I’ve always loved setting goals. There’s something about purchasing a new planner, laying out the entire year, and then putting the plan in action that brings me a lot of joy. After 2020, though, I didn’t feel the same way. Like many others I’ve spoken with, I ended the year feeling overwhelmed, tired, and burned out. Because of that, I had a really hard time determining where my personal and business life should be directed this upcoming year. I know I’m not alone in this, which is why if you are feeling the same way, stick with me as I detail the simple steps I’m using to create and achieve my new goals.
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Step #1: Assess the Past Year
“If you want to know the future, look at the past.” – Albert Einstein
A lot of people will tell you that you should leave the past in the past and just look forward, but I absolutely disagree. The thing about our pasts is that they teach us lessons. Lessons on what we should and shouldn’t do. If we negate those lessons, we miss huge opportunities to create a future that’s better than what we’ve lived through.
Ask yourself:
- What went really well last year?
- What strategies or systems did I use that I want to take into the upcoming year?
- What didn’t go well last year?
- What mistakes were made that should be avoided in the future?
- What am I leaving behind?
When I took the time to do my own assessment, I recognize that one of the biggest mistakes I made was to overcomplicate things. Rather than focusing on what really mattered to me, I went along with what I thought I “should” do, mimicking the actions of those around me. You see, it’s easy to get in a mode of people-pleasing and believe that just because someone else is doing something, you should as well. It’s a struggle of mine and one that came out in full force in 2020.
You might come up with some hard-to-deal-with realizations going through this process, but don’t skip this step. When we know where we’ve been, the successes we’ve had, and the failures we’ve met along the way, only then can we make the changes and plans necessary to achieve the future of our dreams. (Sound a little cliche? Perhaps…but it’s true.)
Step #2: Pick Goals that Actually Matter to YOU
“Those who constantly try to impress others will quickly depress themselves.” – Lysa Terkeurst, The Best Yes
Once you’ve completed an assessment of the last year, it’s time to put together those goals. Whether they are financial, personal, weight loss, family, or business-related, those goals need to be directly tied to what matters to you. The tendency might be to try to impress others with your big aspirations or accomplishments, but that alone is not enough of a motivator to keep you going all year long.
Instead, make sure you know your motivation:
- Are you losing 10 pounds because you’ll feel better in your skinny jeans or are you losing them to wear a tight-fitting dress that someone might compliment you on?
- Are you saving for an expensive car because you want to impress the neighbors, or is it because the car has the exact features you can’t live without?
- Are you paying off debt because it’s what everyone says to do, or because it makes the most sense for your family’s financial future?
Whatever you choose, make sure you know and agree with the motivation behind that goal. This step will be incredible important as you strive to achieve those 2021 goals.
Additional Resources:
Financial Goals You Should Set for the New Year
How to Stick to Your Fitness Goals Without Blowing Your Budget
Step #3: Recognize Your Limitations and Set Boundaries
“This will not make me feel loved, so if that’s why I’m saying yes, that’s not a good reason.” – Shauna Neiquist, Present Over Perfect.
As you are creating your goals for the year, it’s important that you take into account limitations and boundaries.
Limitations: circumstances or restrictions, things that bound, restrain, or confine. For example, there are only 24 hours in each day.
Boundaries: a limit of a subject or sphere of activity
As you can see, the two words have very similar meanings, but from the perspective of goal setting, we tend to think of limitations as things that prevent us from doing more, that are out of our control (i.e. There are only 24 hours in a day). Boundaries, on the other hand, are typically something we set for ourselves. (i.e. I don’t take calls after 7 pm).
Know Your Limitations
One of the main reasons that people don’t follow through with their goals is that they don’t understand their limitations. Sure, you want to accomplish everything (preferably this week, right?) but time, financial resources, and your own energy reserves can make that darn near impossible. Take the time to determine what other non-negotiable commitments you already have in your life.
For example, if your critical budget expenses total $2,000 and your income is only $2,200, then it would be unrealistic to set a goal to save $1,000 each month. A better goal might be to save $200 per month and look for other ways to decrease those critical expenses or increase your income.
