10 Steps How To Revive Your Goals

How do you know you have arrived if you don't have an idea of where you are going! 

Resolutions are easy to set in January, but have you revisited or updated your goals since then?

In January, we all are enthusiastically setting goals and dreaming of having a do-over, or achieving our dreams in the new year. But all too often,  as soon as life takes over, our goals are forgotten in that shiny new journal we bought.

It is nearly September already. Have you checked off some of your goals for the year? Have you even looked at your goals? Your dreams and goals should be visible to you every day, and if they are, it will keep you on track and inspire you to complete your goals.  

It is never too late to set goals

It is never too late to set your business and personal goals and it does not have to be done at the start of every year. Setting goals quarterly and revisiting your goals regularly is a good idea and keeps you more active and focused on achieving your objectives. 

Dr. Travis Bradberry posted an interesting article on LinkedIn entitled 'How to exceed your Goals in 2016'. 

The sad truth is that nearly 80% of us will fall off the resolution bandwagon by Super Bowl Sunday; and by this time next year, a mere 5% of us will have succeeded in reaching our goals. 

How can we keep our dreams and goals alive?

Sir Richard Branson, a man who clearly knows plenty about achieving extraordinary things, has some ideas, which he shared recently on his Virgin.com blog.

The basic principle behind his advice is head-slappingly simple -- just write it down -- but as he elaborates in the post, getting from daydream to reality requires a little more doing than simply putting pen to paper. Sir Richard offers this step-by-step process for actually reaching your goals, which he swears works for him.

Here are 10 simple steps for making a list that you will be able to stick to:

1.            Write down every single idea you have. No idea is too small, and no idea is too big either.

2.            Always carry a notebook. You need somewhere to write your ideas down, and while using a folder on your phone is better than nothing, a piece of paper is far more memorable.

3.            Find a list method that works for you. Doodles, bullet points, charts what suits you best? I I find a combination of short phrases and scribbled pictures works best for me.

4.            Make a list of small, manageable tasks to complete every day. Cut your day up into chunks, and you’ll get lots more done.

5.            Mark off every completed task. There are few more satisfying things than checking off a job well done.

6.            Make your goals measurable so you know if your plans are working. There’s no point setting targets if you don’t know that you are hitting them.

7.            Set far off, outlandish goals. Resolutions shouldn’t just have short-term endpoints. What do you want to have achieved in five years’ time? How about 50 years?

8.            Include personal goals in your lists, not just business. There’s no real separation between work and life, it’s all just living. The same goes for lists.

9.            Share your goals with others. You can help motivate each other further and hold each other to account. But remember that, in the end, you are doing this for yourself.

10.          Celebrate your successes then make new lists of new goals. The cycle should continue as you make more and more progress. I have boxes and boxes of old notes, filled with old lists, and I’m busy making more.

The Difference Between Goals and Systems

James Clear, in his blog post 'Forget about setting goals. Focus on this instead', makes a good point about goals. Goals are just ideas and dreams until they become part of our daily routine.

What’s the difference between goals and systems?

• If you’re a coach, your goal is to win a championship. Your system is what your team does at practice each day.
• If you’re a writer, your goal is to write a book. Your system is the writing schedule that you follow each week.
• If you’re a runner, your goal is to run a marathon. Your system is your training schedule for the month.
• If you’re an entrepreneur, your goal is to build a million dollar business. Your system is your sales and marketing process.

Conclusion

I have always believed that you have to work on your business every day. If nothing else, take one action every day and your business will grow. Remember, all it takes is that one step every day to create your journey.

So, how are you doing on your goals and systems?