Before You Skip January Goal Setting - Read This...
I’m noticing a trend this year which is, skipping the annual goal setting process because there are so many unknowns. I completely understand this given that most of us who did it last year had to pivot to say the least. However, if we want our businesses and lives to improve, there is absolutely science behind goal setting being an effective strategy. So let’s not skip it, but let’s make it work for YOU.
Start by reflecting on last year (I know, also tempting to skip, but it can be quick & valuable). What did you learn in 2020? I find it helpful to look back at the calendar or photos. It wasn’t all bad. We’ve all found creative ways to connect with others, adapt our business strategies, appreciate nature, and best of all SLOW DOWN. There are absolutely lessons learned from last year that we can apply to the year ahead.
Once you’ve taken the time to reflect, I encourage you to ask yourself: what do I want in 2021? It doesn’t have to be a goal. Maybe it is a feeling you want to feel, mine is ‘ease’. A lot of people choose one word for the year. Maybe it isn’t a feeling word for you, maybe yours is ‘scale’ because you want to scale your business. Perhaps it is ‘delegate’ because you are sick of doing it all yourself.
If the one-word thing doesn’t work for you, scrap it. Could you create a mindmap, a vision board, or even a one-sentence intention? I notice that our brains tend to overcomplicate things and tell us that we aren’t doing it “right” so we might as well forget it. Is that in our best interest?
Maybe it is a journaling exercise where you write about what you want to experience or accomplish? You could write a letter to yourself or to a loved one. Date the letter one year from today. Using your imagination, project yourself forward so that the letter is from your “future you” telling yourself or a loved one about the most amazing year that you had in 2021. What happened?
I can hear the resistance creep in here in a year that looks so different than any year… “But I can’t travel, go to the gym, or gather with family”. These are all the things I want, what the heck would I write about? How about you write out a best-case scenario 2021, given the current circumstances? Again, the point isn’t to do it perfectly, it is to simply set an intention for what you want.
The truth is that you are 42% more likely to achieve your goals if you write them down regularly. Don’t let your resistance stop you from dreaming when it might not be “just a dream”, it might be the perfect step toward making your vision a reality.