Additionally, you may only have enough energy reserve to handle one commitment each week without feeling burned out. Sure, you can push past that “limitation”, but you may also find yourself tired, stressed out, or even burned out by doing so. Make sure you know where your own personal limitations are as well.
What are the limitations that might keep you from achieving your goals? Do you need to eliminate that limitation (if you can?) or make adjustments to the goal in order to be successful?
Set Your Boundaries
Another reason goal-setting and follow-through tend to fail is that there are no boundaries set in place. This is especially true for those that are “people pleasers” or just “can’t say no” for one reason or another. The best thing to do is to set boundaries from the start. If your goals really matter to you, then they need your full focus. That means setting aside (or at least carefully evaluating) anything that might get in the way of you achieving them.
One of my personal goals is to walk four to five days per week. My husband and I do this at a certain time each and every day. That timeframe comes with strict boundaries. We don’t plan appointments over the top of it, we don’t say yes to kid’s activities, and we don’t allow for interruptions during that time. Without those boundaries in place, our walk would be quickly pushed to the back burner.
For a friend of mine, the boundaries come in the form of saying no to all extra events or meetings, unless they take place on a Tuesday. She creates this boundary because she knows that she has trouble saying no to others and that her schedule would quickly fill up with commitments that don’t push her toward her goals.
What boundaries do you need to put in place if you are going to achieve those 2021 goals?
Step #4: Choose Connection
“I sometimes hear people say they don’t have time for friendships. Overworked people rarely do. Connection is like sleep or exercise in that way. It’s essential for high performance, but it’s one of the first things we cut when the tasks pile high. For real productivity, however, we need to prioritize people. You are a human being, not a human doing. Maybe you’ve forgotten that, but not everything in life can be measured by checkmarks on your to-do list. Many of the best things in life happen in the spaces between our tasks, in the intentional moments set aside for other people.” – Michael Hyatt, Free to Focus.
Masking up, social distancing, and stay-at-home orders have made connecting with others even more challenging over the last year. Being alone in short stints can be beneficial, but long-term isolation can leave you feeling lonely, disconnected, and out-of-sorts. We were made to have a connection with others, and that’s no less critical when it comes to achieving our goals.
I don’t know about you, but when I’m connected to others, I find they rejuvenate me. I walk away with ideas for projects and solutions for problems that I wouldn’t have been able to come up with on my own. In the same way, connection with others allows me to have some accountability. When I’m by myself it’s easy to get off track or to decide that I can put off something important, just because no one is around to notice. That’s not healthy and it doesn’t bode well for those of us who want to see success when it comes to achieving our goals.
This year, I’m making it a huge priority to increase connections with others. I’ve joined an accountability group and I’m constantly talking to others about my goals, personal and professional. Why? Because I know that when I lose that connection, nothing turns out the way that it’s supposed to.
How can you create better connections this year that will help to encourage you in the direction of your goals?
Step #5: Know When it’s Time to Change Course (And Then Do So!!!)
Once you have that list of impressive goals you plan to achieve, the job’s not done. Sure, you have to achieve the goals, but you also need to take time monthly or, at least, quarterly, to reevaluate those goals and make sure they still fit with your life and your dreams for the future. Just take a brief moment during these times to look over your list. Make sure everything on it is absolutely necessary and that you are still on track to leave the year feeling as excited and motivated as you were when you started.
The goals you set for yourself aren’t set in stone, so take these reevaluation times as permission to cut things from the list or rework it entirely.
Achieve Those Goals
“I hope you live a life you’re proud of. If you find that you are not, I hope you have the strength to start all over again.” – F. Scott Fitzgerald
The past year has been a doozy – trust me, I know. If you feel the same way, it might seem easier not to set goals or have big aspirations for the year to come. The truth of the matter is, you are going to reach the future one way or another. The question is: will you be at the future of your dreams or just the one that was handed to you as you went along your way? Goals help us move forward with purpose. They don’t always turn out the way we want them to, but that’s okay – even small steps in the right direction can make a big difference long-term.
What goals are you creating for the upcoming to help you get closer to the future of your dreams? Leave a comment below and let us know!
