I have decided that New Year’s Resolutions are out this year. In these challenging times I have decided to launch a New Year’s Revolution this year. Christmas is truly a super time to reflect and celebrate the successes of 2009. But now the presents have been handed out, the turkey eaten and mince pies are no more, I turn my attention to 2010. Rather than pick one or two things to focus on or give up. I am going to build a strategy for success. I am writing my goals this year in detail and intend to read them every week. I have decided to break my goals into three areas- 1st Quarter, Half Year and 1 year goals.
As I put pen to paper a few learnt lessons of the past come to mind:
- Write all your goals in the positive. It will make your goal sound better and you will be more likely to achieve it. We are not good at understanding negative commands.
- Write your goals down in as much detail as possible. Like a book the more detail and descriptive your goals the more real and tangible they will seem.
- Schedule 30 minutes a week to read and address your goals. Many people would advice that you read your goals daily. Many people’s downfall is here…Out of Sight..Out of Mind!
- Make sure you have goals in all areas of your life and not just business. Look at areas of your life such as Health, Relationships, Family, Money and Education. Sometimes tunnel vision in one area of life can cause conflict in another area.
- Write your goals in the present tense. This one was a rule I had a hard time getting my head around. “I am” is one of the most powerful phrases one can use. Writing your goals in the present tense make them seem real.
- Think Big and be ambitious. The only place where dreams are impossible is in your own mind.- Emalie
- When committing goals to paper be aware that you are committing to the hard work needed to make them a reality – The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary -Vidal Sassoon.
- Make sure your Goals are really yours! Very often in life we can get swept away with peer pressure and set goals that we think we ought to rather than ones we genuinely want to achieve.
Finally, I have decided to write my goals in three different timescales – 1st quarter, 6 months and 1 year. Why? Well it helps me break my goals/tasks down into steps. I hope it will also help me to focus on the present and at the same time have my longer goals in mind. My goals and strategies needed to achieve my goals will no doubt change throughout the course of 2010. That is why it is vital that I invest in the time to visit and review my goals weekly. As Walt Disney once said – If you can dream it, you can do it. So what Revolution of success are you going to instigate? Thanks for reading my posts this year. I would like to wish you the best of luck achieving your goals and an extremely happy and successful 2010.
