This Year, I Will…
How many times in the past, including at the beginning of this new year, have you said that to yourself?
Some of the things that might be on your list might include the following to name a few -
- Improve my physical health.
- Change my mindset or attitude.
- Use my time more effectively.
- Enhance my skills or performance.
- Create more balance between work, family, spiritual, social, or recreational areas of life.
- Eliminate my bad habits and replace them with good habits.
- Do a better job of managing my finances.
How has that worked out for you thus far?
Many see the start of a new year as the perfect time to address habits, set personal goals or realign priorities. In doing so, our minds can become awash with optimism and positivity as we wish, hope, desire, and even dream of success.
Unfortunately, studies show that most are left with unfulfilled hopes, unmet desires, unrealized dreams, and wishes that never come true.
It is our lack of follow-through that invariably, at some point, trips us up as the change or goal attainment we envision fails to magically become a reality. Consequently, we are left with the same old version of ourselves in the same circumstances and with the same or similar outcomes.
Frankly, the process sounds kind of depressing.
So, what might you do differently to provide structure and support for your resolve, optimism, and positivity when you say, "This year, I will…"?
Here are a few thoughts to consider -
Create clear, concise, and realistic goals.
Ambiguity leaves wiggle room that might be detrimental to sticking with goals. Unrealistic goals are most likely to lead to unrealized goals.
Try to write down clear, concise goals that include what makes each goal realistic. Assess whether your goal is a plateau to be achieved or a change in habit, behavior, or mindset to be internalized and made sustainable. You can change your mindset, lose weight or manage your money better, but it takes ongoing effort and focus to maintain and sustain it.
"A goal properly set is halfway reached." - Zig Ziglar
Write down the outcome of doing nothing for each goal.
What is the downside of putting off or ignoring an important goal? Is the status quo acceptable? Writing it down provides a reference that hopefully motivates taking the first step and reinvigorates moving forward when progress is slow or circumstances make it challenging to stay on course.
The bottom line is that ambivalence gets us nowhere.
"The first step towards getting somewhere is to decide that you're not going to stay where you are." — J.P. Morgan, Financier and Investment Banker, Founder of J.P. Morgan and Co.
Connect each goal to your intrinsic motivation.
Connecting your goal to a source of internal inspiration is essential because it provides the energy to fuel your resolve. Dig deep to identify why your goal is important, how it aligns with your personal values and interests and what makes it personally satisfying or beneficial.
In addition, how might accomplishing your goal positively impact those within your sphere of influence or impact? Some people will be more motivated to achieve goals when they see a clear benefit to those around them from their efforts.
Please note that relying on external or extrinsic motivation, such as praise, rewards, recognition, positive feedback, or money, can be short-lived because it lacks the potency and endurance of intrinsic motivation.
"Motivation is a fire from within. If someone else tries to light that fire under you, chances are it will burn very briefly." - Stephen Covey
Identify resources you need or preparations to be made to accomplish your goal.
Personally, I cannot remember a significant goal, change of habit, or creation of a new habit that did not include preparation or additional resources, and sometimes the support or help of someone else to succeed.
"Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe." – Abraham Lincoln
Make an action plan or system for accomplishing each goal or establishing/changing a habit.
Goals usually include a series of steps or tasks that require planning and organizing. Having a plan for accomplishing a goal or a system for making progress makes the chances of success more plausible and can be a motivational tool.
"Goals are good for setting a direction, but systems are best for making progress. A handful of problems arise when you spend too much time thinking about your goals and not enough time designing your systems." - James Clear, author of Atomic Habits
Identify deterrents that might get in your way and have a plan for adapting and overcoming them.
How many times have you ever achieved a goal without a hitch in the process?
Have a plan for obvious obstacles and expect others to surface so you are not surprised. Then, adapt and overcome.
"When it is obvious that the goals cannot be reached, don't adjust the goals, adjust the action steps." - attributed to Confucius but also aligns with Sun Tzu, Chinese Military Strategist and Philosopher.
Focus on progress over perfection –
Celebrate each small win, then repeat or keep moving forward. Focus on the forward progress steps and not the missteps.
"You never fail until you stop trying." - Albert Einstein
Have another person available to support and challenge you while providing a source of accountability.
What are your chances of success if you do not believe you can succeed or cannot do it alone?
Most likely not good.
However, enlisting outside support or help, such as a coach, to facilitate change, improve performance, overcome deterrents, and become the best version of yourself can be a difference-maker in empowering your personal transformation and reaching your goals.
"A coach is someone who tells you what you don't want to hear, who has you see what you don't want to see, so you can be who you have always known you could be." – Tom Landry, legendary coach of the Dallas Cowboys
I pray for your success this year and will leave you with a final thought about success from Colin Powell, former U.S. Secretary of State and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff –
"There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure."