Make 2017 Your Best Year Yet: How to Achieve Your Goals

— January 15, 2017

Make 2017 Your Best Year Yet: How to Achieve Your Goals

Welcome to 2017!

Now that the s*#& show of 2016 is over (yes it was a good year, but certainly challenging!), we can focus on creating the killer year we’ve been waiting for… 2017.

The thing is though, that this magical year of enchantment certainly won’t make itself! You must set goals in order to get anywhere, and learn the habits of following through to achieve these goals in small chunks until they’re achieved.

Just remember…

“If you don’t build your dreams, someone will hire you to help build theirs.” – Tony Gaskin

People with goals lead the people who have none.

With this in mind, to get everything you’ve ever dreamed in life, the first step is to set some real goals.

Get out the pen and paper and create what you desire to receive over the next year. Create how you desire your life to look in 12 months. Then create a concrete plan for its achievement, creating all the tactical steps that will get you there.

I watched a free short online course recently from Concordia University . The goal of the course (from their one-year master’s degree in organizational leadership and administration) is to walk through the three elements that you come to when creating a version of yourself that you can be proud of. It sets the tone for organizing your life, and how to create a life that you love, that expresses who you are and leverages your strengths and talents to bring you into a place where you’re happy with where you are, and your accomplishments.

I couldn’t help but think more about the steps that it takes to be the person that you want to be… in this case, the version of yourself that you see in 12 months. Thanks Concordia U for getting my gears turning!

We all want to “be something” and “go somewhere” with our lives. The thing is, to get anywhere you have to take the necessary steps to create this new version of your life. Here’s a little bit of what this looks like…

#1 You Must BECOME MORE

if You Desire to Be More

Simply, if you’re not where you want to be yet—you must become a “bigger” version of yourself to get there. For example, if you could have everything that you desire RIGHT NOW, you would just do it.

If you don’t have the resources yet for that big home, career position, profitability in your business—it’s because you’re not there yet. You must expand what you’re doing, do more and be more to literally achieve more.

If you want to grow your career, life and finances—you MUST PROVIDE MORE VALUE than you are providing right now. The more value you provide for more people—the more results and net-gain you receive in exchange. This is a fundamental law of life.

If you want to receive MORE, you must GIVE MORE. This means maybe putting in more hours at work if you work hourly, or picking up more clients as a freelancer.

You’re probably thinking—how the f*#% do I do that!?

I’ll get there in a moment.

#2 Define Your Perfect “Place”

(Where You Aim to Be in 12 Months)

Create a vision of what your ideal scenario looks like. Visualize it fully and write it down in as much detail as you possibly can create. This will be the definition of what your ideal life and reality look like in 12 months.

Now, remember we usually overestimate what we can do in one year, and underestimate what can be done in three years. Create real 12-month goals for yourself, and then create another 2-3 year plan if you know what you desire to accomplish in that time period.

Answer the questions below to get really clear on your goals, and how you want your life to look.

What does success look like in 12 months?

How will you know that you’ve achieved success?

What benchmarks will you need to hit in order to know that you’ve been successful?

#3 Understand the Difference Between

Where You Are and Where You Desire to Be

First, understand where you are now, in comparison to where you want to go and who you want to be.

For example, if you’re looking to save $ 10K in 4 months, you would need to save $ 2.5K/month to achieve your goal. Most people would think, “aww man, I have to cut back on what I’m spending now… no more $ 5 lattes .” An alternate perspective would be to find ways to increase your income rather than limit your spending.

From there you would brainstorm any manageable and realistic ways that you could earn an additional $ 2.5K every month. Maybe it means picking up another side job, more clients, selling things you don’t need anymore on Ebay, or starting a business.

One of the first steps is to understand the gap between you and your goal so you can start to reel it in.

#4 Understand What You’re Willing to Give Up

This is as simple as stating and understanding your boundaries and limits. When I say “know your limits” I really mean know what you’re willing to compromise on, and what you’re not willing to compromise.

For example, if you were looking to save $ 10K in the above example—there are a few things that you could do to get there. You could either limit your spending to save the $ 2.5/month. In this case you’d be compromising on leisurely expenses like lattes, going out to dinner, and more. OR you could choose to make more money throughout the month, consequently giving up your free leisure time in exchange for additional income.

It’s easier to make decisions around your goals once you define boundaries for yourself. Decide what’s most important to you and prioritize it. Then create your plans around your priorities.

#5 Define a Tactical Plan for Your Goals’

Achievement (a Personal Growth Plan)

After you’ve identified what your goals are, and your boundaries—the next step is to create a plan for your goal’s achievement.

First, begin with the end in mind. Write down your 12-month goals and start to break them down into achievable chunks for the year. Break the goal down into benchmarks that you can manageably hit every single month, and reverse-engineer your goal into steps that you can start to accomplish today and this month.

#6 Define How You Can Be of More Service to Others

Let’s say in 12 months you’re looking back at the year and you’re happy. You received everything you possibly could have asked for… what can you do to give back to the world? What legacy will you leave in your wake for the year, and continuing on?

How can you help others grow and develop the way that you have?

Once you help yourself, teach others to do the same. It’s like the gift that keeps on giving. The more in service you are, consequently the more opportunities you receive.

It’s the beginning of the year—a perfect time to engineer your goals for achievement through the year. Grab your free Goal Setting Workbook to jot down your goals and get the process going!

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