2020 has been a year like no other and as it draws to a close we may start thinking about what will hopefully be a more positive 2021. It is a great time to reflect on what we have experienced in the last 12 months and set some inspirational goals for next year.
TPC Leadership’s founder Charles Brook has shared with us his process of reflection and goal setting.
The power of goal setting
“Every year for the last 10 years I have gone through this kind of reflection and goal setting process. We know that goal setting theory is a powerful motivating factor for humans. When we set goals, it helps motivate us towards achieving those goals. So being intentional about the year ahead you want to have, means you’re more likely to achieve what you set out to.”
Set goals for each of your life roles
“I find it particularly helpful to look at my goals and what I’ve achieved. I do this through the lens of the different roles in my life. I feel this is really important as it’s very easy for us to get over associated with one or two roles i.e., me as the worker or leader or me as the parent and that means I might put all my energy into those roles and not put energy into me as the sportsman or me as a friend. Thinking about the different roles in my life and how I want to be and what I want to achieve really helps me have a more rounded life.”
Using the pandemic as an opportunity to reset
“This year in particular my wife and I have had a number of walks and talks where we’ve considered what the pandemic has given us, in that if it hadn’t have come along we’d have stayed in old patterns of behaviour. It has given us an opportunity to relook and reset what’s important for us. There are lots of opportunities in these difficult times to do a reset but often we just run from one thing to another so going through a list of questions like this can really help us be intentional about how we want our lives to be going forward”
How do I want to be?
“One thing that occurs to me is that we often ask questions around what we wish to achieve but another way of looking at this, and questions to ask, is around ‘being’ goals eg how do I want to be this year? How do I want to be experienced by others this year? They are goals we usually don’t set and questions we don’t ask of ourselves but fundamentally they are the key kind of goals in our relationships with people around us and with life itself.”
Regularly reconnect with your goals
“I look at my learning from last year and my goals for the current year every other month. Just reconnecting with them on a regular basis makes a big difference. I also think it’s good to get a felt sense for the next year and if it was a really great year for you what would that look and feel like? The more you can get a visceral sense of what success would look and feel like the more likely it is for you to be able to achieve them.”
Reflection and goal setting questions
- What are the key insights and learnings that living in Covid times has given me?
- What did I accomplish in 2020?
- What am I most proud of?
- What strengths have I developed?
- What experiences have brought me joy?
- What have my biggest disappointments been and what could I do in future to overcome these?
- Consider the important roles you have in your life, for example parent, partner, work colleague, friend, community member. For each of these different parts of your life what are you pleased about as you look back over 2020 in terms of how you showed up and what you did or didn’t do?
- Thinking about each of your roles, set yourself 1 or 2 goals for each. Think about your way of being and what you want to embrace.
- What adventures do I want to have in 2021?
- How do I want to use my time, money and resources to lead the life I want to lead in 2021?
- Where do I want to be of service or make a positive contribution?
- What do I need to do in order to feel proud and/or satisfied of how I’ve used my energies in 2021?
- How do I want to be experienced by others?
- What habits/ways of being do I need to change or adapt so that I can achieve my goals in 2021?
