I want to ask you a question that Araya and I asked ourselves this past week.
How are your 2016 goals coming?
Nearly every year Araya and I set goals, and nearly every year we lose track of them by mid-January. I know we are not alone because statistics tell us that about 40% of the people who make New Year’s goals quit after 10 days.
So, I want to ask you again: How are your 2016 goals coming? How does that question make you feel? Ashamed? Depressed? Excited? Hopeful? Courageous? Motivated?
With your answer to that question in mind, let me ask you one more question about your goals.
Is what you are doing, getting you where you want to go?
On December 15th in a post called “Better Together” I wrote about setting 2016 goals with my wife, Araya. We took a new approach by using a great tool from Michael Hyatt called, “5 days to your best year ever.” The process Michael took us through has helped us maintain momentum so far in 2016, and we really believe we are having our best year ever.
*I want to share three simple practices that are helping us stay focused on our goals this year.
1 – We wrote all our goals down with a real pen, on real paper. The power of this exercise is one of the easiest things to underestimate. I am convinced something happens in our brain when we write goals down versus simply typing them out. Writing brings clarity to what you want to do. If you haven’t done it yet, write out your goals.
2 - Put your goals in a place that you will read them 3-5 times per week. After writing your goals down, this might be the single most important thing you do. We live in a world that distracts us with more than 3,000 messages a day. I have been reviewing my goals almost daily, and it has made a huge difference in the daily choices I am making. Just this week we decided to frame our goals and post them in our room.
3 - We adjusted goals that weren’t working. We are already 53 days into the new year. If you aren’t making progress on your goals, it’s time to quit feeling bad about it. Shame has never produced anything good, so have a little funeral for the goals that are duds. Just this week Araya realized there were two goals that she needed to change. She just wasn’t making any progress. One goal was rewritten and the other one got kicked off the list.
I was sitting in my chair this past week preparing to zone out and watch my favorite TV show when a little voice in my head said, “Is what you are doing, getting you where you want to go?” I felt like telling that voice to shut up!
Instead I got up, put on my shoes, grabbed my headphones and headed out the door.
Thankfully I had looked at my handwritten goals that morning; complete 10 workouts per month.
Proverbs 29:18 says, “Where there is no vision the people cast off restraint.”
Handwritten goals that I regularly look at, and periodically revise are the clear vision that helps me get to where I want to go. I can’t wait to see how I feel when December 31st arrives and I have completed 120 workouts!
So, one last time, is what you are doing getting you where you want to go?
You can do it. I know you can!
1-Schedule a time to review and revise your goals this week. Don’t let shame creep in, just celebrate what is great, and adjust what isn’t working. Write them down and review them regularly.
2-You need rest. So if you are tired, by all means rest. But next time you are tempted to escape, veg-out, or put off your goals, you might ask yourself; Is what I am about to do, going to get me where I want to go?