Congratulations! You’ve made it through 2020. This year has brought extreme circumstances that none of us could have expected this time last year. While uncertainty and fear spread like fire across the globe, a strong sense of courage, self-sufficiency, and determination have risen from the ashes. The new year marks a fresh beginning. For many of us, 2021 is the new start we needed and one we’ve looked forward to for months.
Developing personal and professional goals is the perfect way to start the year on the right foot, with a growth mindset. We have compiled a quick and easy guide to writing goals you can and will achieve, not ones that you’ll look back at months later – completely forgotten. Let’s embark on this new year together, accomplishing one goal at a time.
Here are some goal writing tips for success in 2021.
Brainstorm
Brainstorming ideas is the first step in writing your goals for the year. You can “brain dump” a list of possible objectives you’d like to meet, and organize them from there. We recommend vision boards, which are made by collecting images and/or words of your goals to serve as inspiration, motivation, and a reminder to complete them.
Physically Write Them Down
It’s one thing to have a goal or task in your head, it’s another to manually write it down. The action of jotting down your objectives by hand makes them feel more tangible, more real. These written goals work together with the vision board you created to add to your aspirations for the upcoming months.
Voice Them Aloud
“Speak it out into the universe.” Sharing your personal goals with a close friend or your business goals with colleagues or employees not only serves as an accountability measure, but as another way in which to bring them to fruition. We are social creatures, and this team of support can aid you in achieving your goal or provide you the encouragement to follow through.
CPT: Create, Plan, and Track
Once these targets have been set, a course of action is necessary to execute and fulfill them: the what, the how, and the when.
- What are you hoping to achieve, personally or professionally?
- How can you achieve this? What resources do you need?
- When should this be achieved?
Deadlines are tricky whenever you are designing the intricacies of your plan. You should really take the time to evaluate your goals, and consider how you work best. Are you a procrastinator who needs a set deadline? Can your business successfully accomplish this task in X amount of time? Does your project need a loose date? These are but a few of the considerations you should ponder while drafting your goals.
Once you have your plan set and scheduled for the upcoming weeks, few months, or year, be sure to track the progress and completion of each goal as it occurs. It may not feel like you’ve accomplished much, but taking a look over your progress will boost your motivation.
Celebrate Each and Every Goal Reached
No matter if your goal is walking outside for thirty minutes a day or increasing the revenue of your business by 10%, each goal is significant in its own right. Every accomplishment obtained deserves to be celebrated. This reinforces your achievement and keeps you moving on a successful path toward your other endeavors.
If 2020 has taught us anything, it’s that being flexible is important. Remember, these are your goals, and you have the freedom to change them. Stay intentional, be optimistic, and refuse to give up. Let’s not end 2021 with a sigh of relief that it’s over, but with the satisfaction that this was your year – your year of growth and resiliency. We wish you success and happiness!
