Smashing Goals in 2018

Another year. . . another batch of resolutions. Officially or not, many of us set resolutions or goals for the year. And since 92 percent of people who set New Year’s goals never achieve them, the act of setting goals is weighed down by the disappointment of failing to achieve past goals. Though you may have to push through those feelings of disappointment, it’s important to do so. Setting goals has been shown to improve success. As managers, business owners, people and parents, we know that nothing worthwhile is done by accident. (Research by the University of Scranton.)

Inspiration Words

For the past several years I have selected a word to structure my goals around. For the past two years that word was ‘intentional.’ The second year of being intentional was ok, but not wildly successful. However, I recently listened to a presentation where the speaker combined two words, ‘Radically Intentional.’ Wow, now that is something I can hang onto.

Living intentionally means living with purpose, forethought and planning. For me this means that I recognize that every decision to do something is a decision to not do something else. Saying yes to volunteering on a committee means saying no to other opportunities.

As a passionate person, the word radical appeals to my emotions and attitude. Radical is extreme, different or not typical. Radical brings a fundamental shift to the way I consider being intentional. Radical means my intentionally goes the core and lies at the root of every decision I make. For one to embrace being radically intentional, goal setting is a must. There is no reason to plan or make deliberate decisions if I don’t have big picture goals to achieve!

Write Them Down

Ok, so you have a goal. You know what it is in your mind, so it doesn’t matter if you write it down, right? WRONG. Research shows that actually writing goals down dramatically increases the likelihood of completing them. We have heard it for years. But how do we take our goals to the next level? We become Radically Intentional about implementing and measuring them, setting up check points throughout the year to keep us focused and asking others to help us or to hold us accountable. (More reading: 10 Things You Must Do To Achieve Your Goals.)

With the passing of another year, I realize that I must start achieving goals or time will simply pass me by.

I must be Radically Intentional with:

• Relationships: the core of everything. We were designed for relationships. And to maintain positive and encouraging relationships, we must be intentional to touch base from time to time- this includes managers sitting down on a regular basis with their direct reports to verify their successes, challenges and how we can support them better. This can extend to spousal and children relationships as well.
• Time: It is my innate desire to say Yes! Yes, we can do that project for you. Yes, I can volunteer my time for that cause. However, we only have 24 hours in a day and sometimes we have to realize and accept, we can’t do it all, no matter how hard we try. Team members have to be intentional about giving and asking for deadlines, otherwise we may miss someone’s expectation and complete the project too late; or, we may work really hard to get it done quickly just to learn that it wasn’t expected for two more weeks. (More reasons to say ‘No’ more often.)
• Money: Each year brings new challenges and unexpected hurdles. We have to set aside cash reserves for those unexpected hurdles, make proper investments for the long-term and evaluate each year on its own merit. Just because you spend X amount of dollars in one budget area this year; does not mean you spent the same the following year.

Keep It Simple

Remember, you can’t have too many goals or you will become overwhelmed and not accomplish any. Simply identify three or four goals with the year end result written down. Then break the annual goal into quarterly goals so you can measure if you are on track. Yes, sounds simple! But how exactly do you measure relationship goals?

Measuring Goals

• I am going to be radically intentional to schedule time just to call family, friends and touch base with clients – not for the purpose of anything, but to say hi!
• With my time, I am going to include others prior to making a commitment to evaluate if we (I) have the time and resources for another commitment or project.
• Money: this is easy to measure. What is your savings goal, retirement investment goal, cash reserve goal- break that into 12 months of “payments” and start now.

So there are my goals for 2018. Want more tips for achieving your goals? This article focuses on how 8 percent of people actually complete their annual goals.

Get This Easy Advantage

One of the factors that improves your ability to achieve your goals is accountability. To tap into the advantage of accountability, just share your goals with someone! You can share them with me in an email, post them on Facebook or put them in a comment on this article. This is one of the simplest ways to get motivated on your goals.

Need help identifying and structuring your goals? Want a timely accountability partner? Scott HR can do that! Email or call me today at 785-272-5410 to talk more about goal setting and leadership coaching.

Seize the day! There is no time like the present to be Radically Intentional.

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Kristin Scott

President at Scott Human Resources

Your enthusiastic HR expert! After more than 20 years in the human resource industry, Kristin is motivated by providing real solutions for HR challenges and building relationships that last.

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Latest posts by Kristin Scott (see all)

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