Do you have difficulty setting or reaching your goals? Here are my favorite tips to help you reach your lofty, ambitious 2017 Goals.
Write down your Goals and Review them Periodically
This may seem obvious, but it’s one I believe a lot of people are guilty of not doing. You can set a reminder on your phone to review your goals every day, week, or month. This is Step 1, the foundation for the rest of the tips to work. Do this IMMEDIATELY after reading finishing these tips. If you can’t do immediately, at least IMMEDIATELY set a reminder to do it during your free time.
Have Specific Goals
When you have specific goals it’s easier for your mind to envision reaching that goal. On the other hand if your goals are “I want to lose weight” and “I want to make more money”, the goals are so abstract that there is no clear destination for your mind and you are setting yourself up for failure. An example I have from last year was to “Read 12 books in 2016”, then I wrote down which 12 books I was going to read and when I was going to read them.
Separate Your Goals by Category
This is a new one for me this year so I can’t say with a lot of confidence you should do this, but for me it makes sense. Previously all I did was make a long list of goals and looked them over. This year I’m categorizing them into Personal, Professional, and Business Goals. Under Personal there will be subcategories of Health, Wealth, and Lifestyle. I think doing this will help make my goals even more specific. I also think as I’m going through the year this will help me be able to see areas where I’m performing well and areas where I’m not, then adjusting my actions to improve areas where I’m struggling.
Set Short-term and Long-term Goals
Short-term goals are the foundation for reaching your long-term goals. Long-term goals are what I come up with first when I set goals for the year. After that I set short-term goals to help me reach my long-term goals.
Find a Partner to Share Your Goals With
This should be a spouse or best friend, and hopefully is a positive, encouraging individual. Ideally it is someone you talk to and see often to keep you accountable. I also find it works best when both people write their goals down and share them.
Last Tip: Don’t be Afraid to Change Your Goals
This last tip is one I was reluctant to do when I was in my 20s. This goes both ways for if you are failing or succeeding at reaching your goals. You may have made your goals to easy to reach or worked crazy hard to reach them early – don’t settle, raise the bar! If you are way behind on reaching a goal as you progress through the year, don’t give up on it completely. Instead, just move the goalposts a little closer to make it more manageable.