What To Do When You've Missed Your Goals

WHAT TO DOWHEN YOU’VE MISSED

YOUR GOALSLou Blaser | Second Breaks

It's great to look back on a year when you've hit all your targets.

s e c o n d b r e a k s

Not so much when you've missed your

goals.

s e c o n d b r e a k s

The impulse is to get down on yourself ....

cc:quinn.anya- https://www.flickr.com/photos/53326337@N00

s e c o n d b r e a k s

... or to quickly sweep it under the rug and "try again"

cc:EasaShamih(iZZo)|P.h.o.t.o.g.r.a.p.h.y- https://www.flickr.com/photos/29695407@N00

s e c o n d b r e a k s

Instead ofblaming yourself or jumping to a new list of goals, pause and consider these 3 things first.

s e c o n d b r e a k s

1. Be okay with feeling disappointed.

s e c o n d b r e a k s

"You have to expect things from yourself before you can do

them."

—Michael Jordan

cc:cliff1066™- https://www.flickr.com/photos/28567825@N03

s e c o n d b r e a k s

Disappointment happens when you expect more from something,

and it delivers less than that.

You expect a lot of yourself.

That's a good thing.

s e c o n d b r e a k s

It's okay to feel disappointed with

yourself.

s e c o n d b r e a k s

It means you aren’t satisfied with status quo.

It means you want to do more or do better.

s e c o n d b r e a k s

2. To make it useful, learn from it.

cc:SquirrelGirlcbk- https://www.flickr.com/photos/10176784@N02

s e c o n d b r e a k s

So, you’re feeling a wee bit disappointed.

s e c o n d b r e a k s

You may be wanting to brush it

aside and start listing all the

things that went well instead.

That’s a common antidote.

cc:VinothChandar- https://www.flickr.com/photos/44345361@N06

s e c o n d b r e a k s

There’s a time for that.

Don’t let this valuable learning moment slip by.

s e c o n d b r e a k s

Ask yourself why you didn’t achieve what you

set out to do:

Did you put in the effort?Did you not know enough to do a

good job at it?Was it because you were scared?

Was it too hard?Did you feel lost doing it?

s e c o n d b r e a k s

There are reasons why you didn’t do the work to

achieve your goals.

You want to understand those reasons.So that you can address them.

So they don’t appear again next time you try.

s e c o n d b r e a k s

3. Consider the possibility that it's okay to have missed

your goals.

s e c o n d b r e a k s

In the process of analyzing why you missed your goals,

you may discover that it’s actually okay that you didn’t

meet them.

s e c o n d b r e a k s

Priorities shift along the way.

And sometimes, goals that you set earlier in

the year may no longer be in line with

your new focus.

cc:@Doug88888- https://www.flickr.com/photos/29468339@N02

s e c o n d b r e a k s

This is a good time to take stock and re-confirm that

you still want the same things.

s e c o n d b r e a k s

Part of the joy of setting up goals is imagining the moment when you get

to check off the box and say “YES.”

s e c o n d b r e a k s

Missed goals are, naturally, downers.

You don’t get to celebrate for clearing the bar you set for yourself.

s e c o n d b r e a k s

But as dispiriting as it may feel initially, the moment you realized you missed your goals is a

strong learning moment.

You can glean valuable insights if you take pause and review why it happened.

s e c o n d b r e a k s

Sweeping it under the rug and focusing on a newer, more exciting plan for the next year may

feel more positive.

But by going there immediately, you’ll likely miss the chance to pick up key insights that would be helpful for your next time at bat.

s e c o n d b r e a k s

TAKE ACTION NOW

s e c o n d b r e a k s

Download the Post-Mortem Worksheetplus other tools and resources

http ://secondbreaks .com/free-resources-l ibrary

s e c o n d b r e a k s

*your work matters

Second Breaks | Reinvent Yourself and Your Career