A Brief Guide to Owning Your Path

Something about the ending of an old year and the beginning of a new brings out the overachieving optimist in many of us.

Each year thousands of new years resolutions get made and broken. This disheartening cycle can leave us feeling like victims, observers of our own lives, subject to the whims of chance. However, it is possible to take charge and actually move life in the direction you wish it to go, in spite of all of the things you cannot control.

Make Goals. Break them Down. Take those Steps.

To own your path, first determine where you are heading. With this information you will need to form a plan on how to get there, and finally, break your plan down into manageable steps and simple actions.

It is important to have goals in both your personal and professional lives. A goal gives you something to aim for and lends direction to the everyday decisions you make. Goals must be clear, measurable and, critically, attainable (so “winning the lottery” is probably out).

Think of it this way. When you were learning to drive, you had to train yourself to keep your eyes on the road. Keeping your goal (in this case, staying in your lane!) front and center kept you moving forward and, well, centered. If you paid too much attention to the trees and ditches and other cars surrounding you it was easy to start meandering around.

How to Set Clear Goals This Year

Just like painting lines on the road, make sure you clearly define your goals. “Take more walks” isn’t a bad goal, but it is vague and hard to measure. Instead, set goals like “walk 1000 miles this year.” This way you can track your progress, as well as making plans to get you closer to accomplishing your goal.

The difference between a dream and a goal is that a goal is backed up by planning. If you want to bring in X dollars in profits this year, you can divide X by 12 for a monthly amount. What do you need to sell each month to reach X/12 dollars? And in turn, how can you ensure selling that each month this year?

Turning Your Goals into Plans

In this way, keep breaking down your goals and plans until you have a list of actions you can take each day, week or month to propel you forward.

As you begin this year, keep your goals in mind. Reexamine your plans every few weeks. Could something use tweaking? When you need to make a decision, make it with a view to advancing your goal.

Steps to Success

Success isn’t rocket science, and it’s only partially luck. Mostly, success consists of making goals, breaking them down and taking steady forward steps.

Want to talk about your goals for 2019? Contact us today; we’d love to help you get a plan in motion.