92% of all goal setters fail to achieve their goals and give up.  92%!  That is a big boat of people.  It got me thinking, what are the other 8% doing that the majority of us are not?

When I started trying my hand at goal setting, I was in the 92% and I mean DEEP in 92% land.    In fact, most of the time it was an endless loop of set, forget, find and fail.  This loop reinforced what I was already thinking.  I am not a goal oriented.  Sound familiar?

After years of self educating and talking to other goal setters … what successful goal setting comes down it is:

1. Goals need to be SMART

SMART is an acronym for Specific, Measureable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-Bound.  Right off the bat, knowing how to write a goal is literally half the battle.  Without a well written goal, it is very likely you will fail.  Here is an example of what I am talking about:

Not SMART Goal: Go to Europe.

SMART Goal: May 2020, go to Rome, Italy for 2 weeks, with a budget of $5,000. Save $200/month for 25 months starting March 2018.

2. Read them on a daily basis

Once the goal is written, it needs to be in our face, daily.  We need to be thinking about it at least once a day.  Without that daily reminder, we run the risk of forget, find and fail.  This time, that wont happen.

3. Break big goals down

A goal can feel overwhelming if its too big.  Like the old saying goes, “How do you eat an elephant?  One bite at a time.”

Lets take that the trip to Rome, Italy for example.  Unless you have $5k and 2 vacation weeks it would be difficult to go within the next 6 months.  Thus, setting yourself up for failure.

Big goals need to be broken down into daily or weekly action items that will get you to the bigger goal.

4. Support your passion or an overall purpose

This should go without saying but your goals should reflect what you are passionate about or a big goal that is important to you.  For example, buying a car, house, rental property, or taking a big trip.  Whatever it is, be true to yourself.  Enjoy you life.  Set your goals up to support the lifestyle you want to live today and tomorrow.

5. Stop multitasking

If you haven't already gotten the memo… multitasking is for computers, not humans.  So stop it.  Make a list of what needs to get done today.  The things that are important but not critical, knock those out first thing in the morning.  That will free up your day to focus on the critical stuff.

6. Prioritize

Try as we might, we can't do it all.  So don't waste your time trying.  Everyday I have a long list of tasks to achieve.  I pick out the top 3 things and work on that.  If I have free time, I may get a 4th or even 5th thing done.  I started doing this last year.  It's a tip I picked up from, Automatic Wealth by Michael Masterson.  This is my secret for how I keep things moving forward.  Try it for a month.

True story

I started out like the 92%, writing my goals for the year, New Years Resolutions, convincing myself, this year will be different.  By February, I was back to my regular day to day.

What changed was my attitude towards myself.  By leveraging what the 8% have known all along, it has turned this non-goal oriented person into a Goal Advocate.  You know what else?  When I am having a down day, I look back on all the things I have achieved and it gives me a little boost.  Like a self given hug.  Can't beat that!

So go ahead, start writing a few goals, put them someplace you know they will be read daily, check off the ones completed with a date and add more as the list gets completed.  (You don't need to wait for New Years to come around.)  😉

Grab your slice … today,

Pie Lady