At the beginning of every year, many of us create New Year’s resolutions. We think about what we did or didn’t accomplish last year. And create new hopes and dreams for the coming year. Unfortunately, not everyone knows the difference between a resolution and a goal. And few people understand how to set goals and achieve them successfully.
What Is a Goal (And What Isn’t)?
Tip 1: Don’t Beat Yourself up If You “Fall off the Wagon” a Few Times — Habit changes are hard. It’s difficult to reach new goals. You’re asking yourself to stretch, to grow, to try new things. Of course, there will be times when you take a step back. Afternoons when you just want your favorite Starbucks coffee and nothing else will do. But if you are kind to yourself and realize that no one is perfect, you are more likely to keep moving forward and ultimately get where you want to go. Then celebrate when you do!
Tip2: How to Set Goals: Dream Big but Start Small — One of the best ways to set a goal is to pick a small, tangible milestone. If your dream is to save money for a home in the long term, then your first goal could be to save $1,000 in the next three months. If your dream is to feel healthier, decide what that means for you. Maybe it means eating 2 servings of vegetables every day for the next month. Or going on a walk 5 times per week. Dream big, but start with a goal of reaching one, realistic step that will take you closer. Setting an actual goal should be small and tangible. Once you hit the first one, you can set another goal that brings you further down the path to your dream.
Tip3: Is this a priority in my life right now? — It’s crazy how many people set arbitrary New Year’s resolutions just because their friends and family are doing it. Take traveling for example. On social media, you’ll see people posting photos of themselves in exotic locations, having these seemingly awesome experiences. People see these photos of their friends having a great time and say to themselves, “Man, I really should travel more!” So they make it their New Year’s resolution to do so. As the months go on, they keep moving the day to travel down the road. They never really decide on a destination. And dang, wouldn’t you know it, they’re just so swamped with work right now, there’s no way they’ll be able to get away … and they never end up traveling!
In reality, they never really wanted to travel in the first place. And guess what? That’s totally fine. If traveling isn’t really important to you, you shouldn’t do it. Here at IWT, we believe in going all in on the parts of life that really matter to you — while mercilessly cutting out everything else.
*Don’t really care about traveling? Don’t do it.
*Getting a six pack isn’t important to you? Don’t bother with that gym membership then.
*Is learning a new language a priority for you now? If not, don’t set aside time to learn.
Focus on the things that truly matter to you — and forget the rest.
Tip5: When will I be finished with the goal? — Attaching a time frame for your goal will allow it to be both measurable and time-oriented. This will give you even more motivation to achieve your goals. So ask yourself: What’s the deadline for your goal? Will you know in a few days, weeks, or months if you’re on the right track?
Here are some examples:
1. I want to earn an extra $1,000 a month from my side hustle within 5 months.”
2. I want to travel to France by July.” “I want to run a 5K in three months.”
3. A time-oriented goal will help you stay focused and motivated to achieve your goal.
Build habits for life
To accomplish any goal, you need to establish good habits. To help you crush any goal you set out for yourself, we want to offer you something we’ve worked on to get you there: The Ultimate Guide to Habits: Peak Performance Made Easy In it, you’ll learn the actionable steps to crush any goal through smart habits, including:
How to set goals — the RIGHT away.
How to create and implement winning keystone habit.
How to make any habit last forever
Use these tools to set good goals for yourself. Get clear on what you really want, and why, and how you’re going go get it. Instill a sense of purpose in your life, then work hard to achieve it. You might be surprised by what you can do.
“The most important thing to remember is that you can wear all the greatest clothes and all the greatest shoes, but you’ve got to have a good spirit on the inside. That’s what’s really going to make you look like you’re ready to rock the world.” —Alicia Keys
