5 Steps to Master Personal Goals

You can deliver stretching goals amid some significant challenges for your business. However, that can be a different matter when it’s your personal goal. There is a simple concept to master difficult-to-accomplish personal goals.

I remember every January going back to school in my younger years declaring: “New year. New rules!” I would have a list of about twenty things I would do differently. One example was to not raid my piggy bank during the year. Every Christmas season, I regretted having raided it during the past year.  

Inevitably, somewhere during the year, I would realize I abandoned my list so far in distant memory that I forgot about it. At the beginning of the following year, I would declare that I would do better. You can predict the result. Do you have the same situation? I know, I know, I know. Your friends have that issue. Not you. I understand. Well, there is a simple concept that works for me. You can share it with your friends to help them (wink). The idea is to think “small.” Here are five steps to master difficult-to-accomplish personal goals.

How to Master Difficult-to-Accomplish Personal Goals

1. Small List

Create a list of three improvement objectives. Not twenty. The shorter the list, the better. It’s also important to write them down. I tend to do one spiritual, one mental, and one physical. Don’t worry Mr. Over-achiever. You can always add more items as you progress. As our example, let’s use my physical objective to walk 30mins each day for five days per week.

2. Small Sizes

Set small bite-size goals for each objective. The smaller, the better. Each will be a guidepost. They get you closer to your objective and easier to get back on the path if you falter. In my example, one small goal could be to recruit a buddy to walk with me to increase my probability of actually walking. Another small goal could be to walk for 15mins for 3dys per week.

“A goal without a deadline is just a wish”

3. Small Targets

Set reasonable target dates for each goal. A goal without a deadline is just a wish. My first goal could be to recruit a walking buddy by January 30^th. My second small goal could be to walk 15mins 3dys/week by February 28^th.

4. Small Successes

Evaluate progress and Celebrate the small successes. Reward yourself. I once bought a small pack of gold stick-on stars. My reward was sticking a star on my laptop after each small goal. When colleagues asked me about my stars, it forced me to stay in touch with my goals by explaining them.

5. Small Help

Have a trusted accountability buddy. Ask him/her to follow up on your progress and don’t let you slide. Steps 1 – 4 above become so much easier when being held accountable. 

The road to failure is lined with successful excuses. Empowered leaders find solutions to combat this fierce enemy of diligence such as the above five steps to master difficult-to-accomplish personal goals. While the saying “go big or go home” has a nice ring to it, starting small and manageable is a tried and proven path to increase your probability of success.  

Empowered Leader Reflection

How are you approaching improving your mind, body, and spirit in the new year?