The first quarter of 2023 is almost over! It is a good time to reflect on how you have fared in the last three months. Have you worked hard to achieve your objectives and are eager to build on them in the coming months? Or, did life take over and time passed while dealing with everyday challenges?
Whatever category you fall into, now is the time to reflect, re-evaluate, and, if necessary, course correct. If you have struggled to keep your promises to yourself, I invite you to consider whether one of the following is derailing your progress –
Lack of clarity about your goals/aspirations can make it difficult to establish a clear direction and take meaningful steps toward achieving them. This is bound to result in a lack of focus and motivation. You may not value your work, get easily distracted, and feel disengaged. This can create a vicious cycle of feeling underachieved, unfulfilled, and unmotivated. If you are having a hard time, living up to your potential and find yourself putting off things that matter, take some time to reflect on what success means to you. Clarity will help you prioritize your goals and pursue them with focus and confidence.
The lack of boundaries confounds so many because it often stems from something deep-rooted, for example, the desire to –
– please others. We want to fit in and be liked by those around us. Therefore, we prioritize the happiness of others over our own and do things that make them happy. We agree to support them, even if it means deprioritizing our work or stretching to meet our commitments.
– escape from our reality. We accommodate every request that comes our way to remain numb to the vacuum in our lives or to avoid dealing with our problems.
But we become over-committed, tired, stressed, and resentful when we fail to set healthy boundaries. Research tells us that only 10% of managers are focused enough to not get distracted by random asks, and they are the ones who make it to the top. Next time you struggle to put healthy boundaries, remember to ask yourself –
– Why am I saying yes?
– By saying yes to this, what am I saying no to?
Perfectionism. We should all strive to do our best, but striving for perfection can cause you to miss opportunities. You are never satisfied because your standards are too high. It also impacts your relationships because you set unrealistic expectations for those around you.
If you identify with the above description, try to confirm standards with your team/boss. Seek their feedback on expected results, costs, and timelines rather than aiming for the unrealistically high ones that perfectionism leads you to. Alternatively, conduct small experiments in which you relax your standards slightly and observe the results. Do your worst fears come true?
To summarize, you need to prioritize your goals and follow them up with consistent action to meet your own expectations. Make the time to identify what is distracting you and derailing your progress. Do not hesitate to seek help from your mentors or engage a coach if you need to. Remember, it’s never too late to make a change and get committed to your goals.