How to Reach Your Goals This Year

Every year we make those lofty goals like, “get in shape, make more money, work on that project…” and then we get 30, 60, or 90 days into it and then like a bad pair of shoes, they go out with the trash. Goal setting isn’t necessarily hard, but reaching those goals is harder when we don’t set ourselves up for success.

What if you could avoid the pitfalls of goal setting?  What if you could achieve your goals without the guilt of ignoring them until the next year. What if it was super easy? Today is your day! I’m going to share with you a few super easy ways you can set and meet your goals in the new year.

For myself, keeping everything in my head is a surefire way to lose track of my goals.

In fact, a study by Gail Matthews at Dominican University showed that 7 out of 10 people who write down their goals report that they reached their goals.

So let’s get to writing.

1. Be Specific

Be specific in your goal setting. This will help you know when you’ve reached your goal.

For instance, when you set the goal of “losing weight”.  Losing weight can be accomplished in many ways and how much weight are we talking about?  I would suggest saying, “Lose X pounds of weight per month.” This is more manageable and can be tracked. Then you can ask yourself, “what can I add to my schedule that would allow me to lose X pounds per week/month/quarter?”

As you start thinking in terms of smaller goals, you end up reaching the bigger goal much faster than you thought possible.

2. Keep It Simple

Resist the urge to set 100’s of goals.  Usually, 7-10 major goals for the year is a good number.  Too many goals and you risk being overwhelmed.

3. Remind Yourself Daily

Make sure you write down your goals in a place where you will see them daily.  Don’t put them in a random file on your computer. The more visual, the better.

4. Reward yourself

This might seem silly to some but rewarding yourself it a good motivational tool. You end up looking forward to what’s coming at the end. Make sure your reward is in line with your goal. If you’re losing weight, I wouldn’t make the reward eating out, but perhaps something that takes more energy than you had before, or buying a new outfit for the trimmer you. These might sound like small things but really make a difference.