Regardless of what you think of New Year’s resolutions, setting goals and aspiring to live a better life (as a better version of yourself) is never a bad thing. That said, staring down at a long list of hefty promises can feel overwhelming if you haven’t done the work to establish why you want to achieve said goals and how you will go about making change happen.
Here are three questions to ask yourself when setting a goal any time of year.
Why do I want this?
Wanting to be a green juice swigging pilates devotee with a boutique office in South Kensington sounds fabulous on paper, but why are you choosing that over a coffee drinking HIIT fan who works from home? Is it really about what makes you happy or what looks good to others on the gram? Thinking about your true motivations will help you identify what it is that you really want and how achieving your goals will enhance your life and positively impact the world at large. If it’s not going to make you happy and fulfilled on the deepest possible level, is it really worth the investment of time, energy (and possibly money) to achieve it?
How will I implement change?
Tony Robbins once said, “If you always do what you have always done, you will always get what you have always gotten.” In other words, you have to make changes to make a change. How will you set yourself up for success? What sacrifices, resources and committment does your future self need from you right now in order to achieve their greatest success? If you’re looking to land your dream job, what classes are you going to sign up for and how will you carve out the time to take them (and do the homework)? If you want to live a healthier lifestyle, what steps are you taking to eliminate temptations? What swaps have you already made? Have you scheduled time in your diary to get active?
How will I hold myself accountable?
Just as we use metrics and analytics to evaluate progress at work, having a weekly check-in is a great way to identify wins as well as areas of opportunity. Don’t beat yourself up if you don’t hit every weekly micro goal or fall off-track, simply realign and get back to work. Better yet, find someone to hold you accountable and you will increase your likelihood of success by 65%, according to one study performed by The American Society of Training and Development (ASTD). Want to increase your chances of success even more? That same study showed that when you commit to an accountability appointment with your accountability partner, your likelihood of achieving your goal shoots up to 95%.
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