“If you don’t know where you are going,
you’ll end up someplace else.”
– Yogi Berra
Are you like most people who make New Year’s resolutions? You may recall that you set some New Year’s resolutions last year. . .but they were long forgotten. Or perhaps, you didn’t set any new goals to achieve this past year. If you did identify a goal, did you achieve it? If someone asked you six months from now what your New Year’s resolutions were for this year, would you remember them?
Are your goals big and bold? Long-term, future oriented? If not, you may not have the inner motivation you’ll need to achieve them.
“In the absence of clearly defined goals,
we become strangely loyal to performing daily acts of trivia.”
- Author Unknown
Are you working towards a specific goal? Or, are you wishing something would happen? A wish changes nothing. A commitment along with action changes everything. Successful people are quick to point out that unwritten goals are just wishes. They know that achieving goals requires more than just wishful thinking.
Read any book on success, or talk to high achieving people and you’ll hear the same message:
Setting Goals + Taking Action = Success.
It sounds simple doesn’t it? But if it is that simple, why aren’t more people successful in realizing their goals? One reason is that many people simply don’t write down their goals, instead relying on their memory to track several goals. Over time, and in the busyness of daily living, goals get forgotton.
“The time for action is now.
It’s never too late to do something.”
–Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Becoming goal-oriented requires commitment. Are you ready to take ten minutes of your time right now to set some goals for this year? Don’t delay! Get a piece of paper and pen now and answer these questions:
Reflect on this past year.
1) The most significant contributions I made in my work/family/personal life were:
2) The one thing I would have liked to achieve this last year was:
3) The biggest learning experience I had this last year was:
Set specific career goals for this year.
Imagine yourself one year from now. If you were wildly successful, what would you be experiencing in your work life one year from now?
1) The top three things I will accomplish in the next year:
2) The top two or three skills that I am developing this year in order to achieve my goals:
3) The next step(s) I am taking towards achieving my goal(s):
Identify your dream goals.
Identify a long term goal or dream you have. Imagine yourself with unstoppable confidence as you take action towards creating your dream.
1) If I had more money, confidence, and/or support, I would achieve the following goal(s):
2) The dream that I’d like to achieve is:
3) The actions that I am committed to taking this year towards creating this dream goal are:
Post this list of goals in a place where you will see it every day. Commit to taking action towards your goals. Next, take action! Review your goals and actions on a daily basis, and make adjustments and identify new actions as needed. Then, take action… review…. and take more action!
