Happy New Year! 2020 is upon us! Time for goal-setting, right? We often make new (or renewed) commitments at the beginning of a new period of time. “I’ll quit smoking on Monday.” “I’ll join the gym first of next month.” “New Year, New YOU!” The hype is all over TV and social media – this pressure to make New Year’s Resolutions. And the beginning of a new DECADE feels like an especially weighty time for goal-setting, be it personal or professional. A “resolution”, after all, is a firm decision to do or not do something.
A firm decision. To do or not to do something. Resolved. Committed. Goal. Action. Follow-through. Accountability. Monitor progress. See improvement. Realize benefits. Celebrate and share the success story.
Simple, right? START something or STOP something.
You’re thinking, “Uh, Lisa. Not so simple.” Distractions take us off track, progress feels non-existent, we lose steam after just four days, or the enormity of the goal is so overwhelming that we don’t even know how to begin. And we give up.
Here are a few tips as you get started with your personal or professional goal-setting for 2020:
- Name your Goal. Write a single sentence that describes what you are intending to do (or not do). Be specific. Include the date that your goal will be reached. Make your goal SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-based.
- Define Success. Write down how you will recognize when you have achieved your desired state. What does it look like? What are you doing? What are you not doing? What is happening around you? What do others see that indicate to them that you have achieved your goal?
- Describe your Why. Every What needs a Why. Write down why achieving this goal is so important to you. What is the benefit for you? What is the benefit for others? What are the consequences if you don’t achieve your goal?
- Determine your First Step. Write down the first physical action you need to take to get started. It may be developing a full-blown action plan or setting up a meeting. It may be doing some research or signing up for a training class. It may be sending an email or calling me, your coach, to help you think through how or where to begin! (https://leadersimago.com/contact/)
- Take your First Step. Do it. TAKE THAT FIRST STEP, right then and there. There’s no time like the present! Don’t wait until tomorrow. Get the ball rolling now.
New Year, New YOU! You can make it happen!
