Ways to Achieve Your Goals

As 2012 comes to a close and we make way for a new year, it’s a good time to reflect over our goals. Do you often wonder if there are better ways to achieve your goals than you previously thought? Maybe you had an income goal that you didn’t meet in 2012 or maybe you wanted to get married and that didn’t happen.

The good news is that each new year brings new possibilities and new opportunities for you to achieve your goals. But if you don’t take stock of what went wrong and the areas you need to improve upon, next year will inevitably look the same.  That’s why you shouldn’t wait until the new year to start thinking of your goals. Do it now. Begin NOW!

7 Simple Ways to Achieve Your Goals NOW

1. Be realistic. And I don’t mean live in mediocrity. There’s a huge difference. Your goals should be thought out clearly and you should have a clear path for achieving them. Be real with yourself about your weaknesses. Don’t undershoot your goals, but don’t overshoot either.

2. Dream big. This might seem to conflict with the first tip, but it doesn’t. In order to set big goals, you must dream big. Get out of your limitations, understand your frailties yes, but then go for it! Never be afraid to dream big dreams.

3. Make a clear plan. This is huge. If your dream stays in your head or heart and never gets written down on paper, you will not likely succeed. Writing your dreams down on paper is the foundation for achieving your goals.

  “Write the vision, make it plain” (Habakkuk 2.2).

4. Take a baby step. I work alongside a group called “Team Take Massive Action.” These ladies and gents are serious about their business. I believe in taking giant leaps of faith, but we all have to start somewhere. Take a baby step toward your goals each and every day, and before you know it, you’ll be taking giant leaps of faith.

5. Become accountable. I have the privilege of having a few key people in my life that I’m accountable to personally and professionally. Without these people, I could easily fall into self-deception, make excuses for my failures and I might be tempted to give up.

  “Two are better than one . . . If either of them falls down, one can help the other up.But pity      anyone who falls and has no one to help them up” (Ecclesiastes 4.9-10).

6. Be consistent. You’ve heard it said that practice makes perfect. This isn’t necessarily true. Practice makes consistency. If you learn to throw a football the wrong way, practicing wrong won’t make your throws perfect; they will be consistently imperfect! The same is true of the positive. Practice your goals every day consistently and you unlock one of the ways to achieve your goals.

7. Give yourself a deadline. As a writer, I am constantly under deadlines. This used to really annoy me, but now I look at deadlines as welcome challenges. They push me to completion and keep me on schedule. Give your goals a time limit. Establish a realistic deadline and push yourself to success.

There are many other ways to achieve your goals. This is just a starting list. Implement these seven steps and be on your way to achieving your goals for next year . . . NOW!

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