We’re reaching the end of the year; a time where people typically reflect on the year gone by, what went well, what didn’t go so well and where they can get better next year. From here, people often set goals/resolutions, but research by the University of Scranton has found that 92% of people who set New Year’s resolutions never achieve them. It seems that inevitably, despite people’s best intentions, we are destined to fail. But it doesn’t have to be this way, and in this week’s T7L, we are looking at 7 steps how to write goals so kick-ass that they will change your life forever.

Before we get into the steps, we want to ‘start with why’. Why do we want to set goals. Goal setting is a process that not only helps us to get better results but also helps us to feel motivated and take responsibility for our actions. It makes us accountable for our own mistakes and failures instead of putting the burden on society, culture, or the people that surround us. Goals are set by top-level sportspeople, successful executives, and achievers in all disciplines. Setting goals provides you with both long-term and short-term motivation. It concentrates your learning and assists you in organising your time and resources so that you may get the most out of your life. Many people don’t know how to write goals properly, so this post will guide you all the way…

Step 1: Reflect on what you truly want

Step 1 is the hardest part; it requires the most thought in in the process and it requires you to reflect on what you truly want out of life.

Go to a calm quiet place, get a coffee and outline the areas of growth that will enable you to create a happy life and envision your best potential self.

So, what are your real ambitions in life? What are the most important goals you want to achieve in your life? What would you regret not doing if you suddenly realised you only had a limited amount of time left on this planet? You can brainstorm further by asking yourself questions like “What do I want out of life?”, “I want to be…”, “”What kind of family life do I imagine?”, “I want to learn…”, “What are my career aspirations?, “I want to give…”. Just chuck all these down on paper and keep on going, no refinement needed at this stage.

As you are writing these high level goals, consider these points:

• “Are they achievable?”
• “Does the goal come with an alternative?”
• “Do I want to do what’s necessary to accomplish it?”
• “Is the goal compatible with my values?”

Make sure throughout all of this process that you are writing all of these down. I would recommend Evernote so that you can capture and regularly review.

Struggling to get started? These are some key areas to stoke you imagination and ambitions…

• Career – What level in your profession do you want to attain, or what do you want to accomplish?
• Financial – How much do you want to make and when do you want to make it? How much do you want to have saved? Do you want to clear all you debt? Do you want to grow your investments? Do you want to retire early?
• Health – Do you have any fitness objectives in mind, or do you want to live a long and healthy life? Do you want to improve your body composition? What steps will you take to accomplish this?
• Relationships and Family – Do you want to find a partner? Are you already in a relationship and want to be a parent? If so, how are you going to be a good parent? How do you want to be seen by a partner or by members of your extended family? Are you spending enough time or are you neglecting your immediate family (and friends)?
• Education and Personal Growth – Is there anything in particular you want to learn? What knowledge and abilities will you need to fulfil your other objectives?
• Mindset – Is there anything in your attitude that’s holding you back? Is there anything about the way you act that bothers you? (If this is the case, create a goal to modify your behaviour or solve the situation.)
• Charity – Do you want to make the world a better place? If so, how?

Step 2: Refine down to key areas and turn them into workable goals

Once you have you brainstormed list of areas you want to grow, improve and achieve. It is now time to craft them into workable goals.

Now you need to take each goal and apply them through the following filters…

• Make each aim a positive affirmation – Positively express your objectives – “Don’t make this stupid error” is a far better objective than “Execute this technique properly.”
• Be specific — Set specific targets, including dates, times, and amounts, so you can track your progress. If you do this, you will know exactly when you have accomplished your goal and will be ecstatic to have done so.
• Establish priorities — If you have multiple objectives, assign each one a priority. This prevents you from becoming overwhelmed by having too many goals and allows you to focus on the most important ones.
• Write goals down – This helps them to become more concrete and powerful.
• Keep operational goals minimal — Make sure your low-level objectives are small and attainable.
• When a goal is too big, it may appear like you aren’t making any progress toward it.
• It’s easier to reward yourself if you keep your goals simple and progressive.
• Establish performance goals rather than outcome goals – You should make an effort to create goals over which you have the most control. It’s demoralising to fail to meet a personal goal due to circumstances beyond your control (Like Covid for example!). If you build your goals on personal performance, you’ll be able to maintain control over their accomplishment and derive joy from them.
• Set attainable goals – It’s critical to set attainable goals. People can establish unreasonable goals for you (for example, employers, parents, the media, or society). They will frequently do so without regard for your own objectives and ambitions.

Step 3: Validate your goals and make sure you are setting yourself up for success

Now is the time to take a step back and truly validate these goals. You want to set yourself up for success, so now is the time to rule out any completely unrealistic goals. It’s time to pass your goals through these filters…

1. Make it Actionable. When writing your goal, use a verb. Make sure you’re clear and detailed about what you’re going to do. Anyone should be able to read your goal and figure out what you’re going to do. Specific goals make it evident to all parties involved and leave no space for interpretation.
2. Establish Timing. Always set a start and end date when defining goals, and be realistic about what you can do in a given time frame. Time-bound goals are essential as they provide a sense of urgency. If you can’t do this then goal is destined for failure.
3. Clearly Define Success. Establish specific success criteria for your priority so you know what success looks like. You need a “definition of done” for each goal. Again, if this is not clear, then the goal will remain a dream.
4. Check – Are they realistic? When setting your goals and working toward them, try to keep things in perspective. Are they realistic? According to research, the best goals are tough yet attainable.

