The end of year is a wonderful time for reflection but also to look forward. The time between Christmas and the new year is perfect for looking within and really deciding what is important to you for the coming year. Goal setting is fun, but to make them stick or to actually make progress on them, you should go a little further than just writing out random resolutions or goals. Here are our ideas on goal setting and how to work toward your dreams.
Write down your goals.
Seeing something written out makes it more real, and writing it out seems like making a promise to yourself. Post your goals in a place you’ll see them regularly and you’ll be more likely to work on them.Make an appointment to review those goals with yourself toward the end of the first quarter.
Checking in with ourselves at a set time gives us a deadline of when we might want to see some progress. Ever noticed how you get things finished or moved along before a big meeting? Set a big meeting with yourself and it will have the same effect. You’ll be surprised at how much you’ll accomplish in a year by using this technique.Really think about the goals you’re making.
Think about what’s important to you and ways to achieve your long-term goals. Want to expand your business? What are the steps that will get there? Then, pick a goal from those steps. What’s a personal goal you have? Break it down if need be and you’ll accomplish the larger task over time. Also, thinking about your goals helps identify why it’s a goal and if it should be a goal. If it’s important to you, no matter how small, add it on your list.Use the ever-popular SMART technique to help you with your goal setting.
If you aren’t familiar, SMART is an acronym for specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-sensitive. All the things your goals should be. Let’s look at an example. I’d like to play piano. That’s pretty vague. Technically, I can already play piano. What I actually mean and should write as a goal is that I’d like to be able to play a specific song in time from memory by a specific date. That goal checks all the SMART boxes, which ensures that if I work toward that I’ll see a positive result. If I’d just left the goal written as I’d like to play piano, that means so many different things it would be hard to know if and when I’d actually accomplished what I’d set out to do.Realize the end result may not be what you originally imagined.
This is the beautiful thing about life. Something as simple as getting a new bookshelf for your books can turn into a cherished art project or something more meaningful. Allow yourself to let life happen as work on your goals and you’ll notice the beauty that can come while you achieve your dreams.