Corporate Youth Jan. / Feb. 2014 | Page 20

W hether it’s to quit smoking, ace an exam-or reaching some or other goal- I believe there’s one thing we can do that can help us keep our resolutions: Write them down, review them daily! W.O.R.D- Write Once, Review Daily. Writing down your goals or resolutions will: 1. Keep you focused Andy Stanley once said, “It’s not that we don’t have the will to change, we don’t have the focus to change.” The truth is, if we’re not continually reminded about our goals, we’ll forget to make them happen. 2. Clear your thinking Sometimes the things we want are hazy and contradictory. You may be thinking you want to lose weight, but you may also remember your girlfriend or significant other saying they love you ‘just the way you are’. Those are both good, but they may drive in 2 different directions. Writing down your goals will help you figure out what you want and what you’re committed to. As they say, “thoughts disentangle themselves passing through the lips and pencil tips”. 3. Ground you in reality Reviewing your goals daily will help you begin to map out a clear and realistic action plan to achieving your goals, it may even help you get a feeling for how long your goals may take to be accomplished. Sometimes when goals are just in our heads, it’s easy to deceive ourselves, underestimating what it will take to make them happen, or overestimating our progress towards them. Reviewing goals everyday will help you connect the dots between what you do daily and what you say you’re committed to doing and being. It’s like a scoreboard; it tells you in real-time whether you’re winning or losing. 4. Help you prioritise In any given day, there are probably a couple of things you want to do, or perhaps things required of you, but sometimes it’s not possible to do everything we want in one season of life. A daily goal review will help you see what you should do in future and what you absolutely must do right now. 5. Encourageperson who you I have to admit that I admire a can set a goal, go after it without ever being distracted and discouraged, and finally achieve it, but in reality I’ve never met a person like that. Most goals take more than a day, a week, a month and sometimes even more than a year before coming to pass. Sometimes you’ll feel energetic about your goals, sometimes you’ll wonder if it’s worth it. But reviewing your goals daily, and seeing the progress you’re making will encourage to move forward and to do the right thing no matter how you feel. As the new year has begun I hope you’ll take the time to figure out what matters most, and the results you’re absolutely committed to producing this year. Goals are like water; they’re easier to build on when they’re frozen (on paper). So write yours down, and make them happen! QUESTION: What goals are you committed to achieving this year?