We all have goals we want to accomplish in life. Or do we? We say we do, but a goal without a plan, accountability, and a measurement system is nothing more than a wish, the equivalent of hoping a suitcase full of cash falls out of the sky and lands in your lap. You might as well say “wouldn’t it be cool if…” because regardless of how cool it would be, you won’t achieve your goals if you don’t develop the tenacity, skillset and discipline to go after it. And that’s not cool. Not cool at all.

Is “setting goals” enough?

Although most Americans can name some things that they would like in life, very few can tell you how they intend to accomplish them. Even fewer can show you your plan to get there and tell you whether they are on target or not. We talk and talk about the things we want. We talk, but do nothing. Before we know it another year is gone by and we end it with an expanding waistline. Further in debt. Stagnant relationships. Whatever we want to change, most of us won’t actually experience those lasting changes.

Before you say “Jon, come on. You’re exaggerating,” let me throw some evidence at you. A research study by Gallup conducted at the end of 2022 found that 7 in 10 Americans were likely to set goals for 2023. 70 percent of the country wants to make some sort of improvement in at least one area of their life, with health and finances being the two most common areas.

Sounds good, right? Here’s where it gets interesting:

Of the survey respondents that said they intended to set goals, 32 percent said that they would do these three things:
1) Write their goals down
2) Create an action plan listing specific steps needed to reach the goal
3) Continue to focus on their goals throughout the year.

About 22 percent of the country (32 percent of the 70 percent that set a goal) actually bothered to write down their goal and draft a plan to accomplish it.

34 percent of goal setters said they would neither write down their goals or develop an action plan, but intended to focus on their goal throughout the year. What’s that? You’re going to focus on the goal you haven’t defined or made a plan to accomplish and somehow achieve it? And somehow you believe you’ll accomplish that “goal?” Sorry, I’m not buying it. If you don’t want it bad enough to define it, work for it and monitor your progress, you don’t deserve it. If you won’t plan for success, you are unlikely to experience it.

How to be different

If you wish to be in the majority of people that aren’t going to accomplish their goals, you may stop reading. The rest of this article isn’t for you, and that’s okay. If you’re seeking ways to differentiate yourself from the crowd, stand out and make meaningful, sustained changes in your life, then keep reading for some great tips to get you there.

None of these are earth shattering, new concepts. They’re all pretty simple. Honestly, you’ve probably heard them all before. Simple and easy are not the same thing, however. The difficulty comes in finding a disciplined approach that allows you to sustain these actions over the long term. But, that’s another post for another day.

So, let’s dive in.

1. Actually set goals

Step 1 to accomplishing your goals: Get some goals. Simple, right? I told you it would be. I’d bet that most people feel like they have this step down, but most haven’t really set goals. Or at least, they haven’t set goals that they can achieve. This is because they haven’t really thought through their goals, what it means to accomplish them, and how they will achieve them.

Further, when setting goals, people often stay vague. Things like “get healthy,” read more,” and “improve my finances” are not really goals. At least, they aren’t reasonably achievable goals. Let’s say you have a goal to read more. That’s a great objective, but for it to be a good goal, we’d need to know how much more. When, and for how long? What are you going to read? Are you reading for education, personal growth, or pleasure?

Get specific

One popular way to set good goals is to use SMART goals: goals that are Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Relevant, and Time-bound. You can learn more about SMART goals in this video.

I have a goal of reading 15 books by the end of 2023. I plan to read a minimum of 10 pages a day at least 5 days per week to accomplish this. But I’m not reading just for fun or entertainment. I have books selected for the year that will focus my reading time to help me grow in 2 specific areas: 1) Learning how to better write and develop Navel-Gazing and 2) Continuing to grow in my faith walk. I’ve thoughtfully selected books that I believe will give me the knowledge and tools to accomplish these objectives. Rather than just selecting books that sounded helpful or interesting, I thought about what I wanted to learn this year to help me grow and focused my reading list with that in mind.

That brings us to the next item on our list:

2. Know your why

When thinking of how to achieve your goals, stay away from “shoulds.” I “should” work out more. I “should” work on my finances, my education, my marriage, etc. Skip the “shoulds” and the enigmatic mess they create.

Rather than “I should workout more,” you could say “I will (notice the difference? I will is a commitment…) strength train 3 days per week and do 20 minutes of cardio twice per week because I want to look good in a black T shirt, or because I want to get to a certain percentage of body fat to maintain my health, stay active as I age, etc.

If you want to work on your finances, is it because you “should,” or because you want the freedom that being debt free will provide you, or to be able to retire by a certain age. Find your why and write it down. Make it visible. Ensuring visibility of both your goals and your why will help with the next item on our list.

