months. Celebrate your successes! Similarly, consider those items not completed.

Assess these incomplete goals and decide if you took on too much, they weren’t realistic or they’re not that important to you. Redouble you’re efforts and focus for the next 4 months, if those goals are still relevant. Be brutal and dismiss them if they are not. They must be a “Heck yes!” or a firm “No”.

I have a lot of interests. Of course, this can make it difficult to say no to various things. However, I must do it. I try to think ahead and consider whether the ‘distraction goals’ will be worth remembering in six or 12 months. Look back on your life and you’ll recognise what important goals look like.

Now is the time to focus for the next 4 months. Pounce on those goals!

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