How often have you started the by making New Year’s Resolutions only to abandon them within the first week?  Statistics say that is what happens to 90% of us.

An unknown author said, “In absence of clearly defined goals, we become strangely loyal to performing daily acts of trivia.” I was introduced to a seven-step, sure fire way to set and achieve my goals.  It’s a process and must be followed in a systematic way.  If you would like to set goals and achieve them, try the following process that has worked for me.  Then, let me know what you think.

Be sure you have some time set aside for this important process.  You won’t complete it in 30 minutes…or perhaps even in 24 hours.  Take it one step at a time.  If you’re ready, let’s dive right in with step number one…

1) Get Clear – Look at the last 12 months and be very clear about what happened.  We have a tendency to remember only the good and not the bad.  Last year had challenges and opportunities…so will next year.  You will benefit by determining what was good and bad.

1. What happened?
2. What was good about 2011?
   • Who did you meet?
   • Where did you go?
   • What did you love?
   • What did you learn?
   • What new things did you start doing?
   • What did you realize that you didn’t know before?
   • What breakthroughs did you have?
3. What did you hate about 2011?
   • What was bad?
   • What didn’t you like?
   • What painful experiences did you encounter?
   • What did you do that you wish you hadn’t done?
   • What regrets do you have?
   • What was challenging about 2011?
   • What do you not want to happen again?
4. What did you learn about the experiences you didn’t like in 2011?
   • Why were they incredible and valuable?
   • What did you get out of them?
   • What empowering meaning can you give them?
   • What were some of the most important decisions you made?
   • What might you do different this year as a result?

Continue to capture the ideas over the next 24 hours as your subconscious continue to work and bring new thoughts to you.

2) Get Certain – You need to be in a peak emotional state about your goals.  When you have a strong self-image, you have resources available that you didn’t know you had.  By getting certain, you can control your self-image.

1. Write a list of anything that you accomplished or achieve over the years.
   • What are you proud about in your life?
   • What have you accomplished?
   • What did you once think was impossible but you did it anyway?
   • What was once only a wish but now it’s a reality?
   • What things are you grateful for?

Keep your notes in a binder.  Allocate 5 minutes a day to jot your accomplishments for the day.  Review the list when you’re having a bad day and you will feel your energy shift within a few minutes.

3) Get Excited – Huge energy is available in the planet at the beginning of a new year.  In reality nothing is different; the date is arbitrary.   However, you have an entirely new destiny you can create by harnessing this energy.

1. Make of list of the goals, wishes, and desires for your life.
   • What do you want in 20 years?
   • What do you want in 10 years?
   • What do you want in 5 years?
   • What do you want in 1000 days?
2. What aspects of your life do want to change?
   • Career and Business
   • Environment
   • Family and Friends
   • Finances
   • Fun and Adventure
   • Health
   • Personal Growth
   • Romance
3. What do you want to achieve?
4. What people do you want to meet?
5. What places do you want to see?
6. What do you want your legacy to be?
7. What toys do you want?

Just keep writing!  Write everything…small or large.  Think big and jot down everything you want to happen.  You want to end poverty?  Write it down.  You want to lose 50 pounds?  Write it down.  You want $50,000 in savings?  Write it down.

Don’t judge…just brainstorm.  Get creative.  What do you want to do, to be, to have, to give?  Just keep your pen moving across the paper.  Keep coming back and adding to your list.

Most people over estimate what they can do in a year and underestimate what they can do in the long-term.

4)  Get Focused – Now look at your dreams and goals.  You’ll need to select 3 that are your top priority for the next 12 months.  If you accomplish these three goals your life will never be the same.  If you achieve these three goals it will change everything in your life.

