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How to set intentional goals in 2021?

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At this time, every year I look back at the past year and mentally go through the journey of evaluating what I achieved, where I succeeded, what lessons I learned, where I failed and most importantly what goals and resolutions set on December 31st of 2019 that were completed, and which were not.

We all went to 2020 looking forward to a 2020 vision (that was trending) looking at the leap year, making great plans, having high hopes and dreams with many resolutions. 2020 sounded sexy.

What happened in 2020 was something that no one ever expected in their worst nightmares

2020 started with the tragedy of losing Kobe and his daughter, then continued with fragmented news here and there about a deadly virus.

Of course, we never imagined that what happens to someone else can happen to us, then the first wave of COVID-19 hit, and ALL rules of the game changed.

By March 13th, we started all panicking, we went through the first steps of lockdown. We were all in kind of trance.

For those of us that are entrepreneurs, we saw mostly everything we built crumble, contracts annulled, events and conferences postponed and later cancelled.

Thousands if not millions losing their jobs, people reverting to survival, buying things in a crazy frenzy like toilet paper, and disinfectants as if it was the end of the world.

People were scared to death, because that virus causes death, economy tanked, everyone started working from home without ever being prepared to do that.

Families found themselves cramped together all of them at home, a living room became multiple offices and multiple classrooms for children to attend school.

Suddenly, we were all extended very thin, uncertainty hit, anxiety and stress flared – the unknown is scary – none of any living life on this earth has been through anything like that so we did not have a guidebook and life as we know it stopped.

We panicked, we got depressed, we felt lost, we all suffered some kind of loss even at a micro level. The world changed within few days and we longed for what we knew, knowing that life as we knew will not be back, at least not anytime soon.

Everyone’s life went into turmoil, I personally went through a rabbit hole of “OMG we are doomed” but I always faced my fears front and central, I embrace them, name them, deal with them, then wish them farewell.

Being a business advisor for PCR SBDC, calls inundated the phone lines, people desperate for help either for their business or to start a business because they needed a quick income after losing their jobs.

Staying down is not in my book, neither is in the book of many resilient people I know and some I do not know.

It has been scary, exhausting, depressing and sometimes very lonely. COVID-19 magnified everything the good, the bad and the ugly.

We were all pushed to our limits, we did not have any other choice but to survive (some of us were not that lucky).

We mostly needed not only to survive but to thrive. To thrive we needed to pivot.

And did I pivot throughout my whole life. I started by setting goals some realistic, some I deemed not but I still set them up within the big picture, once I started feeling some kind of stability I started reaching out for friends and family as well as clients to help them set up goals as well to manage the unknown and the uncertainty at least to get a grip of what we have control over.

Many of us going through the goal setting and achieving process found out that we are stronger and smarter than we ever thought we are. Though, we never had a road map for such a calamity, but we tried to create one through goal setting, we started building a blueprint that we will leave behind to show generations to come how we all rose to the challenge

 For me, I look at achieving goal as part of a plan that requires CHANGE. And boy did we go and still going through change.

To set goals, the first thing to do is to assess our situation. Change Management 101.

  1. Define where you are now and take inventory of your situation
  2. Where you want to go- what is your destination (short- and long-term goals)
  3. How would fill the gap or get there
  4. How would you know you reached your destination or goal (measure)?

To assess where we are, we need to realize that:

  • 9 to 5 as we know it is gone – farewell we are not even sure if it will ever be back in the traditional way.
  • Many positions, jobs, products, or services some will be out of our lives forever and some new have been added
  • Working remotely is the plan for the future
  • Being online and going digital is a way of life (Though it has been for few years, but many were resisting it)
  • We are more connected than we ever were
  • Acts of kindness will always win
  • There are new rules for the game, and we need to catch up if we want to thrive
  • A new business can be started in a second and can actually thrive (I have a client that started in April after being laid off from her job, she planned and started a business by August she was featured in FORBES magazine for being a success story for pivoting and making it)

Now we have more time than ever to achieve the goals and dreams we always wanted to do, perform the tasks that we never had a chance to accomplish.

We can never stop or control what life throws as us, COVID-19 is the perfect example- but we control 100% how we can react and act through it.

First, make sure that we and our families are staying safe, second laying out plans for what is coming

Now, at the end of 2020, is a good time to re-evaluate our lives, to lead to the life we want to build.

Start feeling comfortable with the uncomfortable, embrace who you are and what you have as skills and talents, be kind to yourself before being kind to anyone else and start setting your goals.

Goal setting is a powerful process for thinking about your ideal future, and for motivating yourself to turn your vision of this future into reality. 

By knowing precisely what you want to achieve, you know where you must concentrate your efforts using your resources, know what your obstacles are, what are your distractions both are overwhelming during this pandemic.

Whatever we focus on, we see, whatever we fear we draw near. This is a powerful concept with significant implications for both your personal and organizational lives.

What we see is deeply influenced by what we expect, we are what we THINK we are.

Dreaming is fun, creativity is free to flow, all dreams are attainable but are not a final step, and it all starts with a plan. 

Someone said the difference between a dream and achieving a goal is timeline and accountability. 

Everybody dreams only few make their dreams a reality. Dreams become a reality when they solidify into a vision that takes on a life on its own.

Now, I want you to close your eyes and think how did your life change during the pandemic?

a-   Personal life


b-   Business life


 

I have a full workbook to help you that will help you map for 2021.

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My name is Sahar Andrade, I help organizations increase their employee engagement by investing in Diversity/Inclusion practices as well as through Leadership Development.

I also help successful Individuals that are stuck to reinvent their lives with courage, release their fears, get clarity on their purpose and pursue their dreams.

My teachings, my unique education and experience combined with singular approach to realizing change, form a proven system for long lasting positive transformation. My methodology is based on human psychology and research to break down issues, reverse engineer them, and deconstruct personal myths, while developing personal leadership skills development. It is a simple step by step program, modules, exercises, one on one and group coaching.

I am the author of “49 things about Entrepreneurship: That experts do not want you to know” on Amazon.

This is my TED TALK : Overcoming Negative Thoughts

I am the founder of “Sahar Consulting, LLC” and “Reinvent Yourself to Greatness

You can schedule a COMPLIMENTARY self-discovery session here:

https://calendly.com/saharandrade

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