Set Goals NOT Resolutions

Tips on setting goals NOT resolutions.

It’s a new year which means new goals, new perspectives, and new vision. In previous posts, I have addressed the Importance of Setting Business Goals and having a business plan as well as selecting your ONE WORD for the year.

I find both of these planning tools to be extremely important and effective, but I also feel it is important to set personal goals as well, not resolutions. I say this because most people give up on their “resolutions” by the second week in January. A goal is a dream with a plan and a deadline. When you correct your mindset to focus on goals, you are more likely to be successful in attaining the desired result.

For the past few years, I have been setting five personal goals for myself. While these personal goals have definitely helped my career success as well, they focus more on my health, family, wellbeing, etc.

By setting goals, we are able to focus more on what is important to us. Goals remind us of what we need to concentrate on and give us a clear road map that will help us reach our desired destination. They can also prevent us from getting lost and wasting and effort.

Setting goals in all areas of life (for example: spiritual, physical, financial, social, mental and professional) empowers you to live your life vision with power. Since we already addressed professional goals in a previous post, let’s focus on the other areas of our personal life.

Let’s start with WHY. Why is it important to set personal goals? Here are five reasons (trust me, there are many, many more reasons) to clarify the importance:

1.  To take control of your life. Having goals makes you accountable. Rather than just talk, you are now obligated to act. This accountability is accountability to yourself, not anyone else (though it doesn’t hurt to share your goals with an accountability partner to give you an extra nudge every now and then).

2.  When you set goals, you connect yourself with your innermost desires. They help motivate you and give you something to strive for. The process of writing your goals helps you clarify what you desire to do, understand the importance of pursuing them and commit yourself to make them happen.

3.  Setting personal goals will help you achieve your highest potential and be the best you can be. Without goals, you default to a routine of activities that keeps you feeling safe and comfy each day. They make you stretch beyond your normal self and reach new heights.

4.  Goals help you focus your attention on your purpose and make it your dominant aspiration. To achieve these goals, you must make sacrifices, stay committed and overcome challenges.

5. Goals are the targets toward which you point your life, they give you a starting point and a destination to reach. Goal achievement requires a committed, concentrated and consistent work ethic to make your dreams a reality.

I am proud to share that I was successful in completing all 5 of the personal goals I set for myself in 2019. Here is what they were:

1. Get my Real Estate License
2. Run a 5k
3. Launch my blog!
4. Complete a Spartan Race
5. Get water baptized

As you can see, I mostly focused on three main areas of my life, social/mental, physical and spiritual. These goals were challenging and rewarding upon completion. Did I get a metal, yes. Did I get a piece of paper saying I am a licensed real estate agent, yet, but above all, the sense of accomplishment and pride I felt upon completing all of these goals (and still today) meant more to me than anything else. And that is what matters when setting and completing personal goals!

So, let’s talk about the focus areas:

Focus area #1 – Spiritual – some examples of goals in this area include:

• Attend church services weekly.
• Daily reading of the bible or other religious material
• Daily meditation

Focus area #2 – Physical – some examples of goals in this area include:

• Exercise xx times per week
• Lose 10 pounds
• Run a 5k, 10k or marathon

Focus area #3 – Financial – some examples of goals in this area include:

• Save xx amount of money each week
• Donate xx amount of money to charity each year
• Pay off credit card debt

Focus area #4 – Social – some examples of goals in this area include:

• Monthly social outings with my friends
• Monthly date nights with my spouse
• Attend xx of seminars this year

Focus area #5 – Mental – some examples of goals in this area include:

• Get xx number of hours of sleep per night
• Learn to meditate or practice mindfulness
• Take xx amount of vacations this year

When setting your personal goals, make sure to create an action plan to complete the goal as well, don’t try to do it all at once, break the actions down into small steps.

For instance, you want to run a 5k, but you are not an expert runner. You need a training plan. Make sure to set a deadline for achieving your goals too. In some cases, it may be a specific date, in other cases, it might be the end of the year (for example, putting xx amount of money into your savings account by December 31^st.  You can still break this down to weekly or monthly deposits).

Here are my personal goals for 2020:

My goals are not listed in any specific order as some of them will take me the entire year to achieve. As you can see, I have added a sixth goal to my list this year (I know, I’m an overachiever) and I have already completed my first goal of hiring a life coach. Our first meeting is this Sunday and I am SUPER excited to get started.

Whatever your personal goals may be, make the process fun. Write your goals down, post them where you can see them daily. I will add a plug here for my new favorite planner (I LOVE LOVE LOVE it) – it’s task and goal-centered which helps me keep my focus.  Meet the new “GOOD BUSY Planner” (currently on sale on Amazon).

Celebrate the completion of your small action steps! Don’t beat yourself up for any steps or goals you do not complete by your desired timeframe. Just do your best, I promise, the satisfaction and pride you will feel when you complete a personal goal is worth more than any words can express. Good luck and make 2020 the best year yet!

Need help setting personal goals or creating action plans? I’d be happy to help!
Just send me a message!!

*Do you like the goals checklist above? I created it for FREE in Canva! Get your FREE account HERE.