REVIEW YOUR PROGRESS

It is true when they say that time waits for no man and as such 'time is money'. It is 4am and I lie in bed, hoping to fall asleep again. Sadly I tossed and turned until such time that my mind went on a journey. As much as I tried to divert the mind to focusing on getting back my two hours of sleep, it chose to direct me to questions that have bugged me for days.

It is truly amazing how quickly time goes by. It feels like it was just yesterday when we wished each other 'happy new year' and discussed our hopes and dreams for the 2013. It seems like it was just yesterday when we excitedly noted our New Year's resolutions, committing ourselves to achieving them against all odds.  Yes, we were all motivated to pursue our dreams, to improve our attitudes, go to the gym more often, make the climb up the corporate ladder or save that amount of money we were so keen to save. But how many of us are actually doing what we said we would do?

Strategy experts often talk about reviewing progress.  Reviewing progress is about taking a moment to reassess if you are still on the right track.  It is about comparing what you initially set out to achieve against what you are actually achieving and should there be discrepancies, then corrective action should be taken. It against this background that I pose this question again,. How many of us are actually pursuing the resolutions we've set ourselves in January ? And for those who are actively pursuing them, how well are you doing?

Our weakness as human beings is our inability to see things through. We are happy to commit ourselves to doing something. We then start it but along the way we completely abandon it. Why is that? Now it would be unfair of me to challenge you and not be held accountable myself. So yes the question about how well I'm doing in pursuing the goals I've set myself in January is also applicable.

The beginning of 2013 saw me committing myself to 5 goals. And like anyone, I was motivated to achieve all of them. With lots of discipline and commitment I continue to hold myself accountable to achieving them. I review my progress on a monthly basis to ensure that I take one step closer towards my goals and in cases where I need to adjust my goals, I take corrective action , implement and incorporate the changes into my initial goals. However, it is not as easy as I make it seem.

The pursuit of goals requires motivation and dedication . It takes a disciplined person to sustain the drive and commitment  towards achieving their goals. It takes guts and  resilience to believe in your goals when things don't go as you had hoped. Achieving goals is about marching on even when you feel tired and ready to quit.

With 6months of the year gone , it is important that we reassess how well we are doing in terms of achieving our goals.  It is important that ask the hard questions and be brutally honest with ourselves.  Are you living up to the standard you've set yourself?  Are you doing the things you committed yourself to doing in order to move up the corporate ladder? Have you changed your negative attitude like you said you would? Are you saving money like you said you would? Are  you committed to going to gym like you said?

It is easy to fall short of the commitments we set ourselves. It is easy to give up and walk away. However, I urge you to stay strong. I urge you to soldier on and continue pursuing your goals. I encourage you to take it one step at a time and to continually reassess your progress. The pursuit of goals is a tough journey, but it's not impossible.

Take the time to evaluate how far you've come and be proud of your achievements thus far. Waste no time being mediocre but investing in building up momentum towards December;when you can really look back and be proud.