2021 GOALS again! OY VEY! Please don’t make me ……..
I’m not gonna lie. The GOALS word always has long had a negative connotation for me. Why? Because I have a long history of setting them, failing and then feeling badly about myself…so why bother?
As the dropping of the ball in Time Square approaches signaling the end of 2020 (Thank Gawd) - I have been thinking about what I wanted to share with you regarding our 2021 goals. And then I started to think seriously about what the heck my own problem has been about all of these years.
What are my immediate thoughts when I think about setting a goal, any goal?
No way! …It’s stupid….I know I’ll never do it! …Ugh!
Seriously though, I’m realizing how ridiculous that way of thinking is and most importantly, why I’ve let it exist all of these years. Why do we (I) fail so much of the time?
And it’s finally become crystal clear. What has held me back all of these years is really quite simple. And it is consistent with what I teach my clients day in and day out to help them transform and achieve their goals.
The answer is this: I fail when I don’t have any kind of action plan to accomplish my goal.
Yes indeed. It’s wonderful to have aspirations and dreams. It’s great to have a goal big or small….but how do you plan to execute around it? As I always say, “A good intention without a mini-action plan attached to it is merely an exercise in futility.”
So this year when I’m thinking about my 2021 goals, I’m going to simultaneously think realistically about the baby steps I’ll need to take to actually accomplish them. I’ll write the steps in my planner/calendar so that I increase the probability of really getting somewhere.
For example, I want to finish creating my online Mini-Course by mid February so that I can begin to teach the very things I’m passionate about.
What I need to do is: take out my planner and work backwards from 2/15/21, and ask myself 3 questions:
1. What do I need to do?
2. When does it need to get done by?
3. When am I going to do it?
So there you have it! Let’s attempt a different strategy for 2021 and not be afraid to dream and set those goals. This year I don’t have to be frustrated and discouraged. This year I have discovered the simple solution to actualizing my goals. All I have to do for each one is break it down into baby steps, decide when I am going to take each baby step and stick with the process.
Wishing us all a very healthy, fun and productive New Year!
Xx
Coach Nancy