“Don’t be upset by the results you didn’t get by the work you didn’t do.” - Zig Ziglar

It’s that time of year when we feel obliged to set new goals and welcome a fresh start. But how do we continue the momentum before all good intentions fizzle away and get packed up with the holiday decorations?

It was 2018 when I first completed a personal annual review and the experience was profound. I felt in control, focused, grateful for the successes of the year that had passed, and accepting of the learnings I had taken from its challenges. To be able to succinctly create a vision for the year ahead was empowering and gave me motivation, energy and courage that I had not felt before.

Goal setting allows you to take control of your life’s direction, it pushes you to think about what truly matters to you and how you define success.

Here are my SIX top tips for goal setting to help you actually achieve them.

1. Know Your Purpose

Simon Sinek’s famous TED Talk is the 3rd most watched of all time, so I am pretty sure he was on to something when he declared that our ‘Why’ is the driving force behind everything we do. If you have started January with a brand-new gym membership because you feel like you should be exercising more or because someone has made you feel like you should, that motivation is going to dissipate.

If you have started January with a brand-new gym membership because you have connected a real purpose pushing you to be fitter and healthier, you are much more likely to continue the momentum.

Going to the gym is not the goal, it’s an action that leads to you achieving your goal, that is driven by your purpose. By connecting the action with the goal and your purpose…you’re setting yourself up for success from the start.

For example, I have signed up for a marathon length hike in September (the action) because I want to improve my health and fitness (my goal) so that I have more energy to enhance quality time with my children (my purpose).

2. Make it S.M.A.R.T.

Use the following S.M.A.R.T. criteria to ensure your goals are strategic targets that are attainable and supported by a plan to accomplish them.

Specific — having a clear and focussed goal makes them and the actions supporting them easier to achieve…and start.

Example: change ‘I want to save some money’ to ‘I want to have £3000 in savings’.

Measurable — helps you recognise when you have achieved the goal, as well as measure progress.

Example: setting a target of saving £250 every month for a year will help you measure whether you are on track for £3000 by the end of the year.

Achievable — to ensure the steps to achieving your goal are within your control.

Example: if you are thousands in debt and your income does not currently cover your outgoings, you might need to start with goals around consolidating your debt or creating additional streams of income before creating a challenge for yourself that is potentially impossible to achieve and highly likely to demotivate you.

Realistic — avoid frustration, overwhelm and setbacks by ensuring it’s a realistic goal from the start.

Example: while it’s important to be bold, having a goal to be a millionaire by the end of the year is based on hope and chance rather than reality if you earn an average salary, don’t have additional income streams, run a successful business or do the lottery.

Time bound — stay focussed and motivated by having a specific date/time to work towards.

Example: I want to have £3000 in savings by 31st December 2023.

3. Write it Down, Visualise and Engage Your R.A.S.

An idea is just a dream until you write it down…then it’s a goal.

Your subconscious controls 95% of your mind. Read that again. Our 5% conscious mind is what we rely on to guide us and light the way. This means any help we can give our subconscious mind the better. Writing down your goals bring a sense of reality to them, and it creates a commitment to yourself.

To take this even further, if you create a vision board, that is strategically placed so that you see it every single day, you are connecting those images with your subconscious mind and bringing them to the conscious via your Reticular Activating System (R.A.S.). The R.A.S. is a bundle of nerves at our brainstem that is essentially a gatekeeper of information responsible for our ability to focus, our fight-flight response, and how we ultimately perceive the world. The R.A.S. is the reason you can filter out someone calling your name over a room full of loud noise, why all cars seem to be blue as you are driving your new blue car off the forecourt or why a parent can sleep through a roaring engine yet abruptly wakens at the slight sound of their baby crying.

Manifestation works because there is science behind it! Energy flows where your attention goes…so really connect to your goals, concentrate on how achieving them will make you feel, visualise yourself achieving them and create a clear vision in your mind of what that looks like. Then bring them to life by writing them down, journaling about how achieving them will change your life and creating a visual reminder so that your R.A.S. can start working to help you make them a reality.

4. Identify Resources

Don’t be afraid to tap into your network.

Who do you know that is skilled, experienced or certified in the area you are focussing on? Can you ask for some tips, share your goals with them, or potentially ask them to mentor you and provide a more formal accountability and support role throughout your journey?

Alternatively, who do you know that has a passion for the area in which you are focussing and can help motivate or even share the goal or join you in some of the actions? In my case I asked two friends, who have a passion for fitness and hiking, to join me in doing a marathon hike in September — they jumped at the chance, we signed up together and have agreed a walking schedule to keep us on target. Accountability, support and motivation easily achieved by simply sharing my goals and actions.

Additionally, identify any resources that may help you in achieving goals. In the example of saving £250 a month, perhaps a budgeting spreadsheet or saving app might keep you on target. Resources may also include any research or information required in order to help you begin or continue after you hit certain points in your journey.

5. Reward Yourself

Rewarding yourself is a good habit to build in order to continue motivation and help you feel proud of your accomplishment. As you break down your goal into small, actionable steps, think about creating a reward at certain intervals to give you something additional to work towards and motivate you.

When you reward yourself, your brain releases dopamine which conveys positive emotions, leading to the realisation that your efforts result in a positive reward.

6. Pace Yourself

It really is a marathon not a sprint and to give yourself the best chance of reaching the finish line you should be listening to your body and mind. If January is feeling like it’s tough to engage, your mind is foggy and your motivation lost then rest, refuel and nourish yourself ready to bloom when it feels right. We are seasonal creatures, just like the nature that surrounds us, and to be in a cycle of perpetual growth will only lead to burn out, fatigue and ultimately failure. Recognise where you are in your seasons and know that the mountains will still be there when you feel ready to climb.

Good luck - you've got this! If you are interested in running a personal annual review, you can download my free workbook here, which will help you look back on the previous year and identify learnings to apply to your new year planning.

Natalie