1. What are your three top goals?
2. Write about them in detail so that when you read the description you know exactly what it is you are aiming for.
3. SMART Goals
   • Specific – define them so specifically that if a seven-year-old were to read your description they would imagine the same thing you would.  Not “more money” or “lose weight”…those are too vague.
   • Measureable – How much money?  How much weight?  What size clothes will you wear?
   • Attainable – Set yourself up for success.  It’s okay for your goals to be outside of your comfort zone but still must be something you believe is possible.  If last year you made $30k, making $1M this year may be a bit of a stretch (or, maybe not?).
   • Relevant – It must be something you really, really care about otherwise you won’t take the action.  It must be something that is emotionally important to you.
   • Time Bound – In this instance we are working on 12-month goals.
4. What do you need to do in the next 90 days to be on track to meet your 12-month goals?
   • Do you need to reach ¼ of your goal (I want to run a 26-mile marathon by the end of the year so I must be able to run 6.5 miles at the end of 90 days)?
   • Do you need to reach a milestone that will create momentum and develop the habit so you can crank it up over the remainder of the year (If you want to lose 50 lbs, perhaps you can drop 10 lbs in 1^st 90 days to give you incentive to keep going).
5. Write an affirmation for each of the three goals that relates to the 90 days.  Your brain cannot distinguish between reality and something imagined…it must be written in the present tense…as if already achieved.
   • I am very grateful and excited that over the last 90 days I was able to: (build an athletic, lean trim body under 200 lbs, I’m energized and full of life)

5) Get Committed – By week one, 90% have already given up on their New Year’s resolutions.  Your brain classifies things that you “should” do as important but not necessary.  Instead it is important to know why you “MUST” do it.

1. Write a statement or paragraph explaining why you MUST meet your goals…why they MUST be realized.
2. Write at least 20 reasons that make it a MUST.

Your why has to be so strong that it makes you cry.  There must be a lot of emotion behind it.  When challenges and obstacles present themselves, it will be easy to quit if you haven’t built a strong emotional reason behind why you MUST achieve your goals.

Remember RPM (Results; Purpose; Massive action plan)

6) Get Momentum – You must never finish without knowing what your next action step is.  You must eliminate all other choices.  You must know what that one specific action step is that you can take at every moment to move yourself forward.  Do the step and check it off.

1. What are the steps you can take to achieve those goals in the next 90 days?
   • What books do you need?
   • What seminar do you need to attend?
   • Who do you need to ask for advice?
   • What habits do you need to start (or stop)?
   • What are you doing that is dis-empowering?
   • What can you do on a daily basis that will move you closer to your goals?
   • What decisions do you have to make?
   • What’s the next step?

1. Write down the three outcomes you MUST have in the next 90 days.  Read them three times a day:  when you wake up; at lunch; and at the end of the day (let your unconscious mind and brain continue to come up with ideas as you sleep).

7) Get Smart – You need to be accountable.  Excuses don’t help you meet your goals.  The moment you get distracted, you will find it easy to go back to your old ways.  Know that you will have challenges and distractions.

1. Ask someone for his or her help.  Tell them you are going to take a specific action for the next 90 days and want to report in with a daily text.
2. Create a vision board that will remind you of your goals.
3. Identify 4 or 5 of the challenges that might come your way (circumstances, people); then identify how you can overcome the challenge.
4. Find a mentor that has already been successful in the area of your goal.  Once a month take them to lunch.  Tell them what you’ve been doing and what you are going to do. (They’ll be flattered you asked for help and you may help them fulfill their need to contribute back to society.)

You get to be a champion by defeating an opponent and winning the fight.  However there is no satisfaction in winning against a weak opponent.  Don’t wait until you have a challenge…come up with a plan to overcome the challenges before they arise.  Know what you will do.  When the obstacles do arise, you can simply say, “ah, to be expected”.

Summary:

1)  Write your three top outcomes for your first 90 days of 2012.
2)  Write a strong reason why you MUST have this outcome.
3)  Create a list of clear, specific action steps you can complete.
4)  Create a DMO (Daily Mode of Operation)

1. Read your 3 outcomes 3 times a day (morning, noon and night)
2. Write down three things for each outcome that you must do on a daily basis no matter what (total of 9 action steps a day)
   • Put it in your calendar, day planner or schedule
   • Place a check mark beside each one, each day

5)  Celebrate your achieving the goals.  Train your brain to know if you do the right thing you will have a time of pleasure or fulfillment.

Happy 2012…make it the best year of your life!!

__________

Additional articles you might enjoy:

Goal Setting for 2012
100 Day Challenge
Got Resolutions?