[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he year 2017 is finally nearly done with, offices are closing, managers are taking home their briefcases, accountants are busy switching off their calculators, mails are being diverted, books of accounts are getting closed. I mean everyone is in a hurry to get home. The year is about to go and never will it come back.
Even as we prepare to celebrate the festive season that offers Kenyans one of the longest holidays to re-unite with their loved ones, one question that remains unanswered, however, is how exactly we should bid the year good-bye and what package will 2018 come with.
Should we drink silly, dance goofily or frivolously ran out of our senses? No, below are simple ways to end your year in a bang.
1. Review your goals from earlier in the year
At the onset of every year, people always come up with what they want to achieve within the New Year. Whether it is getting married, buying a new car, furthering your studies or even adding another wife, they remain goals.
The main aim of setting these goals is to help us review our achievements when the year finally comes to an end.
Some people might shy away from reviewing their goals perhaps because of lack of progress. Some throw up their hands and give up. They think, “I’m so off track from where I wanted to be, I’ll just start again in the New Year.”
One thing for a fact, it’s almost impossible to go from a standstill to a sprint. Life just doesn’t work that way.
However scared you are on how you failed this year, it remains vital that you list down the little you achieved, identify those that you still feel can be carried forward to the new year, identify the setbacks you encountered while trying to achieve the goals that you intend to carry forward.
2. List all of your accomplishments
This is pretty obvious. You cannot fail in all the goals you set at the beginning of the year. You can fail in one or two areas but not all.
Since most of us has the managerial perspective in gauging our performance, our failures are likely to overshadow our achievements leading to lower self perception.
Failure is quite demoralising. To beat it, list down what you achieved within the year just to feel pride in yourself.
You deserve to relish each thing on this list and the totality of it! I promise, even if you think you already know what you’ve accomplished, you won’t really be present to it until you try to write a long list.
This is the time to treat yourself and feel proud as you remember all the stuffs you achieved within the year.
This will serve as a polite reminder that if you managed to achieve one or two goals, then it is possible you can carry the ones you did not achieve and probably achieve them within the first quarter of the year.
3. List your failures
Perhaps this is the most painful and challenging one, but please, this remains key part of the process.
Identifying the areas you failed in will keep you thinking on alternative measures of handling such situations.
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Remember when you don’t get what you want, what you get is experience. So failure can sometimes give us experience.
One more thing though, do not blame yourself over the failure, focus on why you failed and how you can correct such at the dawn of the New Year.
4. Write what you want to acknowledge about it all
How was the journey towards achieving your goals? Who was involved? Who inspired you? Do you think someone stood on your way to success during the year?
These are some of the common questions that will crop up after you have listed what you achieved and your failures.
This will present to you an opportunity to realize that some circumstances were actually beyond your control for certain goals.
Acknowledge those you feel are worth during your year long journey own your failures, forgive yourself for the choices you made that were not optimal and Plan new promises to head off similar mistakes in the future.
5. Make sure you give yourself a break the last week of the year
All work but not play makes Jack a dull boy so they say.
Having had a bumpy ride throughout the year, it will be unfortunate if you carry the tired weary face to the New Year.
Have atleast a one week break for active rejuvenation — a chance to recharge for the big year you have ahead of you.
6. Take care
Many of you might think that when I said give yourself a break I meant that you go ahead and “jienjoy” with some sort of vacation of acts that might not have good endings.
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Please good health is very significant to all of us. As you give yourself a rejuvenating break this December, remember to be smart about your health.
If it’s one more for the road, please do it with care, remember to eat well and have enough sleep.
7. Create your New Year’s goals
Try to come up with New Year’s goal such that at the time the year turns, you will be good to go since you already have at hand your expectations.
Come up with goals in the following format:
· five things you need to do
· four things you need to STOP doing
· three new habits
· two people to hold you accountable
· one new belief
Going through this process early gives you an opportunity check in and reevaluate your goals before January 1st.
