If you’ve found yourself slipping on your new year’s resolution, or are afraid to make a resolution because it seems like a waste time of, this can help.
 
Most people fail for a few reasons:
First, they may set goals that are vague. This is like I’m going to get healthy. Without defining what “healthy” looks like, they have no way to measure their success.
 
Second, they may set goals that are too big, so quickly give up. These are like going to the gym everyday after having made it only once per month in the past.
 
Third, they may not define how they are going to achieve their goal. If the goal is to meet 3 new business contacts per month, there needs to be a defined way to meet these business contacts.
 
Now those who are successful usually take the following 5 steps:
 
They define a specific goal that can be measured.
 
When you can measure your goal, you can see whether or not you are making progress. For instance, “getting healthy” could be defined as reaching a weight of 160 pounds and being to be able to run 2 miles in 20 minutes.
 
They choose a goal that is reasonable.
 
This would be like switching from 1 monthly trip to the gym to six (instead of trying to go daily). No, you won’t walk out looking like Arnold, yet you’ll be in much better shape.  And you won’t so easily feel guilty for failing – which leads to giving up.
 
Sometimes, you can make an unreasonable goal become reasonable. The trick is to break it into smaller pieces. For instance shedding 50 pounds may feel too big, yet change that goal to 1 pound per week, and it feels a lot more manageable.
 
They decide how they will achieve their goal.
If you want to meet new people, will you plan on having specific friends make introductions for you? Will you plan on going to a monthly Meetup group for people in your industry? Are there obstacles in your way that can prevent achieving those goals? How will you overcome those
 
They choose a specific time to follow through on the plan.
If you want to go the gym three times per week, take out your calendar right now and mark the specific times and days you will go. Or set aside one our per week where you will follow up with people you’ve met. Make sure to create reminders to help you stay on track. And if something comes up you have to do at that time, reschedule it.
 
They make mistakes, then get back on track.
If you don’t lose that pound this week or forget to email your new contacts, don’t quit the whole project. No one is perfect. Keep going.
 
Whether your goal for the new year is to land a fantastic job, to live a healthier life, or to spend more time with family and friends, I hope you achieve it.