What is Really Keeping You From Reaching Your Goals?

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It’s ironic.  It’s only the beginning of the second week in January, and a post about following up on New Year’s resolutions almost seems irrelevant (at least according to the search engines).  But here’s how I see it… achieving goals isn’t a one-time declaration.  It’s an ongoing process of reminding yourself of your priorities, measuring progress, modifying tactics and celebrating progress.   But you can’t do this without a “plan of action” (POA).   In fact, a simple POA, might be all that stands between you and your goals.   

So how are you progressing?  Did you take some time to plan your goals?  Did you try out the Crazy Impossible Dream Making worksheets?  If not, there is still time.   Go ahead and download them for free by clicking here.  Set aside a couple of hours and get busy.  If you did, take a few moments to congratulate yourself for taking action.  You are among a very small percentage of folks who actually partake in goal planning.     

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If you did try it out, you probably ended up with a short list of goals, and are wondering “Okay, now what?  They sound impressive when I read them to myself.  They look good hanging on my mirror (they are hanging on your mirror, right?)  But how do I turn these goals into action?”  Not to worry, I have a process for that too. 

This all takes time and energy.  I wish I could tell you otherwise, but the simple fact is that you have to put in the work to produce the results. Only you can create the life of your dreams.  The great thing about taking the time to plan up front is that your goals will be top of mind for the rest of the year, which makes it really easy to make choices along the way. 

Here’s the thing…as human beings with free will and highly functioning brains, we are continually bombarded with “possibilities.”  When you know exactly what you want, and are faced with multiple options, your brain naturally gravitates to the choices that are aligned with your goals.   And this happens subconsciously.  Planning creates clarity which in turn sharpens your focus and helps you remain on-track.  If you don’t really know what you want, it will be extremely difficult to make decisions. 

 So, I present the following point of view based on years of personal experience:   What you invest on the front end you will get back in multiples on the back end.  Even though you will invest significant time in developing your master plan, you will significantly reduce the time you spend during the year making decisions.  

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Having lived through this process many times, I can share that is completely liberating.  You’ll see your friends laboring over choices and second guessing decisions they made because they have no plan.  You, on the other hand, will be crossing accomplishments off your list because there is no decision.  You know exactly what you need to do.   

It’s fun.  It’s rewarding, and once you have experienced that peace of mind, you will be happy to clear time from your calendar for your annual planning. 

Will you achieve everything on your list?  Probably not.  Some of your goals will change during the year and life always throws us curve balls. But you will gain a whole new level of confidence in yourself when you see that you can achieve the seemingly impossible just by aligning your INTENTIONS with your ATTENTION.    

So take that list of 3-5 goals that you created in your goal planning session and set aside another hour for each one to turn your dreams into a plan of action.  This process works. 

You can download the worksheets here.  And yes, they are free.  I am really committed to doing what-ever I can to help people grow and succeed in this regard and have even worked through one of my own goals for vitality to demonstrate the process.  If you are already a subscriber, you will receive an email from me with an attachment that you can download.  

Maybe you have a process that has worked for you in the past, or one that you have heard about.  Please share any tips you have.  What are some of your goals for 2011?  Is planning a big part of your life already?  What challenges are you facing? Would it be helpful if I posted my goals? 

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