Resolutions are so last year. Here's what you need to do to be successful in 2021.
It’s now over a week since January 1st 2021 arrived to end the year that was 2020! A year many of us would like to put way behind us and resolve not to repeat!
Speaking of resolve, did you make any resolutions for the coming year? (See what I did there??)
This time of the year is renowned for people setting resolutions usually things: like lose weight, get healthier, save money, forget about 2020!
And for businesses; getting plans in place for the coming year; like I resolve to publish 7 social media posts, 3 blog posts a week and send 2 emails to my list every single day for the entire year of 2021!
So why not resolutions?
With resolutions like the examples above, it’s little wonder the following figures stack up.
Less than 25% of people stay committed to their resolutions for only 30 days. That means by the 31st of January 75% of people who made a New Years Resolution for 2021 will have already broken their commitment!
Further to that only 8% of people accomplish them by years end.
So instead of making you feel really crap about not sticking to resolutions, I would like to offer up an alternative.
What if, this year, we didn’t DO resolutions?
What if we canned the idea of making resolutions that don’t work for 92% of us and instead do this:
Let’s DO this instead
Let’s do a review on last year, reflect on what worked and what didn’t!
Let’s figure out exactly what we want and then make a plan to achieve it!
The reason so many of us struggle to keep our resolutions is that we don’t have a plan on how we are going to achieve them!
Now let’s take a look at the alternative to resolutions and figure out how to get some great results in our lives that we really want.
Here are 3 questions for you to think about:
1. Where are you now?
2. Where do you want to go?
3. Do you have an idea of a timeframe for when it would be ideal time for you to get there?
I LOVE THIS, it’s so simple and I do like simple!
And even though it’s simple it is powerful. Instead of throwing up a random idea, putting some thought into what you want helps the brain to start thinking about how you are actually going to achieve it.
If you are like me on an over-thinker from way back, then try this to achieve a new goal that you have never tried before, that you have no benchmark for achieving.
If you don’t have a baseline?
if you don’t have a baseline this type of goal can be difficult to set, let alone achieve.
Goal: I want to sell x of these at $x in X time to get to my goal income.
This type of goal setting also known as SMART goals is very popular, and I believe works really well if you have a baseline from which to work from.
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Instead, if you use the 3 questions above, YOU can set out with a start and an end and create some steps along the way. It will show you if it will actually be achievable.
I have this idea ( this is where I am now ) and I would really think it would help people achieve XX ( this is where I want to be ) let me try a few steps this quarter ( time frame ) and see what happens!
Once you do that, when you have established a baseline then you can go on to actually use SMART goals!
SMART GOALS
These are great if you already have an idea of what you can achieve ( a baseline ) and want to stretch and see how far you can take yourself!!
If you have never heard of smart goals here is a quick overview
SMART is an acronym for
Specific Measurable Achievable Realistic Timely
SpecIfIC - what needs to be done, who’s responsible ( this is you! ) what steps do I need to take to get it done ?
Measurable - quantify it so you can keep track - if you have done the work in where you want to go - then this becomes easier to work out
Acheivable - or attainable - your goals need to empower you -to make you feel good about yourself, not an exercise in negativity and self-doubt. Stretch is important, overextension to breaking point not so much.
Relevant - there needs to be a benefit for you in reaching this goal! Know WHY you are creating this gaol and WHY it’s important to you. This is often overlooked and can be the very reason you fall off the goal wagon. If you don’t know your WHY you increase your chances of joining those 25% of resolution makers who crash in 30 days.
Time bound - THE DEADLINE! We all “work better under pressure” mantra is actually a fallacy! Like air expanding to fit a room, humans will stretch things out if we don’t have a deadline, remember those school essays….
Again if you have already established a baseline with this goal then you will have a much better idea of the time it takes and will be able to up your ante
That’s SMART goals in a nutshell
No more resolutions
Now how do we actually go about ACHIEVING these no longer resolutions but solid goals for ourselves and our business?
This is where STRATEGY comes in!
A well-developed strategy is flexible; not strict and rigid. It can guide you to achieve pretty much anything you can conceive.
Guides can be adapted to unforeseen happenings ( anyone remember 2020?? ) Sorry was that too soon?
So let’s make it happen
Use these 3 steps to help you get there!
#1 Write it down.
There is something so powerful about writing down the things you want! It’s like it triggers the universe to start the process for you!
#2 Set up regular check-ins
This is where your strategy becomes adaptable. It also holds you accountable. You can’t see if things are working unless you look back and forward. When you do this you can see where you may need to change things before you HAVE to. If you don't check-in you could end up doing a whole lot of work heading in the wrong direction
#3 Celebrate your wins along the way
This is so important! We often forget about acknowledging the good stuff we create. The small wins can be overlooked but are so important to keep you going.
If you did make a resolution for 2021, that’s great. I really want you to be successful.
To give yourself the best chance to be in that 8% who actually achieve them at years end, make sure you use the above techniques. I promise you they work if you put in the effort!
If getting your message out to your audience consistently and persistently is one of your goals for 2021 and you would love to be in that 8% Jump on a call with me here.
Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash- resolutions
