5 Steps to Creating Goals that Actually Stick

​As we near years end, inspiration to achieve goals and set resolutions feels virtually endless. While I do believe that goals are immensely important, I find one major flaw in the non-stop stream of Instagram posts reminding me to make 2020 my best year yet. Very few seem to be talking about HOW to achieve said goals. It can sometimes feel like we are just supposed to manifest our dreams and cross our fingers that they happen. Call me a realist, but I'm just not convinced that is going to cut it. Achieving goals takes effort and follow-through. Although a worthy part of the process, no beautifully crafted vision board alone is going to get you there. The best way to create goals that actually stick is to first - dream big; THEN make a solid plan and stay consistent. 

Now, please don't throw your vision board into the fire and archive your motivational Instagram posts. These elements have their place. If you've gotten this far, you are well on your way to successful goal achievement. My five step process to creating goals that actually stick is designed help you fill in the missing pieces for the rest of process. 
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Step 1. Review 
Before we being a new process, it is always important to establish a baseline. This may be in the form of reviewing any goals you set for the last year - What have you achieved? Where did you fall short? If you did not have written goals for last year, take some time to reflect. Picture yourself this time last year. Can you recall the big achievements you have made over the year? (It can be so energizing to think back on all that we have done! We don't do it nearly enough.) Journal, take notes, or crunch the numbers and establish your starting point. 

Step 2. Visualize 
Settle in to a quiet seat and start with a few deep breaths. Now, can you picture yourself a year from now? What does this look like? How do you feel? Write this down (or create your vision board) to begin to embody this visualization. 

​Step 3. Strategize 
Now that you have visualized what success feels like for you over the next year, it is time to build a plan to get you there. Start by becoming even more clear with your goals - can you write down three? Next, for each goal - what action steps need to be taken to make it happen? Try to outline a few implementable action steps for each goal. 

​Step 4. Schedule
This is where consistency becomes key and organization is oh, so necessary. Divide your action steps into small tasks, and schedule these tasks in to your weekly calendar. Although it may feel like a daunting job at first, once you have your weekly to-do list you can start to cross off items - bringing you closer and closer to achieving your goals. 

Here is an example of how this might look.
Goal: Increase my Number of Clients by 3 per month
Action Step: Use my social media channels to build brand awareness and attract more potential clients to my business. 
Task: Spend 15 mins/day engaging with my target audience on Instagram.

​Step 5. Review  
Review your goals and progress weekly. It is important to set measurable expectations for each goal, and have a system in place to report on those expectations. Applying a quantity to your goal means that, at the end of the week/month/quarter, you can review your results and make informed business decision on your strategy. Am I seeing progress? Where do I need to shift? Remember - this part is not always linear and does require some critical thinking. Perhaps you only had one new client, but your social media following grew by 25 followers - this is still growth! Now... how do we get those social media followers to convert to clients.... a post for a different day ;) ​​