Get a reality check

You will need a sheet of paper - or two (I use an A4 notebook as I do this on a semi-regular basis).

At the top add today's date, then divide the page into 2 columns

In the top of the left hand column write: Things I am happy about / Things I have achieved

In the top of the right hand column: Things I am unhappy about / Things I have not yet achieved

Then take a few minutes and start filling in the columns. You can choose any time frame you like, but I would recommend the last month as being a good starting point if you've never completed this exercise before.

It should only take a few minutes to complete - but the results will reveal many things to you.

The items in the right hand column are the areas you need to work on....obviously.
If you complete this on a regular basis, you are likely to see these negatives crop up many times. The more they crop up the more they need to be dealt with. The higher up the list, the more they need to be dealt with - as these are front of mind and may need urgent attention. But don't discount the last few items on the list as these are probably the underlying issues you have and will impact on some or all of the higher up the list items.

In the left hand column - the things you are happy about - are they things you have achieved or are they things that have happened to you? Are the list items material? When I completed this myself this morning I was interested to see some interesting patterns emerge. A lot of my "happy" side related to new experiences and things that I had achieved - new places I had visited, new foods I had tried, even things I thought I wouldn't enjoy but did and little things like creating a new habit of getting up half an hour early and going for a walk. My "things to work on side" was just as long though and had some of the classics listed - stop wasting time, learn to relax more, attitude, not getting my tax done. Some were massive - and some were minor niggles (tax) and easily remedied. But there in black and white was my reality check, and what was stopping me from achieving my goals and dreams.

Try it - it's powerful.

Elle

To add your comments or join in the discussion -

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100 day goal achievement challege meetup:
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