Only 8% of people achieve their New Year resolutions. 25% of people abandon goals by mid-February.60% give up in 6 months. The average person makes the same New Years resolution 10-12 times without achieving it.
REALITY CHECK #1: The 8 percent of goal-setters who succeed? Those are my Goal Diggers. They want it, and want badly! Before you write down that goal, ask yourself: What is my real level of commitment? How much time weekly am I willing to devote to it? What three things am I willing to sacrifice in order to accomplish this goal? What obstacles can I anticipate and develop a contingency plan for now? Goal Diggers have a “take no prisoners, never say die, ain’t no quit in me” mentality around their goals. Do you? Check in with yourself. No matter how SMART, challenging or sexy your goal may sound, if at the core of your being you don’t really have the unyielding drive to achieve the goal, you’re not going to reach it.
REALITY CHECK #2: Breaking news – you’re human. This explains why everybody’s in the gym . . . until Valentine’s Day. Blame motivation drain, life interruptions or procrastination – being human means you’re bound to fall off your grind at some point. But you can significantly increase your chances of still crushing your goals by getting consistent, frequent support and feedback. If you’re playing no games, consider hiring a qualified coach who will give you the process, feedback and accountability you need to kill it all year long.
REALITY CHECK #3: Your car isn’t the only thing that periodically needs realignment. So will your goals. This is why a system for reviewing and reassessing your goals is key. Review your goals daily for motivation, weekly for minor course corrections and quarterly for realignment. You may find you need to reassess a goal’s relevancy due to changes in your circumstances. You might need to adjust the timeframe for a goal on which you’re ahead of schedule. Or you may need to put more resources into a goal that’s lagging behind. Remember: be stubborn about your goals but flexible about your methods. Goal Diggers know how to bend, but not break.