Ok 2020 was and seems like it still is a train wreck, goals in tatters. Well time to pivot. Goals are meant to be strong and long lasting, our actions to achieve those goals need to be flexible. We may need to pause some actions and add others. You may even want to re-evaluate your Goals, but no hasty major changes. You picked those goals because they mean something to you. Unless that underlying resin has changed and changed drastically our goals are still good even if it will take longer or some adjusting to achieve them.

I remember the first real goal I set as an adult it was to save for retirement, even way back then it was common knowledge that social security would not be enough to live on. What was missing was clear written goals. I did decide to max out as often as finances allowed, it was a plan sort of. Many years later I was listening to a Brian Tracy audio on Goal Setting, the key take away was to write your goals down. So I did 3 key goals. Now some 16 years later I have completed all of those goals. Yes I still have that sheet of paper. Over that past 10 years my goal setting has gotten far more formal and the results have gotten better as well. Not only do I have goals, I have a written plan along with actions and tracking of my progress.

What really took my goal setting to the next level was Sandler Sales Training. One of the most important lessons I learned was to write downy my goals, with tracking done weekly, monthly and annually. Many folks start the year with goals yet have no plan or method of tracking their progress. One big Ah Ha has from Robbin Sharma (A success Coach) He said: “Live each day as your life in miniature.” Our daily activities will determine how our week turns out, our week the month, the months the year and the years our life. In the past ten years my Goals, Plans & Tracking have gotten more detailed, about 10 pages. You all don’t need to be that elaborate. What you need to do is to start.

To get started look at where you are and decide you do not want to stay there. Next identify your Why. To quote my friend Anthony Mayo If your Why is strong , your how is no problem. Why do you want to achieve what your goals represent? Make a list on a single sheet of paper with your why next to each goal. Start with 3 key Goals for next year. Set the list aside for a few days then refine it, when it feels right and a bit uncomfortable you are close. Why Uncomfortable, well that is where the growth is, to start we need only be a bit uncomfortable. Once you have settled on your goals, list the actions you need to take to achieve them and set dates, then track your actions. By 2021 you will have far more done than if you just let life happen.

And yes my retirement planning goals have turned out rather well, in fact better than expected. I did not get to my retirement goal in a straight line or in the exact way I planned, yet for the most part the Goal was achieved according to the plan.

Need inspiration? Try these links:

Podcast https://www.sandler.com/blog/how-to-succeed-at-setting-goals-podcast/

Goals By Brian Tracy: https://www.briantracy.com/blog/personal-success/smart-goals/