Would you like the season ahead to be your best one yet?

If the answer is yes, you may need to take some time out — just for you — and here is why…

It’s hard to decide what to focus on next when it comes to goals. One way to set yourself up for a successful chapter is through reflection, and this is where the YOU time comes in. It doesn’t need to wait for a particular date on the calendar — a natural pause, a birthday, the start of a new quarter, or simply the moment you feel ready for a reset are all good enough reasons to begin.

The practice of reflection is powerful because it gives you all the tools you need to figure out how you came to be where you are right now. It gives you “data” to evaluate the decisions you’ve made, and the whys and how’s of the period behind you. You can reflect on where you’ve been to help you create more realistic resolutions and goals for what lies ahead.

Why is this important? Because your goals help to define what the next chapter looks like.

TIP: When doing the below exercises, write down not only the answers but also what thoughts you have; this will assist you when you come to set your next goals.

We will focus on six facets in this article. Looking at the six facets of your life will give you a complete and balanced view of how your life as a whole has been progressing.

To help you reflect, there are some questions to ask yourself. By giving honest answers to them, you will be able to see whether or not you have progressed the way you wanted to in each facet.

For those questions to which your answer is no, you can ask WHY to further investigate. For example, the question: Have you achieved the desired net worth? If your answer is no, you can then ask: Why? The answer may be that you haven’t saved enough, or there were unexpected expenses you weren’t prepared for.

1. Faith: your personal pursuit and ministry, charity and significance.

• Have you found your life mission?
• Do you feel fulfilled?
• Could you honestly say that you are happy?
• Have you built the necessary habits for spiritual growth?
• Have you contributed to the greater good, like being part of a charity?
• Have you made a significance towards society?

2. Family: your immediate and relations.

• Has your relationship with your spouse been as good as you wanted?
• Has your relationship with your family been as good as you wanted?
• Has your relationship with your children been as good as you wanted?

3. Fitness: your health, wellbeing, nutrition and exercise.

• Have you built the habit of exercising?
• Have you built the habit of consuming nutritious food?
• Have you had good rest?
• Do you feel physically fit in doing your daily work?

4. Friends and Fun: social, hobbies, lifestyle, bucket list.

• Has your relationship with your friends been good?
• Have you made new friends?
• Have you got to know people from diverse backgrounds?
• Have you participated in some hobbies?
• Have you done something on your bucket list?
• Are you satisfied with your lifestyle?

5. Personal Development: your mental and emotional development.

• Have you learnt a new skill?
• Have you read a book?
• Have you attended a class?
• Has your internal dialogue been mostly positive?
• Have your emotions been mostly positive?

6. Finances: job, career, profession, savings, investments.

• Have you achieved your desired net worth?
• Have you achieved your desired income level?
• Have you built the habit of spending less than you earn?
• Have you been able to eliminate debt?
• Have you built the habit of saving?
• Are you in the job you want?
• Are you in the profession you want?
• Have you invested in the right way?

Look at all your notes from the reflection and answer the below questions. Write down all your thoughts to these questions.

1. What went well? If things have gone well for you lately, then this question will be fun to answer. If it’s been a tough stretch, this question will be essential! Noticing the good, especially in tough times, is a crucial skill for resilience, success and well-being. Since our brains are not wired to hold on to the good, we need to make the effort to bring the good back into our focus for a more balanced perspective.

2. Where in your life did you experience change and disruption, and how did you deal with this? For good, better or worse, change is a constant factor in our lives. How did you deal with your recent changes? What did you do well, and where do you see the need or opportunity to deal better with change?

3. What has this period taught you? We are built with an innate capacity to learn and to grow, whether by explicit intention, or from the experiences that come our way. Often, the tough bits bring the greatest potential for learning and growth. Take stock of what this time taught you, and especially of how any of your challenges stretched you for the better.

4. What needs to go? There comes a time when we are just ready to let some things go. What do you need to say good riddance to? Tough situations? Bad habits? Out-dated approaches? Clutter? Maybe some of this served you well for a while, but not anymore. Time to clean out and let go, to start fresh.

5. What made this period unique? Sometimes it feels like time passes and everything blurs together. But when we pay attention, something stands out that can define a chapter in our life. Think about the period you’re reflecting on: what events, situations and experiences truly defined it for you?

Now that you have written all these answers down to your reflection exercise and taken stock of where you’ve been, you can start to look at creating new goals for what’s next.

If you are needing further help in ensuring that you write down the correct goals for YOU and what steps you need to put into place to achieve them, book a session with us to Craft Your Future.

Address 15 George Street, Ferndale, Randburg, 2194

Telephone +27 11 781 1444

E-mail info@iegroup.co.za