It is a new year and as tradition or a way of life, a lot of people take out the time to write down their goals. Incase you do not see a reason to write down those goals yet, please refer to my previous article that shares details on the challenges of not having clearly defined outcomes.
Now, that we’ve gotten that out of the way, It is not enough to only write out your goals so here is a quick guide to be able to achieve results or make progress with your goals going forward.
STEP ONE: Breakdown Goals into Small Steps and Assign Timelines: When you have a goal in mind, say to buy a house or buy a car? The mind perceives it as one huge overwhelming task so you keep putting it off to the future. One thing that works like a charm is taking the time to break down this goal into its different component. One way to do this will be to list down all the necessary steps or process that will lead to the achievement of this goal.
so if for example, the goal is to purchase a new car, the steps can look a little like this; First, research car options. This includes going to a car stand to ask questions, to test drive a car, make some phone calls or even do a google search and then dedicate a time to accomplish this step, say 2 weeks or two days. Next, maybe to get financing options. Do you plan to save up for the car, take a loan or what? Also, allocate a time stamp to this step as well and all the other steps that would come after.
The idea is that your mind begins to see your goal not as one hug task but as a series of small things that you can easily do. Remember, the time stamp on each event is equally as important.
STEP 2: ACT, START WITH THE VERY NEXT STEP: Yes, no magic wand here. You pretty much have to put in the work if you have any plans of getting any results. Get started and begin with ONLY the very next step on your list of small items from above. Do not worry about doing or completing everything. Focus ONLY on the first step and then the next. Sometime, the goal is scary and we are not sure where to start and that is okay. When in doubt or unsure, start with with the next step no matter how small it is. This could be to do a google search, or make a phone call or a social media post. Whatever, it is, just do that and breath. Celebrate the small wins along the way and while you do that, always Remember step 3.
STEP THRREE: BE FLEXIBLE; There is a familiar presupposition or way of thinking that say “the flexibly person controls the system”. In this case, the key to following through on your goal is to remain flexible and open to change. It is okay to plan as we have done above, but when it comes to following through, more often than not, plans change or things are not as they should. Maybe the proposal did not got through or clients are not purchasing the product as anticipated. This things do happen hence the need to prepare ahead and be willing to be flexible when the need arises.
Let me give you a quick example with my goal of purchasing a brand new car. Maybe I had completed my survey and moved to the next phase of getting the finance for the car which was suppose to be a simple loan. But if all my loan applications do not go through, a none flexible person would get upset and give up on the goal entirely but if I am being flexible, I may need to change my initial source of loan or even be open to saving up for the car instead. As Albert Einstein once said;
The measure of intelligence is in your ability to change.
STEP FOUR: TAKE FEEDBACK, UTILIZE EVERYTHING: Simply put, “Feedback is being able to reflect on your last actions to influence your next step.” And that is all this last step is about. Take note of what worked well and what needs to improve or be changed entirely. Sometimes, while we work on our goals, challenges are thrown our way, utilize it, take advantage of it and use it as a stepping stone instead.
Sometimes the feedback is to adjust the process of achieving the goal, and other times, it is to go back to the drawing board and further clarify our goals or what it is that you truly desire. Once a phase of your goal is complete or in progress, remember to take into account the following;
a. What went well
b. What do you need to change or improve that would give you the desired results
c. What did not work well and what do you need to change going forward.
So once again, breakdown your goals into smaller steps and take the very next step. Then while working on your goals remember to stay flexible and utilize feedback. I am excited to hear your feedback on this post and if you got any value from it.
To achieving your goals now and always! Until next time.