Typically, January is the time we focus on the year ahead and set our goals and intentions, and all too quickly, we’ve forgotten them. If this is true of you and you want to get to the end of the year with much to celebrate, here are some suggestions to keep you on track:
1. Look Back On The Past Year
While the year might have flown past, take a moment to reflect back and celebrate your successes, learn from your mistakes, and note down the areas you think could have been improved.
2. Pick No More Than Three Areas To Focus On
Don’t overstretch yourself – pick up to three major areas to focus on and break them down into SMART goals. (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-bound). For example, you might choose:
– a personal goal – perhaps to work out three times a week, or focus on a healthy balanced diet, or have a massage once a month.
– a professional goal – to build my business by focusing on X, Y and Z, or to get promoted in July by doing X, Y and Z.
– a financial goal – to increase the revenue in my business by $X, or save enough for a house deposit.
Make them really specific and be sure to write them down and display them somewhere where you will see them often. It’s a good idea to read them daily, as a reminder of your intentions and to keep you focused on your goals.
3 One Step At A Time
Take a moment to break the major goals down into smaller, more achievable monthly, weekly and daily action steps – it’s much easier to achieve your goals if you know the daily steps to take – and less overwhelming to take small, consistent steps in the right direction. Set review points along the way to check on your progress.. For example if your goal is to save for an overseas trip, in September, set monthly targets of how much you need to have saved in order to pay for the trip in August, then celebrate by booking your flights or making your itinerary.
4 Adjust along the way
By checking in each month on your progress, it’s easy to see if you are on track. If you are ahead of schedule, then celebrate. If you are behind schedule, then look at what adjustments need to be made – were you too ambitious in the first place, and need to extend your deadline? Or can you step up the activity and catch up on the original target?
Whatever happens, stay positive, believe in yourself and keep taking those small, daily action steps towards your goal. You may be surprised at how much can be achieved in a year!
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