HOW TO ACHIEVE YOUR GOALS THIS YEAR
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Happy New Year, friends!
Anyone else happy to close the door on what was 2020 and have a “fresh start” to 2021?! Of course, we all know that the change of the number of the year doesn’t mean that magically everything that happened in 2020 will disappear…
But, there’s just something about a fresh start to a new year that feels, well, FRESH.
I’m definitely ready for 2021 and even more ready to achieve my goals this year.
For several years, I would pick a word to focus on for the year, and inevitably what would happen is that after the first quarter of the year, I’d forget the word that I picked. Whoops.
So, last year, I decided to do something completely different, and instead of writing down a list of arbitrary goals, I wrote down a list of 20 intentions. And, as expected, by about March, I had forgotten what at least half of them were.
(Of course, at the time, we were also at the beginning stages of the pandemic and our world’s were completely turned upside down, but you’d think being home I’d actually remember to look at them a bit more…)
I loved the idea of intentions and I think it’s great to have some intentions for the year, but there’s just something about achieving a goal that feels so good, so accomplished.
A few weeks ago, I sat down with my cognitive behavior coach (aka mindset coach, aka life coach) and started talking about the goals I wanted to achieve for the year. And as we talked about them and I wrote them down, I got really excited…
For the first time in a few years, I actually feel like I have risky, uncomfortable, yet achievable goals that light a fire under me.
Which brings me to my word of the year…
While I’m not sure I’ll stick with having a word for the year, when I think about my goals and when I read them to myself, one word keeps coming to my mind…
UPLEVEL.
For me, 2020 was a year of growth, a year of busting down my own walls and building up new ones.
In 2021, I’m ready to UPLEVEL.
But, there are TWO THINGS you absolutely, 100% need to remember as you’re writing down + thinking about your own goals for the year…
Goals mean NOTHING without ACTION behind them
Those ACTIONS must be done CONSISTENTLY
I’ve gotten to hear John Maxwell talk a few times now (thanks to my partnership with MONAT) and I will never get tired of hearing his “tree analogy” when it comes to achieving your goals.
Picture a tree in your backyard that you want to chop down. That’s your goal you want to accomplish - chopping down that tree. In order to accomplish that goal, you need to have the right tools. Those tools are your action steps. What things do you NEED to have or to do in order to achieve that goal?
Once you have the right tools (actions) in place, you have to stay FOCUSED on that goal. I see this with SO many of the business owners I work with. Instead of focusing on one goal they want to accomplish, they jump around constantly. Instead of focusing on that one tree they want to chop down, they take a few swings at it and then move to another tree, never really making good, sustainable progress toward that one goal.
Now, that doesn’t mean you can’t have MORE than one goal, but don’t change the goals you are focusing on. I know better than anyone that multitasking is NOT my strong suit, so I keep my amount of goals small (think 2-3 tops).
You’ve got the right tools, you’re focused on the ONE tree you want to shop down, so the next thing you need to do is be CONSISTENT. Honestly, I feel like focused + consistent fall hand in hand. But, let’s think about this in terms of running…
You decide that this year is the year you run a half marathon - AWESOME! You find a training plan, buy some running shoes, create an epic playlist, etc. - all the tools you need to run. You’re focused on this goal.
But, what inevitably happens, you start out super strong. You run 3 days this week, 4 days the next week, and then it gets hard. By week 3, you’re struggling to get out of bed. You get 1 run in and you’re happy about that. But, week 4 comes and you don’t run at all. Same with week 5 and week 6.
Now, you’re halfway into your training plan, and you’ve only run 7-8 days total.
Friend, you can’t expect to run a half marathon if you don’t show up CONSISTENTLY.
You can’t expect to lose weight if you don’t focus on those actions CONSISTENTLY.
You can’t expect to build a business if you don’t do the work to build it CONSISTENTLY.
When it comes to achieving your goals, the ONE THING you must do is be CONSISTENT.
Let’s go back to the tree analogy…
You’re determined to chop down this tree. So everyday, you wake up, make 5 swings at the tree, and call it a day. The next day, you show up and do the exact same thing. Same with the next day, and the next. So on and so forth.
Eventually, that tree is going to fall down - and BOOM! Goal accomplished!
The key to accomplishing your goals this year is taking ACTION and showing up CONSISTENTLY. It’s the same for running, for business, for weight loss, for any goal you want to accomplish.
Does consistently mean every single day? Maybe. But, consistency to you might mean 3 days per week or Monday through Friday.
Here are 5 questions you need to ask yourself as you create (or come back to) your goals for 2021…
What is the goal that I want to accomplish?
What TOOLS do I need to accomplish that goal? (Examples: a training plan, an accountability partner, a coach, a course, bins for organization, etc.)
What are the ACTIONS I need to do every single day to accomplish that goal?
Does this goal get me excited so I can stay focused on it?
Can I commit to the actions CONSISTENTLY (remember: what consistency looks like to you) for the next year or until I accomplish this goal?
And that, my friends, is the key to creating goals that you absolutely CAN + WILL accomplish this year!
I’m cheering for you and can’t wait to see you CRUSH 2021! Let me know what goal you’re working on so I can follow along and help keep you accountable!
