Recently I was having dinner with some friends I had not seen for a while. Catching up, we asked each other about what we’ve been doing, new books or media we’ve found and where we were with goals about which we had previously spoken.  That last one caught me ill prepared.

What I realized during our conversation was that months had passed and I had not deliberately stretched myself as I had previously asserted.  This is not an uncommon thing to occur.  We all have busy lives and sometimes it is easy for our commitment to growing and changing to fade.

This is exactly why it is important to keep our goals and aspirations front and center. I’ve previously talked about making lists, setting goals and displaying them where they can serve as reminders.  But even so, I need to ask, how often am I checking in to assess my progress?  How accountable am I to myself?

What if we set aside a few minutes every week to reflect on our goals?  My experience isn’t unique I am sure.  At times when I am actively engaged on a regular basis with the people that inspire me, motivate me and encourage me, it is easy to stay on track and attend to whatever aspirations exist. But as I so suddenly learned at that dinner recently, there are going to be gaps.

The ups and downs of life alone make the self-improvement process both wonderful and difficult.   That’s why we cannot simply count on our memory or the people around us to push ourselves. We need a safety net. Perhaps several.

Have you reflected on this same issue?  What tools do you use to maintain awareness of your priorities? 

My safety net is going to be a calendar reminder.  My phone already pings me daily about less important things, so why shouldn’t I add reflection to the list of reminders?  

I would love to hear your thoughts.