As you are reading this, New Year’s resolutions have been set (and often forgotten); for those who pursue, now it’s time to keep them going.
This means that the PRESSURE is ON.
Will you be able to ‘achieve’ all your goals? Unfortunately, the answer for most of us is NO. Unless you make your goals a NECESSITY and you flip them into your MUST box.
Necessity is a very powerful emotional driver because it forces you to take action. No more wishing, hoping, procrastination or looking for excuses. You simply get things done. Because you have to and it feels right.
Research shows that successful people, set high standards and goals for themselves and they stick to it. They put more effort into the things they do, than others do. They also set clear goals and reflect on them frequently to see if they are on the right path.
So if you want to achieve your 2020-goals, these are three tips to make them REAL:
#1. Associate your identity with success.
This is difficult to do, so that’s why most people avoid it. However, if you don’t get your IDENTITY in the game, your emotional driver won’t work. You need to think, to act and to behave on how you wish to become. A violin player doesn’t particularly enjoy all the practices; but they see themselves as a high-level music performer and they are willing to do everything that is needed to get where they want to be: playing in the National Orchestra.
#2. Be passionate (even obsessed over your topic), and master it.
What will be your passion and focus of 2020 and in the next five years to come?
People who get things done and achieve success are almost always curious people. In fact, their curiosity leads them to understand and master their field of interest, one of the cornerstones of their success. They feel a deep drive to focus over the long term and to build deep competence. And they do so because they feel that knowledge is interesting, enjoyable and very satisfying.
#3. Set deadlines (and socialize them!)
This is key. No doubt you wrote down some goals. But did you break them down into yearly, quarterly, monthly and weekly goals? Do you frequently check in with yourself to see how you’re progressing in regards to that goal?
So many people don’t know how to do that. They’ve never had a performance-based education that taught them how to manage a project which is required for them to achieve their goals.
People who do this on a regular basis, are more than willing to identify and to address their weaknesses. They know that they are not perfect, and they don’t pretend to be. They talk, read and study how they can improve because they want to grow. Set up a system of self-evaluation and you will quickly get used to it. The more you do it, the less you will fear it and the more comfortable and happy you will be with yourself.
No doubt you have big ambitions. Commit to your goals this year.
You deserve an extraordinary 2020!