You Can Achieve Your Goals This Year – Let me help!

It’s June! Where are you with your goals? If you’re like most people, you can’t even remember the goals you set. This is part of the problem of why you’re not reaching them. It is a part of our human nature to be excited about the newness of the New Year; however, that all fades away by April.

I was just like you, struggling to reach my goals. I would often set 15 or more goals around the end of December and would become disenchanted with them around February. I was doing it all wrong. However, through reading, learning from others and trial and error, I have developed a few key principles that will help you reach your goals.

Don’t Set Too Many Goals – the number one mistake that people make in goal setting, is setting too many goals. Our mind is not set up to focus on too many things. Your mind works better when it becomes laser focused on one specific goal and is able to place all available resources on that one goal. I recommend no more than 8 goals and only four of them should be BIG. This means that it will take several steps to complete them. They could include writing a book, starting a business or participating in a marathon.

Break Goals Into Bite Size Pieces – I was sitting at a compliance conference one day and was perplexed by all of the information I was receiving. I guess the person sitting next to me noticed that every moment the trainer continued talking, I continued to get more and more stressed. I will never forget it. She reached over to me and said, “How do you eat an elephant? I responded, “I don’t know, I never had the opportunity.” She replied, “One bite at a time.” We often bite off more than we can chew. We then end up giving up because it’s too much. Break your goals into BITE SIZE PIECES, so it’s easier to conquer them. It’s the divide and conquer theory! As you conquer and complete one bite, it gives you the feeling of winning. This will motivate you to keep going.

Keep Your Goals Visible – Have you ever heard of the term, out of sight, out of mind? Yes, that is exactly what happens with our goals. We fail to place them before us, so we do not have the constant reminder of what we should be working on. Not only should you keep your goals visible, but you should also put them in multiple places; such as: • Home Office • Work • Journal • Bathroom • Night Stand

I believe that the bathroom mirror is the best place to put them, because you have to visit the bathroom at least once a day.

BONUS TIPS Only Focus on TWO Goals per Quarter – Another reason that people fail to achieve their grandest goals is because the deadline is too far away. December 31 of each year is too far away to provide the sense of urgency that you need to complete your goals. I suggest picking three goals per quarter (Jan. – Mar., Apr. – Jun., July. – Sept., Oct. – Dec.) and focusing on completing them within each quarter. You will gain satisfaction and momentum when you see things being completed on your goal list. Each quarter deadline also provides a greater sense of urgency of completion.

It’s not too late to accomplish a few goals this year! Implement the three tips above and you’ll be well on your way to making progress on your goals.

What tips do you have to accomplish goals?