Setting Goals to Cross the Finish Line

Not long after the stroke of midnight on January 1, 2010, bloggers posted their tips, tricks and suggestions for keeping New Year’s resolutions. Despite all the recommendations, studies show that most people don’t keep their resolutions past February.

Goals matter. Otherwise, we wouldn’t spend so much time talking about them at the beginning of the New Year. However, the problem with New Year’s resolutions is that they are so often focused on things we feel we should do, such as getting in shape or saving money. Without a plan behind them, goals become wishful thinking instead of something we want to accomplish.

While there are no magic bullets, specificity and planning are integral to accomplishing our goals. For example, instead of simply stating that I’m going to exercise X number of times a week, I’ve decided to take things up a notch this year and set a goal to run the Country Music Half Marathon in April.

This is something that I can’t do without careful planning or dedicated training. I also know that I’m much more likely to reach my goal by joining a team where I can participate in group runs, get training schedules and receive motivation and support all while raising money for a good cause. Certainly, this approach doesn’t guarantee I’ll reach my goal, but it does increase my likelihood of success.

Everybody is different, so setting and achieving goals relies a great deal on what motivates the person.
  Some say going public with goals hold you accountable. Some say goals are meant to be private. Some say resolutions are a bunch of hooey. Whatever you believe, if you decide to set goals for yourself this year, arm yourself with the proper tools to help you succeed.

Have you set goals for this year? What are you doing to achieve them?

P.S. Want some great posts about goals? Here’s one by IttyBiz and one by Michael Hyatt.