Self-Resolution: How to Make and Keep Your Goals

Every year, people across the United States, and I dare say across the world make lists of resolutions that they will never complete. If you've ever wondered how to make your goals more achievable, you've come to the right place. There are 4 steps to making goals that you can actually reach. None of these steps is difficult and following them to make your list of goals is more than half the battle in achieving them. On that note, let's get to it.

Step one: Instead of making one year goals, make your goal date two years away from your start date. This will do wonders for your goal potentials. Instead of stressing at the end of the year that you haven't totally achieved your goals, you'll be able to look back and realize (with satisfaction) that there are several goals you have completed. This will serve to motivate you to complete more goals and to help keep you on track. You will be surprised at how many more goals you will be able to achieve if you work in this fashion.

Step Two: Make the list with your spreadsheet program. Whether you use Open Office, or Microsoft's Excel, making the list in a spreadsheet program will do several things for you. The first thing it will do is allow you to see your goals daily or weekly without losing them, spilling coffee all over them, or hiding them away in a journal to be forgotten about. This also serves to allow you to update your goals, see how close you are to completing them and notice which ones have already been completed. Making a habit of opening the spreadsheet once a day, or once a week will keep you on top of your desire to complete them and will help to remind you of where your priorities are and where they could be. Seeing the progress will help you with achieving your goals in a manner that you may have never thought possible.

Step Three: Make reasonable goals. You cannot save the world in two years, and you probably cannot save $80,000 either. If your goal is to save money, then think about what you're reasonably able to put into your savings account in one week and multiply it by 104 (two years). Seeing the amount that you want to achieve, as well as how much closer you are to that goal this week than you were the week before will motivate you to more away and overachieve on this particular goal. At the end of one year, instead of the feeling that you haven't achieved a goal, you'll be able to say that you saved one, two or three thousand dollars in one particular year. You'll feel better acknowledging what you were able to accomplish rather than beating yourself up for not being perfect.

Step Four: Try to think of goals that help better yourself and the world around you. Instead of making a goal to "be a nicer person," make a goal to give $100 to a specific charity organization. If you're able to put two dollars a week into a savings account, you'll have more than that amount at the end of one year, and your goal will be realized without your stressing about it. And just think, if you can donate $100 at just two dollars a week, then you may be able to comfortably donate two or three hundred dollars, even if you're on a tight budget. Giving back to the community helps everybody and it will make you feel better about your productivity at the end of every year. And remember, charitable donations are tax write offs and will help you in the long run as well.

Keep these things in mind when you're trying to make goals for yourself that you are actually interested in keeping. Following these steps will ensure that you will be putting your best foot forward week after week. You will be pleasantly surprised at the end of every week, month and year at how productive you actually are.

Sources:

Davide Taviani, "Way To Your Dreams" Flickr URL: (http://www.flickr.com/photos/20741582@N00/632235853)