Ahh, tis the season for goals. The most wonderful time of the year for growth, self-reflection, and reinvention. A New Year New You as the saying goes. Taking charge of your health, your money, and even your dress size by making changes that will improve your life for the better and last a lifetime (you hope).
What’s that you say? “Bah, humbug!”
Oh, I get it. Goals are a complete waste of time, especially for New Years. Otherwise, you would be a millionaire and in the best shape of your life. After all, you thought about your goals long and hard last year, visualizing how wonderful life would be with all that extra cash and no debt.
Why Some Goals Don't Work
You’ve tried to set goals in the past and nothing happened, right? You wanted to put aside money for retirement and max out your 401(k) contributions but you haven’t manage to save a penny. The family vacation fund is going nowhere thanks to unforeseen roof repairs and all those holiday gifts you promised. To make matters worse, your credit card debt is getting close to the limit and you feel trapped. Depressed and defeated, you have no time, no energy, and no goals.
What if I told you that you’re not alone and that 92% of New Year’s goals fail by January 15? It’s a miserable statistic but one that can be improved easily and quickly. How? Just by writing our goals down. This was scientifically proven in a research study conducted by Gail Matthews at Dominican University (not Yale) .
Most people hold their goals in their head where they are likely to be jumbled up with the other 1500 thoughts-per-minute that the average human being experiences. That is a big part of the reason why they fail in the first place. The other problem is that most goals are unattainable and completely unrealistic in the first place, setting us up for an emotional hijack of our self-esteem. Goals, if they are to be achieved, must be based on what one really wants out of life and on one’s true capabilities requiring not just a pencil and a pad but a hard look in the mirror.
The world’s most successful people agree that what you get by achieving your goal is not as important to what you become in the process. Think about that for a minute. Falling short of achieving a goal can have a still positive effect on one’s life. For example, you meant to save $18,000 in your 401(k) but managed to save $10,000. Does that mean goal setting was a complete waste of your time? Of course not. We need to reward ourselves for achieving some degree of measurable progress.
Goals Cheat Sheet
Goal setting can help you become the person you want to be and achieve the things in life you most desire. Wishful thinking alone won’t make it happen. You’ll need a framework that will inspire you to write your goals down and then follow through with the action steps necessary for accomplishment. A great place to start is to identify one category in your life where goals setting is most needed:
Then download our complimentary our Goals Cheat Sheet Template PDF and resource guide which contains 24 pages of helpful goal tips including:
Conclusion:
Finally, knowing the ‘why’ behind your goals, an essential but often missing element is in the goal setting process. As Michael Hyatt, former chairman and CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers, puts it, “When I discovered my why, I found my way.” Our Goals Cheat Sheet Template PDF provides a place to write down your why and also answers to the following questions:
Get Your Goals Cheat Sheet
There you have it. Everything you need at your fingertips. So put on your sequined black and gold glitter tiara and get ready for the stroke of midnight. “10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 -HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!” 2016 is going to be the best year ever —just you watch.