The new year brings new hope and new dreams as well as a chance to reset the scoreboard and become the person you’ve always wanted to be. This year, many people were more excited to turn the page to a new year and focus on living their best life. Unfortunately, most people drop their New Year goals just 14 days into the new year, according to Linal Harris, an executive coach and author of “Slay Your Goals: 5 Simple Tips For Achieving Your Life Goals.” Given the dysfunction of 2020, you deserve to keep the optimism and hope for the new year longer than just a couple of weeks. So consider this a boost to help you get back on track with your 2021 goals.
Harris shares that the number one reason people drop their goals is simply that they forget them. Yes, they forget them. Could you imagine forgetting that you want to be rich, get ripped, or travel the world? Of course not, but you may lose focus on the daily actions and decisions to make consistent progress towards your goal.
Here are a few strategies and actionable to help you realign with your goals and make 2021 your best year ever.
Affirm and Track Your 2021 Goals
Goals are usually made when people are in a peak state of inspiration. The challenge kicks in when you get back to your routine and face the demands of real-life. One of the ways to keep your goals top of mind is to affirm them daily. This will allow you to intentionally move towards the person you want to become. Harris shares that it only takes 1-2 minutes to read your goals out loud and affirm them daily. This daily attention to your goals will allow you to easily remember what you want to achieve and make choices that align with that vision.
To help keep you on track, make sure you set SMART Goals for the year. SMART stands for specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-based. Don’t worry if you don’t know how you’re going to accomplish these things just yet, just focus on the outcomes you want. How you accomplish your goal is not as important as creating the vision of what you want to achieve.
Understand Your Goals
It also helps to understand the root cause behind your 2021 goals. Making more money is a nice goal, but why do you want to make more money? What desires and fears do you have around money? Why do you feel that way? How will making more money alleviate those fears or fulfill those desires? Answering these questions around your goals will provide you the clarity and motivation to stay focused.
“When you’re starting something new, you have to start at the bottom. If you don’t want to start at the bottom, then don’t bother starting,” says Marques Ogden, a former NFL offensive lineman who went on to run a multi-million dollar construction company.
A bad deal crushed Ogden’s business, forcing him into bankruptcy, and at his lowest point, he took on a part-time job as a janitor. To get back on top, he spent time focusing on his fears and desires. He then created a vision around his strengths and decided he wanted to help others through his own story. Now, Ogden serves as an executive coach, inspirational speaker, and corporate consultant.
Strengthen Your Commitment
Your goals will require changes to your current habits, so you need to identify, specifically, what you will change to create space for your goals. Look at your daily routine and how you spend your time, how you eat, and how you spend money and determine what you will eliminate or reduce to create space for your new goal-oriented habits. It may be time to stop binging Netflix, endlessly scrolling through social media, eating out too often, or cruising Amazon for yet another purchase.
Making these sacrifices can be a challenge so you must develop your mental strength. Ogden went from a multi-millionaire to a janitor to a highly sought after speaker and coach. The ups and downs can be stressful, but mental toughness kept him focused. To develop a strong, resilient mind, he shares three things you need: good physiology, mental focus, and the belief that you deserve to succeed. He shares that you must take action, moving with good energy and positive thoughts. You need to control your mental focus by locking in on your strengths and goals, and not paying attention to the noise going on around you.
When you have a strong desire and believe you deserve it, you will work harder to get it. If last year taught us anything, it’s to embrace change. This is the year to make those changes and develop into the person you truly want to be. Get back on track for your goals and share this with anyone who may need a bit of inspiration to make this their best year yet.