You may not want to hear this, but the “new” year is almost 2/3 over. Christmas will be here in 133 days. And before we blink, it’ll be 2018.
Are you where you thought you’d be?
I’m not.
The StoryCorp app sits lonely on my phone. Unused since March 26. The last interview I recorded with it was with the 4 Corners, my three besties, on a spring beach getaway.
But I haven’t touched it since.
Story is my One word 2017. But I’ve gotten off track.
Did you set goals for 2017? Whether a One Word or a resolution or a to-do list, as we leave summer and enter fall, now is a good time to look again at those intentions. And do something with them.
4 Tips to Refocus Your 2017 Goals
Here are 4 common roadblocks to reaching your goals and 4 ways to regain your focus.
- Lost interest? Rethink it.
Sometimes we lose interest in what we thought we wanted to do. Our motivation is gone. The thing got boring.
And that might be good. There are certain resolutions we make that aren’t worth keeping.
But before you let it drift by the wayside, give your goal a few more minutes of the respect it deserves.
- What was my original motivation for setting this goal?
- Is my purpose still valid?
- Would my time be better spent on something different?
- Is there a different way to approach this goal?
If you decide no, then let it go in peace. Make a conscious choice to lay it down.
But if you decide this goal is still worth pursuing, adjust the spotlight back to center.
- Overwhelmed? Set smaller goals.
Sometimes we drop out because things get too hard. We’re overwhelmed with the largeness of our goal. Or we hit a roadblock that seems insurmountable.
When that is the case, maybe we just need to break it down into smaller steps. Set in-between goals.
Instead of looking at the whole picture, tear off one piece and just do that this week. Then next week do another small piece. By the end of the year, you may be surprised at what you accomplished.
- Lonely? Do it together.
Another deterrent to keeping our word is that we try too much on our own. We lose our way because we’re traveling solo.
See how you can involve others to accomplish your purpose. Maybe you can bring a friend with you to do your thing. Or at least ask someone to keep you accountable as you do it on your own.
Brainstorm how your individual goal can help the larger community, or how the community can help you.
- Failing? Give yourself grace.
We’re going to mess up. That’s a given. We say the wrong things. We miss a deadline. We flub up.
But that’s okay. There’s grace for that. Do you expect others to be perfect? Then don’t expect it of yourself either.
What speech would you give a friend who just messed up? Then give that same speech to yourself. Ask yourself (and possibly write down) the encouraging words that Jesus might say to you personally in this situation.
Revised and Stronger
When we thoughtfully revise our 2017 goals, we make them stronger. Our recommitment is then not only more realistic, but also more effective.
How we spend our days matter because how we spend each day determines our week, which decides our month. And next thing we know, another year has gone by.
This is our life.
I’ll be rethinking my One Word Story goal this week, tweaking it to make it more doable and setting more tangible steps to finish the year strong.
And yes, hopefully pulling up the StoryCorp app again and putting it to good use.
I want to be prepared and awake for the surprises God has in store for the remainder of this year.
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Did you choose One Word for the year? What are you learning from it? Please share in the comments.
