#BeInspired Mondays with IK: When Time Moves too Fast

It’s 48 days to the end of 2017 and while I don’t really bother about the year or month or week ending, I had to calculate this after a discussion between me and some friends recently.

Seeing a Christmas decorative piece, a friend screamed (well, not screamed screamed though) in excitement that festive period is on its way. My other friend didn’t really feel that way saying a new year is coming soon and one is actually getting older – time ticking fast. “What about the goals I’ve not achieved?” the friend quipped, insinuating that the new year season means one should reflect on his/her goals. “Don’t get me wrong,” she said, I love the festivities and all, but it is also a reminder that time is passing too fast and you should check your goals for the year”.

I agree, that’s true and important. However, yours truly was indifferent about the whole festive season. Yeah, the fun of the festive season, having family and friends over, outings, e.t.c gets me excited, but I just think it’s the passage of time – just like you get into a new day, new week, new month, new second e.t.c.

Most people set yearly goals, monthly, weekly and so on and it’s good. However, while it is necessary to set time-bound goals and always check, especially while approaching the end of the stipulated time, we shouldn’t get ourselves worked up because the year or month or day or the stipulated time is coming to an end. Thing is, enjoy the new year festive season (or any season at all) – enjoy your life. It’s not saying you should forget about your goals, but don’t get into hurtful thoughts because you didn’t achieve something.

I know, there are times where you have gotten to a particular point where you hope to have secured an achievement, but that goal is nowhere in view. You actually planned for it, worked for it, but it just didn’t come to fruition. What do you need to do? The ideas shared below may not be applicable to every situation, so they are not cast in stone. The important thing is that you don’t let failure define you.

It’s Okay to take your mind off the Issue

We are tempted to keep trying hard to turn how failures to success – sleepless nights, more phone calls, consistent thinking (worrying actually) on the issue e.t.c.

From Jack Ma to Steve Jobs, most highly successful people have said they have had to take time off when faced with a difficult challenge, or after experiencing failure.

Taking time off may be doing something else, taking a nap, a vacation or spending more time with friends and family. Just let the challenge be. Refresh yourself.

Ask yourself what went wrong

When you do not achieve your goals, it means you failed, but failure, just like pain, is not an end, it is a reaction to action or a result of inaction. “What did I do wrong? Where did I go wrong? What did I not do? What did I not do well?” These are some of the questions we should be asking ourselves when we fail to achieve our goals. More importantly, we should ask: How can I do this better?

“Defeat is a state of mind; No one is ever defeated until defeat has been accepted as a reality,” said Bruce Lee.

Pick the Lessons

At the end of every project plan, or even as the project is ongoing, there is a part called “Lessons Learned”. Whether failure occurs or not, project managers and executives must note important information gathered in the course of getting the job done.

What are the lessons learned? How can you modify your processes? Can you try again? What will you do better?

Try Again

Trying again doesn’t necessarily mean it should be in the particular thing you failed at. It may mean doing something else entirely. I personally believe that sometimes it’s okay to stop a particular project if you discover it’s not what you should be doing. Man know thyself, and to thyself be true.

In general, trying again means not giving up on life. Things can still be achieved; I believe anything is possible.

**

In the end, if we keep worrying about what may happen tomorrow or what didn’t happen yesterday, we’ll miss the opportunity of having happiness today.

Happiness is an inside job; fight whatever it is that is trying to steal it from you: talk to someone (a professional, if you can) who wouldn’t judge you or dismiss your challenge as trivial; share with a community that can help, and consciously and aggressively decide what you think about – feed your mind with inspiration and positivity.

Cheers!