Have you started writing down a list of all you want to achieve in 2018, bemoaning the fact that you didn’t get enough done in 2017? Are you overwhelmed in general by life and all the responsibilities you have to manage?
Getting back to basics is a great way to check in with yourself.
Whatever your situation, it’s a great tool to use any time of year to make sure you’re staying true to who you are and who you want to become.
1. Clearly define your goals.
You want to achieve great things. OK, that’s a start. But that’s pretty broad. How do you define great? Is your goal to get an advanced degree, open your own business, get an A on your economics final or be the best mom you can be? We all need goals to keep us going. Having something to strive for is motivating and keeps us moving forward. But you need to be very clear about what it is you’re moving towards. The more detailed you can be, the better your chances are for success.
2. Be specific about why you’ve picked these goals.
– What purpose do your goals serve?
– When you achieve them, what does it mean to you?
– What exactly are they feeding within you?
– Do they serve you well, or are they really just playing into your insecurities?
– Are you setting goals that are designed to make others happy, but don’t really speak to what you want for yourself?
– How do they benefit you?
We all have the friend that went to law school to please their parents or to satisfy a construct of success that they adopted but don’t really believe in. Whatever you decide to go after, be sure you’re being really honest with yourself as to why you’re doing it.
It can be painful to realize you’re doing things for the wrong reasons. But it’s even more painful to keep doing them when you know deep down that it’s not going to satisfy you.
3. Give yourself timelines for accomplishing your goals.
Productivity, fulfillment and purpose don’t just come to you. You need to seek them out and be dedicated to attaining them. Hold yourself accountable by having a plan to follow. Break up your goal into the smaller, actionable steps required to achieve it. Then, give yourself a reasonable time frame to complete each step. Working backwards from your target completion date is a great trick. But if you’re really ambitious, take it one step further. Start from today and figure out the least amount of time each step will take you. You might just be able to achieve your goal earlier than you think!
Need some extra help with goal setting? Check out this post about goal setting for personal and professional success.
