It’s good to aspire to things, and it’s great to achieve them. Unfortunately, most people never do. Because most of us aren’t being honest with ourselves in our approach.
That’s where these seriously realistic tips can help!
Research shows 50% of us make resolutions each year, but statistics show 80% of us won’t make it past the second week of February with them intact.
That translates to 50 out of every 100 people making resolutions, and 40 of those 50 hopeful humans chuckin’ the deuce to those not-so-determined declarations after only a month and a half.
4 seriously realistic tips for goal success
It’s going to be ok! All we have to do to stay on track is be realistic in our approach! Easy peasy, right? Actually, it can be. 😉
Here are four simple strategies to stay on course for success:
1.) Know your goals – and be realistic about them.
Goals are inextricably linked to motivation. They sharpen our focus, energize our efforts, lead to increased persistence and help us find new and creative ways of achieving them.
Getting healthy and losing weight are always in the resolution roundup Top 10.
But if our goal is to lose 50 pounds in a week, we aren’t being realistic in our approach. Well, that is unless some of us know how to weight cut like an MMA fighter headed into a last-chance match.
Losing 50 pounds in 6-12 months, on the other hand, can be realistic with the right planning and motivation.
2.) Try SMART goals – and be realistic about them.
SMART goals are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound. Heavily task-focused, they can work for a variety of goals.
The R in SMART goals stands for relevant – but can easily be subbed for that word we keep repeating: Realistic.
What does your goal really mean to you? Why does it matter to you enough to make it your focus of attention?
The more relevant our goals are – and the more realistic our approach is, the more achievable our goals will be.
3.) Refocus your focus to be (yup) realistic.
Instead of thinking of them as New Year’s Resolutions – maybe just think of them as what they are – goals! And, while we’re at it, It’s a good idea to narrow the number of goals we’re actively working toward.
Team tracking progress company iDoneThis analyzed their users’ data and discovered that 41% of their user’s to-do list tasks never got accomplished, which can be partially attributed to the fact that the average professional has an average of 150 tasks to be done at any given time.
That doesn’t mean we can’t have more than one goal. In fact, research from the University of Pennsylvania at Scranton shows that having two linked or related goals can result in tremendous success.
We just have to be realistic about how much time and energy we have to devote to any of them. What’s critical for success is to focus on a goal or two that can give the highest return on our efforts.
4.) Be realistic – about failure.
In the end, success will look different for everyone and every goal. And often, it will be found after a failure or two (or twenty). And you know what? That’s ok.
“Failure and defeat are life’s greatest teachers,” says Ralph Heath, author of Celebrating Failure: The Power of Taking Risks, Making Mistakes and Thinking Big. “One of the biggest secrets to success is operating inside your strength zone but outside of your comfort zone.”
We can all reach our goals as long as we remember to be realistic in our approach about what it’s going to take to achieve them. It’s equally important to accept that some failures may be part of it along the way.
So do your reality checks and don’t give up – we got this. ^5
———————–
👋I’m Gretchen
👉I am a career and personal development strategist on a mission to teach you to find what you love without losing yourself in the process.
🎯I create sane strategies that produce serious results.
📰 If you thought this post was interesting, you definitely need to sign up for my newsletter – where I give my subscribers exclusive insights, actionable advice and tips to take advantage of select opportunities.
=======================
Here are the ways to work with me at Career Insights:
=======================
🔥Sign up for 1:1 Private Career Consulting (6 Week): careercompass.careerinsightsconsulting.com/sixweeks
🔥Check out my Signature IA Coaching Program (12 Week): https://buildthelifeyouwant.careerinsightsconsulting.com/IAP
🔥For Public Speaking, Group Coaching, Team Development and all other queries: https://go.oncehub.com/GretchenSkalka
=======================
Connect with me on Social Media:
=======================
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gretchenskalka/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGqauUcZo_q0Pz9JbMDC4QQ
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/careerinsights.careercoach
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/skalka/
Pingback: Here's a great way to finally figure out what you want to do