Light at end of the tunnel - Day 17

Day 17 (Sunday 17th December 2017)

17th century law, passed in England by Oliver Cromwell, made it

illegal to eat mince pies (a small, crumbly pastry cup filled with spiced currants and fruit and, 

in those days some minced meat) on Christmas day; he also banned Christmas pudding and

anything that could be considered "gluttony". The law has never been rescinded 

so, technically, most of us break the law on Christmas Day.

It is traditional to meet up with family and friends at this time of year and tonight I will be having dinner with my father and his wife. I don't get to see him as often as I would like to, but he has just sold his home in Wales and is moving closer to where we live, so perhaps 2018 might be the year for closer family links. I do hope so. He is a huge part of who and why I am.

Today's piece is written by another influential and caring man, Michael Moran, the Chief Exec and founder of 10Eighty. Michael exudes positive energy but is simultaneously pragmatic and commercial. Michael's career commenced in HR (in the NHS and Financial Services), but for the past two decades he has run business consultancies specialising in career management. He has co-written a good book,“The Guide to Everlasting Employability”, which helps individuals understand their skills and the need for personal responsibility to achieve success.  When not steering the business or helping people, Michael relaxes via sport (more a spectator now than a player) or by socialising. He is also active on social media (his Twitter handle is @mdmoran10Eighty).

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Due to recent cutbacks the light at the end of the tunnel has been switched off! 

Mail Rail tunnel, London (now disused - ran from Whitechapel to Paddington)

I can track this aphorism back ten years, or so, and we’ve all felt that way sometimes. Problems caused by the difficult economic and political situation, job insecurity, and the rising cost of living can make it hard to see the bright side, particularly in the depths of winter.

It’s time to think about goals for the coming year and that’s an ideal opportunity to recharge your optimism and positivity. We all need clearly articulated targets and goals in both our personal and professional life in order to find fulfilment. Well defined, meaningful goals lead to higher levels of performance than vague or easily realised goals.

The benefit of setting goals:

• Increased motivation when goals are realistic and attainable.
• Provides a performance focus.
• Bolsters the work ethic and fosters perseverance with a goal in sight.
• Facilitates feedback and benchmarking.

Set targets and measure your progress, if you have a clear view of where you want to be it is easier to evaluate forward momentum and, by setting and taking action toward your goals, you will bolster your self-confidence. If you need to make changes, then bite the bullet and take control - a healthier work-life balance will result in greater productivity and motivation.

Delineate your goals with your real desires and ambitions in mind, then the possibilities that working toward your goal will bring will inspire will give real traction to the efforts you make. Design a clear plan of action, chunk big goals into milestones needed to achieve your overall goal.

Plan smaller objectives into your daily to-do list and create momentum with regular work towards your goal. Each small change paves the way for bigger changes, so every day ask yourself, what can I do today that helps me reach my goal? For every objective accomplished and goal achieved be sure to reward yourself, a pat on the back at the least, and then set on towards the next objective.

Learn as you go

Everything is described as a journey these days, Strictly contestants make constant reference to their journey. "A defined course of traveling; one's path in life," from Old French journee "day's work or travel" is a little too rigid for my liking, we need to be flexible and versatile in dealing with a complex and volatile world.

Key to achieving your goals and attaining whatever you define as success are resilience and the ability to learn along the way. Resilience helps us to adapt when faced with barriers, challenges and setbacks, as we find ways and means to address, overcome or bypass obstacles and deal with uncertainty or unexpected outcomes.

Learning agility helps us find new ways to tackle setbacks and challenges. When it is no longer a question of doing better what you did before – when running harder and faster doesn’t help - what is required are new behaviours and innovative solutions. When dealing with uncertainty and volatility the ability to reframe your reference points in order to develop radical and creative responses is crucial.

Tips for setting effective goals:

• Express goals positively, focus on what you want to achieve
• Be specific in terms of timeline and track progress to goals
• Prioritise as to which goals to focus attention on first
• Write goals down so they can be reviewed regularly
• Chunk down goals to small, achievable tasks – this allows frequent      opportunities to accomplish a goal
• Set realistic goals that are achievable and within your own control

Go, get what you want in 2018!