It’s not new to anyone of us, that a lot of people ignore their goals after a few weeks into the New Year. Now, this isn’t like any other new year, considering the Coronavirus news globally. If you live in a country where you feel some sort of safe then maybe you might be able to focus or stick to your planned goals.
It’s not easy for anyone living in countries where this is already an epidemic, do not beat yourself, if all you can do now is to make sure you and your family are staying safe and healthy.
In order to be aligned with your planned goals, it takes more than a vision board session, which isn’t a bad idea except if you design the board and fold your arms. Below are a few tips to keep you accountable and self motivated throughout the year 2020.
List of goals
They are Health and wellness, contentment and peace, passion and energy, career, marriage & relationship, financial, friendship, and business.
Others are recreation & travel, personal development, charity & community service, achievements, and spirituality.
In setting goals, the first major mindset that is needed is making sure your goals are S.M.A.R.T –
Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Realistic, and Time bound.
Re-access your goals again. Make sure your goals are clear and specific. Understanding what you want exactly is the first step; as a life coach and project manager, many times people set goals to please other people and not themselves. When you achieve your goal how will it make you feel? Write down your answers in a book. There is power in writing down what you want in all aspects of your life. It helps you remember and encourages you to follow through.
Create an action plan and incorporate that into your daily activities. This is why I wrote a book titled ‘Parent Organiser’. As busy people, we need to find ways to integrate our work life into our personal daily goals; example, you want to lose weight but you are constantly rushing to work with no packed healthy meals, then you already know that won’t work. Accepting that you are responsible to find ways to balance or I like to say preferably, create a 360 work life integrated lifestyle. It means even at work, your goals are still ongoing.
Make sure your goals excite you. Don’t set goals that drain your energy. Remind yourself with the end results daily when you look at your journal. You need more than a desire to achieve a goal, you need personal passion. Make sure you are still passionate about your goals and if you are not, you can tweak your goals again; it’s your life and your set goals. Make it fun and worthwhile.
Get an accountability partner – This is so important when it comes to setting and achieving your goals, spend time with high fliers who are on the same page as you. Choose an accountability partner, agree on days you will check up on each other, maybe you want to write a book, and you need someone to keep you accountable. You can also hire a Life Coach like me who is trained and certified; be sure they have proven results to show and track record of experience or success.
What’s your action plan? Review your action plan; a lot of times all our action plans are dependent on us, which can be difficult; this is why people hire Life Coaches or Consultant for their business to help them professionally achieve their goals. You can also work with me, if you need a life coach to work with.
Be Realistic in the pursuit of your goals. I am not saying you should not dream big. You should but, don’t set unrealistic goals that will give you hypertension. Look at your goals objectively and take action steps to make sure it’s still S.M.A.R.T. It’s your life; you can also change it, if it’s affecting your health wrongly.
Schedule a time for all your goals. Don’t set any goal without a timeline; this is how to stay constantly motivated and self-driven. Don’t set vague goals
Prepare for obstacles – If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. As a project manager, we call this risk management strategy. Before embarking on any project, we need to access the possible risks and how to avoid or handle them.
For every goal, there will be obstacles, but with a plan ahead, you can prepare for it and overcome it, yes I mean you reading this. For example, I attend parties with my smoothies and fruits snacks. Then sometimes, I take lunch from home. On days when I failed to prepare, I had shocked myself as the whole healthy eating cannot be sustained mostly when I have been working for hours.
Don’t lose your values in the name of achieving your goals, make sure your goals are in alignment with your values.
Enjoy the journey, having fun is so important, don’t be hard on yourself. Take breaks when you can.
Emem Nwogwugwu
Life Coach, Author, and Executive Trainer
