We’ve probably all made new year’s resolutions and or goals at some point in our life. However, not many of us actually stick to either of them. Consequently, many goals remain unachieved, despite believing what we’re saying when we make them. So, why do so many of us flake or forget why we wanted to change in the first place?
The International Authority for Professional Coaching & Mentoring is the leading accreditation authority for professional coaches, so they know a thing or two about how to set and achieve goals. Here, their COO, David Monro-Jones, offers you 10 practical things to consider before you set your goals in stone:
1. What’s the big idea? When you set a resolution to make a change, make sure you’re setting yourself a goal because you want to, or need to. If not, you might be doing it for someone else’s benefit, and that’s not the same thing.
2. Who’s idea is it? If the resolution to change doesn’t come from you, it’s less likely to be a true reflection of your needs and wants, which in turn will make it harder and less rewarding.
3. Why now? If this resolution to change isn’t relevant to how your life looks now, it won’t fit in with everything else you have going on – and then it’ll fall by the wayside.
4. How realistic is it? Ultimately, you can’t be expected to follow an impossible resolution or one that demands too much from you. Setting unachievable goals is a recipe for misery, remember, baby steps will help you achieve more.
5. How motivated are you? Rate your motivation, commitment, intent, enthusiasm and determination on a scale of 1 – 10. If your score is less than 7, then making this resolution happen will be more difficult.
6. How much do you care? Again, give yourself a rating from 1-10 and trust your gut when thinking about the end result.
7. What happens if you do nothing? If you can’t answer this question, ask another: why are you bothering?
8. Who can support you? This is crucial, especially for important resolutions like quitting smoking. Toiling away on your own can be hard, so build a supportive team around you such as positive members of your family, friends and colleagues. Better still, ensure your success by hiring a life coach!
9. How doable is it? It’s great to have goals, but without the skills, knowledge and experience to succeed, they’re meaningless. So, check you have what it takes before you start.
10. When are you going to start? Think about why this resolution matters now. Or to put it another way: a year from now, will you wish you had started today?
For help, inspiration, guidance and or motivation work, with a coach and or mentor to help you achieve your goals faster than you would on your own. Choose from our properly trained practitioners who are professionally accredited here https://coach-accreditation.services/directories/find-an-accredited-coach-or-mentor/
To help you with this choice, we’ve created a useful free downloadable document here https://coach-accreditation.services/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/A-Guide-to-finding-your-coach-or-mentor.pdf