Every year, throngs of people—maybe even you—choose
a list of resolutions for the next year. Generally, these are habits they will
try to do every day, or habits they will try to avoid for as long as they can,
e.g lose weight, get out more, save money. Unfortunately, many of these
resolutions are forgotten by March. A major reason for this is that it’s
deceptively difficult to develop or deny ingrained habits ‘cold turkey’.
While the effort to adopt resolution shows a
wonderful sense of positive intent, a better alternative is to develop
new goals for the future. And it helps to work toward them as a more
gradual process rather than expecting to change immediately. Goals are a
better plan than resolutions for a few key reasons. So instead of making
resolutions, setting measurable goals is more likely to lead to success in
seeing your hopes and dreams come to fruition. That is why for me what I usually
do during December is writing down my goals for the New Year. While preparing for this article, I visits
“Lifehack” with Malika Boyd, and the information I got there are instrumental. So
if you want to increase the chances of seeing your dreams become
reality? Here are five goal-setting tips that will get you started on your
journey towards reaching your goals.
1.
Be S.M.A.R.T.
When it comes to goal setting, S.M.A.R.T is a familiar acronym
for specific, measurable, attainable, relevant,
and time-sensitive. Too often, people set goals that are vague and
unrealistic. Not only does this lead to frustration, but it also
decreases the likelihood of actually achieving the goal. The
S.M.A.R.T. method can be applied to a variety of goals, whether professional or
personal, giving you the tools you need to succeed in your goal setting
endeavors.
2.
Write it down
The daily minutiae of life is enough to rattle even the most
skilled multi-tasker. With family dinners, kids’ sporting events, and
household chores, life is truly a juggling act. Still, we manage to fall into
the routine of getting those things done without a need to write them down.
When it comes to goals, however, we are not very likely to simply fall into a
routine. Achieving goals involves deviating from the daily monotony,
stepping outside of your comfort zone, and challenging yourself. Writing
down your goals allows you to free up some of that mental clutter so that you
can visualize those things that you want to achieve. Also, tracking your
progress by checking things off will give you a sense of accomplishment,
motivating you to keep going. So, pull out that journal that has been
collecting dust and write down those goals!
3.
Avoid comparisons
When you are working towards improving your life, it is common to
compare yourself to other people. Your perception is that they
are superior to you, or more privileged in some way. The social media
phenomenon doesn’t help; your ‘news feed’ overflows with announcements of
your friends’ new love interests, weight loss, and new jobs, quickly turning
you into a green-eyed monster. How does this serve you, exactly? It doesn’t.
When you compare yourself to others, you rob yourself of time you could be
spending on your own self-improvement. It is also important to keep in mind
that everyone’s journey is different; although we have similar destinations,
our paths are often quite different. Follow your own path.
4.
Embrace failure
Robert Kiyosaki, author of Rich Dad Poor Dad once says “successful people don’t fear failure but
understand that it is necessary to learn and grow from.” Setting goals
involves learning what you need to do in order to achieve personal growth.
Embracing failure by seeing it as a necessary part of achieving your goals will
only make you stronger and more resilient as you continue on your road towards
achieving your goals. To put it point blank, I achieved just 10% of my goals
this year, and you know what? That is the more reason why I must set some new
goals. Failure help to guide you on the way forward.
5.
Enjoy the process
Big success is made
up of small victories. If your saving goal is 10%, chances are that you will
not achieve it all at once. Still, you can celebrate your 4% saving every month.
Having goals is important; however, we don’t stop living while we pursue them.
Life happens while you are in the midst of seeing your dreams realized. Don’t
allow your focus on the outcome
to keep you from enjoying the process. 
Conclusively, setting
resolutions at the start of a new year can be effective if you create goals
that are realistic and you make them fun in some way. You might brainstorm
different ways to accomplish the goal or recruit a friend to help you do it.
In any
case, set your goals high,
and don't stop till you get there because setting goals is the first step in turning the invisible into the
visible. Concentrate all your thoughts upon the work at hand.
Listen to
this, the
sun's rays do not burn until brought to a focus, and discipline is the bridge
between goals and accomplishment.
Happy New Year
