Evaluation follows up

Hopefully you have taken the time to do the evaluation exercise I have suggested in my last post. I cannot emphasize enough how important this simple exercise is to your success. You need to take the time to evaluate your progress, rethink, strategize and move forward.

For those who have done it, I congratulate you. For those who have not, I hope you will change your mind and decide to give it a shot.

This week, I’d like to comment on a few outcomes of this evaluation process.

I’ve personally done my evaluation 2 weeks ago and man, I was surprised. I was shocked to realize:

• how much I’ve accomplished in 3 months period;
• how much my priorities have changed and as a result, how many goals I don’t want to pursue anymore;
• how many goals I have identified as VERY important in December and have managed to slipped my mind, therefore I am way behind;
• how many new goals I have.

It was a really stimulating exercise for me because it helps me re-focus and reminded me what is important for ME.

However, a few people emailed me or call me and say they did not like this exercise at all. The 3 most common reasons I was given:

1. Discourage them to see how little they have accomplished;
2. Frustrate them to see that things are not moving regardless of their hard work;
3. Anger them to realize some of the goals they have set are not achievable.

After hearing them talk, my questions were as follow:

1. Would you rather not knowing how little you have accomplished?
2. Now that you know you are so far behind on your goals, what are you going to do about it?
3. If you are sincerely working hard on your goals and things are not moving, is it maybe time to come up with a new action plan?
4. Why isn’t your goal achievable? If you were to give yourself an extra year to work on it, will it be feasible then?

So yes, this exercise can create a lot of frustration, discouragement and anger but I am happy to report in 100% of the cases, when these emotions are turned into positive and optimist thoughts, people come to appreciate the process.

Many blessings,
Jephtee E.