3 Practical Ways to Assess your Life-progress

Have you ever had moments in your life when time feels like it is moving either really fast or extremely slow? Are there some seasons where your concept of time changes depending on what you are going through in life? I guess the phrase is true: “time flies when you’re having fun!” And time is not so speedy when your not! Just try holding your breath for a ‘measly’ two minutes! So a few days ago when I casually asked my wife what day it was and she replied : “ It’s June 2nd” my heart skipped a beat, we are already half way through 2017! It’s halftime!

This reality subtly dawned on me and took me back to last year November when we found out we were having our third (and final!) child. Seven months have passed since that day that I vividly remember like it was yesterday. Since then my year has literally flow by. I’ve made trips to Kenya, India, Philippines and South Africa this year but they all seem like small flashes of light you pass when you are on the fast-moving train called life. I contrast this to the times when the train of life makes a pit-stop which feels like eternity and there is no forward movement; just a monotonous dullness of life’s less-stimulating periods.

Regardless of how we (currently) perceive the construct of time, there are lessons to be learnt in self-awareness, energy preservation and remembering the bigger picture.

I liken this month of June as my half-time for 2017. Hence it’s a time to stop, self-assess and honestly take stock of how the year has been so far. It’s an opportunity to see where I need to make small adjustments and where I need to make major shifts. It’s a non-judgemental period where I get to see if the same goals I set in the beginning of the year are being achieved and/or I need to change those goals. Here are 3 ways to use your half-time and assess where you are in your year and life as a whole.

3 Practical Ways to Assess your Life-progress

1. Get Critiqued!

During the half-time period of a football or basketball match, the coach usually makes comments on how the team is performing: this is because he/she has a varying vantage point to how the game is being played.

Like a coach has a different perspective to the game than the player , so other people have a different view to your life.

Like a team would do during the half-time of a match, I would allow other people (I trust) to come in and make suggestions to my game. Let them assess and take what you need to move forward. Have coffee or dinner with a person whom has your best interests at heart and ask them how they think you are doing. It’s important to be open to what they will say and separate what is helpful and what is not.

Be mature enough to take the feedback but cognisant enough to only use what is useful for your progress.

If you do not have anyone whom you trust to do this constructively, then speak to a life-coach or personal development consultant. Most offer a free consultation so take advantage of that.

2. Check your Energy!

Everything we do has a transfer of energy: this is fact. And this applies to what we do in life also. So check your energy levels. How? I want you to do a simple but effective exercise: close your eyes and take 3 big deep breathes. After you are relaxed, with your eyes closed, I want you to picture 3 things that you do that energise and revitalise you. Here are my 3:

1. meditation
2. body movement exercise
3. writing my blogs/prepping my podcasts

Take a note of how these activities fill your energy tank and how often you do them. Now close your eyes and visualise 3 things that drain you and take your vitality away; here are two of mine:

1. driving
2. doing admin

It’s simple: do more of the things that add to your energy reserves than those that take in away. In my case: if I have had a long day in the car driving, I should not come home and immediately do my admin or bills; this will drain me even further! Instead, I would take a few hours and recharge with mediation or exercise before I get into it.

Now expand this in the context of your year: how much time have you dedicated to things that revitalise you and things that don’t. If you are operating from a already deleted energy reserve, this will affect the rest of your year and how you function overall.

3. Shift your Strategy

It is not unusual for substitutions to take place during a half-time break in a match. This substitution often implies an emphasis in one area at the expense of another factor of the team strategy. This can be applied in your life-strategy as well. A few months ago one of my goals was to find more work within the Zimbabwean corporates but personal development is not currently being prioritised in this economy, so I shifted my strategy to look outside Zimbabwe.

If something needs to be changed, change it. It’s not quitting, it being smart and adjusting.

So how are you doing so far in your half-time assessment? Self-assessment is an important tool to knowing where you are in your life-progress. Do not wait for the new year to review where you are, use this month to rest, revive and shift where necessary. Adapt your goals so they best suit your energy levels and intentions, this will ensure you are operating at your optimum.

Thanks for reading! Please share this with someone who you feel may need it and feel free to comment below (even if you disagree with this article!) Have a powerful week. Check out my latest YAS podcast and vlog below.

And remember:

Be. Authentic