If you really want to reach the goals you set for yourself this year, simply writing them down as a list and telling your friends is just not going to cut it. Reaching your goals is easy when you use this formula... Consistency + Desire - Fear = YOUR GOAL There are 3 simple keys to setting and acheiving your goals... Key #1: Consistency If you're going to reach a goal, you NEED to be consistent. Most people jump on the "goal setting bandwagon" around the New Year, setting goals for themselves with NO PLAN for how they're going to reach these goals. And before they know it, they get caught up in everyday life and never think about their goals again. This is what I call "goal setting and forgetting". Consistency is CRITICAL when it comes to reaching your goals. Here's how to be consistent in reaching your goals... Have a routine. If your goal is to lose 10 lbs by the end of the year, do something every day (or week) that will bring you closer to that goal. It could be a morning walk or eating at least 4 healthy meals per week. Or maybe your goal is something that is not as "cut and dry" as losing weight. Let's say you want to improve your confidence. To accomplish this, you still need to be consistent in your THINKING. You need to shift your ways of thinking and start a new ROUTINE. (There's that word again.) ;-) For instance, to help you remember what you learned from your favorite self-improvement book, write down on a sticky note next to your bed, the key points that had the biggest impact on you. Key #2: Desire Goal setting is merely wishful thinking if you don't have a strong desire to reach your goal. You must organize your list, separating the goals that you desperately want to acheive from those that "would be nice". Here's how... Write down all the goals that you've ever wanted to acheive. This is where key #3 comes in, so I'll continue with key #2 in a moment... Key #3: Be Specific When writind down your goals, don't just say you want to "lose weight". Instead, set a SPECIFIC amount of weight to lose. Okay, back to Key #2... Once you've finished writing down your SPECIFIC goals, rate your level of desire for each goal using a scale of 1-10. (10 = "Yes, I want it the most!") (1 = "It would be nice, but it's not that important to me.") When you're finished, separate the page into 3 columns below your goals. Label the first column as "Easy", the second as "Somewhat Difficult" and the third as "Challenging". Then re-write each of your goals into the 3 columns, including your level of desire for each particular goal. Ask yourself, "How easy (or difficult) will it be for me to reach this goal?" and put the goal in the appropriate category. Now that you've organized your goals, start with in the Easy column with the highest Desire score. By starting with the easiest goal first, you'll be mentally rewarding yourself by thinking, "Oh, I can do this!". Once you've reached your first goal, continue with the next goal in your Easy column with the highest Desire score and so on until you eventually start reaching your most challenging goals. By the time you reach your most difficult goals, you'll have "trained" yourself to routinely think about and consistently reach your goals. This makes acheiving future goals a WHOLE LOT easier. But before you jump ahead and start reaching your first goal, you must create your action plan for reaching it. Be sure to ONLY create an action plan for the goal you're CURRENTLY working on. There is no need to create a plan of action for your other goals. DO NOT try to reach more than one goal AT THE SAME TIME. It's easy to feel overwhelmed when you've got a lot to accomplish, so don't fall into the trap of thinking you need to get everything done in one month...or even one YEAR for that matter. Take your time and you WILL reach your goals at your own pace. This is NOT a race. There's an old saying that's been around for a long time... "THOSE WHO FAIL TO PLAN, PLAN TO FAIL." And it's true. If you don't have a clear picture of where you're going, you're not going ANYWHERE. No Goals + No Plan = The same results as LAST YEAR. I've laid out a step-by-step system you can use to accomplish your goals, so now there's NO WAY you can fail, right? WRONG. Fear of failure can stop you. THAT is what stops most people from reaching their goals. Don't let it happen to you! You will never TAKE ACTION if you let your FEAR get in the way of what you want to accomplish. Oh, and one more thing... DON'T listen to other people who try to discourage you. Some people may try to discourage you whether it's out of pure jealousy or just plain ill will. I don't care if they're your family members, your spouse or your best friend. NOBODY knows what you're capable of so it's up to YOU to prove them wrong. So what are you waiting for? Get started on this today. This is YOUR YEAR, the year you'll prove to everyone else (and yourself) that you can accomplish ANYTHING when you set your mind to it. |
