Some people make a joke of goals and resolutions, some hate them, and some obsess over them. There are some, I hope, that are in between these extremes.
Regardless of where you stand, I am sure you would like to improve your life in some areas. Maybe you are unsure whether setting goals and resolutions is worth it. Perhaps you are someone that keeps setting the same goals and resolutions each year and feels frustrated.
Wherever you are, whatever you are thinking, I hear you. I want to help. I want to share with you some insight to living an amazing year.
So let me share with you now some powerful insight to goals and resolutions:
1. Should I set goals each year?
Yes. You absolutely should set goals. It really doesn’t matter if you do it on New Year’s Eve, your birthday, or the first day of vacation. All that matters is that you set some goals that will hold you somewhat accountable to becoming a better self. If you are new at goal setting, keep it simple and write down just a few.
2. What goals should I set?
Well, everybody is different. Setting goals is really like your future self speaking to you and telling you what to avoid and what to focus on. Goal setting is really a time of reflection on the type of person you want to be. It’s an opportunity to take inventory of your health, happiness, finances, relationships and more. Just like corporations sit down the most important leaders of the organization to plan for the year, this is your time to have a meeting with yourself and share some facts, numbers, goals, and ideas.
I suggest asking my three favorite questions: What should I stop doing? What should I start doing? What should I keep doing? These are powerful questions.
Setting goals isn’t just about you. When you improve, everything around you improves.
3. How can I make goal setting work when it’s failed me in the past, and failed just about everyone I know?
The reason people don’t achieve their goals comes down to one single concept: consistency. Anyone can diet for a day? Some can even go running, once. But to do it every day is the challenge. You have to make yourself accountable for both your actions and inactions.
You need to build habits, daily habits, of consistency. Do a little bit every day. It adds up and eventually you will see results.
To build up your consistency you need to build up your tenacity. Tenacity is simply this fire within you about WHY you want what you want. You build that fire by thinking about those you love around you that will benefit from your actions and suffer from your inactions.
The life you want won’t magically arrive via FedEx or a prescription; it will be built slowly with consistent habits and an unquenchable fire to improve.
4. How can I keep myself accountable?
If you can find an accountability partner in a spouse, friend, or co-worker, then do it. Make sure it is someone who has achieved the results you want to replicate in your life. Make certain they will be able to check in with you daily. If you can afford to hire an accountability partner for one of your goals, then do it. We would all have personal trainers, personal chefs, and counselors if we could afford it. I will be coaching a select few people this year to help them with their goals for 2017. If you are interested please contact me.
The next best solution, I believe, is scheduling an accountability meeting with yourself each month. That’s twelve meetings a year. Use your birth day number to remember the day you will meet. Since I was born on July 28th, I review my goals and resolutions each month on the 28th. It goes on the calendar just like an important meeting, because it is.
My monthly accountability check-in involves a few important elements. It’s more involved than just reviewing my goals. I review my goals EVERY day. It involves measurement. It involves reality. It involves adjustment. What do I mean by this? Well, if I have set financial goals or fitness goals then this time each month is a review of how well I have done on some sort of measurement scale. I document my progress. I bring others in to validate when needed. Finally, I figure out what is working, and what is not and readjust my plan. This last step is important because you can’t keep doing the same things if you aren’t getting the desired results. Sometimes I make a call to a friend during this time and talk to them about how my goals are coming along and ask for advice.
Accountability is the trick. How many days in the last thirty did I work on this goal? How much have I gained or lost? How would I rate my commitment over the last month? How can I do better? And again… What should I stop doing? What should I start doing? What should I keep doing?
Set some goals if you haven’t already. Schedule a meeting with yourself once a month on your birth date. Measure your progress. Readjust your process.
If you do act on these, you WILL see measurable gains.
Should I hire a coach? Yes, but only if you can afford it. You can accomplish much with the right resources. (If you are interested in working with me as your coach this year, please send me an email.)
Kelly Croy • Speaker, Artist and Educator • Invite Kelly to speak at your event!
www.KellyCroy.com • 1-800-831-4825
Too few people, I fear, actually ask themselves this question, and even fewer try to discover the answer.
My favorite read from last year: The Daily Stoic.
