Psalm 20:4 NIV
“May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed.”
There’s a reason why most people give up on their goals for the new year. It’s because they’re big on dreams, but little on action. Just like most things in life, you shouldn’t decide to undertake major life changes on a whim.
If you’re truly serious about setting yourself up with a prosperous new year, treat it like any other major life goal. State your intentions, plan out your actions, and maintain the will to follow through.
State Your Goal
When it comes envisioning your goal, don’t be afraid of dreaming too big or being too specific. During this phase you don’t want to hold yourself back. The sky is truly the limit.
Then fill in the details with achievable tasks that will enable you to reach your goal. If you want to lose weight, specify how much and by when. If you want to give up an addiction, specify what you’re going to do to make it happen.
Consider these goal setting tips:
- Set an attainable goal. Remember that you’re not superman (or superwoman).
- Be clear. State your goal in as few words as possible, but make your end goal clear.
- Be honest. Ensure you’re setting this goal because it’s something that you want to change in yourself.
Have an Action Plan
Some people fall short simply because they failed to create an action plan. However, without a plan you’ll make your goal much more difficult, if not impossible, to achieve.
Here are some tips for creating an action plan:
- If you take everything in all at once, it may seem overwhelming. If you break your plan up, though, you’re only looking at a bunch of mini goals. You’ll already be seeing the end of the tunnel when you begin, so you’ll find it easier as you complete each step.
- As you plan out each step toward your goal, keep the encouragement of God in your heart. There’s a reason why you picked that goal to work on for the New Year. It’s because it’s important to you.
- Motivation might be the thing that gives you the most trouble. You may start out exceptionally motivated, but then tend to lose that enthusiasm as the year progresses. Remember to write certain motivations into your plan for when the chips are down.
Follow Through
Imagine how good you’ll feel when you achieve success with your strategic simplicity! Rather than being part of the masses of people who simply forget their plan, you can be one of the few who achieve their goal.
Do whatever it takes to keep yourself pumped as you follow through. You might want to set certain reminders for yourself. For example, you can start each month by re-reading the goal you declared on January 1st.
In the end, the process is quite simple. State your goal, have an action plan, and then follow through with that plan. Remember that you can do anything when your mind is in the right place and you take action to get what you want!
