New Year - New Goals

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