As the month of January comes to an end, for some it is a celebration because of payday. I celebrate because I was blessed to turn a year older this month- something you can’t take for granted. And I have learnt a very powerful lesson; keep my eyes on the prize.
There are so many opportunities which have come my way this month which seemed very lucrative and exciting. The first lesson I am reminding myself is to be slow to commit. Because let’s be honest when we make certain decisions in haste we tend to regret it later. I normally say yes, dive in, burn out, get lethargic and leave physically and offend people in the process. This doesn’t mean I haven’t made those mistakes. I have and I am still learning, this time I am undoing those mistakes sooner. I am much more aware of it now.
By being slow to commit, I have learned it gives me time to soberly ask myself, is this in line with what I want to do this year? One of which is “Write like I have never written before?” if the answer is ‘no’ it’s time to say goodbye.
The second thing I have learnt this month is the power of daily goals. I knew this last year, but I didn’t really understand how best to execute it. Now it’s clearer when you are clear on your one to two big goals you channel more energy, daily and weekly, towards achieving those goals and plan your work around this.
Third, accountability, last year I had an accountability partner, who I never actually spoke to beyond the first month. I also didn’t know when I prefer to be reminded or nudged. Know your pace and what works best as a jolt. I realise I am more of a sprinter; I need pressure and pace, so I email weekly progress updates to my accountability partner.
Because I know I need to, by the time I get to mid-week, I review my goals and ask myself what I have truly done to achieve my big goals. The pressure makes me ensure I get things done.
Fourth, honesty; when I realise I haven’t achieved something instead of blaming it on someone else or something else, I try my best to admit where I went wrong so that I can learn from it. And this means I can apply the lesson immediately to ensure it is not repeated next week.
Fifth, I finally am excited my internal motivation is steadily coming back. Most of it is primarily because of the four points above. No matter how bad things get I know I can stand up and shake it off. And keep at it again. Because let’s face it; 2018 cannot be the same as the last couple of years. To BE something different I need to DO things differently.
And with this, I start off my week enthusiastic and looking forward to great daily achievements. Here’s to a great week ahead!
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