Goals vs Resolutions
Do you know that 80% of people don’t stick to their New Year resolutions beyond the first week of January? WOW! I knew the failure rate was high but that really surprised me.
Did you make New Year resolutions last year? What was your rate of success – any better than this? As we’re coming to the end of the year, it’s a good time to review the goals you set out to achieve last year and how successful you’ve been in achieving them.
According to Dictionary.com, a resolution is a resolve; a decision or determination: to make a firm resolution to do something, whereas Dictionary.com defines a goal as the result or achievement toward which effort is directed; aim; end.
If you’ve struggled to stick to your New Year resolutions in the past, then here are some quick tips that will help you commit to them more strongly, stick to them for much longer and actually achieve them!
Set Goals not Resolutions
The trouble with resolutions is that they tend to be vague and lack a specific target date for their achievement, which makes it much easier to let your good intentions lapse. They are often focused on something you don’t want in your life (I want to lose weight, I want to stop smoking) rather than something positive you want to achieve to add value and quality to your life. From a manifestation point of view, when you focus on what you don’t want rather than what you do want, guess what happens. You get what you focus on.
When you set specific goals, with clear targets for what you want to achieve and when, it will be much easier to stay on track. Plan out the steps you must take to achieve your goal and make them action orientated, with target dates for completion.
Don’t Overstretch Yourself
Don’t set too many goals at once. If you do you’ll set yourself up to fail. The temptation is to put together a huge list of all the things you’d like to achieve and be over-optimistic about how long it will take you to get there. (I know because I’ve done that too!) If you want to create a long list, that’s fine, but then you need to decide which are your top priorities and focus on those rather than trying to do too many all at once.
Make Your Goals Easy to Achieve
This doesn’t mean you should set goals that don’t stretch you; it’s really about approaching them in a way that won’t create resistance and procrastination.
Once you’ve decided on your top priorities, create a plan by breaking down each goal into manageable action steps and set realistic timescales that take into account all your other commitments.
Breaking down your goals into simple steps makes them much easier to achieve for several reasons:
- It is easy to get overwhelmed when you look at the big picture – it seems such a big leap from where you currently are at. Once you break it down into small steps you have a road-map to follow.
- Make each step easy to undertake and complete. If you make each step too big you are creating barriers that will make you procrastinate or avoid it completely.
- Every time you are able to tick off one of the actions that move you towards your goal, it will add to your motivation and inspire you to go on to the next task.
Stay Positive
If you find yourself slipping from your plan, don’t beat yourself up. Look at why this has happened – review and revise your plan if necessary and pick up where you left off. Just because you’ve lapsed for a few days doesn’t mean you have to give up completely. Every new day is a chance to start afresh.
Be Aware of Your Strengths and Weaknesses
The best way to make sure you stick to your goals is to play to your strengths and to find a way to compensate for your weaknesses. Often what we perceive to be weaknesses are due to our innate personality preferences. It really helps to understand your personality type and why certain things are easier for you than others, so rather than beating yourself up for not being good at something, you accept that it is part of your personality. One personality profiling tool I use with my coaching clients is at https://www.16personalities.com/ – the test is free and you get a very detailed profile that explains how your personality type affects your behavior in all the key aspects of your life.
There is a big difference between trying to overcome weaknesses and developing your innate skills to a higher degree of excellence. Even Beethoven had to practice! However, it is beneficial in some cases to work on consciously overcoming things you find difficult, especially if they are essential for you life and/or your business. I remember when I first took a Myers Briggs personality test. I was a team leader in an IT consulting company and had to prepare budgets. It was a great revelation for me when I discovered why I hated doing them; it was because my natural preference is to look at the big picture (the strategy) rather than go into minute detail (the figures in a budget spreadsheet). Once I understood that, I accepted that this particular task was not going to be easy for me, and I actually got satisfaction from completing it because I knew it was a stretch for me.
So whether you’re trying to improve your natural skills or achieve something that doesn’t come naturally, remember that it’s why we set goals – to stretch ourselves outside of our comfort zone.
Be Accountable
You are far more likely to stay committed to your goals and on track if you are accountable to someone else. This is the advantage of having a professional coach or a mentor who will support you, keep you accountable for the completion of tasks, and help you develop the right mindset for success rather than being critical or judgmental.
If you don’t have a coach, buddy up with your partner or a friend so you can keep each other on track. Make sure you choose someone you trust, and who you know will hold your feet to the fire, so you are motivated to take the required action and you can be honest about your issues and challenges.
Summary
If you want to achieve Unstoppable Success, you need to start the year with specific goals and a plan to achieve them. Remember – “A goal without a plan is just a wish”. – Antoine de Saint-Exupery.
If you want to overcome the obstacles to manifesting your dreams and achieving your goals, AND set yourself up for UNSTOPPABLE success, get your FREE copy of my Dream Achievers Success Kit and learn how to avoid the top 20 mistakes that stop you achieving your dreams.
Latest posts by Jan Shaw (see all)
- A Lesson in How To Integrate Body, Mind and Spirit for Healing - June 4, 2023
- How to Use Vision Boards to Help You Believe in Yourself and Manifest Your Dreams - June 4, 2023
- How I Overcame Fear and How You Can Do It Too - June 4, 2023
