Happy new year everyone and I wish you all health, happiness, and success in 2022. Please don’t switch off this isn’t another article about new year’s resolutions, this is about something that works and that is goals. Unlike resolutions, goals can drive sustainable evolution in life rather than quick fixes that do not deliver the desired change.

This is a time of year when minds turn to life improvement, some of this fueled by their own desires and sometimes by outside pressures of self-help guides and a myriad of media that advocates achieving the new you!

I don’t want to talk about new years resolutions because they don’t work.

Some people want to change their career, others their appearance, and many what they perceive as bad habits such as smoking or drinking too much after the festivities.

These mostly fail because the changes they desire are too ambitious, ambiguous, or with no plan and support structure in place. Goals are the opposite because they need to be clear, they need to be achievable and they need to have a plan.

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Many try to change but most fail for the simple reason they want overnight transformation rather than an evolutionary process, which if adopted with patience and a plan will ultimately deliver the change. Those people that succeed use goals because they have identified what is important to them.

Goals establish where you intend to go and tell you when you get there. The more carefully you define your goals, the more likely you are to adopt good habits and achieve what you wanted to accomplish in the first place.

I would like to share with you a simple tool that I have used over the years to identify and write down my own goals. When completing this template, the secret is to always use plain language which is relevant to you and avoid at all costs buzz words and the usual self-improvement cliches. This is a simple seven-step process.

Goal setting Template

  1. Write down what you want to achieve, make it as descriptive as you can so you can explain it to others, and share your goals.
  2. Be honest with yourself, describe why you want to achieve this goal. What is your motivation and what benefits will it bring to your life?
  3. Outline the path you have to walk to achieve this goal. Being honest about where you start from and the destination you seek can be powerful to identify the next step and all the activities needed to complete this goal.
  4. Detail each action you need to make; this becomes your plan.
  5. We should never be afraid to seek help in achieving our goals, so identify who can assist and support you.
  6. A goal without a deadline is just a dream, so always be honest with yourself and write down when you want to be successful and how much this will cost you.
  7. The final thing is to create a contract with yourself, you do this by signing your goals and making a commitment to the plan you have created

1.      What is the specific goal that you want to achieve?

2.      Why do you want to achieve this goal?

3.      Where are you currently starting from as it relates to this goal?

4.      How will you achieve this goal? List each individual action step and deadline.

5.      Who will be involved in helping you achieve this goal? Identify their specific role.

6.      When will you achieve this goal? Identify a specific date and budget required

Signed __________________________________ Date _________________

The last step is to print out your goals template, you might even want to laminate it. You then place it where you can see it on a daily basis. This provides motivation and allows you to sit down on a regular basis and review your progress.

You need to reflect on where you are going at least once a week. Sit down with a beverage of your choice and go through each of your goals.

Reward yourself for progress and identify what you need to do if you are not moving forward.

Always ask yourself why am I succeeding and build on that and also why am I not on track? You can then devise a plan to ensure you stay on course.

If you need help, ask for it and build a support network for success.

I wish you all success in 2022 and hope that this simple goal template can help you evolve and go forward in your desired direction.

Good luck and I look forward to sharing ideas with you on Irish Central in the year ahead.

John Joe McGinley

Glassagh Consulting January 2022 

This article was submitted to the IrishCentral contributors network by a member of the global Irish community. To become an IrishCentral contributor click here.

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