Yes, you read that right—a whopping 92% don't achieve their goals year after year after year! Your next question is likely this one; “Why?!”
Live YOUR Life by Design
Many people are not living their life by design, they live their life by default. Default is where you let others dictate your priorities, set your agendas for you, and ultimately distract you from what matters most. You miss out on achieving your highest priorities. You can name, blame, and explain away why you didn’t achieve your goals yet again this year, OR you can take control and have this be the year where you make it happen.
LIFE BY DESIGN: Create your vision
Create your vision of a great year—one that is motivating, inspiring, and moving you towards achieving the goals that matter most to you. Set your priorities and begin acting. Discover your values and incorporate them into your present and future. When you live by your values you are living on purpose and your roots will be strong. Values driven people can create momentum towards the things that matter most to them—it helps to unleash their passion and achieve results.
VALUES/STRENGTHS: Discover and understand your values & personal strengths
Not sure of your values and strengths? Gain a clear understanding of your values and how to utilize them to maintain integrity and generate focus. Utilize a values exercise like this one from the Mindtools website. Strengths based development helps you know where to invest to quickly achieve more success. Take the Clifton Strengths Finders 2.0 assessment and discover what you have talent in. People who intentionally focus on their strengths grow exponentially, achieve more daily, and feel a deep sense of fulfillment because they know what makes them unique and how leverage their talents effectively.
ACTION PLAN: Create your action plan with tools, accountability, and support
This important step moves you from where you are right now to achieving your vision. Focus on selecting the items that will REALLY MOVE YOU FORWARD. You will spend time on what TO do as much as what NOT to do. Get out of the “busy” trap and spend time only on those things that are meaningful and help you make the progress you really want. Einstein had a great perspective on time and how to live from a mindset of abundance vs. scarcity. By focusing on what matters most, you achieve what matters most.
"We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them." Albert Einstein
SMART GOAL SETTING: The single most critical step
SMART means specific, measurable, action-oriented, realistic, and time bound. Learn how to create impactful goals and leverage all the resources you need to move from idea to action. You must reflect on what you are really “signing up for”. Set goals that are non-negotiable—they matter, you are passionate about them, and achieving them will be impactful in your life and business. Celebrate your milestones and successes along the way.
ACCOUNTABILITY: When someone else expects you to do it—you will!
The dynamics of working with others on your goals greatly increases your accountability and likelihood of accomplishing your goals. Why is it that we will keep promises to others that we wouldn’t keep to ourselves?! Crazy, but true. Find a great accountability partner where their desire to achieve is as high, or higher than yours. Through this relationship you will support each other through regular touchpoints, sharing best practices to remove barriers and cheer each other onto success. Being highly accountable to someone else works! Your accountability partner could be a friend, a colleague, a coach, or a mentor.
FRONT & CENTER: Keep your goals in front of you and top of mind
Posting your goals where you see them regularly keeps them alive. Review your goals first thing in the morning and the last thing at night. Plan your days with these goals incorporated into your schedule. “What gets scheduled, gets done”. Why wouldn’t you make an appointment to work on your goals even before everything else you do? This is what you do when you are serious about achieving them.
Use these ideas to live your life by design and be amazing this year!
“You are as amazing as you let yourself to be.” Elizabeth Alraune
Kimberly Svoboda is the founder of Aspiration Catalyst™, the premier consulting and executive coaching organization that inspires and empowers great leaders around the world. www.aspirationcatalyst.com