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.
