Change is a constant in life. We’re currently experiencing a shift from Winter to Spring, for example. Are you ready for a change in your personal life or career? Not sure?
Ask yourself these two questions:
- What things are working really well in my life right now?
- What are some areas that aren’t working so well?
Evaluate where you stand by rating your current well-being or satisfaction in each area below from 1 to 10. This should serve to give you an idea of where opportunities are to improve:
- Family and Home
- Spiritual and Ethical
- Financial and Career
- Personal Growth and Education
- Physical and Mental Health
- Social and Cultural
Minimizing distractions such as turning off your cell phone, the TV or radio and taking some time out to think is one way to begin the process of assessing where you stand today.
You could also journal, or connect with a friend or significant other and request feedback.
Getting feedback at work
In the workplace, looking through your performance reviews or various assessments for trends or consistent opportunities is an option. You could also ask your boss, co-workers or direct reports to provide you honest and candid feedback.
If you do this, I encourage you to humbly listen and respond with a thank you after the feedback is complete. Refuting or making a knee-jerk reaction could eliminate your ability to receive similar feedback in the future. It could also lead to morale problems or a breakdown in relationships.
Getting support for the change
Once you have received feedback, the next step is to do something with it. This can often be the most difficult part of the change process.
Changing behavior by breaking bad habits and conditioning takes time and support from a willing party (such as a life coach) who has your best interest at heart, and is willing to hold you accountable.
Any effort you make to change will lead to growth and personal fulfillment. This is true regardless of any difficulty you experience in the process.
What will be the change for you and how willing are you to take the steps to make it happen?
Setting goals puts the change in motion
Once a person is clear on what needs to change in their lives and why, it is time to begin the process of making the change happen.
The first step is setting concrete goals. Later, you will develop action steps aligned with your goals, but these are secondary.
My dictionary defines goal setting as “the process of identifying something that you want to accomplish and establishing measurable goals and timeframes.” Goal setting is something that is occasionally thought about, but very few people take the time to write down clear and concrete goals in the most important areas of their lives.
Those who are intentional about setting goals often end up having a significant impact on
- their families,
- communities,
- organizations and
- the world around them.
Setting goals related to being—and not just having more—can be fun and rewarding. The process can also lead to personal fulfillment and living a life filled with purpose and meaning.
The next blog will spell out what to do once you have a few Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and time-Bound (SMART) goals.
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