Time for a Personal Mid-Year Review: This Is How! (What We Can Learn From Business)

"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards." -- Søren Kierkegaard

This week, the first companies announced their half-year results for 2013. Referring to the goals they had set themselves at the beginning of the year, they took a moment to reflect on their performance to date, in order to make adjustments where necessary, for the rest of the year.

Although this mid-year review in business is mainly driven by the capitalist system we live in, it is a very wise thing to do because growth can only come from understanding, and understanding always comes from reflecting on what has happened; it can indeed, like Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard said: "only be understood backwards."

So, if we wish to keep growing and developing in the right direction ourselves, and if we wish to achieve the goals we had set ourselves in our New Year's resolutions, writing a personal mid-year review is a great tool to do so!

This is how!

1. Write down the goals you had set yourself at the beginning of the year.
It is good to "categorize" your goals. For example: health, family/social life, work, the balance between the both, personal development and living sustainable.

2. Write down how you have "performed" in these categories.
Next to each goal, simply write down whether you have already succeeded or if you still need to work on it.

3. For each category, write down one or two of the biggest "challenges" you have had as well as one or two things that helped you to do really well.
This helps you to determine what "qualities" you can deploy to achieve the goals that are still on the "to do" list.

4. Are there any new goals you would like to set for yourself?
In the category "health" and "family life" I have added for example: "Making more home-cooked meals." In the category "personal development," I have added: "Being more patient" and "enroll in a course." And in the category "living sustainable," "don't keep the water running when I don't use it."

5. Write down in maximum two sentences how you wish to achieve the goals that are "open" on your list.
Limiting yourself to maximum two sentences will help you to get right to the point!

6. Write yourself and others a wish to succeed!
It is so very important to send yourself and others the strength to accomplish what you and they have wished for; it opens your heart to yourself and others, and this is in the end the key to whatever growth you wish for.

Having said that, there is also no other way for me to end this blog then by sending a wish myself: "May I, and all of you, be able to find the strength, wisdom and determination to overcome all challenges and to reach the goals that have been set!" Cheers to "live life forward!"

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/merel-bakker/mid-year-review_b_3354601.html