HOW TO ACHIEVE YOUR GOALS

New year, fresh start, mountains of opportunities and a plethora of possibilities await… right? Well, yes. And no.

Creating goals for our physical selves, our careers and our personal lives is more than just a mental note of a few key resolutions that were discussed over the dinner table at Christmas while Uncle Rob craved the turkey.

True goals are so much more than that. They are a reflection of the past and a plan for the future. And, if you have any desire to change something about your current situation – whether it’s job, social circle or simply finding a bit more free time – it’s time to get serious about setting goals.

It’s a practice and a process I have only recently begun to understand more fully. Perhaps it’s because I’ve been reading a lot of Seth Godin’s work or maybe it’s a coming of age, when you finally realise your time isn’t infinite. Whatever it is, I always knew I hated the phrase, “Good things come to those who wait” but only now do I realise why. Sitting around waiting, wishing or willing things to happen is fruitless 95% of the time. The 5% is down to sheer luck (and I’m probably being super generous with the 5% – it’s probably more like 0.005%).

So how do you make this year your best year yet? Think about what you what to change about circumstances and/or the things you want to happen this year and follow these tips:

WRITE THEM DOWN

I have a shocking memory. I also write everything down (well, most things – nobody’s perfect). I couldn’t tell you which came first but either way, it’s natural for me to do so. It might not be for you but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do it. Buy a new notebook and pen that you will carry in your bag every day or open a new Word doc that is saved to the desktop of the computer screen you look at 40 hours a week. Writing (or typing) your goals will be a constant reminder of their existence and the best way to remember them in detail.

BREAK THEM DOWN

Now that you have made the effort to write them down, break them down. Break each goal down into small, bite-size (read: doable) pieces aren’t so scary. If your goal is to start a blog, for example, break it down into steps that you can take over a period of time to get it off the ground, including research, buying a domain name, choosing a platform and finding a design you like.

SHARE THEM

Tell your mother, brother, cousin and the barista at your favourite shop. Tell anyone who will listen. Why? One word: Accountability. We all are more likely to do something, to stick to our guns, to commit if we feel we don’t want to let others down. It also spreads the enthusiasm. If you’re starting a 12-week challenge to get fit, share the news with your best friends. Maybe they want to get involved, too. If you want to go back to university to study, share the news on your social media platforms and watch the encouragement flood in. The people in your life don’t want you to fail – and if you find that they do maybe you don’t need them in your life (and that’s a whole other topic for another day).

IMPOSE A DEADLINE

If I ever get a book deal in my life and someone told me I had 3 months to write the first draft, I’m almost positive that I would be pulling an all-nighter the date before in order to get that draft done. As a journalist, I’ve worked to deadlines my entire career but even if I wasn’t in this profession, I’d be exactly the same. We all need deadlines. I highly doubt anyone had their school assignments done weeks before they were due or don’t still tap away furiously at the keyboard 30 minutes before giving a presentation at work. It’s human nature to procrastinate. Give each of your goals (including each and every broken-down step) a deadline. And then share that, too.

SCHEDULE THEM

One of the best things I ever did was schedule my workouts and yoga classes into my iCal. Anything exercise-related has its own colour (blue, in case you were wondering) and blocks out that period of time in my diary. Yes, things change. And yes, you need to be flexible. But the act of popping that yoga class into my calendar means that it is important enough to me that I want to make time for it and if, for some unknown reason, I can’t make it, then I’ll move it. All those deadlines – that were important enough for you to take the time to write down – should be put into your paper diary (if you have one) and your calendar app/iCal/Google Calendar (ditto) to mark their importance and to remind you to do them, of course.

REFLECT AND AMEND THEM

You probably won’t meet every deadline because life has an annoying little habit of getting in the way of things. So reflect and amend. If a deadline coincides with the completion of a major work project, change it. Moving the goalposts is normal, natural and really good for you. It means you’ve done some critical thinking, assessed the situation and realigned your step, goal or maybe just nudged the deadline back a bit. Reflection is crucial because what works for you today, may not in 3 months’ time for a myriad of reasons but it’s the thought behind why that is the most important part.

BE KIND TO YOURSELF

We don’t fail, we learn. All the great creatives, entrepreneurs and political leaders have experienced what it’s like to miss the mark. To not quite reach the target. Or to lose money, respect and/or power. But what separates them from the rest of us is that instead of slinking away into obscurity, they tried again. But next time they were armed with the learnings of past. And again. And again. There’s no failing, only learning. It’s when you don’t learn from your mistakes that you have truly failed. So be kind. Go back to reflect and amend, or perhaps go back to the start and set some new goals. There’s no rules.