By Catherine Lang-Cline
Did you set goals when it was the New Year that you have achieved? How about goals that you have started?
The thing about goals is that they sound fantastic at the time but when attempted, you realized they might have been harder than you expected. This is perfectly okay as we sometimes get swept up in the idea of achieving something in the New Year with all of the cheering and festivities happening. But it doesn’t mean that they aren’t obtainable and it doesn’t mean you have to wait until next year to set a goal.
No matter what time of year it is, set goals:
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Keep a journal, make a dream board, or just write it on the wall, but create something visual that contains your goals.
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Revisit those quarterly. Add or subtract to the list. Think about what you can do this quarter to move the needle closer to your goal. Is there something you can add or is there something that no longer makes sense?
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Share your goals with at least one person to help you with accountability.
What is great about this is that it is a “living list”. You can take things off that are no longer making sense for you, you can leave things on the list because you need more time, you can add new things to the list because new and cool ideas pop-up all of the time.
If your goal is something big like a vacation, getting a new job, losing weight, plan those quarterly check-ins to check your own status. Are you saving money, did you rewrite your resume, did you start an exercise or diet plan? The entire goal does not have to be achieved, just progress if you are truly committed. Add another goal, something simpler, or something harder as you move through your year.
You might have a goal in the Spring to clean out your basement. Want to get it done? Maybe just delegate it. Do not be afraid to ask for help on any goal and the people that can help you with those goals can make an appearance in your life at any time.
The “magic” just doesn’t happen once a year to set goals. Set goals and be accountable, all year long. Five…four…three…two…one…Happy Goal Setting!