by Carol Gioia

Created on: June 06, 2008   Last Updated: April 24, 2012

Periodically evaluating your life is a must if you are to move forward in a positive direction toward a fulfilling existence. A meaningful life requires setting goals and having dreams. Every so often you need to take a "time out" to evaluate the progress you are making toward achieving your goals and making your dreams come true.

Whether you are just starting out, changing direction in midlife or retired and defining the purpose of your golden years, you might want to take stock of where you have been, who you are today, and where you are heading in the future.

Evaluation is especially important if you are not happy with your current situation. Before you can resolve your dissatisfaction, you first need to identify what is making you unhappy.

Steps for evaluating your life:

* Identify goals

Make a list of all the goals you aspire to attain in all categories of your life. Are you fulfilled in your chosen career? Do you have loving and satisfying relationships? Do you face each day with optimism and enthusiasm? If you answer yes to these questions, chances are you are closely aligned with your goals and dreams.

* List accomplishments

By writing down all that you have achieved, you are able to estimate how close you are to attaining your desired goals and what you might need to do in order to continue in a positive direction. Fulfilled lives are planned out, they do not just happen. You are an accumulation of your experiences. Your past achievements and successes are often a good indicator of what the future holds.

* Measure satisfaction

No individual's life is happy all of the time, but if you are more content than not, chances are you are putting your energy into the fulfillment of your goals. If you are not feeling positive about yourself in one or more areas of your life, then your evaluation, or "progress report" is serving it's purpose. You can analyze what is preventing you from being productive and happy. You can take the necessary steps to improve or change your situation.

* Project future status

Where will you be with your career and relationships in a year, five years, or longer? Do you like the picture your mind presents? Are there skills you must acquire to move ahead in your professional life, or adjustments needed in your personal life in order to reach your goals and dreams?

Before you can find solutions to problems, it is necessary to first identify the problems. Before you can achieve your dreams, it is necessary to identify those dreams.

It is never too late to take stock of your life and change direction if you are not satisfied.  Raising awareness of what you want and visualizing your goals are the best techniques for realizing your dreams.

By identifying your goals and planning with determination and optimism, you can reinvent yourself several times over in the course of a lifetime, garnering satisfaction and peace of mind in the process.

You have only one life to live. You can retain power over your destiny through conscious planning, goal setting and periodic evaluation of your progress.

"You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream"  (C.S.Lewis)

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