How to create Achievable Goals for the New Year -

A few days ago, I overheard a conversation between a young couple at a restaurant.

“What’s your New Year’s Resolutions?” the man asked.

“The same old things,” the lady sighed, “eat healthier, lose weight, exercise more, earn more money.”

She sounded genuinely depressed by the prospect of her own year’s goals!

And defeated already.

The truth is that over 80% of all New Years Resolutions fail by the time we reach February.

It’s an alarmingly high statistic but one that is easy to explain…and therefore easy to avoid!

The Top 3 Reasons Why New Year’s Resolutions / Goals Fail

1. The Goals aren’t created from ‘true desires.’

‘Desires’ are such tricky creatures!

They can show up as what we think we should do or what other people believe we should do or be.

They can manifest as a defiant response to prove ourselves or to fit in with cultural conventions or social expectations.

They can even even show up because we want to do the ‘right thing.’

I have witnessed women struggle to make their business successful before finally admitting that what they truly desire is to be a full-time mum.

And I’ve watched mums wrestle with their desire to start a business, held back by the fear and guilt that if they do, they might fail to be the ‘perfect’ mum!

We can’t create meaningful, exciting, expansive and ACHIEVABLE goals unless we are absolutely 100% honest with ourselves about what it is we actually truly desire.

So before you write down anything resembling a resolution for 2019, ask yourself if you really….and I mean YOU REALLY want to do this?

Do you really want to ‘eat healthier’ or do you think you should?

Do you really want to wait another year to start your business while working in a job you don’t like or are you scared by the idea you won’t have enough money if you don’t?

Be brutally honest.

Throw conventions to the wind.

Listen to ONE voice only – YOUR OWN!

Not partners, family, parents, institutions, religious leaders or any other well-meaning friends!

Only YOU know what you truly want and which path is right for you.

– If you could achieve only ONE thing in your personal life and ONE thing in your professional life next year, what would they be?

– Think of a financial goal for the year. If you could make this money doing anything, what would you do?

2. The Goals are not Defined.

Simply saying you wish to make more money or become fitter or lose weight, is not enough.

Your goals need to be defined and super specific to be achievable.

How much money do you want to make each month and what will you use this money for? How much weight do you want to lose each month and how EXACTLY will you do this?

– Look at your first Professional goal in more detail. Break it down into smaller pieces.

For example, if your goal is to speak on stage at an International Conference, ask yourself:

What will you talk about? How long will it take you to write? When will you start writing it? How many hours a week can you dedicate to this task? What conference will you choose? Who do you know who could help you? What support will you need to achieve it?

Get Detailed. Problem solve. Get clear.

3. They are ‘Dreams’ not ‘Goals’

Many of us have a desire to earn 500K profit next year in our business or to wake up with a washboard stomach or find a Michelin Chef has taken up permanent residence in our kitchen.

And those things are achievable…but are they realistic in the given time span?

Let’s say you want to earn 500K. Does your business have the required infrastructure to bring in that amount in 12 months? Do you have the necessary business support and team? Do you have the required budget for marketing? How many hours will you have to work in order to achieve it?

I’m all for quantum leaps but we tend to overestimate what we can achieve in a year.

We also underestimate what we can do in 3 years.

If you desire 500K but earn 20K now, be realistic about creating sustainable business growth. Make 500K a 3 year goal. Now… what do you need to do this year to put the required infrastructures into your business, so that you can achieve your 3 year plan?

The key is to create small, achievable, realistic steps towards these longterm goals – ones that you can re-assess each week.

You might want to start living a more healthy lifestyle but you don’t have to do it all in one go!

Be realistic.

Create a constructive, detailed and achievable plan made up of small steps.

And be patient with yourself!