Three steps left going into 11

January 2016 has come and gone. Did anyone else think that went by very quickly? Time is a matter of perception but to me, the month flew by! There are only 11 months left.

When I set my goals for 2016, most were pretty lofty. Today, I took some time to review them and see what kind of progress I have made and what behaviors lead to that success. I also identified what behaviors were counterproductive or slowed my progression. Rather than detail exactly where I stand with each of my goals, I want to help you see what process you can do for your goals.
Here are three key steps I have for making the most of the remaining 11 months in 2016.

Three steps to identify successful behaviors

I am loving my Passion Planner for this year. It really forces me to do more than the usual "I'll just think about my goals" and writing them down. As I flipped through the past few weeks, there was one thing I noticed. When I succeed at a task or priority, I placed a checkmark next to it. There were quite a few left without checkmarks. This drives me crazy. However, this is the first step to identifying successful behaviors.

Why you should not call it a year-end review

It was my first year-end review. I was not sure what to expect. I took some time the day and morning before to compile my year accomplishments and highlights, biggest challenges and weaknesses and areas of improvement for 2016. The plan was to meet my boss at Texas T-Bone for dinner and discuss these objectives. A couple of steaks and brief discussion would not take very long, right?

About three and a half hours later, lots of comments and feedback had been shared. My mind was running at 100 miles per hour (just a little faster than the typical 75 mph). I felt overwhelmed, excited, uncertain, frustrated and encouraged throughout the conversation. I was choking among my own flood of emotions.

It did not get easier from there.

My line manager is challenging.
I shall refer to him as "Mr. Manager" throughout this post, as his name is irrelevant. His actions are not. 

He asks the tough questions and expects answers. He seeks collaboration and ownership on projects. Above all, he wants me, as a direct report, to be successful and happy. He knows what drives me. Mr. Manager is a very talented at reading people, understanding them and using that knowledge to hold fruitful conversations. When I first started on his team, I was not sure how it would go. We are both very goal driven and results-oriented. But, besides that, our personalities differ. He is more blunt, outgoing and downright ornery. However, these characteristics combined make an insightful, charismatic leader.

Mr. Manager is one that does not necessarily follow a script. He develops something unique for each employee. He has demonstrated this through actions this first year. He also discussed it as we began our discussion of our year-end review.

Healthy Reese's Peanut Butter Banana Bread Recipe

I have a severe weakness for desserts. When you get chocolate or peanut butter as options, it becomes dangerous. Put them together, and, well, then I cave. The first time I saw this recipe for Cookies and Cups Reese's Peanut Butter Banana Bread, my heart skipped a beat. Her imagery is gorgeous and the bread looked divine.

I did not go back to that recipe for quite some time. Now that I am living a healthier lifestyle, I have been challenging myself to make "dirty, unhealthy" recipes "clean" options. Over Christmas break, my mom and I were in the kitchen and I had the urge to bake. Dad has always enjoyed mom's banana breads and he likes peanut butter and chocolate. The light bulb lit up! Here was the opportunity to help my mom and dad start using easy, clean recipes, while foods they would enjoy.

I scrounged through mom's cupboards to see what ingredients I could work with. Rather than add peanut butter cup minis like the recipe called for, I found some holiday M&M Crisps to incorporate.

Yum, happy holidays to my family! I ended up eating most of it though.

The best thing about this recipe is it will be naturally sweet thanks to the bananas and Greek yogurt. You can add some Stevia packets or honey for added sugar taste. Also, all the ingredients are easy to find or you will probably have them on hand already!