Are We There Yet? A universal question we need to ask more often

A common theme for the month of June is the idea of a halfway mark. We’re approaching the midpoint of the year, and with some level of reasonableness, it seems we should be at that same point for achieving the goals we set for ourselves at the start of the year.

But in most cases, that check-in is not a happy occasion. In fact, we might even avoid looking at our progress altogether just to avoid disappointment. Because when you know, you know.

It may be that the work you thought you would do just never happened. And that could be for a variety of reasons. It may also be that you did the work, and the results didn’t happen. That, too, could be for a variety of reasons. But it’s important to recognize the difference between those two points of perspective.

Did you try?

Sometimes, that’s the only difference.

But there are other factors, and it pays to be aware of them, so we don’t fall into the trap of making any assumptions that aren’t true.

When we want to achieve results, there are principles in play that are so predictable they could nearly be thought of as laws. Not quite, because, after all, there are exceptions. It’s not like gravity. But they are very close to it.

So, what are those “nearly” laws of achieving results?

Recognize – To achieve anything, we must be clear about what it is we are working toward. Many times, we fail to fully define what it is we want and what we are working to achieve, and so we’re never able to see or realize our progress.

Resolve – Anything worth doing is going to require something of us. Jim Rohn taught that every promise carries a price. That is why we must be committed to it. I love the word resolve here. Personal development expert Brian Tracy once defined the concept of discipline with this simple phrase: Do what you resolve to do. If we haven’t made a clear commitment, that may be why it keeps sliding to the back of the line.

Resources – Everything makes something else possible but also requires something of something else. That’s a mouthful, but it’s true. Part of our resolve is right here. It is about allocating the resources at hand to what it is we want to achieve. This is where we can begin to see competing priorities and may need to examine those priorities and make a clearer choice.

Routine – Leadership expert John Maxwell offers us this wisdom: “You will never change your life until you change something you do daily. The secret of your success is found in your daily routine.” How is your resolve showing up in your daily routine? Where do your goals show up on your calendar?

Review – If we wait until we’re late, we’ve not given ourselves any chance of early recovery. This is the value of reviewing our progress along the way. If you have a weight loss goal of twenty-five pounds over the next ninety days, it won’t make sense to not weigh yourself for the next three months and just hope that what you are doing is working. No, we need check-ins like we need weigh-ins. They are NOT about judgment. They are about checking in so that we can adjust – not judge.

Renew – This is perhaps the most important principle of all. We must continue to renew ourselves and our commitment every day. The review is only valuable when it leads us to the renewal of our recognition of what we want and our resolve to achieve it, the investment of our resources, and the consistency of our daily practices.

These principles can both guide us as we move forward and serve as our framework for check-ins when we want to determine why something is not moving forward the way we anticipated or wanted it to.

·         Were we clear about the goal? If not, get clear.

·         Were we committed to the goal? If not, get committed.

·         Were we concentrating our resources on the goal? If not, make those adjustments.

·         Were we consistent with our daily practices? If not, what tools can help us do that?

When we free ourselves of judgment, these check-ins become something to look forward to as we press on for whatever prize we have set for ourselves.

As each question is asked and answered, we naturally renew ourselves and paint a future that reflects the best of ourselves and for ourselves.