January and February have now come and gone and it’s typically around this time that we begin to lose sight of the goals we set ourselves at the beginning of the year, writes Richard Wood.
The health and fitness kick may be waning, attendance at those language or craft classes may be less frequent, but what about any deeper, personal goals?
It’s perhaps a good opportunity to reflect and to look more closely at the type of goals we set and what makes them more achievable and rewarding.
When discussing goals, I always look for a strong emotional connection as without it a goal is just an idea, which can fade away as quickly as it came. It’s also vital to explore the nature of that emotion and whether it’s externally or internally driven.
External is familiar to all of us. It takes a physical form, such as hankering after that perfect beach body or a new car or gadget because we want to keep up with our peers. It’s materialistic, driven by a view that success is about fitting in with or emulating others.
Internal emotion may less tangible but it’s fulfilling and tends to make us happier. Related goals, which relate to our own personal desire to succeed, can take many different forms.
At one level, success could be about purely experiencing and appreciating our natural surroundings or the company of others, such as a weekend spending quality time with family, creating memories by cooking, eating, talking and laughing together.
These are simple goals that anyone can achieve and feel enriched by, regardless of their wealth.
Of course, personal goals can also be far more ambitious, such as leaving a personal legacy or making a positive impact on the world. But let’s not forget, we’re all capable of making a difference, whether we help just a few people or thousands.
To me, life is about constantly developing and bettering yourself. Devoting time each day to focus on the internal is a simple but effective way of making progress.
Richard Wood is BRWM's Managing Director