Fact: We now find ourselves at the point in time where most New Years resolutions are being abandoned!
The New Year’s Resolution/Goal Formula for Achievement
OK admit it; new year’s resolutions are a pain. Lose weight. Eat better. Get in shape. Join the gym. Run three miles a day. Stop watching so much TV. Stop drinking. Pretty much stop having fun!
And guess what… NONE of those things are gonna happen. Well, they may happen for a week or a month, but the old, comfortable ways will beckon and eventually seduce you back into the very groove you were so determined to break out of.
Remember last year’s resolutions? How did they work out? How about the last TEN years? Did any of them end up being permanent life changes? Don’t feel bad, you are NOT alone. It is estimated that only 8% of people that make a New Year’s Resolution keep them. So how do we avoid ending up in the 92% who fail? How do we really make some changes we know would benefit our lives in a big way? A permanent way?
Well… HAPPY NEW YEAR… AGAIN!
Yes, it’s time to make the annual pledges to do more, less, or better. To quit, start, change, and do it THIS YEAR for sure.
First, remember New Year’s Resolutions are nothing more than “Goals” and should be handled accordingly. So, here’s a great way to look at goals. You have all heard the legendary quote, “Begin with the end in mind.” This is a half-truth and is actually potentially dangerous thinking.
EXAMPLE – Goal: I want a new car by the end of 2020. OK, so what? A far more effective way to express this goal would be to elaborate and say, I want to take more weekend drives in the mountains. To feel the wind and smell the air! To do that, I’ll need a new car. A convertible. I’m looking to buy a rag-top MINI Cooper by September of 2020. Stated in this way, your goal started with the emotional experience you want to achieve; drives in the mountains. Then you identified the tool to deliver it; in this case the MINI. Just saying your resolution is to buy a new car by September is not emotional and won’t stir your soul toward achievement.
So begin with understanding what got you to this point where you are wanting to make a change. Next decide what goal to set to get you what you want. THEN, make a plan with the “OUTCOME defined” – not the end in mind. In the case of the new car, think about the wind in your hair, the smell of the mountain air, the feeling of the sunshine on your face. Picnics by a waterfall. That’s emotional and that will stir your soul!
Resolutions and the first of the year are also a time for reflection. Same with starting a new Sales year. You bring to mind old resolutions and old sales goals, met and un-met. And this reflection is good and will allow you to repeat what you did well, and fix what you didn’t do so well.
Some of the toughest answers, and the most important answers in your life, are the ones you must give yourself in the quiet of own thoughts. How you did it, or why you didn’t get it done. These are incredibly powerful moments as they are an opportunity to focus your thoughts on positive and meaningful change. This is also where some people give up and fail. Sad.
Their negative “self-talk” tells them about all their challenges (the negative self we all have in us) – “my life is full of challenges, I’m single, I’m married, no kids, too many kids – one on the way, divorced with kids”, yada yada. The fact is, EVERYONE has their challenges, but some get it done anyway. Why?
Ask yourself:
Why are you our of shape?
Why are you not killing your sales goal?
Why are you fighting with your spouse?
Why are you… fill in the blank______________?
Those answers will provide the foundation for your goals, or resolution setting AND achievement; real achievement you can look back on beaming with pride.
It’s a simple concept: you can’t KILL your sales goals, until you figure out why and how you fell short of your past sales goals, and what lifestyle changes you may have to make, and what self-disciplines you have to implement in order to achieve success. Otherwise you’ll continue to under perform.
Then affirm the resolution or goal in writing and post it in places you see every day, multiple times a day. Bathroom mirror, car dashboard, a sticky note on your computer. Look at it every day until you begin to take action. Also, say it out loud. It may sound goofy but when you state a goal out loud you bring in the auditory channel to your brain, and it’s absolutely proven to be more effective. So, go find a quite spot where people won’t think you are crazy and state your goals out loud. The more times a day you do this the better.
Profess the resolution. Unlike what you did above, now go tell several people you respect about your goal. Tell them to ask you how it’s going along the way. Professing your goals makes it VERY real and will up your goal achievement game substantially!
• Define your goals in detail and emotionally
• Resolve them in writing
• State them out loud
• Profess them to others
Whether goals are personal or professional, remember it’s a New Year, but goals SHOULD be set throughout the year! It’s your opportunity to make things happen that will have a huge impact on your life. Don’t let time and inaction deny you the great things that await you!
BH