Christmas has passed us. We should be topped off in the eating department till around the 4th of July. It is now the time for the tradition of making a new year’s resolution.
We know that leaders who make and pursue goals are more successful. The key these leaders do that is different from most people is that besides being intentional in their goal creation. They also make sure their goals are on their minds. They have different strategies for achieving the goals that are set.
Many people have a hard time keeping New Year’s resolutions. This can cause many people to give up on their goals or even cause dread because many people have the wrong approach to keeping their resolutions.
Yes, resolutions are nothing more than goals. Yet, people keep failing when they are setting their goals for the New Year. Many times people will say they are going to be a better person, or the goal setter has some other lofty thought like they are going to make a million dollars by the end of this year. They don’t have a plan nor do they have a line of action. Here are some ways you can intentionally have better goals.
So how do you achieve your goals?
If you have never set goals before then it is best to start small. Because being goal-oriented does require some discipline. There are some ways you can actually boost the success of your goal-setting objectives. Let’s look through these and see how you can complete not one but maybe just maybe even more resolutions could be completed in a year.
Don’t have too many Goals
Yes, I realize I just said you could accomplish several goals in a year. Yet, you don’t want to start out with too many. The biggest reason is to give you the confidence that you can achieve your goals.
Many folks will get high aspirations and will create this laundry list of things they are going to fix it themselves. Though goals can help you improve yourself, doing too much can cause you to become frustrated and that isn’t going to fix anything. In fact, if you have the wrong mindset any setback could cause you to give up and that would be the true failure. So make sure you are setting good goals. Good goals are goals that are SMART and have a plan.
Think of how this goal will help
What is the reason you are wanting to reach this goal? What are you trying to achieve? What is the benefit you would receive if you were to achieve your set goal? Say your goal was to lose 10 pounds. What would happen? Why should you lose 10 pounds of body weight? The benefits would be your knees and back won’t hurt. You have more energy. You are not as sick throughout the year.
When you think of the different benefits of reaching your goal, you will be able to develop the reasons that will help you push through the hard parts of your goal. So find you why. Write down those reasons for achieving your goal besides what your goal is. Flesh those dreams out, and give yourself all the whys you can think of.
Then use SMART
When developing your goal or resolution you want to make your goal SMART. This will add another level to the ability you succeeding in your objective.
Specific
Be as exact in your goal as you can. Stating something vague like I am going to get fit. That is, in fact, setting you up for failure. You will spend so much time trying to do everything that may be considered to make you healthy that you will be spread too thin. Since you aren’t focusing on one particular thing.
So if you want to lose weight, get specific. You want to lose 10 lbs. or you want to make $100,000 in your side hustle. Whatever you are wanting to accomplish be as specific as possible. Doing so will help you with the next step.
Measurable
You also want your goal to be measurable. When you make a specific goal it more often than not allows for your goal to be measured. This helps you see that you are making progress toward your goal. Having a goal is easier when you can see the finish line getting closer.
You are also able to tell if you’re ahead of schedule or if are you behind schedule. In doing so you are able to make the needed adjustments. If you are falling behind keep pressing though. Giving up is the true failure.
Attainable
Having world peace, though is a lofty and admirable goal in all reality it isn’t attainable. If you are wanting to have a business that is generating a million dollars a year, but you have never run a business in your life that goal may not be very attainable. Now I am not saying reach for the stars because you want a goal that will push you.
But, make it possibly possible. Maybe you want to start a business that generates $5,000 a month. That is very possible but you will have to work hard and scrape for that goal, this is a good thing to aim for. If it scares you, you might want to go there. You actually want the challenge. An easy goal, though very attainable it isn’t going to help you grow. Goal setting is there to help you improve yourself and your character.
Relevant
Make sure your goals line up with who you are. Make them relevant to you and your family. If your goal is to learn astrophysics but you are a photographer then how is that going to help you? It would be better aligned if you were to challenge yourself to win 2nd place or better in a prestigious photo contest.
Timely
Give yourself a deadline. There is something about a deadline that gives people the needed ump to get their tails moving. Now some folks may wait until the last minute while others may get started right away. That is completely up to them. The key is that your goal has to be completed by this time, and the more specific the better.
It would actually be better if you set your goal up to have 4 subgoals, and make these sub-goals due every three months.
For example say you want to run a marathon by December 31st. You could set it so that you walk a 5k by March 15th and you run a 5k by June. Then by Sept 30th, you will have run a Half Marathon. You would then be set to tackle the marathon by December.
Do you know the saying how do you eat a whale? One bite at a time. You can use Sub goals to help you reach the big overreaching goal.
Write it down
Now you have your SMART goal, physically write it down on a piece of paper. There is something about the act of putting pen to paper that helps cement your goal in your subconscious. You also have that paper to put on your mirror or in your wallet or on your nightstand so that you see it every day. Use it as a reminder of what you are wanting to accomplish.
Tell a friend or Mastermind group
Finally, after you have written your goals down. Tell someone who will hold you accountable. It is just a little more security that you will achieve your goal. If for whatever reason you get stuck on a step, your mastermind or close friend will be there to help you out. They can provide the needed encouragement and opinions that can make your goals a success.
There you have it. Don’t give up on the resolutions as of yet. Try making your resolutions in the SMART fashion and get a support group. This method will improve your chances of success. If you do fail at achieving your goal. Say you only lost 5 lbs. instead of the desired 10. Then guess what you are closer to your goal than if you never tried. The only way you truly fail is when you give up and don’t try at all.
What is your big resolution for the 2019 year? Tell us in the comments below.
