Well, mid January may be the perfect time to set some new goals or freshen up the ones you’ve already made. You’ll get it right this time. I have some solutions.

You look at your list of goals from last year… with some trepidation.

Hey, not bad. Some of them actually appeared in your life.

Then one jumps out at you. It’s been on your list for years and no progress has been made.

Not happening.

You are filled with a sense of failure. You don’t know whether to give it another heroic go… or just give up and accept reality.

Maybe you should just pack it in on learning how to use Mailchimp, or apps on your iPhone, Zoom, spreadsheets, or your technical nemesis of choice. It’s so easy, they say. Yeah.  Maybe you should own it that you you’re never going to be a computer whizz. You know, joke about it. Stop apologizing. Shrug your shoulders.

Oh the relief that would bring, mixed with a feeling of dismay at settling for less than you deep down know is possible.

Or, let’s see, would it be better to just accept those extra 10 pounds and learn to live with them? Love each and every one of them? Wear looser clothes and avoid mirrors? Let black be your best friend?

Who are you kidding?

Something in you rebels at giving up—even if you’ve struggled with this goal forever.

Are you with me? Know what I’m talking about?

So the blame game begins.

You start to fuss at yourself. Making excuses. Beating yourself up.

You tell yourself to stop being such a wimp.

Get motivated.

Join that gym again and stick with it this time. Overcome that fear and loathing.

Dig out those old Tony Robbins tapes and get yourself fired up into a froth of energy and willpower.

Announce it to all your friends and even get a goal buddy.

Just do it, as Confucius once said. (Wait…was that Nike, or the Dalai Lama?)

Previous experience tells you something is wrong here and it’s not going to work. Yet it’s important to clean up those stubborn goals before setting new ones or they will just gum up the works.

Old, stubborn, unachieved goal. Ask:

1. Is this something I really want to do or does it give me a yuck feeling every time I think about it?
2. Is the result exciting, or just meh?
3. Do I have a plan or strategy to make this happen or is it all just wishful thinking?
4. Am I honestly willing to pay the price or do I deep down feel it’s not worth it?

Chances are somewhere in those 4 questions is the reason you haven’t hit that goal that’s been hanging around for years.

If it’s something you can change, or you weren’t aware of before, maybe, just maybe, you can get it to work this time. Perhaps subconsciously you just weren’t willing to pay that price? But you are now?

I suggest you look at the questions and if you still can’t work up any enthusiasm, drop-kick that goal to the curb! Clear it out. Chances are, if you send it packing, it will magically appear in your life anyway. Goals have a weird way of doing that.

OK, we’ve got that old stuff out of the way to ready  you for some fresh beginnings.

Maybe we can rejig them, bring them up to date.

Does it always have to be 10 lbs? What’s wrong with 7 lbs or 12? Wouldn’t you be just as happy with 5? Something about putting a number to it, seems to guarantee failure. What about just losing a little weight without getting cranky, light headed, and fainting in the supermarket?

Now try this easy approach that I use for goal setting.

I used to set frantic, ambitious, highly detailed goals, with numbers and dollar signs attached, but these days I’m more laid back about them. I just want my goals to gently nudge me in the direction I want to go.

This new method is relaxed and comfortable and do-able. I find more things happen that I’m pleased with and I don’t have that guilty loser feeling when they don’t.

So, get out a piece of paper or notebook, pen, and a cup of coffee. At the top write —

“Goals for 2020” and the date.

Draw a line down the middle of the page. On the left side at the top, write

“In 2020 I would be excited and pleased if… “

Then list one by one some exciting, pleasing things you would like to show up in your life that aren’t there now. Just free wheel and let your mind play loose.

On the right side at the top, write

“In 2020 I resolve to take these actions.”

Here write a list, in any order, of steps you intend to take in relation to your goals. EG let’s say losing weight would really excite and please you. So you resolve to find out about intermittent fasting, or join the gym, or get a treadmill, or a Fitbit watch, whatever. Just get a plan down. No numbers. Just action steps.

Write this next at the top of the next page.

“In 2020 it would be over-the-moon fabulous, beyond my dreams if….”

Think of what would be totally amazing if it happened. You don’t have to believe it will happen, or make any resolutions to make it happen. Just write it down and forget about it.

Now, one final bit, which is where it really gets interesting. Write this.

“What is one goal that would positively affect all my other goals?”

This is your Meta Goal and will facilitate all the others. Examples would be, to create some great work habits, to be more focused and productive, establish good eating and exercise habits, to learn to be more technical in certain areas, to get good at marketing, etc.

It may well be something you need to sacrifice, or a habit you need to change.

What is yours? This is your umbrella goal, which will make all the others more likely to come to fruition.

Mine is to create better work habits. Pretty vague and that’s OK. But better work habits will impact all areas of my life—income, weight, exercise, creativity. It’s all related. One good habit impacts all others.

I need to sacrifice spending so much time on emails and social media.

Put this at the top of your to-do list every day.

It will benefit you to make it your prime focus. Keep it in front of you. Don’t forget about it. This is the one thing that’s going to facilitate all your dreams and goals.

This approach works really well for me and I hope it does for you too. Make it fun and enjoyable. Sit out in the garden or under a tree. A cup of coffee, or hey, make it tea. It’s so simple— you just daydream and write down your daydreams.

Happy, fun, and energizing goal setting!

Margaret
Margaretnashcoach.com

If you would like help giving 2020 a kick start in the best way possible then drop me a line here and we can either meet in person here in San Miguel or work together online. I’ll help you get motivated and ready to roll.
And if you like I will hold you accountable through the year.
Check out my Accountability Coaching.
You’ll be glad you made the effort!