The first half of 2022 has been a difficult and challenging one. Feeling overwhelmed by the weight of the world’s issues can be confronting for most people. However, it is important that when things get tough, we take the time to refocus and put our best foot forward to pursue our pre-planned goals.
Here are QPG’s top 5 tips for a mid-year refocus.
Determine Your Goals
The first step to understanding where you are at on your timeline is to revisit your previous goals and evaluate them. Assessing your previous goals will help you determine what worked best for you.
Consider the experiences you have endeavoured in the last 6 months:
- Have you changed careers?
- Did an emergency cause you to dip into your savings?
- Did you go on a family holiday?
Once you understand your initial goals, you can make an informed decision on whether they need to be recalibrated to fit your current situation. A great place to start is to consider ways you can re-inject excitement and give new hope to your goals.
Tweak Your Plan
If your goals have changed since the start of the year, you will need to change your game plan. To achieve your goals, you need to make plans. If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.
The best way to set yourself up for success is to make your goals suit you. Consider the following to help yourself achieve your goals –
- If you’re an early riser, try hitting the gym in the mornings to energise your day.
- If you’re an impulse spender, try setting spending limits on your cards or delete pay-as-you-go apps like Afterpay and ZipPay.
- If keeping your house clean is becoming a mission, it might be time for a spring clean out.
Remember to organise your life around your goals, not the other way around. Always understand what your priorities are and work on the most important tasks first.
Focus On Your Wellbeing
It’s time to put yourself first. Focus on what you want, and don’t let anything or anyone cause you to lose sight of your goals. Consider what you want to focus on and what you have been neglecting – setting aside a few minutes each day to take a walk or clear your head, working out X number of times a week, self-care practices you want to incorporate into your routine, or starting a daily journal.
Focus on what you can control
When things seem overwhelming, you just need to take the very next step possible. Ask yourself: What is within my control? You will find that shorter-term, process-oriented goals such as “I will organise my finances this week” or “I will enquire about buying a home” are critical when things are constantly changing because you will not likely fully control the outcome. Training yourself to challenge the fear of the unknown will help you focus on what you can control, and divert your energy and effort from things you can’t.
Practise Gratitude
Setting goals inherently makes one think about things they are yet to achieve, which can lead to fixation on what we don’t have. While it’s great to strive for bigger and better things, it’s equally important to take time out to give thanks for the good things in your life. So, regardless of what you set out to achieve this new year, make sure to pause and reflect on all the things you are grateful for, and give thanks for where you are today.
There is no doubt that the year 2022 is challenging, but that doesn’t mean you must wait until 2023 to achieve your goals. Instead, you can be proactive and work on the remaining 6 months. Set new goals or recalibrate your old ones, focus on what you can control and practise gratitude.
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