7 Steps to Goal Achievement

I don’t know about you, but I get very excited at the close of every year because a new year brings hope and a fresh start. It’s a time of letting go and moving forward, and with every new year comes…you guessed it..new year’s resolutions.

The top resolutions are typically the same each year. The resolution may be to lose weight, exercise more, spend less, drink and smoke less, and spend more time with family.

When setting resolutions, I usually split my life into six categories and set one goal for each:

~ Spiritual
~ Emotional
~ Physical
~ Financial
~ Occupational
~ Relational

But where do you even start? It can be extremely overwhelming. Over the last ten years, I’ve studied a number of people’s methods, and although these are not original to me, I try to implement these steps when setting goals each year.

Step 1 – Get clarity.

First, we have to ask ourselves what our target is, and what we are wanting to accomplish. You can often identify this target by asking yourself, “What part of my life am I fed up with?” Change often comes from discontent. I suggest getting alone for a period of time and clearing your head to do Step 1.

Step 2 – Write it down.

This sounds elementary, but there’s a ton of research to show how powerful writing our goals down can be to our success. In Michael Hyatt’s book, The Best Year Ever, he talks about research done by Gail Matthews of Dominican University of California. They studied the habits of 267 entrepreneurs, executives, and other professionals, and for those who wrote down their goals, it boosted their achievement rate by 42%. Put pen to paper and write down your goals!

Step 3 – Determine your reasons.

If you know your reasons, you can remind yourself of those when obstacles come your way or you feel like giving up. For instance, if you want to lose weight, maybe your reason is because you want to be healthy enough to someday walk your daughter down the aisle. Make sure to identify the reason behind your goal.

Step 4 – Put a deadline on it.

Michael Hyatt says, “Deadlines demand attention and spur action. I’d better get in motion because the clock is ticking.” If we have an end date, we will feel necessary responsibility and pressure to hit that deadline.

Step 5 – Create a plan.

A plan can be viewed as the tracks on which you are going to run. You’re hedging your bets that, “If I do these things, I am going to accomplish my goal.” These plans could include seeing a counselor or visiting a financial advisor. Your plans could also include joining a gym or training for a marathon. I once ran a full marathon, and the only reason I was successful in the accomplishment was because I had done an intense 12-week training. If you can create a plan, you are more likely to be successful in your goal achievement.

Step 6 – Take action.

Get busy! You have to commit to do something every single day toward your goal if you want to achieve it. I have failed many times at my resolutions because I wasn’t willing to take the action that would help me achieve the goal.

James Clear, in his book, Atomic Habits, said, “True behavior change is identity change. You might start a habit because of motivation, but the only reason you’ll stick with one is that it becomes part of your identity.” You create that identity through daily, consistent action.

Step 7 – Review.

Every. Single. Day. It’s the principle of focus. We are such a distracted people. If we want to have goal achievement, we have to review our goals and the reason for those goals every single day. Some people even go so far as to write them down every day. The key is refocus.

I believe if we will put these 7 steps in place, this coming year will be one of the most successful we have seen in the area of goal achievement.

We will unpack these seven steps in more detail on January’s Break Through Podcast with a release date of Thursday, January 2. Be sure to check it out on iTunes or click the link above.