One very important aspect of sitting down to write out and plan your goals for the year is to look back and feel inspired by what you’ve already accomplished, not just this past year but overall in your lifetime pursuit of your dreams. What have you achieved so far? How many projects have you completed successfully in your pursuits? How many milestones have you passed along your way?
A challenge of planning for the future is seeing how far you have left to go – how many things you have left to do – and feeling discouraged because it can be overwhelming. This is why your list of goals for the year shouldn’t be too long (three goals at most, especially if they’re big and require your time, money, and effort) and you should be proud of what you’ve already done. Taking inventory of your achievements will be encouraging and inspirational, so savor this process!
Five Steps to Mindfully Take Inventory of Your Achievements
There are various ways to take inventory of your past achievements, but keeping it somewhat simple is highly effective. In this exercise, be prepared to go back in time to remember and fully appreciate the achievements of your past and let them help you to fuel your future.
1. Set aside at least one or two hours to complete this task in a somewhat quiet space where you can feel relaxed and peacefully recall significant achievements throughout your life.
2. Have a journal or several sheets of paper and a pen handy to write down your accomplishments.
3. Think back to your earliest achievement that you can remember. Were you a child? An adolescent? A teenager? Begin with that achievement and write down your achievements over the course of the next five years.
4. Next to every accomplishment you list, state why this achievement was meaningful or important to you, how it made you feel, and the actions you took to achieve your goal.
5. Repeat steps three and four for each five-year period until you reach your present age.
Not only can this help you to determine what your life’s true purpose is by gauging which accomplishments were most satisfying for you, it will also center your focus so that you can effectively state and plan your goals for the coming year.
If you’re just starting out on the path of your life’s true purpose, don’t let this exercise scare you. You may not have achieved as much as you would have liked to by now, but you are a highly capable and creative human being! Keep your idea or brainstorming list fluid, your goal list focused, and tackle your dreams by achieving them one at a time.
As always, continue leading and learning mindfully as this year comes to a close and the door to next year’s opportunities opens. You’ll never know how epic your life might turn out unless you put your plans into action with the guidance of your goals!
For more mindfulness techniques, training, coaching, and executive insights, please visit www.ExecutiveCoachingUniversity.com.
