Setting Your 2011 Goals

It's approaching that time of year again...already. It seems as though 2010 has just begun and already we are staring at 2011 being right around the corner. Now is the time to sit down and reflect on your 2010. How has the past year been for you? What goals did you reach? What goals did you not reach? Why? Spend some time analyzing the year, so you can use that knowledge when planning your 2011.

Before the end of the year, lay out your goals for next year. What do you want to accomplish? What do you want to change? Do you want to make more money? Do you want to get in shape? List the things that you want to achieve.

Here are some tips for setting your 2011 goals:

1) Don't make goals that you think you should make. Make goals you actually want to accomplish. This is part of the reason so many people fail at their goals so quickly. Their "new years resolutions" are what they think they should do, not what they actually want.

2) Go beyond skin deep. Don't just list what you want. Make sure you understand and list why you want it, and it has to be about more than just "surface" issues. For example, increasing your income is a great goal, but what is your overall objective in doing so? Is it being able to give more? To spend more time with your family? You must identify your "why"'s to keep you going when times get though.

3) Post your goals where you can see them. If they are not in front of you consistently, they are not nearly as likely to be reached.

4) Focus. Don't try to reach every goal in one year. Pick a couple you need to work on or that are foundational for your other goals and focus on those first. Use them as building blocks for your future goals.

5) Share your goals. Don't keep them a secret. Let those around you know what you plan to accomplish. Have someone hold you accountable. Even just telling people your goals increases your chance of success, as you now have other people besides yourself that know if you have or have not done what you said you would.

6) Have a plan. Goals without a plan are just a hope and a wish. You must have a plan of attack to be able to reach them. Without one it will take much longer, if you reach them at all.

I encourage you to actually that some time to put some thought into what you want your 2011 to be like. Put it on paper, use these tips, and make 2011 your best year yet!