A New Year, A New You

FACT: More than 70% of Americans do not set or write down goals.
FACT: Out of the 30% that actually write goals, 25% of the goals are broken within the first week of setting them.

Now, before you allow pressure, guilt or despair to defeat any resolve, consider this new year your chance to press your life’s “Re-boot” button. This year is fresh; a new chapter waiting to be written. Now, exhale…visualize the calm that accompanies de-cluttering your thoughts and re-gaining focus.

Goal-setting need not consume precious hours or require a weekend of total solitude in a remote location. Even if you only have 30 minutes to invest, statistics prove the clincher to achievement is how often you revisit your goals and measure progress. More specifically, studies show that reviewing your goals at least every 3 days, increases your chances of achieving them by over 90%. Assuming you have set reasonable goals with reasonable timeframes, this statistic should add more than a little fuel to your resolution efforts!

Without dreams, you cannot hope to fulfill your potential. Without a plan, you cannot hope to fulfill your dreams. Thankfully, it has never been easier to set goals and carry them through to completion. There is a multitude of resources provided by the internet, social media venues and even Apps for our phones.

Here are a few of our suggestions to “propel” you (sorry, we couldn’t resist) into making this new year a year of professional and personal fulfillment:

Write down your goals
Start by thinking in reverse: What do you hope life will look like at the end of this year? What needs to change? What resources or training would the change require? Etc… This is where a little help from the internet comes in. And each of the websites listed under “Resources” at the end of this post have step-by-step instructions if you hit a road block in your brainstorming.

Share your goals with family, friends and colleagues
Openness with others develops a framework of accountability. If you’re really brave, asking for insight into your strengths and weaknesses can be a priceless resource to fine tuning steps to achieving your goals. Based on what your goals are, be sure to thoughtfully choose those you seek advice from by looking for strategic alliances with those who have proven track records.

This is also where you could benefit by incorporating the power of social media such as: Facebook, Twitter and blogs. Join an existing conversation or create your own by inviting people to follow your “New Year’s Resolution” progress and share their own goal-setting process. If social media is not one of your strong points, find out how Propel can help!

Revisit your goals and measure your progress
In order to achieve new goals humans must re-program ourselves. Repetition is key to creating the new habits required to changing your life. Find a simple way of incorporating your written goals in your day-to-day life: some put a post-it on bathroom mirrors; others carry around notecards. Most cell phone calendars allow reoccurring reminders, in which you could program daily/weekly “Goal reminders”. This tool alone has fulfilled many a resolution to “Never again forget so-and-sos birthday.”

While reminding yourself of your priorities, take this time to also check for progress. Setting deadlines for certain steps in your plan will be a tremendous motivator and measuring stick for success. Meeting a deadline is the best reassurance that you’re one step closer to realizing your dream.

Celebrate a new year
Now fast-forward and pretend that it’s the last week of December. No matter the outcome, celebrate and count your blessings! Just the fact that you wrote down your goals puts you in the 30th percentile of Americans. Nothing is wasted if you take a moment to learn from your successes and shortcomings – paying special attention to both the technical (processes/strategies) and psychological (emotions/attitudes) aspects of what you did right and what you need to change for next year. Never dismiss mistakes. You’ll learn more from your mistakes then you ever will from your successes…

Now, exhale and…“Re-boot.”

Resources:
propelbusinessworks.com – Comprehensive Business Planning and Promotion
HowStuffWorks.com “How to Set Career Goals”
MindTools.com “Personal Goal Setting” (in-depth) – Tips, Phone Apps, Workbooks, Blogs
SidSavara.com “7 Steps for Setting Realistic Goals” (goal-setting simplified) – Tips, Simple Forms, Support, Blogs

Inspiration:
“A goal casually set and lightly taken will be freely abandoned at the first obstacle.” – Zig Ziglar

“Live life, one day at a time. Being positive is your best tool to keeping your resolutions on track. With the right attitude, challenges and setbacks become opportunities. Approaching the new year with the right attitude can be the difference between success or disappointment.” – Jamie Teasdale

The Little Book of Big Motivational Quotes (Free)

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