Well it is 2017!
Happy New Year!
This is the time of year that many people view as a fresh start, a moment in their life to try their hand at changing things in their life for the better, setting new goals, taking risks and kicking their own butt.
Every year you probably see the same, very good, advice for how to set resolutions and achieve your goals. I have written on that precise topic. Check posts from 2016:
- Want to Reach Your 2016 Goals? Make Gratitude Your Buddy
- Part 2: New Years Resolutions: How to Set Personalized Goals
- Part 3: New Years Resolutions: Understanding Your Personality When Setting Achievable Goals
I know, I know great advice right?!
But…I hear you saying “yeah but”…
Yes the advice is great, but what if you can’t get the changes to stick around? Most people, including me, tend to crash hard on the goal-achieving part sometimes. So, that got me thinkin’, googlin’ and being curious about my own success process when I was awesome at “stick-to-it-ness” and made my goal a reality.
So, keep reading and join me in shaking it up a bit this year and get all set up for success. This year I want you to do something super whacky….
PLAN TO FAIL!!!
Wait what??!
Yes! Plan to Fail!
Ok, stick with me and check out this fancy word:
Prospective Hindsight
Let’s break it down…
- Prospective: is defined as something that is likely to happen at a future date; concerned with or applying to the future.
- Hindsight: is defined as understanding of a situation or event only after it has happened or developed.
So…
Prospective Hindsight is an attempt to determine the most likely reasons for future failure based upon past experience and create a plan to work around those potential pitfalls.
Check out this wonderful TEDTalk to help you understand a wee bit more about prospective hindsight.
Still Wondering Why You Should Foster Your Prospective Hindsight Ability?!?
It is the essence of any risk assessment in the business world because it hones your ability to spot problems before or as they occur. Business people tend to know their stuff because business success depends heavily on refining and streamlining processes. So, be your own business and project manage your life like a pro using Prospective Hindsight 🙂
Advice for Getting Started:
- When setting goals, brainstorm about what could possibility go wrong in the process of meeting your goals. Explore where you tend to procrastinate, where your motivation tends to drop, what tends to overwhelm you, etc.
- Try Asking Yourself…
- At what point in the goal attainment process do I tend to be most vulnerable to quitting? 2weeks in? When life gets stressful?
- What has gone wrong for me in the past when setting goals?
- What do I think the possible causes were for not reaching the goal that I set? Was my goal to big? Did I not break it down to manageable pieces? Was this goal not my goal, but rather something someone else expected from me? Was I WAY too hard on myself and expected perfection all the time?
- Play the “Devils Advocate” role in your own life. Look at your growth areas, weaknesses, stuff you are not good at yet, and use this information to make a plan. This can be hard to admit, but this is so important. This is how you learn to work WITH your characteristics or WORK AROUND them. Start by asking yourself what you know about yourself and work WITH your personality and skills, not against them.
Mindset VIDEO
Now that you have started to identify the likely reasons goals have fizzled out in the past, you now have a basis for approaching goal setting differently.
You just need the most helpful mindset to get started. Here is video from a 4 year old who is giving the most fantastic advice for setting goals. I was seriously shocked how insightful (and super cute) this little person was. Check this video out, you will not regret the time spent viewing it 😉
I would love to hear about your adventures in applying prospective hindsight this year!
Tell me about your journey!
#YouGotThis #LiveFully #MentalWellness
Dr. Heather Drummond, C.Psych.
Psychologist * Passionate Advocate for Flourishing * A Human Muddling Through
#EmbraceThisMessyLife