Most of us are thinking about our future especially this time of the year when the new year presents an opportunity for change. We consider changes to make our personal and professional lives more fulfilling and successful.
Some of us are on track to accomplish our New Year’s resolutions! Then a few of us (like me) start to make the positive changes at the start of a new year, but quickly fall back to the old habits. Often our New Year’s resolutions are too difficult to achieve due to a lack of a planning and follow through. My reasons? I was too busy, overwhelmed, and I didn’t have a clear plan! It seems many people feel the same way – too busy and overwhelmed to even start thinking about their well-intended resolutions.
Whether it is professional or personal, it is not always easy to make changes or work on resolutions. However, the good news is that it is never too late to start improving yourself and now is a great time to make resolutions for change. We just have to make the choice of either continuing with the “old” habits or working toward a new improved self or routine!
Interestingly, the most successful people are those who made a choice to be successful, established goals, and set out to accomplish them. Ultimately, it is up to each of us to take charge of our professional and personal growth. However, achieving success in anything requires having a plan – setting goals and actions to carry them out.
The key to achieving success is to motivate yourself to turn your goals into realities. Setting goals is a very powerful technique to make a positive difference in achieving success. Therefore, if you want your life to change, you must set your goals into a plan, and take the steps to be successful.
It sounds easy enough, but studies show a majority of the people don’t take the time to identify their goals and make a plan for reaching them. Goals give you a destination. Knowing where you are going will help you get there! Here are some easy steps to put your resolutions and goals into action!
Start out with small steps, and keep it simple so you can achieve your goals! Maybe you want to be more productive at work or add to your professional skills to work towards a promotion. You may just want to simplify your life, manage your time better, or find the time to do the things that are more important in your life.
• Determine your objective — What do you want to achieve? What is it you want to do in your life and career? Once you have a vision and know what you really want to accomplish with your life, you will be able to define your goal and develop a focused plan to set you in the right direction.
• Define specific, but realistic, goals. Categorize your goals for your personal, financial, career, spiritual and other major areas. However, don’t have too many goals which can sabotage your success and become overwhelming.
• Begin with well-defined goal statements that form the basis for your plan. One way to remember how to create a clear and accurate goal statement is to think of the “SMART” acronym used by many experts in goal setting workshops stands for: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant (or Realistic), and Timely. Each goal statement should have clear steps to provide direction and focus to achieve the goal. Have a plan of action, that allows you to track your progress toward the goal in a time frame that is realistic.
• Narrow down the list to concentrate on a few goals at a time. As soon as you achieve those goals, you can move down your list. You want your goals to be worth working toward.
• Once you have a defined your specific goals, you need some direction to follow to achieve each goal. Create an action plan that gets results. If you don’t know where you are going, how can you expect to get there? Write down in detail how you will achieve it and by what date. This plan is your roadmap to success. The more specific and measurable the plan, the better, but the key is to have a written plan to keep you on track and moving forward.
• Goal setting is an ongoing process that is accomplished over time. Review your goals daily to become more productive, to remain focused and determine your priorities. As each set of goals is reached, you will be compelled to set new goals, but consider rewarding yourself for your achievement!
• Maintain a log of your progress along the way to help keep you on track. Even small steps will get you a little bit closer to your goal.
• Do not become frustrated if you do not achieve your goals overnight. Keep in mind some resolutions fail and consider the potential roadblocks that may prevent you from achieving them. Facing these roadblocks up front will prepare you to overcome them.
• Stay motivated even in the face of obstacles or setbacks. Remain flexible and willing to adjust your plan when necessary. Sometimes you may need to take a detour along the way, but don’t get discouraged and let this throw you completely off course. Stay committed and keep going!
Whatever the reasons are for change, I hope these steps will give you more focus and direction to assist you in accomplishing your New Year’s resolutions! Take charge of your career by focusing on your goals and achieving success.
