Goodbye 2011 and welcome to 2012. Is this the year I’m going to achieve what I hope? Is this the year I will become more?
These words are muttered every year, normally after a few stiff drinks and after the clock strikes 12.
But, after the dust settles and the room stops spinning, do you really take the time to sit down and actually write down some reasonable and achievable goals?
Far too often we say what we’re going to do and what we’re going to become this year, but without a list of goals to act as our road map we get lost, normally after the first day.
If you want this year to be different, I suggest you sit down and have a good think about what it is you want to achieve and where you want to be. Remember, your goals don’t have to be a secret, tell someone close to you so they can keep you on track to achieve your goals.
I find keeping my goals in my iPhone notes section as a great spot. I always have my phone on me and can always read what my goals are for the year. It’s something that I look at every morning and something I track the progress against weekly or monthly depending on the goal.
If you don’t have an iPhone or smartphone, then write them down on a small piece of paper and keep it in your pocket or even your wallet, where it’s always accessible for a review.
I would suggest creating small term ‘win goals’, which are things you can achieve quickly and easily, and then increase the difficulty. What I mean by this is, we all love to win and when we don’t we get disheartened. Creating a goal that is achievable gives us our first win for the year and allows us to move onto something that is a little harder with more confidence and enthusiasm.
You should set yourself a reward for hitting your goal. Not the small ones, but the ones that made you really try hard and reach for them. Cross them of the list as you go and accept the reward you have written against the goal.
So grab a coffee and write out your goals. Let’s make 2012 the year were we actually do it.
