01 Jan Don’t Resolve—Set a Goal

New Year’s resolutions are all the rage this time of year. Everyone’s ready to make a big change in their life, whether it’s to lose weight, eat healthier, pick up a hobby (and excel at it), read more, you name it. But by the time mid-January rolls around, it’s all out the window because of one slip-up.

Maybe you couldn’t help but eat the cupcake at your daughter’s birthday party.

Or life got crazy and you haven’t picked up the book for your book club in over a week.

Or you found that knitting just wasn’t the hobby for you, so you dropped it after not giving it your best effort.

Whatever the reason or resolution, it’s the same outcome every year. The resolution never sticks.

I’ve found that New Year’s resolutions are all about mindset. You’re setting yourself up for failure because you’re expecting way too much of yourself, for too long a period of time. Your mind thinks it’s impossible to achieve, so you give up—even against your will.

Instead of making resolutions this year, try setting targeted goals that will help you move forward in your business and your life.

Goals should be SMART: specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time-sensitive. And the “smart”er they are, the better they work! Here’s how:

Be Specific. When you set a goal, you need to know all the specifics. Who is involved in this goal? What is it that you plan to accomplish? Where and when will you accomplish it? Is there a specific reason or purpose behind the goal? The more information you can include, the better. And when you know what you’re reaching for, you can laser-target your methods for getting there.

Make it Measurable. If your goal is to work out more, how will you know if you’ve reached your goal? What will you measure it against? Making your goal measurable is key. Ask yourself questions like, “How much?” and “How many?” and be sure there’s a way to know when you’ve accomplished the goal.

Make it Attainable. This circles back to the year-long resolutions. Next December is so far away that it’s easy for a long-term goal to get lost in the chaos of life. When you do remember that you’re working toward a goal, you’re already so far off track that it’s difficult to reel it back in. Make your goal attainable by making it more short-term. And when you reach one smaller short-term goal, you’re more likely to work toward the next one.

Make it Realistic. It’s not realistic to stop eating sugar cold-turkey, just like it’s not realistic to expect your monthly income to go from $1,000 to $10,000 overnight. Take a look at what’s coming up in your business and set more realistic monthly goals based on the amount of time you plan to work each week and how large your team is. Start with small increments and allow them to grow throughout the year.

Make it Timely. A goal needs to have a sense of urgency, to keep you motivated and moving forward. If the goal is too far off, you’ll lose momentum and have a lackluster finish—if you finish at all. If you have a yearly revenue goal, figure out what it will take each quarter, month or even week to get there. Then work toward those smaller goals on your way to a bigger one.

I love starting fresh with a new year. It allows me to reflect back on what I’ve accomplished this year so I can make even bigger strides in the next. I’d love to hear what your goals are as we start the new year. Drop me a line and let me know so I can cheer you on!