It’s 2020 – a new year and a new decade. Now is the time to identify the experiences you want for yourself in the next 5-10 years and create a plan to focus your finite energy and resources on prioritising them.
We know that most people on some level have set goals and petered out their activity until the reason for the goal and the drive to achieve it falls off the radar. As a result, it’s not uncommon to have a natural resistance to goal setting. A bit of self-reflection however, will reveal that this resistance tends to come from a place of fear: of failure; of taking responsibility; of making incorrect choices; of learning that what we thought we wanted isn’t actually true; and many more.
Yet research validates that when goals are set and written down, they are more likely to manifest. So, when it comes to setting yourself up for success in 2020 and beyond, the trick isn’t in setting the goal, it is in breaking it down into the activities that lead to its achievement.
Once you have clarified your goals (see our December blog post to help you with this) use this 5-step guide to taking action:
1. Break down your goal into clean, small, actionable steps that you can do weekly, monthly and quarterly to clarify the journey to success.
2. Schedule the actionable steps in your diary – if it isn’t scheduled, it doesn’t happen
3. Write down your goals where you will see them regularly. Proximity is power and so are regular reminders of where your focus should lie
4. Share your goals with a trusted colleague or friend. Being held accountable is a driver of activity and helps overcome making excuses
5. Regularly review your progress and if you’re not progressing, take some time for reflection and ask yourself some honest questions:
a. What’s not working?
b. What are the obstacles? (often the answer is time, motivation, money, knowledge)
c. How can I overcome these obstacles?
High achievers across a range of fields attribute their success to the setting of goals yet the road to success can be bumpy and circuitous. By having your eye on the prize, regularly checking in on your activity and rewarding yourself with progress milestones along the way, the journey becomes just as gratifying as achieving the outcomes you have set for yourself.
