The new year brings lots of reminders about reflection and new beginnings.  Personally, I’m not a fan of New Year resolutions.  I like to evaluate what I’m doing more often than once a year, so I’ve never been big ona once a year activity.  I also think that things change so fast, who knows what I’ll need to be focused on in six months?

I think it is a good time to reflect back over the last 12 months.  I like to look back more frequently also, but find the new year a good time to take a holistic look at the year and look for things missed in the moment.

It’s been an interesting and challenging year, as I work to navigate the journey of starting my own company.  It hasn’t gone as fast as I would have liked, but I realize that’s a direct result of my own actions and I will need to put more in to get more out.  I switched jobs which I said I didn’t want to do, as that’s been something that has thrown me off focus in the past, but I did it anyway because I felt like it was the right decision long term to get me to a better place where I could move closer to my goals.

I think the biggest thing I’ve learned this year is to keep going, no matter what.  There are a lot of roadblocks that will try and get in the way of your objectives, and they can be relentless at times.  Those that want it bad enough will find a way to overcome while the rest will give up, maybe just short of the goal.  I believe this is why more people aren’t successful in getting to where they want to go.  Granted, hard work doesn’t always get you exactly what you want, but I believe many people stop short of their dreams because objects are constantly thrown in your way, no matter what it is you’re after.  It’s hard to persevere, especially when there are unknowns or risks with what you’re trying to accomplish.  If nothing else, there is always the risk of failure staring you in the face, and that’s a powerful thing that gets a lot of us to stop trying when things get rough.  It’s stopped me many times!

As I continue forward on the journey, I’ll continue to keep this in mind, and make sure that obstacles continue to be dealt with while I keep an eye on the prize.

What are you doing to stay focused on the end goal through the trials and tribulations on the road to success?