Cathy Utzschneider
It’s almost January 1st, a date that reminds us about goals as much as any other. Here are two steps to help you meet your 2012 goals. Planning for goals is the key to achieving them – and the most overlooked step in goal achievement.
Two “December” steps to prepare for 2012 goals:
#1. Spend one hour a day writing down your goals in three (or four) areas of your life. By “areas,” I mean your personal life, i.e. your career, your fitness/athletic interests, and your household. Use the Big Picture Calendar which you can download from my www.movegoals.com website. If you write your goals down on one week, spend another hour during the next week revising them….and revise them again on the third week. Often you’ll attempt to set goals that are too aggressive or unrealistic. As the weeks progress, your goals will become more specific and more limited. That’s good.
When setting your annual goals, stick to five (or less). Limiting the number helps you live by the maxim that you can achieve everything you want in life, but not all at the same time.
“OK,” you may say to yourself. “This sounds like something I can do.” But….you and I both know you probably you won’t do it. There are too many distractions around us requiring immediate attention. The busier we get. the more we dismiss the importance of goal setting. “Why do I need goals anyway, if I’m busy enough?” you may think.
The answer is that you may end up in Iceland when you were hoping to go to Israel. Twenty years of coaching experience has shown me that when people don’t commit to and write down their goals, they let their lives drift according to the whims of the wind….which may be fine and fun, if you choose to enjoy the year with the feeling of living in a hot air balloon. There’s nothing wrong with that. It’s just that we’re talking about achieving — and sticking to –goals.
Goal setting will help you get where you really want to go.
#2. You need to be accountable to your goal setting appointments. To ensure that you will be accountable, set up a formal structure of “meeting” with a coach or an equally committed friend at a particular time each week. “Meet” means Skyping, e-mail check-ins, getting together in person, or setting up phone meetings. What should you talk about? Check out the Buddy Discussion form on www.movegoals.com for ideas.
Don’t forget to check in with me along the way. I want to know how you fare and keep you on track. You’ll be ready to set goals around the first of the year if you’ve had your meetings. Ready, set…go!