Since this is a beginning of a new year, it’s the perfect time to think about setting goals and of course, achieving them. If you didn’t make New Years resolutions, don’t worry about it. If you have already fell off the resolution wagon, that’s okay. You can start over. I will show you how to achieve your goals in five easy steps.

Step 1: Choose Your Non Negotiables

What will you make non negotiable? Meaning what will you focus on? What areas of your life light you up or which areas need to be improved?

Deciding what you need to focus on is the first step towards achieving your goals. For me, one area that I focused on last year is fitness. Specifically, exercising daily. I didn’t specify how much weight I wanted to lose or what size I wanted to drop to. I focused on one specific measurable action. To exercise for at least a half an hour daily.

Once you have decided on area to focus on and a specific action to take, it’s on to step 2.

Types of Goals you can achieve

Business goal: To have 10 coaching clients by December 2021.

Specific action: Reach out to 10 people per month on social media and invite them to a discovery call.

Personal goal: Read 20 books in the next 6 months.

Specific action: Read for 15 minutes each night before bed.

Relationship goal: To have one date night per week.

Specific action: Make a list of 20 date night ideas.

Parenting goal: To be more present with my children each day.Specific action: Put phone in another room for 1 hour each day.

I would suggest starting with two or three areas that are the most important to you. Then make one, two, or three goals for each area.

Step 2: Make your goals measurable

Remember that specific action from step one? It’s time to break those down even further.

This will help you track your progress and celebrate your wins! It will also make reevaluating your goals easier.

Here’s one example from my business goals. My over arching goal is to get 10 paying coaching clients by December of 2021. One strategy I will use to promote my services and find clients is using Instagram. Here are two measurable action steps I can take.

1. Post once per day,

2. Comment on at least four other people’s posts per day.

Since I can’t control the actions of others meaning whether they will sign on as clients, I can control my level of engagement. Building relationships with people through engagement is my strategy.

Here’s another example.

Goal area: Fitness

Specific goal: To lose 20 lbs in 6 months.

Measurable action steps: 1. Run 30 minutes each day.

2. Eat one serving of fruits and vegetables with each meal.

3. To drink 4 glasses of water each day.

Do you notice how the action steps all relate to fitness, but they are different? Let’s say the person misses a few days of running, but they are still able to eat healthier and drink more water. Technically, they are still working on their goals and it can still be a win even if you don’t do all your action steps each day. Having more than one measurable action is like having a backup plan.

Step 3: Accountability

The third step towards achieving your goals is holding yourself accountable. Meaning how will you commit to your goals? Will you write it down in a place where you will see it everyday? Will you tell someone who will check in on your progress? Do you work best when you work on your goals alone?

Often, we achieve our goals faster if we have an accountability partner. I know for me, if I’m going to check in with someone about the goals I’m working on, I feel worse if I have nothing to report. Finding an accountability partner may be a good motivator to stay on track. It may also help if your partner is working towards the same goals, but it’s not necessary.

Some things to consider when looking for an accountability buddy are:

• Who will you choose?

• When will you tell them?

• How often will you check in?

If you’re a person who works best alone, here are some suggestions.

• Put a sticky note where you will see it everyday.

• Create a vision board representing your goals.

• Send reminders to yourself using your phone.

• Write your top goals each day when you get up each morning.

Step 4: The hard work of achieving your goals

You’ve chosen areas of your life to focus on, you’ve created goals and specific action steps and you’ve found ways to keep yourself accountable. Now it’s time to do the hard work. It’s time to put your plans in action and make your dreams a reality. This is where people often get stuck. This is the most important step and where you can start seeing your progress which will look different depending on your goals. If you are crushing your goals, that is fantastic, but if you get stuck, ask yourself:

What do I need to put in place to help me achieve this goal?

It could be anything from a physical item to getting rid of thoughts of self doubt.

How will my life change if I achieve this goal?

By answering this question, you will reach the why behind your goal. You will see what will be different if you keep going.

Finally, if you feel the goal is too big,

How can you break it down into even smaller steps?

What is stopping you from achieving your goals?

If you are on the hard work of step 4 and you are feeling stuck. It would be the perfect time to reach out for help. Let’s have a chatso that we can get you back on track.

Step 5: Reevaluate your goals

Reevaluating serves two purposes. First you see what progress you’ve made. Maybe you’ve already achieved your goal and can move on to the next. Maybe you are progressing, but need to keep going as you are. Finally, your goal may be too large, not specific enough or not as important to you anymore. If you don’t reevaluate, you’ll miss out on this important information. It’s a good opportunity to be honest with yourself about what you truly want.

When you are doing your planning, you’ll want to decide when you will be checking your progress. Will it be weekly, monthly, quarterly etc? These time frames will be different depending on the goal. Here are some examples.

Business: Make a 90 day marketing plan with at least one item to do each day.

Progress check: Have you done each item on your plan?

Personal goal: Write in your journal each day.

Progress check: How many days this week did you write in your journal?

If not, what stopped you.

Personal goal: Losing weight

Progress check: Weekly weigh in.

Have you lost weight? Gained weight? How many days this week did you exercise? Why or why not?

Here are some questions to ask yourself when you are reevaluating your goals while feeling stuck.

• Is this goal still important to me?

• What is getting in the way of me achieving this goal?

• How can I remove these blocks?

• What different measurable action steps can I take?

• If this goal is no longer meaningful, what are my new goals?

• How can I hold myself accountable?

• How am I feeling about this particular goal?

• How will I feel when I accomplish this particular goal?

Summary

To summarize, there are five easy steps you can take to help you achieve your goals.

• Step 1: Pick 1, 2 or 3 areas to focus on and make specific goals.

• Step 2: Make it measurable. Write 1, 2 or 3 action steps that you can take to achieve your goals.

• Step 3: Keep yourself accountable. Find an accountability partner or write your goal in a place where you will be reminded every day.

• Step 4: The hard work. This is where you put your plan into action. This is the most important step. You can get stuck, but you can also make things happen!

• Step 5: Reevaluate. Here’s where you see your progress. You will learn what is working and what you need to change.

What are your goals for 2021. I’d love to hear about them over a discovery call. If you are feeling stuck, need some help prioritizing your goals or need an accountability partner, I’d love to work with you!