Greetings!
Now that we are in the third month of the new year many people have developed New Year resolutions in hopes that they may change a particular habit or some aspect of their behavior. At the gym that I work out at, there has been a predictable increase in the number of people who start working out at the gym. I know by now that I will probably see the new faces around for about one more month before they all begin to stop coming back to the gym. I see this phenomenon occur year after year.
If people make New Year resolutions why do most people fall short of achieving them? Are they just not motivated enough to succeed? Are they just too weak-minded? I believe most people are truly sincere and serious when they develop New Year resolutions. The problem is simply this, just because you say you want to change does not mean you will. It is not enough to want to change. That is called wishful thinking. In order to truly make a change in your life you must have compelling reasons why you should do so. People fall short of achieving their resolutions because there is not enough passion and purpose in wanting to succeed. They have also not calculated the sacrifice that comes with the cost of thier resolutions. The first sign of adversity comes along and people are ready to give up on their aspirations.
I am a messenger of positive and successful living. I am a strong advocate of setting goals. In order to succeed in meeting your goals you must be real with yourself and determine whether or not a particular goal is truly worth going after and are you prepared to pay the price to make it happen. First, you must WRITE your goals down on paper. This is one of the most important aspects of establishing and achieving your goals in life. We live in an age where we are constantly filtering information in our minds throughout the course of the day. There are too many things to remember, too many deadlines to meet, too many errands to run. All this “stuff” can become very distracting and can easily take your focus off of your goals. That’s why it is important to write them down on paper so that you can constantly remind yourself of your course of direction, despite the constant distractions you will encounter. Writing your goals down helps to increase your focus. Without focus we can easily get side tracked and knocked off course.
Once you have established your goals, you must determine if they are worth achieving. You must determine if it is worth paying the price for the success of your goals. You can do this by asking and writing down your answers to the following five questions: 1. How will I benefit from this goal? (There has to be something in it for you.) 2. Will this goal benefit others? (If others cannot benefit from your success it is not a goal worth having.) 3. How can I reach my goal? (Make a realistic assessment of how you can accomplish reaching your goal.) 4. Where can I get information and guidance? (Who or where will your competent sources come from?) 5. Date you intend to complete accomplishing your goal? (You must have a target date for reaching your goal.)
If you can answer all five questions with confidence and conviction then your goal is worth going for. The answers that you come up with will sustain you and keep you motivated during the tough times. Your answers are the reasons you will remain encouraged even when you may want to give up. They are the reasons why you will NOT give up. That is the difference between setting goals and setting New Year resolutions.
Once you have established what goals you want to achieve, the process to reach them must contain three requirements. Your goals must be specific, realistic, and measurable. Try out the format mentioned in this article and I am confident that you will find the necessary reasons to succeed at achieving your goals. May 2009 be your best year yet!
DeWayne Owens and Doug Parker, CEO of RMCN, Credit Services, Inc.
DeWayne Owens training employees of RMCN, Credit Services, Inc.
DeWayne Owens training on "Goal Setting"
