As we all head towards 2020,
we start to think about how we can become better people and do better in the
new year. We look back on what we have
done in the past twelve months and wonder if we accomplished enough. Did we spend our time doing important things
or did we simply let time pass by?
I always make resolutions
and set goals when the new year comes around, but I do not always accomplish everything
that I set out to do. Last year I set five
big goals and accomplished four out of the five. That is pretty great! The reason that I was able to accomplish most
of my goals is because I was very specific about what it was that I wanted to
do. I set a time frame to get each one done and made a plan to execute them.
Why did I not do all
five? Probably because I was afraid of what
it would take to do the fifth. The
effort, the work, and the mental strength it would take to get out of my way
and actually get it done. Four out of
five is not bad, but maybe this year I can do better.
Is there something that you
have always wanted to do and have not yet done?
Maybe this is your year.
Why is it important to set
goals and make resolutions?
Our brain needs constant oversite
and direction. Without conscious
thinking and planning, our brain will seek the path of least resistance. We will stay in our comfort zone because dreaming
big and setting big goals scares us a little.
Try writing some big goals down and observe how your brain begins to argue
with you. You will think of all the ways that the goal is impossible and every
way that you will likely fail. If you do
not take control of those negative thoughts, you will slip into complacency.
If we do not set big goals,
we will live our life in the past. We will
do the same things over and over again without trying anything new. It is so much easier to continue to do things
that you have already accomplished, because you know that you can achieve
them. Setting goals that you feel are
out of your reach -- making you a little uncomfortable -- will challenge you to
move forward and change. If you want to
change your past, you must plan for your future and setting goals is the way to
do it.
How do we plan goals in a
way that ensures we will actually accomplish the goals that we set?
·
Dream big. Write down
all the things that you want to do until it scares you.
·
Choose the top three
to five priorities for this year, so you can constrain yourself and focus on
those specific goals.
·
Write down the steps
you will need to take to accomplish them. If you do not know how to do
something, schedule time to research or get help.
·
Add the steps to
your calendar and allow time to work on them.
·
Follow through on
your plans and don’t let yourself down by quitting.
The last step is the most
difficult and most important. Quitting
feels good, because of the relief that your brain feels in the moment. Not quitting, and actually accomplishing a
goal, will feel so much better in the long term. Quitting feels good only in
the short term. Do not quit!
Set some big scary goals
for yourself this year and change your life!
You will be glad you did.
Julie Cappel
“If you want to be happy,
set a goal that commands your thoughts, liberates your energy and inspires your
hopes.” —Andrew Carnegie
“Our goals can only be reached through a vehicle of a
plan, in which we must fervently believe, and upon which we must
vigorously act. There is no other route to success.” —Pablo Picasso
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