“I am so thoroughly convinced that if we don’t set goals in our life and learn how to master the techniques of living to reach our goals, we can reach a ripe old age and look back on our life only to see that we reached but a small part of our full potential. When one learns to master the principles of setting a goal, he will then be able to make a great difference in the results he attains in this life.”
M. Russell Ballard
Ok, so this may come as no surprise to anyone but the best way to start off the New Year with a BANG is to set goals! Hopefully this is still a tradition for many of us and hopefully we believe we can accomplish our New Years’ goals. I believe goal setting and achieving is a critical habit that must be cultivated in order to reach our full potential. As we set new goals this time of year, below are some ideas that will help us achieve them.
#1 Love it
Do you love your goal? Are you fully committed to it? Many of us fail to achieve our goals because we struggle to love what we are trying to accomplish. And this is understandable as some of our goals require us to do things we do not care for or give up things we really like! But in order to really accomplish a goal we must love it! Though we may not actually love the action required to achieve the goal, hopefully we have faith that we will love what the end results will be as we work toward the goal. Learning to find a way to love our goal will help us obtain it.
#2 Work Hard
The best way to achieve a goal is to work hard to accomplish it. Too many of us set goals than refuse to put forth much effort or sacrifice to obtain it. When we set goals, we must realize that in most instances, if it is a stretch goal, it will require hard work, time and effort to achieve it. So as you set goals, decide if you are willing to work hard to realize it.
#3 Scale the Wall and Form a Habit
There should be some initial push back and build up along the goal accomplishment path. This is normal. Many of us start out “gun-ho” and then fade. Those who persist through the initial high then letdown phases will develop habits that will increase success. For example, if my goal is to run 25 minutes every day, I may be excited for the first week but then a letdown will come and I will begin to wonder if the goal is worth it, whether I have enough time, whether it is too cold outside, etc. When these ideas of self-doubt come, it is our clue that it is time to push through and form a habit. Many people are stopped from success because they refuse to scale the wall of letdown. Once you climb over it a few times however, a habit is formed and the goal becomes much easier and more likely to be obtained.
#4 Evaluate
Evaluating our time is important. Is what we are doing adding value to what we hope to accomplish? Many of us simply waste too much time and this interferes with our ability to accomplish our goals. If you seem stuck, or are not making progress toward your goal, stop and list the things you are doing and then determine if they are contributing to the accomplishment of your goals or not. Evaluating our time and using it wisely toward things that help us reach our goals will go a long way in helping us be successful.
#5 Track
Last but not least is tracking our progress. We must know at any given time how we are doing. Without a scoreboard, it becomes very difficult to achieve our goals. Thus find a way that works for you to track your progress as frequently as possible. Tracking progress will lead to success.
Start now to develop your ability to set and reach goals. Doing so will have a tremendously positive impact on your life. Here is to a prosperous and successful 2012—start it off with a BANG!
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