Around January 1st a lot of people start thinking of how they can improve themselves, or a skill. We begin to see the usually New Year’s Resolutions,
- Get out of debt
- Get in Shape
- Read that book
- Write that novel
- Change the world
We have seen these and many more a hundred times. These have all been goals we have set for ourselves, and they have been our New Year’s resolutions.
Why These Types of Goals are Wrong & Destructive
- Most Resolutions and goals are not specific.
- A lot of the time these goals are not really internalized. They are not really part of the path of improvement we want to walk.
How to Set Goals and New Year’s Resolutions
The First step in setting goals and New Year’s Resolutions is to explore our values. We define and discover our values through http://www.middle-way-method.com/creating-personal-mission-vision-statements/. The mission and vision statements then guide changes in our lives, leading us to become our best selves. When our goals and values are in alignment we stick to them very strongly.
The second step in deciding on goals and New Year’s resolutions is to decide the desired outcome. Determining the desired outcome will give us a way to measure our progress. It will also help us break the goal into smaller steps.
The third step is to create opportunities for success in accomplishing our goals. For every two or three hard to carry out pieces of a goal have an easy to do piece. When we create the steps to accomplishing a goal then we need to make sure that we will have success with the goal. This success will help us to feel attached to a goal, making the chances of working to the end of the goal more likely.
The Dream the Struggle the Victory
An acquaintance I once knew said that life was about the dream the struggle the victory.
All action starts as a dream, or vision. A goal is a vision for change in our lives.
The struggle is our work to carry out the goal.
The victory is accomplishing the goal.
If we want a glass of milk we first visualize it in our mind, we go and get it, and then we drink it. The dream, the struggle, and the victory were all small in the example. The struggle will always match the dream. The victory will always match the struggle.
Final Thoughts
Good strong goals and New Year’s resolutions come from the same place as our core values. Make goals specific with measurable steps in them. Goals with measurable results are measurable, and traceable. Remember to make some steps of your goals easily obtainable, to build your confidence in your goal. In the Middle Way Method, a goal may become a project. Good luck setting goals, and New Year’s resolutions!