Here’s How not to Push Your Goals to 2018

You’re now almost two weeks into the New Year, and maybe you’re losing faith already in being able to reach the goal or list of goals you created.

If you’re like me, at the beginning of each year my plans are lofty. I write down a list of things I would like to accomplish in the next twelve months, and this ranges from personal goals, goals for my family, and goals in business.

I’m a dreamer, and have been since I was little. This is really helpful in visualizing my goals but doesn’t help in actually achieving them. There have been multiple years in a row when I am researching the same thing I was a year earlier, which ultimately makes me feel like a failure.

We’re not going to reach all of our goals all the time, but we can get much better at choosing our goals and making intentional progress towards achieving them. Below I’ve listed what I use to reach my goals, and these are the same disciplines I recommend to those I help who run businesses, startups, nonprofits, and personally.

Know What You’re Doing with Your Time

I’m sure you’ve heard the saying, “time is money.” There are many ways this can ring truth in situations but I prefer to think, “time is like money”. When someone comes to me and says they’re broke or they can’t afford to make a leap financially – it’s common that they have the income but just aren’t prudent with the money they do have.

We’ve all heard the stories of individuals with little income multiplying it over time by being careful with how they spend and invest. Going into this next year, think about how you can be more intentional with aligning your time with your goals.

The best way I know how to do this, is to manage it like you do money. Track your day in 15 minute increments, and start by doing it for a week. 

We often have huge plans for what we’re going to accomplish this year but it can be evident through our time logs that we’re not actually spending anytime working towards these goals.

Go for Sprints not Marathons

Now that you’re using your time better, be reasonable with your time. Chances are you have a busy life already, so adding large goals on top of your already busy life can just cause stress.

Most of us have experienced an annual review at work on our performance. Whether you’re the boss or the employee, it’s really hard to remember what exactly was accomplished over the last 12 months of working.

This is equally true with our goals and why they can get lost over the course of a year. I recommend breaking down your goals into bite size pieces so you don’t lose sight of what you wanted to accomplish when the year started. Take the bigger picture of your goals and do your best to create tasks that would be necessary to complete in order to meet your accomplishment.

Break down these tasks into 13 week stretches, and review them regularly. Continue to break your goals down until you know what you need to do on a daily basis to reach your goals.

Be a Student

Some, if not all, of your goals are so you can feel some level of accomplishment and graduate in life. This puts you back in the position of being a student.

The most accomplished people I know are inquisitive like a student, but, more importantly, they understand there is a story behind every person and success. They study how people were able to get from one point to the next, especially people who have mastered the same goals they’re trying to complete.

As you’re working on your goals, identify those around you or throughout history who have accomplished something similar. Study them, find out what their story was and learn from it.

Track Your Meditation and Prayer

Whether you’re at the top of the mountain or the bottom – reflection is critical. Prayer and meditation will help you be at peace with where you are and where you’re going.

In my own life, I like to keep a small journal of what happens in my prayer time. I find that I understand quickly whether I’m going after the right things or doing things the right way. I also get to track what comes to fruition from what I’ve prayed for and focused on over time.