We’re halfway through the year, which means it's a great time to do some reflection on your accomplishments and set goals for the rest of the year.

Now…I’m curious. How does the thought of reflection and goal-setting make you feel?

Perhaps you feel excited because you’ve achieved a lot this year despite everything that's going on? Or perhaps you feel COVID has set you back on some of your goals? 

To be honest, reflecting and goal-setting gives me anxiety because I have difficulty acknowledging my own accomplishments. 

And oddly enough, I LOVE helping and encouraging people to acknowledge their awesomeness... I need to listen to my own advice!

When it comes to your accomplishments, take time to acknowledge every accomplishment, no matter how big or small. We’re living in a very abnormal time, and being able to celebrate will help you stay motivated and keep your momentum.

Goal-setting may be a bit tougher because there may be personal things up in the air, or maybe your job or career seems on hold. But this also makes goal-setting even more important because it can help add some sense of control in an uncertain environment.

On that note, I want to provide some tools that you might find helpful in reflecting on your accomplishments and goal-setting:

• Reflecting On Your Accomplishments for the first 6 months of 2021 is a great way to recognize our efforts and get a boost of confidence. Developing a habit of regularly documenting your accomplishments brings many benefits, including personal growth and showing our value at work for performance reviews, raises, promotions, and recognition.
• Goal-setting can help you get on track and clarify what steps are critical in reaching those goals. The Top 3 Main Goals Worksheet uses the approach also known as the “Power of 3,” which suggests that focusing on 3 big goals helps with productivity and progress.
• Asking for Feedback is another habit that I recommend. After all, the people you work with often do a better job describing your strengths than you will yourself. Since they work closely with you, they understand what you do every day, and they are less critical than you are. Feedback will also help you get more information on your accomplishments and goal-setting.
• Update your LinkedIn skills because we are always acquiring new skills. Now you may be telling yourself, "I don't have any new skills." But I am here to say, you most likely do. If you’re working from home, how about "remote work" as a skill? Or using Zoom, Teams, or another virtual tech? How about "the ability to work with minimal supervision" or "the ability to adapt"? This Updating Your Skills Guide will help you reflect and list your (non-obvious) skills.