It’s Review Time

As we officially welcome spring with yellow daffodils springing up, it’s a reminder that the end of the first quarter of the year is fast approaching.

This week’s post is inspired by a quote I came across recently. It says, “You are what you do, not what you say you’ll do.” Carl Jung.

This is quite confronting as many people start the year with resolutions and others considered what they want to achieve this year, some going as far as creating a plan to achieve their goals.

This got me thinking. I reflected on what I said I will do versus what I have actually done.

I have an opportunity to press reset and make changes to maximise the remaining nine months. Same applies to you.

We can all make up for lost ground if we are honest with ourselves, acknowledge any areas of shortfalls and make better choices.

As I have been pondering this, here are some thoughts that have been on my mind:

Missed opportunities

What opportunities have you identified or missed this year and which ones have you maximised? This could be an opportunity to step out of your comfort zone, learn a new skill, start a new job, make some friends, or give back to your local community group or church.

It’s time to reflect on the opportunities and open doors that we see as they won’t always be there. If we do nothing, someone else will do something.

Daily routines

What is that one thing you do daily that you need to change? Our lives eventually reflect the daily choices we make.

It might be that daily habit of reaching for chocolates or bag of salty crisps. We know they are not doing us any favours, but we repeat the pattern like clockwork.

Perhaps it’s ducking out of our responsibilities or breaking promises we make. Whatever it is, we need to identify those daily habits that will sabotage our future and stop them today.

Procrastination

Our reviews could show that the reason we haven’t done anything is that we have been procrastinating. This is one of the enemies of progress.

This means we keep finding reasons for not taking necessary actions. Our minds will justify anything we allow it to.

It’s time to say, ‘no more excuses’ and get on with the actions we know will create a more desirable future for us.

Associations

What associations do you keep that could hinder your progress? Who do you need to connect with to advance yours or their goals?

Recently at my local gym, a group of people invited me to join them for coffee and a daily hang-out at the end of each session.

This was a kind gesture which I appreciated, but most of them are retired and aren’t in a hurry to get back home. I had to make a choice as to how often I could join them to build relationships without impacting on my own goals.

As we are in different phases of life, I found other ways to connect with them without negatively impacting on my time.

Regrets

As we reflect over the past few months, there will be some successes that we can celebrate. There could also be some regrets, failures and mistakes nagging at us and we need to deal with them.

There is a passage in the Bible where Paul, an apostle, was assessing his progress towards his desire to attain perfection.

He acknowledged he had not attained it but declared he would forget the past and look forward to what lies ahead.

This is a learning point. We may not have attained the goals we set, or made some errors, but we can choose to forget the past and look forward to what is ahead of us.

As you undertake your own review, remember there are nine months left and so much can be accomplished in that time. The past is gone so focus on the future – start today.

Thanks for reading my post. Please comment, like and share with others. See you next week.