Happy New Year!

What goals have you set for yourself this year?  How determined are you to achieve them?

New Year's Resolutions

It is estimated that 70% of people who set New Year’s resolutions will have abandoned them by the 3rd week of January and of the 30% that don’t, 90% of them will have given up by June.

So, what can you do now to ensure that you arrive at the end of the year, in the top 5% of those that do follow through and achieve what they set out to achieve at the beginning of the year?

Follow my top tips for setting and achieving goals and notice the difference when you see yourself still on track as the months go by.

Step One
Always write your goals down on paper.  It is proven that you are 70% more likely to achieve your goal if it is written down.

Step Two
Use my SPADE criteria when setting your goals:

S stands for specific.  Be as specific as you can.  If your goal is to earn more money, then exactly how much?  If you earned an extra £1 you would be earning more so your subconscious needs to know exactly how much more.
P is for present and positive tense.  Write your goals as if they are happening now and always in the positive so don’t write what you don’t want, write what you do.
A is for achievable. You don’t want to set yourself up for failure.
D is for date. When are you going to achieve this by?
E is for emotional evidence.  You need an end step so that you know that you have got your goal and put some feelings into it.

Step Three
Now you have your goal you need to break it down into manageable milestones and diarise them.

Step Four
Read your goals every day and visualise yourself achieving them.  Imagine that it’s happening now. Remember, you get what you focus on so focus on what you want to be happening.

Step Five
Take action.  Ask yourself everyday, “what can I do to get me closer to my goal.”  “Is what I am doing now moving me closer or further from my goal?”

Step Six
ENJOY THE JOURNEY!

Yvonne Bleakley
Learning Consultant, Capita Learning & Development