Helen Rollason’s book “Life’s too short” contains some positive advice and her winning mentality shines through. She quotes a mantra from a sports coach from the 80s and 90s: “A yard is hard, but an inch is a cinch.” I have used that this week to encourage my boys with their homework. They groan at me, but the message is getting through. I am encouraging them to break down their weekly targets into bite sized chunks and open their chromebooks.
This is the time of year when we review the past year and set ourselves objectives for the future. These could be financial, health & fitness, mental health, writing and journalling, career, music, languages, or photography. We need to dream big, but then breakdown those dreams into short term targets. These need to be SMART objectives:
S – Specific
M – Measurable
A – Achievable
R – Realistic
T – Timebound
Get these right and we’ll be taking steps in the right direction to make positive change our lives. One step in the right direction is much more effective than ten steps in the wrong direction. In spiritual terms a change in direction is known as repentance.
Where do you want to be in one year’s time, five years? I am challenging myself with these questions as much as anyone else.
One final point is accountability. There is an old saying, which goes something like: “if you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together.” An accountability partner can make all the difference between success or failure.
Next Monday will be my final ‘long’ blog post for 2023, before taking a break over Christmas and New Year.
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