Step 4: Prioritisation of goals

In step 2 you will have established priorities. You have limited time, so now is the time to strategically focus on your top priorities. You need to focus on the top handful of goals that you have prioritised in your list.

Based on my experience and the experience of others, you should only develop three to four goals at a time. This allows for the most success because, with the exception of of a lack of effort and drive, most people achieve all 3-4. I’ve seen people set five to ten goals, and they’re lucky if they accomplish a third of them. If you set more than ten goals, your chances of achieving any of them are slim. Because we already have a short attention span, it stands to reason that the more we try to spread ourselves across several tasks, the less likely we are to achieve any of them.

So cut them down (while keeping track of the other goals in a backlog to refer back to) and then highlight the big 4. These are the goals that you are going to absolutely crush this year. Are you ready?

Step 5: Break down your goals to manageable actions and set rewards

For me this is the fun and most enjoyable bit. This is where you turn those hugely exciting and life-changing goals into an achievable roadmap.

Take this time now to envisage the path from where you are now to where you want to go. Map the journey and write down all the steps that you need to take to get there. Go granular. The more you break it down into smaller achievable steps, the better. A long list of small and easily achievable steps will demonstrate regular progress to you, will keep you motivated and will give you the opportunity to celebrate your wins. Quite simply, if you don’t take relentless step-by-step actions to achieve them, they will remain forever out of reach.

For extra accountability, consider sharing your goals with someone you trust. Someone who will react positively to your goals and will support you on your journey. Not only do they help us generate ideas, but they are social resources that we can reach out to for support along the way. Also by making your goals public it will give you an extra layer of accountability, as we become ‘answerable’ to more than one person.

To break the goal down into actions, ask yourself, what are the steps you will need to take to accomplish to achieve the goal? When will you need to do them in order to hit your due date? Who will be involved in helping? These action steps will help you with time management and allow you to carve out the time and effort needed to achieve your goal. You MUST get clear on the steps you’ll need to take to make those goals a reality. This may require you to do some research or talk with someone who has already experienced those accomplishments. In addition, you need to make sure that each micro-action has a due date to ensure that you are on track to hit the goal in the desired timeframe, and to keep you accountable when it comes to monitoring progress. These items will become a check-list. They are a tangible way of checking how you are progressing towards reaching your goal destinations.

Step 6: EXECUTE!

We’re 6 steps into the 7 step process now and you have yet to do the work specifically on your goals, but as Abraham Lincoln once said “Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.”

Once your goals are written down and broken down into small actions, the real work begins—now you actually have to execute to achieve the goal. If you’ve followed the steps above, you’ve set yourself up for success by thinking and planning effectively. This will help you maximize your chances of success now that you’re ready to move into doing the work. Attack the actions with vigour and enthusiasm and don’t let set backs hold you back. Enjoy the rewards that you have promised yourself as part of step 5, and enjoy the process, growth and lessons learned as you progress.

As you are working through your goals and facing challenges, stay strong and stay focused. Go back to step 1 and remember why you are doing this. You will need to make sacrifices to achieve these goals, but continually remind yourself of this quote, “If you aren’t willing to sacrifice to get what you want, then what you want becomes the sacrifice”.

Step 7: Review progress and celebrate successes

Regularly check in on your progress throughout the process. Block out an hour every month to run through all your goals. What have you achieved that month? Are you on-track or off-track? If you are off-track, then why? Are there further actions needed to get you back on track? If so, identify what they are and add them to your action list.

Take time to celebrate and reward yourself each time you cross an action or a goal off your list. Rewarding yourself when you succeed is an important aspect of achieving more success in your life. Not only does it provide you a sense of accomplishment and acknowledgment, but the simple, pleasurable act of recognising your achievements also tells your subconscious mind, “I’m making progress and every time I achieve something, I get to do something fun. Let’s work harder so we can have more enjoyment”. Don’t mistake by considering that celebrating your accomplishments is an act of selfishness or a waste of time. It truly helps you stay motivated by reinforcing the desire in your subconscious mind to work harder for you.

Be ready to fail along the way…but don’t let it stop you. Resilience is the ability to persevere in spite of setbacks, and obstacles are inevitable in some form or another. So as well as accepting this inevitability first up, resilience is a useful skill to develop throughout your journey. How do you plan to overcome obstacles? Can you brainstorm some alternative pathways? Feed lessons you have learned back into the process of setting your next goals. Remember too that your goals will change as time goes on. Adjust them regularly to reflect growth in your knowledge and experience, and if goals do not hold any attraction any longer, consider letting them go.

Stay strong and stay focused on the outcomes. Again. “If you aren’t willing to sacrifice to get what you want, then what you want becomes the sacrifice”. Good luck and enjoy the ride.

To recap…

Step 1: Reflect on what you truly want
Step 2: Refine these wants down to key areas and turn them into workable goals
Step 3: Validate your goals and make sure you are setting yourself up for success
Step 4: Prioritise your goals
Step 5: Break down your goals to manageable actions and set rewards
Step 6: EXECUTE!
Step 7: Review progress and celebrate successes

This article was written by George Brunel from The Daily One Percent, follow him on Twitter at @1_percent_daily

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