So, the time is upon us, New Year. The time when we begin to list our new year's resolutions and the various things we hope to gain from the new year. Many of us will record habits we want to adopt, such as going to the gym, learning how to save money and becoming a better listener to our friends. Some of you will focus on your career aspirations and list the various positions you hope to get offered as you climb your way to the role of future CEO. Others will focus on their academics, telling their diaries 'I hope to graduate from Cambridge University with a first-class degree'. Whatever your goals and dreams are, the New Year seems the appropriate time to begin putting them in place. But before you start, there are a few things I want you to remember...
To begin, please remember that these are goals you would like to pursue but that they are not YOU. Often people attach themselves to their list of goals and when they do not succeed at the set time limit or maybe achieve the goal but not in the way they hoped; they attach this as a reflection of themselves. It is important to remember that you are already good enough as you are and that these goals, desires and new habits you want to adopt are simply an addition to your life and that they should not 'become' you. More often than not, we see ourselves as equal to the things we have accomplished, rather than as an already good enough human who happens to be doing these things.
The other the thing to remember is timing. You are living YOUR life for you, and no one else should interfere with that. You must learn to trust your process. Honestly, everything happens at its own time, and you have to know that your journey is YOUR journey. Even though it is difficult, try and avoid comparison to other people because you do not know what they had to do to be where they are. Sadly, we live in a social media-fuelled world where people post the highlights of their life, but not the process. Therefore, people often compare themselves to things that are not real. Keep your eyes on the prize and remember to run your race. It may take you an extra three years over your peers, and that is okay. I believe that when you have genuinely worked hard for something, in your way, at your own time, when it finally becomes yours; you enjoy it more. So essentially what I am saying is, take your time.
Lastly, be flexible. Try not set massive goals that are unmovable and are compulsory. Life happens, and it happens fast. Look at 2020, the year that turned every plan we all had on its head. 2020 has taught me that you must be flexible at all times and willing to see your goals in varying forms. I recommend writing your goals every quarter, and as you go along. This is because things are forever changing, and what you thought was possible at the start of the year might not be at the end. Therefore, it is essential to know how to adjust and move with the times. There's nothing more heart-breaking than revolving your life around one goal and one goal only and having it taken away from you by circumstances out of your control. Thus, if you can try and do things in bite-sized chunks (like the quarterly goals) and adjust as you go. Also, it is essential to note that the same way things change, you change. What you may have had your eyes set on at the start of the year may change. So, it is essential to stop, re-evaluate and ask yourself, are these goals and resolutions still serving me, what I stand for and who I want to be. If the answer is no, then it's time to re-evaluate and readjust.
This article was written as part of the LinkedIn #Changemakers partnership – a 12-month campaign shining a spotlight on individuals who are using LinkedIn to drive genuine change in the world of work. To find out more about the partnership, read more here: https://blog.linkedin.com/2020/may/10/follow-the-changemakers-driving-change-in-the-world-of-work
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