What goals have you accomplished this year?
This is a wake up call. The year is two-thirds over already. It is hard to believe, but it is true.
Are there important targets that you have yet to hit? If so, then it is time to get busy finishing up your goals.
What resolutions did you commit to at the beginning of the year? Do you remember? I’m not here to create guilt, but I do want to motivate.
The year is not over yet. There is still time to dig out those dusty resolutions and goals that you were so passionate about just a few short months ago. Why not review them now and make one last surge toward the finish line?
It Is Easy to Let Goals Be Forgotten
There are many ways of going forward, but only one way of standing still.
~ Franklin D. Roosevelt
Goals slip into the abyss very easily. They slither away from us and wind up totally forgotten if we aren’t vigilant in pursuing them.
It happens to almost all of us from time-to-time. I’ll admit that this wake-up call is as much for me as it is for you. Someone else rang the alarm bell for me this past weekend reminding me that the year was two-thirds over.
As a result, I stopped for a moment to think, “What are my goals for this year?”
It is always good to review your goals for the year at least monthly to make sure you are still on track and to be certain you remain mindful of what is most important to you.
Standing still is lethal in today’s world. It makes life stale, boring and it puts you in danger of losing your job, health and prosperity. You’ve got to keep growing to stay alive.
Get Moving Toward Your Goals
People generally fall into one of three categories when it comes to achieving goals. Let me address each category individually with some advice for those that need it.
Here are the three categories of people relative to goals:
1. Goal Achievers
There are those people, albeit a small few, that set goals, stay focused on them and accomplish what they’ve set forth to do. I call these people, not surprisingly, the Goal Achievers. If you are in this group, then I’d like to congratulate you for your discipline, perseverance and, oh yeah, your tremendous success!
This is the group we should all strive to join. They are the truly wealthy not the ones just pretending to be rich. They have the best jobs, nicest families and go on the most exciting adventures. How is it that they have all the things others desire? Because they set meaningful goals for themselves that focused their efforts. They then worked diligently to achieve their goals. Hopefully, you are already a member of this group, but if not, please read on.
2. Goal Neglectors
The second group is what I call the Goal Neglectors. This is probably where the majority of people fall. You might even be one of them. The Neglectors at least occasionally set goals or verbalize resolutions, but their attention and resolve soon fades. Within a short timeframe they generally completely forget whatever it was that they wanted to do. It could have been losing weight, paying off debt, starting to exercise or increasing their education. Whatever it was, it is soon completely neglected and mostly forgotten.
If this is where you find yourself two-thirds of the way through the year, then don’t despair. Feeling guilty and beating yourself up won’t accomplish anything. Instead, I recommend following my 5 Steps for Rejuvenating Your Goals and Resolutions. I wrote this earlier in the year, but if you missed it and find that you are neglecting your goals or resolutions, then it should help you get refocused and headed toward being a Goal Achiever.
3. Goal Lackers
Okay, the final category is the Goal Lackers. As you might have guessed, these are the folks that don’t really have any goals or direction set for their lives. They are floundering in a sea of aimlessness wondering, “Why does opportunity seem to always pass me by?” They often believe they are the unluckiest souls on Earth. Of course, what they fail to realize is what Thomas Jefferson put so eloquently, “I’m a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it.” Setting goals and working hard to achieve them is the best way to improve your circumstances.
I doubt many of the Lackers are reading this, but just in case you are one and want some help or maybe you know one that you want to pass this along to, I’ll offer some advice on getting started with goal setting and personal improvement. In fact, I’ll give Goal Lackers a framework to follow to develop meaningful, personal goals. These Five Steps to Self Improvement work every time. How do I know? Because I’ve used them myself to develop goals and achieve greater success.
Wake Up and Achieve Your Goals
If you want to live a happy life, tie it to a goal, not to people or things.
~ Albert Einstein
Goals are extremely important to living a happy, fulfilling life. However, we often fall asleep to our goals. We doze off and forget them. With the year two-thirds of the way over, an alarm is going off. It is time to wake up, jump up and get going! If I could reach out and gently shake you right now to bring you back to reality, believe me I would do it. Please let this serve as your wake-up call. A great life is out there. All you have to do is go get it.
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Hi Jeff,
Thanks for the wake-up call! It’s hard to believe the year is winding down. When I coach people through achieving goals,clients find it is so much easier to break the goal down into very, very small pieces that are easy to accomplish over a period of time. And to have some system of accountability — whether it’s a coach or mentor or even a group of friends to whom you’ve announced your goal. Sometimes it’s good to have 4 big goals a year — one a quarter that you focus on. Or 6 smaller goals that you accomplish over a two-month period.
My only goal is to be a better person. I can never completely achieve it but I never stop trying!
.-= SimplyForties´s last blog ..Cold Cherry Soup =-.
It’s funny how quickly the year goes. I’m making good progress on most of my goals for the year, although there are a few that are lacking.
.-= Jackie´s last blog ..31 Days to a Better Bank Balance- Day 4 =-.
I think it is naive to say that the people who are ‘Goal Achievers’ have the best jobs and nicest families, and have all the things others desire.
Last year one of my goals was to pay off all my debt (except mortgage) which I did by working 7 days a week. It was difficult and I hope that I will never have to do it again, but I did achieve my goal. Other goals included repairing the roof on my house, decluttering my house, reading at least one book a month, running a marathon and raising $3000 for charity – all of these I have achieved or am in the process of doing. I would consider myself a Goal Achiever. I set out to do something and I do it.
According to your description I’m one of the people who “have the best jobs, nicest families and go on the most exciting adventures”. In fact I dislike my job but it pays ok and has good benefits and in this economy these things are important so I stay.
Neither do I have a family let alone a ‘nice’ one.
I have had a few adventures in my life but they were less ‘goals’ and more ‘opportunities’ that were presented to me and I took them.
I own a small house which has mostly used furniture either from thrift stores or given to me, and I am frugal, both from choice but also necessity. I don’t think people look at me and ‘desire’ what I have.
SuzieQ – Congratulations on being a Goal Achiever and on becoming debt free! I might have over-generalized about what people want in that one statement. Obviously, everyone’s goals are going to differ based on their personality, station in life and desires. The point is that Goal Achievers get what they want because they identify it and go for it regardless of what “it” is.
I’d challenge you to think about how you can do even more to improve your life. While you have set and achieved some very admirable goals in terms of personal finance, simplicity and charitable work, it still doesn’t sound like you are very fulfilled from what you’ve said here. Why not set some goals that will make you happier? Being happy isn’t a sin. What inspires you? How can you improve your situation at work and at home? There is no need to settle in these areas. Again, it sounds like you are someone that knows how to get things done so, why not take on these challenges too?
Another great read from Suzie Q! This would sure keep everyone thinking which group they belong to. I gather many do belong to the successful group who have focus, diligence and patience to achieve their goals. But the other two groups need “goal achievers” to help them get out of their way of thinking and doing stuff. While the first group becomes inspirational, the other two becomes a challenge for me. It’s one of the great reasons why I reach out, if only to help them see clearly.
.-= arina nikitina´s last blog ..Edmund Hillary- The Man Who Conquered Mt Everest =-.