There always seems to be a hot debate about New Year’s Resolutions and whether or not to have them. Proponents get pretty pumped about them and opponents insist they are meaningless. I don’t think it matters what side you are on.
Everyone has – or should have – goals and aspirations.
A recent article in USA Today suggests that maybe intentions are better than resolutions. Having just launched a new goal mastery course, I was hoping the article’s assertions were aligned with my course. Indeed, they are. The article makes multiple suggestions for effective intention setting, the main themes of which I am restating here (in bold below) along with the corresponding feature in my Focus & Momentum Goal Mastery course:
Examine your core values: Before you jump into goal-setting, my course invites you to reflect on what is most important to you, what you most enjoy, what you believe you were put on this earth to do. These are all tied, of course, to your core values, which should be your anchor when making any important decision including which ambitious goals to pursue.
Make it measurable: When you have completed the clarity step, the first step of the planning phase is to articulate your goals in the SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, time-bound) format. I take this a step further by encouraging the use of lead and lag measures – as suggested in Franklin Covey’s 4 Disciplines of Execution, and I give you a nifty tool you can use to evaluate and select the lead measures that are most likely to positively impact the lag measures.
Break it down: You’ll be doing a brain dump of all the actions anticipated to be necessary on the way to your goal. The Goal Implementation Plan template I provide enables you to see these actions in distinct steps that you can update as your goal journey evolves.
Make it actionable: The fundamental premise and promise of my course is consistent forward progress, which necessitates regular action as outlined by your personalized goal plan. You will customize the plan according to your needs and preferences.
Ease into new habits: My Top 3 approach provides the guardrails you need to stay focused on 1-3 priorities at a time – NO MORE! By narrowing your focus, you accelerate your progress and can give the proper time and attention to habit forming before adding new challenges.
Track it: Each week, you will update your goal plan, marking off your completed items and selecting a new Top 3 for the following week. The mini milestones you achieve and visually celebrate each week help you maintain the motivation to keep going as your success feeds upon itself (i.e. momentum).
Be kind to yourself: This course is all about hugging yourself accountable. You will face and remedy your self-limiting beliefs by giving yourself the grace to move through the goal journey at your own pace, in the manner that works best for you, practicing self-compassion while not allowing excuses to deter your forward progress.
If the new year inspires you to get going, great! However, the artificial milestone of January 1 is not necessary to light your goal fire. You can do it anytime. And, anytime you want to get started, my Focus & Momentum Goal Mastery course is here for you.
