“Prioritise your priorities”

 

You know how it works... at this time of the year people make half-hearted New Year resolutions through some sense of tradition and thinking that it is “the done thing”, without fully committing to making the necessary steps to achieve their goals. Therefore most people allow these goals to quickly fall by the wayside.

Goal setting shouldn’t be restricted to your January to-do list, but instead should be on your agenda throughout the year. It doesn’t have to be about one big fresh start, but it can be about attainable goals and taking small steps to help you actually achieve what really matters to you.

With too many things on our mind, it is often hard to know what to focus on and it is easy to lose sight of what is important to us. You cannot hit a target you cannot see, so to help you figure out your goals and priorities you might want to ask yourself the questions below. Before you do though... grab yourself a pen and paper, sit in a quiet corner with no distractions and off we go!

1) Think about your life. What things matter to you right now that you would like to change?

Write them down and put them in order of priority. Tackle each one at a time.

2) What actions do you need to take to draw you closer to your goal?

Be realistic and specific with order, dates, time of completion etc.

3) Which action will have the most impact or contribute to your success the most?

4) Write down: “The consequences of me not taking this action are..."

5) What obstacles are in your way and how can you overcome them?

Now that you thought about your goals and priorities all that is left to do is to take action. Action speaks louder than words. Before you know it with a little bit of commitment and determination, taking small steps will lead to a bigger goal and the change you want.

 

Reflect, consolidate and move forward...

As the end of the year is rapidly approaching, it is a good time to reflect and
review the last 12 months, to celebrate your achievements, appreciate your efforts and to analyse what stopped you from achieving your goals (if any) and resolutions that you set yourself at the beginning of the year.

Sometimes I find I can be quite hard on myself if I haven't accomplished everything I set myself to achieve, but then I wonder if the goals I set were realistic or if any goal I haven't achieved was that important to me anyway, because if I really really wanted it to happen, I would have found the time, energy and motivation, and would have done everything in my power to achieve it, right? Then, I think to myself that maybe I expect too much from myself? Sounds familiar?

Whatever the reason may be, I think it is crucial to take time to think about what is really important to you and what you would like to accomplish in the year to come. If the goal you are setting really matters to you, then you are more likely to find the motivation and drive to achieve it. To help you appreciate your accomplishments and set important goals you may want to consider some of the questions below:

Reviewing the last year:

What have been your 3 biggest achievements / accomplishments of 2013?

What are you most proud of achieving?

What are the top three lessons you have learned this year?

What one personal quality have you developed most in 2013? (For example: patience, empathy or courage etc.)


Planning the year to come:

What are your top three priorities for the coming year?

What makes it important to you?

What would your end goal look / feel / sound like?

What would the outcome be if you achieve your goal?

What would be the consequences of not achieving your goal?

How will you achieve your goal?

Who can support you in achieving your goal?

When will you achieve it by?

You don't need to wait until January to make a list of your New Year's resolutions. Your goals can be set any time of the year, all you need is a pen and paper. I hope that these few questions will help you with successful goal setting.

Good luck!