Setting Goals for 2021 By Reflecting Back and Making Intentional Choices

Step Up Club, the club that empowers women with resources and support to bring out their career potential, recently asked me to give advice to their members on setting goals for 2021. In tumultuous times where the environment keeps changing, goal setting is even more important for keeping your career progressing in the right direction. They enable you to make intentional choices to design the life you want to live according to the values and activities that matter to you.

I’ve had a challenging year myself with a busy professional and personal life, new opportunities, my own business, three kids, a relocation… all while adapting to the Covid-19 pandemic. I know how easy it is to feel overwhelmed and lost, especially amongst the seemingly endless domestic admin.  For me, goals and the support structure around them give me the counterbalance I need to feel clearer, committed and positive.  They offer a reminder of where I am working towards, how to focus my energy and reminders of my progress. 

Goal setting deserves the investment of your time. Here are the steps I support my coaching clients with and some of the questions I recommend you ask yourself: 

1.     Reflect on the year gone by. Think about what you have experienced, how you have felt, and what you have learnt from it.  Ask yourself:

a.     What’s been my greatest triumph? What’s opened up for me? When have I been most satisfied? 

b.     What’s been my biggest failure? What unfinished business am I taking into 2021?

c.     What realisations have I come to around what I want more/ less of? 

2.     Visualise the future.  Use your imagination to imagine yourself one year from now, looking back on what you have achieved in 2021. Ask yourself:

a.     How am I feeling looking back having achieved my goals?

b.     How am I spending my professional time? Picture your team/ workspace/ clients… whatever you want to work towards.

c.     What difference have my professional achievements in 2021 made to me and those closest to me?

3.     Build the steps to get there.  Be more analytical and logical as you work back from your vision to where you are now.  Ask yourself:

a.     What are the building blocks I need to take towards achieving the vision I have set myself and by when?

b.     What can I control/ influence towards my vision, and what is outside of that?

c.     How will I know when I have achieved the tasks I have set myself?

4.     Integrate support systems.  Consider what you need to do to nurture yourself in 2021 so you have the greatest chance of achieving your goals. Ask yourself:

a.     Who is in my support system? What can my friends, family, colleagues, mentors or a career coach provide me with?

b.     Where are the places I will feel most energised and what are my sources of inspiration? 

c.     What might hinder me from taking up the support and what do I need to let go of? 

5.     And finally…. breathe! Goals are like living things that are constantly evolving.  Expect them to change as you progress through 2021.  You will be testing and iterating different pathways towards reaching your vision.  Plus you’ll be responding to the outside environment as the next phase of the pandemic takes shape.  As long as you have a clear vision, you’ll be on track to equip yourself with the practical and mindset support you need to get there.

I’d love to hear your tips on what helps you with goal setting or if you are interested in how coaching can help. Click here to message me directly or comment below.