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It's the time of the year when we start preparing for our performance appraisals with our bosses and listen to their feedback on what we have done well and where we need to further develop. Those who think that they have done a great job and secretly expect a promotion or a big pay raise will be quietly excited about the upcoming appraisal. Those who know that they have not lived up to the expectations of their boss will be quietly dreading the moment.
We all know that the most important thing in life is not our job. So, if we put in so much effort in preparing for the annual appraisal with our bosses, why are we not doing the same appraisal for our life? Who will do the appraisal? Well, we are the ones accountable for our life stories and so, that is where we shall start.
In doing our appraisals at work, we tie the output to the KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) set at the start of the year. The KPIs are aligned with what the organization wants to achieve. So, in evaluating ourselves, we should also start with the end in mind. What will your life story be like? The assessment at work builds up our resume. The appraisal for our own life, builds up our eology.
There is no one size fit all. The same situation will create different results depending on us. As the saying goes: "The hot water that softens a carrot, will harden an egg." So, do you want to have the carrot or the egg? If we know the story that we are writing for our life, we would then be able to make the right choices. That will also set the pace for our New Year resolution, our own KPIs for ourselves in the New Year towards achieving the goals of our life.
There are three areas that we can start with: Health, Family & Friends, and Career.
1. Health
No one will argument on this. Health is the foundation of life. We also know exactly what we should do to maintain good health. Exercise at least three times a week, minimally 30 minutes each time. Eat more vegetables and fruits, less meat and carbohydrates. We are also aware that knowing is one thing, doing is another.
Andy Grove, former CEO of Intel, said: "To understand a company's strategy, look at what they actually do rather than what they say they will do." This is also applicable in assessing our own resolution. It is not what we write down at the start of the year about what we want to do. The key is how we allocate our own personal resources to actually getting things done. How much time do we allocate to exercise instead of using work as an excuse? How committed are we to ourselves in prioritizing our health over other things?
Start scheduling this into your calendar and commit yourself to making this a priority.
2. Family and Friends
We are all conditioned to achieve success so much so that it shapes the way we allocate our precious time resources. We have read so much about things people regret at their death-bed such as not spending enough time with their love ones. No one ever regrets not spending enough time working at their job. So, why are we still spending more and more time at work? We blame the bosses, we blame the organization and we blame the industry for getting more and more demanding. The fact is that high-achieving people subconsciously allocate their resources to activities that yield the most immediate, tangible accomplishments. Advancing in career is the most obvious evidence that they are moving forward. However, when you are making the decision of spending one extra hour at work to finish your emails versus going home to spend one extra hour with your loved ones, be clear what you want in life.
How often do we find ourselves physically present with our loved ones but our eyes glued to our smart devices and mentally absent? Practice mindfulness and focus on the present. Is not it more important to listen to your kid's story at school than reading the jokes that your friends have posted on Facebook?
3. Career
We spend easily one-third of our life at work. So, building a meaningful career and a progressive one where your learning does not stop after graduating from school is critical. A business coach once shared with me that he typically breaks the career cycle into three key phases. In your twenties, you are not sure of what you want. This is the period where you may experiment between different areas of your job that is aligned to your passion and competencies. In your thirties, you are building up your area of specialties. In your forties, you should be peaking in your career as you leverage on the strength that you have built and move up the career ladder. Many who have passed this phase will be seeking significance beyond success.
To ensure you are moving towards your goals, map out what you want to be in ten years' time. Look at the gap between where you are today and where you want to be in ten years' time. At the start of the year, set down one or two new skill sets that you would like to acquire to move towards the ten years goal. Take action to make that happen!
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