Frankly, I am not a big believer in New Year’s resolutions for the simple fact that they tend to be a wish list. I am, however, a zealot about goals. Big difference in my opinion–goals are the outcome you are seeking and willing to do something different to attain. As Bill Copeland said, “The trouble with not having a goal is that you can spend your life running up and down the field and never score.”
There are three keys to successfully achieving your goals:
1. You are willing to do something different to reach your goals. As you have heard before, when we expect a different outcome by doing the same things we have always done (even if we do them faster and harder), we are bound to be disappointed. So why do we do it anyway? Likely because we haven’t thought much about what to do differently or we are too scared to try.
2. Pick one or two major things you want to accomplish. Granted we all have a long list of things we would like to achieve. Yet we have limited time and capacity for new things. Select the thing that will make the biggest contribution to your long term professional/personal plan. In other words, pick something that will make a real difference. Often times, by accomplishing this one thing, other things will improve with it..sorta like finding the end of a tangled string–when you pull on it, the whole string is now straightened out.
3. Select something you have some passion for so that you stick to it. You may stumble and fall but you want to be able to pick yourself up, dust off and keep going. It may have to matter beyond you as sometimes we are more motivated by benefiting others beyond ourselves.
I have given a lot of thought to my own goal for 2012. Last year in 2011 I was coming back from a serious personal health issue and my goal, now that I was healed was to “heal the business.” We have done just that, celebrating our tenth anniversary, getting the right people on board, rebranding ourselves Breakthrough Masters Unlimited, launching professional speaking, publishing a new book series, and much more. You responded and we have had a great year to build on.
This year, after my trip to Haiti and some mentoring from dear friends and business leaders, I have decided to make it the year of exceptional health. That means to be functioning at my very best in body, mind and spirit. The reason I chose it is largely an awareness that I can only give to others–my God, my family, my clients and my friends–that which I am capable of giving. I want to be smarter, kinder, and in terrific physical shape to keep up with everybody and deliver nothing less than my very (hopefully, ever increasing) best! By becoming more healthy, I expect to be able to grow relationships and business and continue to contribute to my other goals at the same time.
Here are a few details. Building my body back requires continuing down the path I have started of eating right, improving the air quality of my living environment, and regaining physical strength through work with weights. For my spirit, I am commited to continuing to do God’s work through missions and will not only return to Haiti but intend to get involved on the ground, right here in Kansas City. In addition, I am taking up an old hobby –horses! I used to ride and show and now plan to make time to be around these four legged friends regularly. Finally, for the mind, I am planning on investing in my knowledge–attend at least one “thought leadership” conference, reading and writing books, continuing to upgrade my expertise in the speaking business model, surround myself with incredibly smart and talented business mentors and add at least three new products to our 2012 portfolio.
There you have it. By telling you, I hope to seal the deal and elevate my commitment! Sounds easy doesn’t it? Check back with me in December 2012! And please, share your goal for 2012! Let’s help each other achieve our goals!