With 2024 here I thought what better time to write about new years resolutions. Many of us make them but very few of us stick with them for the entire year. I love making new goals at specific times of the year/quarter/month/week. Maybe I like fresh starts, but I feel like refreshing and re-evaluating goals and plans not only yearly but on a regular basis helps keep the momentum changing in the right direction.
One of my favorite books when it comes to goals and new years resolutions is The Power of Focus by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen and Les Hewitt. If you haven’t read this book yet, I highly recommend it. In the book they talk about the top 10 goals checklist which I will list and summarize below.
1) Your most important goals must be yours
One of the most common mistakes we make is allowing our goals to be designed by someone else whether that be social media, parents, employer, industry, etc. If you decide to make a goal for yourself, don’t let someone else determine your definition of success, find a goal that matters to you and only you should be the one defining what success looks like.
2) Your goals must be meaningful
When you prepare to write down your future goals, ask yourself, “What’s really important to me? What’s the purpose of doing this? What am I willing to give up to make this happen?” Secondly, focus on the quality of life you can have in the future by committing yourself now to consistent action.
Jim Rohn once said that there are two major pains in life. One is the pain of discipline, the other is the pain of regret. Discipline weighs ounces, but regret weighs tons when you allow your life to drift along unfulfilled.
3) Your goals must be specific and measurable
One of the main reasons people never achieve what they are capable of is because they never accurately define what they want. Keep repeating and clarifying your goals until they are crystal clear and measurable. By doing this. You will dramatically increase your chances of achieving your desired results.
4) Your goals must be flexible
Flexibility doesn’t mean you can change your goals every time is gets hard, but more so allow some freedom to change course if a genuine opportunity comes up. Compare that new opportunity with your current goal and write out the importance and its effect on your future self.
5) Your goals must be challenging and exciting
Your goals shouldn’t only excite you and maybe even so much you have a hard to sleeping at night because of that excitement (don’t miss sleep, it’s important) but your goals should also be a little scary. You will always learn more about life and your capacity to succeed when you are uncomfortable. Most people reach their biggest breakthroughs when their backs are against the wall.
6) Your goals must be in alignment with you values
When you match your core values to positive, exciting, and purposeful goals, decision making becomes much easier. Having positive goals with aligned values behind them will propel you to much higher levels of success.
7) Your goals mush be well balanced
When people in their eighties are asked what they would do differently if they could live their life all over again, almost all of them would say things like travel more, spend more time with family and friends, and have a lot more fun. So, when goal setting, make sure to include areas and situations that give you time to relax and enjoy the finer things in life.
8) Your goals must be realistic
There are no such things as unrealistic goals, only unrealistic time frames. When planning out your goals, make big goals but make sure they aren’t too far-fetched and allow a reasonable amount of time to get there.
9) Your goals must include contribution
Galations 6:7 says, “Whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.” I believe this is an important aspect of goal setting. I believe as we work towards our goals those actions should benefit or bless others at the same time. This can be a contribution though your time, expertise, financially, etc. As our health increases, we can utilize that change to play more with our kids or help that neighbor out. If your goals are financial, you can give back to an organization or charity. When I look at successful people around me, I don’t look up to them because of what they take or accomplish but what they do for those around them.
10) Your goals need to be supported
Some individuals recommend sharing publicly with everyone your goals to hold you accountable, others recommend working in silence because actions speak louder than words. But I’m a big fan of picking a few people you trust to share your goals with. That way when things get tough those individuals you carefully selected can hold you accountable and cheer you on.
Whatever your goals and dreams are for 2024 I pray that it is an amazing year for you and your family. And when tough times come, because they always do, you can learn and grow and come out thriving.
LETS GET IT!!
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