Normally, around this time of year, we start looking to the future and setting goals for 2021. However, as 2020 has been such a strange year, I wanted to take this opportunity to reflect on the year we have had and talk about something a little different. As an industry, we emphasise goal setting and goal attainment; however, If 2020 has shown us anything, it is that sometimes reaching our goals is outside of our control. It takes a degree of luck for us to achieve our goals, and as a result, we need to re-evaluate how we define success.
This year most of us have had to reflect on this, with targets set in fitness, business and life being made practically impossible by the circumstances we have found ourselves in. Goals give us direction, and action steps give us structure, but we still need our environment to present opportunities. When we set goals, we are actually setting milestones that reflect how much progress we have made. However, if we fail to reach our targets, that doesn't mean we weren't successful if the actions we took and decisions we made reflected the type of person we intended to become.
Does this mean we shouldn't set goals? No! The goals we set help us understand our priorities, the actions we want to take, and how we want to apply ourselves. This intention behind the goal needs to take a more central role in evaluating success. If you fail to hit your targets, reflect on the possible reasons, both external and internal, why you didn't get there. The only thing we have complete control over is our attitude and work ethic. So long as you approached each day, adapted to your circumstances, and took the opportunities presented in a way that reflected your intentions you have done all that could be asked of you. If not, why didn't you? And what lessons can you learn from this? Reflect, re-evaluate and reset your goals, adjust your time frame or targets, and remember to acknowledge the progress you have made.
Final take-home: Remember you are the sum of your thoughts, decisions and actions, not your achievements. Set goals, but more importantly set intentions. Most importantly enjoy the journey.
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Lifestyle on Dec 30, 2020