How is your “New year’s resolution” going?

One minute you’re screaming happy new year, enjoying the last minute festivities, pumped to carry out your new year resolutions. Next minute, it is the end of the first quarter. How?

We all complain about the days drag yet somehow the months seem to be fly by. You probably haven’t even started your goals for the first quarter or you started it but you abandoned it because you assumed there time is on your side.

Suddenly you have to force yourself to reflect on those goals you set because it’s that time of the year. I’ve been there many times and I know how it feels to find out I didn’t even meet my goals

But what if?What if we started our reflections earlier? Why wait for the end of the quarter or end of the year to reflect?

To reflect means to give careful thoughts. To pause and to consider. When you reflect, you make your world stop. You become aware of the things around you.
You begin to see things in hindsight. You identify problems and patterns. You to connect the dots and see patterns that are invisible in a fast-paced world.

You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards -Steve Jobs

Reflecting can be hard sometimes. When you reflect, you see things as they are, not as you think they are. Have you ever worn a dress/ shirt before and you think you look good but when you look in the mirror it looks horrible and nothing like what you had in your head? That is exactly what happens when you reflect. Your actions and inactions act as your mirror. It tells you the truth with facts and not assumptions. You see your failures and shortcomings (painful) but you also see your wins and strengths in certain areas. It gives you an idea of where to go from there.

During my last weekly reflection, I realized the cause of my stressful week. My energy level is at the peak in the morning, so writing is easier for me. Last week, I wrote at nights so it made me struggle. But why did I write at nights when I already knew my energy level? Because, I didn’t predetermine to write in the mornings last week, so I wasted my mornings on frivolities and struggled in the evenings.
This week, I know what to correct
This is how reflections work.

Reflections do not need to be restricted to quarterly and end of the year goals alone.

What if we treat every week like it is the end of the year?
You set your new day and new week resolutions. You do your quarterly review, daily and your yearly review, weekly. This way, the end of every day is the end of your quarter and the end of every week is the end of the year for you. You are more conscious of your goals day in and day out.

It is time to pause and reflect, and smash those goals!