As January comes to a close, the time to be honest with ourselves is here. While I am not a big fan of New Year’s “resolutions” in my own life, I do tend to use the arbitrary change of date on the calendar as an opportunity to refocus my intentions. Most of us probably do some version of Resolutions, Intentions, and Goals (RIGs) at the beginning of the year. Many of us may have already done something that gets us heading in that direction. Many have not.
No matter where you are on the spectrum of turning your RIG into action, it’s likely by now that it is less at the front of mind than it was at the cusp of the new year. While I don’t encourage judging ourselves for where we’re at, I find it incredibly valuable and appropriate to be honest about where we actually are with RIGs.
Evaluate your RIG by asking:
- What was it I set out to do in the first place?
- What was the ‘why’ behind my RIG?
- What have I actually done?
- What worked?
- What didn’t’?
- Is it appropriate to adjust my RIG?
- What could I do moving forward?
As you approach each question, do your best to do so without judgement. It’s about figuring out where we are right now based on what we set out to do, not about being angry or disheartened with our self. By reconnecting with our original RIG, we can better evaluate and address what’s working and what isn’t. We may even find that some adjustment or fine tuning of our RIG is in order. From there, we can begin to look at the opportunities moving forward.
This is your last chance (this month 😉) to become aware of where you are on your journey of transitioning those New Year’s RIGs into reality. Experiencing life mindfully means being aware, without judgement. It may not always be easy to ditch the judgement, but the more you do, the easier it becomes. If there happens to be a bit of self-judgement lingering as it relates to your RIG, I have a secret to share. By reading this and asking yourself these questions, you have actually moved forward on your journey. You see, moving forward means taking a step in a certain direction and you just did that.
We don’t run a mile by simply “running a mile.” We run a mile by taking enough steps to go the distance. It’s up to you decide whether you walk, run, stroll, or a combination of all three. You’ve already reminded yourself of where you started, checked in with where you’re at, and looked at the possibilities in the future. Deciding what the next step is….is up to you. Take a few intentional breaths and decide which shoes are the best fit moving forward.
