“You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending” – C.S. Lewis
At the turn of each year, we often hear the phrase, “new year, new me.” Custom to this time of year, many of us set our eyes on the upcoming twelve months and begin to envision the goals we want to accomplish. Whether it is losing those 10 pounds, we gained over the holidays, starting a business, or learning a new skill, the beginning of the year can be a time of inspiration, aspiration, and hope. We are hopeful about what could happen and who we might become in the future.
Goals are said to be a critical contributing factor in distinguishing successful people. Goals have the power to provide a compass to guide where we want to go in life and be a filter for the types of opportunities we’ll say “yes” or “no” to throughout the year.
As you set goals for the coming year, I’d like to offer several questions and suggestions for consideration. My aim is that each should have a positive influence on your ability to not only set goals but, most importantly, achieve them.
Consider your habits
First, during our goal-setting process, we often focus solely on the results. This may be the money in your bank account, a business created, relationships established, or weight loss. Although it is exciting to visualize our success at the completion of a goal, we often don’t realize that it is what we do each day that will impact our ability to succeed. Our daily systems and habits we execute consistently over time compound into the ultimate achievement of our goals.
For example, to achieve our health goals, we may need to change our old habits and establish new habits that align with a healthy life. It may be a habit of being conscious of our daily diet and exercise. We may need to create a system that ensures we eat the right foods at the correct times during each day.
What habits and systems will you implement into your daily routine to ensure you are working towards your goals every day? The results we experience are often due to the habits we’ve performed consistently over time.
Focus on who you want to become
It’s said that “we become what we do consistently.” For long term success, as you establish goals and habits, consider shifting your focus from the objects to be achieved to the person you want to become. How we see ourselves through our identity has a strong influence on how we act and the habits we form. If you identify as a “smoker,” you will likely smoke. If you identify as a swimmer, you will probably swim. As simple as it sounds, it’s often true.
For example, a person sets a goal to run a marathon this year to support a healthier lifestyle. In the pursuit of this goal, they will likely train each week by running long distances to build the endurance needed for the upcoming race. Once the marathon race is over, the person will be excited at the moment that they’ve accomplished the goal. It’s interesting, however, how often this same person eventually stops running overtime. Is it that running no longer serves them well in achieving a healthy lifestyle? Consider how different it could be if this person’s goal were not the event of “running a marathon” but to “become a runner.” This subtle yet powerful shift in thinking supports the long term motivation needed to maintain a healthy life, which was the underlying reason for the goal. Once the marathon is over, the person will not consider their goal completed simply because the event has occurred, but instead, they continue the habit of running because that is who they now are, “a runner.”
How often do you create goals that focus on the person you want to become rather than the objects or events you want to experience? What type of person do you want to become by the end of this year?
Break it down
Consider taking your annual goals and breaking them down into smaller parts. Establish quarterly, monthly, weekly and daily goals that are in alignment with the year-end goals. This practice of breaking down your longer-term goals into shorter timeframes provides a level of near-term clarity, “small win” momentum, and motivation that serve as a positive tailwind to achieve longer-term goals.
Think of it as a “snowball effect” whereby successful days lead to successful weeks, successful weeks lead to successful months, successful months lead to successful quarters, and successful quarters lead to successful years. For example, if your goal is to become someone who is financially responsible and has a $1,000 emergency savings fund by year-end, you may decide to break it down into a daily goal of saving $3 per day ($1,095). Before the beginning of each week, you will have a clear understanding of what you need to accomplish by the end of that week and what you need to complete each day to move you closer to your goals.
Write it down
After you have broken down your yearly goals into smaller goals, you must write them down in a place that is easy for you to refer back to them frequently. I review my goals daily on my cell phone. This way, I am constantly reminded of what I am working towards. In this world of constant distractions, we need daily reminders to keep us on track. While it is okay for us to intentionally change direction, it is not okay to lose focus due to distractions that often feel “right” at the moment but have to potential to significantly move us in the opposite direction of where we ultimately want to go in life.
Please write down your goals and review them often. Daily if possible.
Tell someone
Along with countless others, I have personally witnessed and shouted from the hilltops the value of having an accountability partner for any and every goal. There is something powerful about verbalizing your goals with another person that you trust and respect. Whether it is the law of attraction at work or not, what we imagine in our heads and then verbalize through our mouths tend to have a higher likelihood of coming to reality. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1 NKJV)
Next to each of your goals, write the name of at least one person you will share the goal with and ask them to hold you accountable. This can be the same person for each goal if necessary. Who will you share your goals with and hold you responsible this year?
Also, as you think about your accountability partner, consider how this person could be a part of your process somehow. If your goal is health, this could be a gym partner or someone you exchange healthy recipes with each week. If your goal is financial growth, maybe you and this person research investment options or share business ideas. Either way, after you have written down your goals, identify who within your circle of trust can be your accountability partner.
Reward yourself
Finally, after completing a goal, we must reward ourselves. This helps to maintain the motivation that we need to continue striving in the future. As you set goals, in addition to making sure they are clear and measurable, write down how you will reward yourself once it is achieved. Whether it is buying an expensive dinner or a cup of coffee from your favorite café, make sure that the reward is interesting enough to keep you motivated.
How will you reward yourself?
In conclusion, the habit of goal setting and then working hard to achieve them is extremely valuable for anyone looking to enjoy success in any aspect of life. No matter your age or where you are in life, you can make the conscious choice to define the type of person you want to become in the future and the habits you want to develop to support your transformation. Remember, each decision we make is a vote for the type of person we want to become.
I hope these considerations serve you and your family now and through the year.
I’d appreciate the opportunity to connect. For more information, visit MatthewWagstaff.com and connect with me on LinkedIn. Until the next time… Live Long & Prosper!
