Your success and progress depends on you so get into the habit of tracking it. These 5 things will help.
- Be Honest With Yourself
Remember you and only you are accountable for your successes and your failures. And there is no one but you that knows all about you and what your story is. Be honest with yourself and about where you are at this moment in your life.
If you are having difficulties, if you are having successes and if you have no idea what to do next; admit it.
Look at the reality of your life as it is now; this is crucial to your progress.
- Make a List of What You Have Accomplished
What have you accomplished thus far? What are the tasks that you have completed and the ideas you have started on? Record these achievements in the form of a list and add to the list as the time goes by.
This list of achievements will give you a visual idea of your progress and it will make your progress tangible for you.
- Ask Yourself What you Have Learned
What have you learned so far? Have you learned a new way of doing your job? Can you easily identify and name the ways in which you’ve been able to enhance your skills. Are the new skills you’ve mastered of help to you in your personal and professional development?
How have you’ve applied these new skills to your job and how do they support the goals of your business, department and organization? Have you learned anything new at all since you started doing what you do?
Ask yourself what you have learned, every so often.
- Know Your Weaknesses
Are you easily bored or never starting or finishing a task in time? Are you hampered by the lack of resources or the correct tools? What is your weakness right now? Be frank.
Being bored can be easily solved by looking for something more challenging to do. Using a new method or learning a new skill. As for procrastinating, you have to stop the habit you have to be lazy and get on with your work.
If you lack the right tools and resources are there people you can ask for these? If so, ask for new tools and more resources. If you have no one to ask for these maybe you could sell something that you do not use or is old (but still useful) and use the money to upgrade your tools. Maybe you just need to account for your money better and watch where it goes.
Once you identify a weakness make a concrete plan to address it and take action.
- Be Patient
Don’t be disappointed and beat yourself up because your list of achievements is not as long as you want it to be. Or that it is shorter than someone else’s. The list maybe short now but if you persevere, it will lengthen.
Perseverance requires patience and never giving up. Never give up just because your boss did not like your first attempt, just because you did not get the contract, just because you have not been paid for the work you did or just because the project is harder than you thought it would be.
Do not give up and devalue all your hard work. Persevere, you will succeed.
You don’t have to do everything at once, just aim to make progress little by little.
