Keeping Your 2018 Goals Alive

We're two weeks into the New Year, and unfortunately that means we're also to the point where most people have already given up on their goals and resolutions they swore they'd keep "this time". Hopefully this is not you, but if you're already finding yourself struggling to keep motivated and stay on top of the things you want to see change, here are some tips to help keep you going.

  1. Start the day ahead - Start the day with some little tasks that help move you in the direction you want to go. For instance, if you're trying to get in better shape or be more healthy, start the day with drinking several glasses of water and doing even a part of your work out; maybe a couple sets of pushups and crunches and some stretching. While the tasks themselves may be small, they set the tone for the day, and you feel a sense of accomplishment and a small weight off your shoulders that you are headed in the right direction and ahead of your daily goal. It's easier to finish if you're starting out ahead.
  2.  Measure against yourself - Make sure you're measuring your progress and results with what you are aiming for, not with a definition that someone else has imposed on you. If your goals are not truly yours, you will not have sustainable motivation to persist when it gets tough.
  3. Stay focused - After you've confirmed the goals you've set are actually yours (or redefined them so that they are), stay focused on the main thing. It's really easy to get distracted with everything around us, the demands of life and the little things that "need" to get done that stack up and suck our time. Those things need attention, but you need to prioritize the things that will help you reach your top goals.
  4. Dumb it down - Don't over-complicate it. Make what you're trying to achieve for the year simple and explainable. Make a list of your top 5 "must happen" goals for this year, and everything else should build off of that. Yes, there will likely be additional goals, or sub-goals that go along with these, but the top 5 create your focus points for the year. Also, if you can't define each of your top 5 with a single word or a short descriptive phrase, it's too complex. Break it down more for true clarity.
  5. Start again - If you've really dropped off from where you wanted to be, remember that the beginning of the year is just another day. You can always start new and fresh again. Don't beat yourself up too much, start again, and move towards your goals. Don't wait until another year passes to have a "new beginning" of a new year.
The beginning of the year is a great time to refocus, define your goals and start fresh. But it's just a date. If you're off to a fantastic start, way to go! But if you're not, don't give up and wait for next year to try again. Today is as good a day as any to start fresh.

Simon Sinek: How Great Leaders Inspire Action

WSJ.com: Commercial Real Estate