How to actually make 2023 your most successful year yet, instead of just saying it.
Have you stayed consistent with all of your new year’s resolutions? If you haven’t, you definitely aren’t the only one. People tend to start a new year with resolutions and also a sense of optimism, that fresh start feeling that the new year brings. However the vast majority of new year’s resolutions are short lived and there is a reason for this. We’ve all tried and failed to let go of a bad habit as a new year’s resolution I’m sure, and that’s fine. But what’s the next step now? You’ve given up on your resolutions but we still have 10 months left of the year. If you start setting realistic goals and sticking to them, you could make a massive difference to your life in that time.
Could you benefit from a monthly check-in with a personal coach? Gain clarity, strength and direction with personalised coaching to help you achieve your ambitions – get in touch to find out more.
How to start setting realistic goals and acting on them.
The problem with “goal setting” a lot of the time is that it’s simply being used to describe the same process as dreaming or imagining something. A dream is just a thought or an idea but a goal is something you are actually moving towards. Therefore it must be realistic in order for you to achieve it. If you’re going to make 2023 your most successful year yet then you need to set realistic goals, they need to be significant, but actually achievable.
How S.M.A.R.T.I.E goals will help you make 2023 your most successful year yet
According to New Level Results, SMARTIE is an acronym that stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound, Inspirational and Energetic. When setting your goals, make sure they are SMARTIE goals. This means that they should be specific, with a clear and concise description of what you want to achieve. They should also be measurable, so you can track your progress and assess your success. Additionally, they should be achievable, meaning that they are realistic and within your reach. The goals should also be relevant to your life and align with your values and aspirations, and they should be time-bound, with a clear deadline for completion. The last two, Inspirational and Energetic are also crucial, if you aren’t inspired by your own goals you will find it very difficult to achieve them or find the energy to even try.
So you can see how this differs from just writing something down on a piece of paper and hoping for the best. Writing down your goals is important, but you must be thinking about the S.M.A.R.T.I.E acronym while you’re writing.
How to set goals that are specific and therefore measurable
Obviously the most important part of setting a S.M.A.R.T.I.E goal is that it’s achievable. You’ve already got your timeframe of the rest of 2023. But where do we go from here? If you’re stuck, don’t worry. In order to figure out a goal that is specific to you and also measurable, let’s think about what your most successful year yet would actually look like. Actually picture it. It’s February 2024 and you have just had your most successful year yet. How does that sound, feel and look to you? What are you proud of? What made you smile?
Use these prompts to really hone in on what “success” really means to you for the coming year. Try to avoid thinking “I just want to get richer”. If it’s money, specify exactly how much. If it’s a promotion at work, visualise the exact role. If you aren’t specific like this, you won’t be able to measure your success, because you won’t know when you’ve achieved it. There is no finishing line. If you aren’t specific you are setting yourself up for disappointment, which leads to lack of motivation and consistency, and ultimately a failure to make any real change in your life.
How to take accountability for your lack of success and use it as fuel to create your action plan
You must take accountability in order to take action and this means facing your disappointments. You don’t need to wallow and beat yourself up. This would be a waste of time. You need to look at what you have learned from these disappointments. Now that you know where you’ve gone wrong in the past, you can make an action plan that is more likely to help you avoid making the same errors again.
How to make an action plan for making 2023 your most successful year yet
Once you have identified and written down your goals, the next step is to create a plan of action. According to New Level Results, this involves breaking down your goals into smaller, more manageable steps and determining the resources and support you will need to achieve them. Consider what skills and knowledge you need to acquire, and make a plan for acquiring them. Create a timeline for your goals and schedule regular check-ins to monitor your progress.
Remember to be flexible and celebrate the small wins along the way
If you are too rigid and become distressed when things don’t go exactly as planned, you need to loosen up a bit. Things are very unlikely to workout exactly as you plan them so try to adapt rather than meltdown when this happens.
It is also crucial to your success that you celebrate the smaller victories you have over the course of the year. You will find it much harder to stay motivated if your next treat is a whole year away. Try to find some benchmarks in between now and your end goal that you can be happy about and treat yourself for. This will make it easier for you to consistently focus on and pursue the end goal, because you’ll have other things to look forward to on the way.
If you’re ready to actually make 2023 your most successful year yet instead of just talking about it, let’s have a chat about personalised coaching to bulletproof your action plan.
In the meantime, stay up to date with me on Facebook and LinkedIn for more interesting personal development content.