Make You a Better YOU Today

I’ve decided I’d complete the month with the way I started and that is talking on goals.  I heard somebody say recently that he didn’t believe in goals or New Year resolutions because he believes they simply are an ineffective and waste our time.  His justification for was that so many people fail when they make them.  In fact, he told me the best time to buy a gym membership was in February because the place would be empty after the January rush and perhaps he is right.  Finally, he argued if people really want to accomplish something then they just do it no matter the time of year or whether a goal or resolution is set. 

I had to agree with a lot of his points.  Too many of us fail when we set goals and resolutions so I had to ask myself, is setting New Year resolutions or goals a waste of time?  Though I understand his justification behind his argument I would have to politely disagree.  Just because many fail when setting goals does not mean it is a waste of time or that it should not be done.  I believe if goal setting and resolutions makes us even a little bit better, or helps even a few of us achieve them, than it is worth it—and you never know when the time is right for you to be one of the few. 

Besides, I’ve seen how goals set, acted on, and tracked have changed people’s lives.  I’ve seen how goals and resolutions have literally pushed people outside of their comfort zone and have made them better leaders and better people.  I’ve personally been blessed by goals and resolutions and therefore know that they are not a waste of time.  Goals and resolutions can give us the motivation and resolve to be better. 

Again there are three main reason why I believe people fail.  #1 they fail to write down specific goals they want to reach, #2 they simply fail to act or take steps toward achieving them and #3 they fail to regularly track their progress.  If we can remember to do these three simple things, I know goals and resolutions work! 

So if you think they don’t work and share the same views of my friend, I don’t blame you.  On the other hand, I would challenge you to give the three things I listed a try and see if goals and resolutions can’t start working for you.  If you do, I promise you will they will make you a better you today.    

The SMART Goal

It’s still January so I hope you will allow me to continue with my blogs on goals.  Goals are so crucial to our success and growth in 2013—and really at any point in time in our life.  I’ve seen small steps of progress in my own life because of goals and know the amazing things a team can accomplish together as they work towards them.  Goals have the ability to inspire us to new heights, lift our vision, push us out of our comfort zone, expand our circles of influence, and help us achieve our full potential as human beings.  Please, take advantage of the power of goal setting. 

So for the somewhat novice or first time goal setter let me offer some simple advice.  (This perhaps may be a good reminder for even the expert goal setter as well…)  When setting goals you want to set SMART ones. 

S=simple and specific.  Goals should be simple and easy to understand.  There is much to be gained when we keep things simple and setting goals that are confusing, vague, unclear, or complex will rarely if ever help us.  Thus first think simple and specific when setting goals.  If your 2013 goals are not simple and specific, then change them so that they are.  This will greatly enhance your ability to succeed. 

M=measurable.  We have to have a way to track or measure our goals.  A goal set that is impossible to measure will rarely help us.  As humans we like to see progress and feel good for what we are accomplishing and measurements will help us.  When establishing goals, make sure you have a way you are going to measure them.

A=attainable.  Make sure your goals are something you truly believe you can attain and are realistic.  Establishing a goal that we don’t believe we will ever accomplish can cause more frustration than it does motivation.  Likewise setting a goal to earn a million dollars in a week sounds pretty unrealistic for most of us but perhaps if our goal was to do it in a year or two that might work for some of us.  Thus we need to make sure that our goal will stretch us but also be attainable in our mind.  I think the important thing is in our mind.  Often people may think we’ve set an unattainable goal in their mind but that really doesn’t matter.    

R=relevant.  What this means is we need a goal that has meaning to us.  Earning a million dollars may really have little significance for us and thus setting it as a goal doesn’t really make sense.  Likewise setting a goal that isn’t aligned to what we personally want to do or accomplish in life or is in line with what is most important to us doesn’t make sense and will rarely produce good results.  Thus we need to set goals that are relevant to us. 

T=time-bound.  Finally, our goals should be set with some sort of time limit meaning when do we hope to accomplish the goal we’ve established, in a month, a year, or 10 years?  Having time constraints will make the goal real and will help us measure our progress.  Having an end in mind will push us to achieve it. 

I can’t state too many times or over emphasize how important goal setting is to our success.  Setting SMART goals will help us be our best selves and will make us great leaders in 2013!  

If you have any questions about this post or if I can help in any way, please do not hesitate to contact me as I’d love to help out. 

Goal Achievers

By now (hopefully) we’ve developed our goals for the New Year and have created a solid plan, system, or method to track them.  The next step is easy…well easy in theory but often difficult in practice.  The next step is to take action. 

Believe it or not, action is required to accomplish our goals this year and without it, nothing will happen.  That’s right we must take action.  Now you may be saying this is extremely obvious, but unfortunately many of us never get to this point.  That’s right, many people are what I call “goal setters” instead of “goal achievers.”  Each year they set goals, often very inspiring and compelling goals, only to never take any action toward accomplishing them.  Let’s not let that happen to us.  Let’s take the next step which is action. 

I believe most people do not take action because of fear.  We may fear failing, or are afraid of standing out and actually accomplishing something, or we fear change or perhaps we have other fears.  Whatever the reasons may be, whether because of fear or other things, let’s not let them hold us back this year.  Let’s put them aside and take action.  Once we act, there is no going back.  Once we’ve driven to the gym and actually picked up the weights, no one can take that away from us, it cannot be undone.  So let’s act today. 

In 2013 let’s be “goal achievers.”  Action is critical, in fact, it is absolutely necessary for our success.  So let’s act without delay!    Here’s to a great 2013!

The Secret to Accomplishing New Year Goals

Happy New Year—it's time to make 2013 the best year yet in terms of becoming a better you.  Did you know that 90% of people have already given up on their New Year’s resolutions by January 17^th?  Let me tell you one big reason why.  They fail to track them on a regular basis.

Tracking our progress toward accomplishing our goal is so important and crucial to our ultimate success.  Too often we set goals without establishing an easy, consistent way to help us know if we are progressing toward our goals or not.  Simply setting goals is just simply not enough as we also need to determine how we will record and monitor our progress.  For best results, I’ve found daily tracking and reviewing of my progress to be the most helpful and beneficial. 

 Frequently tracking our progress with goals does a few things for us.  First, it reminds us of what our goals are.   Can you believe many people fail to even remember what their New Year’s resolutions were by February?  Second, it gives us positive feedback.  When we track our goals consistently we see the progress we are making.  When we see progress, we get excited anew about accomplishing our goals. 

Tracking goals does not need to be complicated.  In fact, I usually create a simple Excel spreadsheet with my goals listed on them.  I then print this spreadsheet and look at it every morning to review my efforts from the day before and mark my progress made.  This takes me a total of 1 minute each morning.  You may have other ways to track your goals and that is great—the important thing is that we are in some way tracking them.

So are we ready to really accomplish our goals this year?!!  We can as we track our progress closely.  If you would like more help with this, such as developing an easy method to track your goals, please let me know as I’d love to help.  Here’s to an outstanding 2013!