3. Visualize success

So, you ‘ve set some SMART goals and established your whys for doing them. Visualizing success is a great way to ignite your passion to pursue them. What will it look like to achieve your goals? Whatever you intend to accomplish, you can easily visualize what success looks like.

You may want to create a vision board to inspire you to achieve your goals. Want to improve your finances so you can travel more? You could create a board filled with pictures of all the places you want to visit.

When I thought about how I wanted to go after my goals for 2023, I combined a white board that has my goals listed with progress to date and some visualizations as well.

One of my goals is to get back to the 18 percent body fat that I was at before my cancer battle. I came out of my bone marrow transplant closer to 30 percent, so I have a long ways to go. Each month I update my current body fat percentage. This makes my goal and my progress visual.

I also have a picture on my board. I have a black t-shirt that I always loved how I looked in, and the picture of me in that shirt on stage is my visualization of success in that goal. It is right above my desk where I write so that I see it daily.

4. Break big goals into manageable chunks

Let’s say you want to retire in ten years. You could just set that as a goal. But wouldn’t it be better to break that goal down into yearly goals? If you know how much money you need in ten years to retire, how much do you need to save this year to be on track for that?

Hit that goal, and do it again next year and every year thereafter.

5. Build habits to achieve your goals

Your goals need to be broken down into habits that you can build into your daily life. These are typically smaller items that can set you up for success. Things like packing your gym bag in the evening so your ready to go, cooking in bulk to meal prep food, and scheduling daily reading time.

When you decide upon your daily habits, you may want to use a habit tracker, such as HabitBull to keep you on track. It’s a powerful tool that helps you stay on target and to track completion rates over time.

6. Track your progress

Speaking of staying on track, it’s important to track your progress frequently to see if your habits are moving you closer to your goals. I track my habits daily and I update the progress on my goals monthly. Seeing the numbers change is a great motivator to keep going! And if those numbers aren’t changing, then I need to put some thought into why that is the case and how to course correct.

7. Build your accountability system

Ideally you will be able to hold yourself accountable to performing small daily habits that will help you accomplish your goals over time. Making your goals and progress toward them visible will help, but it may not be enough. Accountability looks different for everyone. Your job is to find what works for you to help you achieve your goals.

When I began this blog, I put my goals out there as my first full-length post. Nothing says accountability like announcing your goals to the world. OK, actually only a couple people read that post, so I guess I’m off the hook. The point is to find a way to refocus yourself when you are failing to maintain discipline.

For an awful lot of people, that means having an accountability partner who isn’t afraid to call you out on your BS. That concept is part of our next item.

8. Enlist some help

No one accomplishes their goals without some kind of help. There is no shame in asking for and accepting help to get what you want in life. A mentor, a coach, a Pastor, a therapist or a personal trainer may be just the ticket to get you unstuck and moving towards accomplishing your goals.

You may need help with tools, skills, or knowledge. But you may also need help with accountability. If you’re struggling to stay disciplined with your habits, it’s probably time to seek out someone who will help you stay accountable to doing what you said you would do.

9. Don’t be afraid to pivot

Goals and habits should be documented, but they aren’t set in stone. It’s important to know when you need to pivot. You may need to shift if your habits aren’t helping you to accomplish your goals.

Additionally, you may need to shift your goals due to the ever changing circumstances life throws at you. On my 49th birthday, I set a goal to deadlift 400 pounds (significantly more than I had lifted to date) by my 50th birthday. I was on target to hit that goal about 8 weeks prior to my birthday when I collapsed of a seizure that ultimately led to a brain cancer diagnosis, ending my ability to strength train for the next several months.

I placed that goal on pause, of course. And, obviously this is an extreme example, but the point is, life does get in the way sometimes, requiring us to make accommodations for the bumps in the road.

You may also need to adjust your goals if you under or over estimated your ability to accomplish them. Starting this blog at the beginning of 2023, I had (still don’t) no idea what is reasonable or unreasonable, but I set goals around traffic, subscribers, and revenue. As the year progresses, I’ll gain a better understanding of where I need to adjust. Don’t let the uncertainty of something cause you to fail to set a goal at all. Use your best judgment and then adjust once you learn more.

10. Celebrate the wins

While you are working to achieve your goals, it’s important that you take time to celebrate the journey. Every win – even the small ones – should be acknowledged and somehow celebrated. Noting these steps on the road to your goals will aid you in building momentum that will carry you to the finish line.

So, that’s it. My list of 10 items that can help you build momentum and stay focused on your goals all year long.

I’d love to know what you think about these tactics, and if you have others that work for you. Leave a comment below, or reach out to me on my contact page to continue the discussion.