7 Tips To Help You Have A Clear Run On Your Goals For 2023
By Doug Bennett aka The Goals Guy®
Dining room tables all around the world will likely have been buzzing with talk of New Year resolutions these past few days, but you know me, I’m rather partial to a strong focus on goals that inspire you to take massive action.
Let’s face it, most people will probably have forgotten their New Year’s resolutions within a few weeks of creating them; on the other hand, goals are way more about aligning with what you truly value.
Over the past couple of years, I’ve shared interviews with inspiring entrepreneurs from all over the world on my blogs (click here) and my Goals Do Come True podcast (click here to listen). Almost every person I spoke to shared some amazing insights into what personally worked well when it came to goal setting.
There are so many options and so many choices that I decided it’d be useful to share my go-to commonalities so that you can set goals that count, and achieve them.
Here are my top seven tips.
1) Get clear on what you want and why
When I was growing up, my mum wanted me to become the Chairman of ICI; thankfully I had a few ideas of my own and wasn’t swayed down that path. It’s easy to think that other people might know what’s best for you, but the reality is that if you list goals that you aren’t passionate about or motivated by, you’ll fall at the first hurdle. You need to make sure you set goals that get you leaping out of bed in the morning – and that you want to commit to.
2) Write your goal in the past tense
At first glance this might seem counterintuitive, but if you write your goal in the past tense, you’re sending a strong message to your subconscious mind (the driving force that brings your goals to fruition) that this goal is achievable and inevitable.
For example, when I wanted to own a Harley Davidson motorbike, I wrote down: “I ride a Harley Davidson 1200 Custom Sportster!” Nicky Marshall, Director of Discover Your Bounce, recently shared a wonderful tip that I have integrated into my goal setting. She recommends that you let the universe know that you want to achieve your goal or “something better”. This helps you to be wide open to a broader range of possibilities rather than limited by your own thinking.
3) Rewrite your list of goals from memory each day
When you rewrite your goals from memory each day, you’ll naturally find that, just as cream rises to the top, the goals that are closest to your heart will consistently make it onto that list; and the ones that were “nice to have” will drop off. Inevitably, this leaves you with more time and energy to drive forward what you’re passionate about, and then you can let the rest fall away.
4) Regularly tap into the feelings you’ll have when you achieve those goals
If you are simply looking at your list of goals like a to-do list, your enthusiasm will likely wane. When you tune into how you’ll feel when you achieve them, and imagine yourself living life in that way, you emotionalise your goals and fuel your desire to accomplish them. You also pre-programme your mind and nervous system to what’s possible so that when the opportunity to progress or achieve your goal materialises, you are ready to take action because it already feels more “normal” to you.
5) Stay positive
When you were first learning to read as a young child, there’s every likelihood that you stumbled over a few words, perhaps even threw your book down in a tantrum; imagine if you had just decided to “give up learning to read”!
There will be times during your goal-getting process when things don’t go to plan or you feel a bit jaded – take time to feel those feelings and then reinforce your determination to succeed by focusing on how you’ll feel when you’ve achieved your goal. When you keep yourself in a positive frame of mind, you will feel more “open” to opportunities and attract good people around you (nobody wants to help a miserable so-and-so achieve their goals now, do they?!).
Your goal might come to fruition via unexpected ways. I set my mind to earning £500,000 and was surprised to find that it happened fairly quickly, but through a company buy-out rather than client payments. I was still happy with the result (you can read more about this in one of my books by clicking here).
6) Get the right support
Being an entrepreneur or on a quest to achieve your goals can be a lonely path; it’s so much more fun, and you can expedite your results, when you have the right support around you. Find a friend or group of friends who will help you tap into resources, stay accountable and cheer you on; or, even better, click here to book a complimentary call with me (I’m a coach and a mentor) so that I can help you take charge of 2023 and bring your goals to reality.
7) Celebrate the wins and keep taking consistent action
Do you ever find yourself focusing on the gap between where you are now and what you want? It’s time to stop that. While it’s useful to recognise you are still on your journey to achieve your goals, it’s also vital to your wellbeing and motivation that you acknowledge how far you’ve come. Each time you recognise and celebrate that you’ve reached a milestone, you renew your vigour to pursue your ultimate goal.
Plus, doesn’t it feel amazing to enjoy the journey to your goal? When you celebrate, you will feel more energised to keep taking consistent action (without it, you’re going nowhere fast!).
What are your goals for 2023? I’d love to hear about them. Email doug@dougbennett.co.uk and tell me what you’re up to – and remember, if you’d like to be celebrating the achievement of your goals sooner rather than later, you can click here to book a complimentary discovery call with me.