Three months have already flown by in 2024 and as we gear up for a busy summer, it's important to pause and reflect on the progress we've (hopefully) made on our goals this year.
At this point nearly 91% of New Year's Resolutions will have "failed." I put that in quotations because a goal can only fail if effort to create progress has been totally abandoned.
If we haven't made progress on our annual goals, now is the critical juncture in which we must re-evaluate and possibly re-write to ensure we still make progress in becoming who we want to be by the end of 2024.
This process may be different for everyone, and goal setting should be individualized, but I've found the Report Card method to be extremely efficient and useful in evaluating and tracking the progress of my annual goals.
It utilizes the letter grading method, a method that most people will be familiar with, and takes less than 10 minutes.
For each annual goal you set in January, give yourself a letter grade on your current progress. If you had a goal to read 12 books by the end of the year, to receive a "passing" grade or a "C" you should have read three books by now (12 books is one per month, it's been three months). Some people give themselves an "A" for this effort, knowing that peak performance is simply meeting the goal they set. The letter grading system should reflect your personal philosophy on your goals.
After giving yourself a grade for each goal, the next step is to ask "Am I satisfied with this grade?" For some people, the year has presented unforeseen challenges and while a "D" grade for only reading two books doesn't sound great, it is the best they could have hoped for with life's current circumstances.
If you are satisfied with progress, make a note to continue on with similar efforts for the remainder of the year. If you are not satisfied, write one thing you will change in regards to that goal to get yourself back on track. I've included my individual report card below for reference.
If you're not satisfied with your report card know that the fact that you are aware of that dissatisfaction puts you in the top 1% of human beings in terms of making an effort towards achieving concrete goals.
Keep at it and as always, make someone better today.
Fact
The second Friday in January every year is observed as Quitter's Day because it marks the time when most people re-evaluate their New Year's resolutions.
Action
Create a report card for yourself even if you haven't set any goals this year.
Question
Who do you need to be to get all A's by the end of 2024?
Quote
“Giving up on your goal because of one setback is like slashing your other three tires because you got one flat.” -Unknown