Monday, September 24, 2018

Time to FALL into a good habit!

It is that time of year again where children are thinking about Halloween and adults are planning for the Homecoming at Thanksgiving. At least that what the retailers would have one believe. But for me, I begin to think back over the year that was and where I am headed in the coming year. That’s right, I am talking about assessing what when right and what when wrong in 2018 and then planning where I want to go in 2019. I, personally, learned some very valuable lessons in 2018, none of which 
I will share publicly, but all which have left an indelible mark on my life.

Most people miss the mark concerning goals because they confuse resolutions with goals. Resolutions are notoriously negative. What I mean by that is that resolutions are normally made to stop a behavior that one has identified as detrimental to one’s existence. Goals are notoriously positive. That is, goals tend to be set to achieve something that is fundamentally positive in a person’s life.

The problem with resolutions is that they force you to focus on the very behavior you are trying to stop. Goals, on the other hand, force you to focus on the very thing you desire to achieve and if written properly, will cause you to practice positive behaviors in the process of that achievement.
I have always advocated that goals, especially strategic goals, give you a lot of flexibility that resolutions do not. Most resolutions require the “setter” to eliminate something from his or her life in order to achieve the desired outcome. If that things is not eliminated, achievement is impossible. 
However, goals retain a steady target with many paths to achievement. That is because properly written goals must have two critical elements, in addition to the goal itself, that provide guidance when things go wrong. And let me tell you, when you are on the right track, things will go wrong.

In 2008 I experience my first layoff in the 28 years I had been working. Starting in my sophomore year of high school, I started working for Arbys. Even though I changed employment over those 28 years, I had never been unemployed. That is because most of the time I was working two and even three jobs at a time. But then came 2008. After working steadily for over 21 years, my employer executed a RIF (reduction in forces). That’s a fancy way to say they laid a bunch of people off.

However, as luck would have it, I had another employment opportunity lined up almost immediately. I never even missed a paycheck between employers. Then, seven years into that employment, the company decided to move my position to another state and decided that I would be part of a larger lay-off. Again, within a month of being laid off, I was once again employed. Then came 2017. After falling into an opportunity where I thought I would ride out the rest of my employable years, I was blind-sided by the politics of a government position.

This time I had to make major adjustment. This period of unemployment would last for over four months. For the first time in my life I filled for unemployment benefits. I found myself attending employment workshops, job fairs, and support meetings. I found myself questioning if this was how I was going to enter retirement. The emotional rollercoaster I experienced was one that I had never experienced before and one I hope to never experience again.

As I look back over 2018 there is one thing that stands out. One thing kept me holding on when it would have been easier to just let go and fall into the abyss of depression. Having goals actually caused me to focus on what I needed to do in order to ensure that I did not have to give up on them. Resolutions would have been easy to give up on. Resolutions do not have the power to sustain you in the face of difficult struggles.

That is why every year, around this time, I begin to look back at what this year offered in terms of challenges that needed to be overcome. I think about how my goals stood up to the forces that tried to disrupt their achievement. And I consider what I might have done differently in the areas where the waves of life breached the walls. Life has a way of taking things from you. Like the waves on the ocean which gives up its treasures during a Nor’easter and then takes them back during a hurricane, life is a constant ebb and flow of challenges; revealing opportunity and then snatching it back from you just as you reach for it.

Even though I had been setting informal goals in high school, I began to write out my goals in 2005. A goal not written out is nothing more than a hope or a dream. You have to write your goals out and refer to them when times get tough… and times will get tough, trust me. Since then, I have become an expert in developing strategic goals that make positive impacts in my life and I have helped countless people change their lives by writing out their goals.

The truth is, I can’t imagine not setting goals. I can’t imagine living life without focus. That is why I am offering to work with any individual who wants to begin 2019 with more focus, more intention, and more purpose. Of course, my time is valuable and the information I provide will continue to pay dividends far into the future. The consultation is free. So why not take a chance and discovery how much you have been missing by not living your life with focus, intention, and purpose?


If you want to take the next step in designing your future by making this the year you learn how to really set strategic goals, connect with me on LinkedIn or email me at krupert1964@gmail.com. You are not paying for a service, you are investing in your future.