The 1 Thing You Don't Want to Hear About Goal Setting

I'm going to tell you the single scariest thing you could possibly hear about setting and achieving your personal goals in 2018.....

You are capable of achieving your goals if you follow a simple process.

Nobody wants to hear that, because it removes our alibi. We'd rather hear that "resolutions don't work". We want to have an out clause, an excuse. We don't really want to be able to hold ourselves accountable for completing the goal. You may have heard the saying: we judge ourselves based on our intentions, but we judge others based on their results. Certainly, that maxim applies to this topic. We tend to give ourselves credit for trying to achieve our resolutions, but we tend to absolve ourselves from actually hitting the mark. And if there really is a simple process that will generate results if executed properly, then our excuses are gone.

Sorry to deliver this news, but I'm going to give you that simple process. The brave among you will read on.

1. Decide what you want.

This is not as simple as you might think. I suggest picking just one goal, maybe two, but no more than three. Make the goal specific, and make it challenging. But, it must be achievable as well. It's critical that the goal must be something that is under your personal control and something you really want to achieve. Personal goals might include weight loss or physical fitness targets. Professional goals might include creating a strategic plan or making a certain number of cold calls. However, you should resist creating goals based on total sales results or other outcomes that rely on factors beyond your personal control.

2. Write down the goal.

Yes, write it down on paper, or at least type it into a Word doc and print it out. Put a copy in a visible location in your office. You need to be able to see the goal frequently. You may even want to change the background on your phone to see a constant reminder. Find some way to keep the goal in your line of sight.

3. Tell people what your goal is.

Accountability will naturally follow when you tell people around you what your goal is. The more people you tell the better. Some people benefit from working one-on-one with an "accountability partner" who is also engaged in the goal setting process. In any case, you must tell other people about your goals. The threat of public failure is a powerful motivating force!

4. Define the action steps necessary to reach the end goal.

Take some time to define some key behaviors that will need to happen if you are to hit the mark you've set for yourself. There may be some short term numbers to hit that will help you make the necessary progress. There may be certain intermediate actions you need to take to allow you to succeed in the overall goal. You will want to take some time in this part of the process to be thoughtful and anticipate the obstacles. You may also want to revise and improve upon these action steps during the pursuit of the goal.

5. Keep score.

Find a mechanism to keep track of your progress. Write down your performance results, typically a weekly basis will work. For some goals, you may choose to track daily results or even monthly. But, one way or another, you've got to keep score. And, you must share your intermediate results with the people who know your overall goal. Whether it's your accountability partner or your whole team at work, you have to be public about your progress.

Bonus tip 1: Allow for a non-linear progress curve. Do not expect to make consistent daily forward progress during the whole year. You will take a step backwards once in a while. Plan for that, expect that to happen. Keeping score on a regular basis will keep you motivated even when you slip up from time to time. The scorecard will show the overall progress.

Bonus tip 2: Celebrate small wins along the way. When you hit an intermediate target, pause to congratulate yourself. Share your results. Hitting the intermediate action step goals will refresh your energy and commitment to the end goal.

So, there you go. A simple process that will work if you execute the steps. I hope you give it a shot, even if you just start with one big goal. You can do it if you want to!