We are only 5 days into the new year and I have already heard so many people talking about their goals for the new year. While setting goals is an important part of making progress, I often find that people have set goals that lead to failure. Many times this is because we set really large long term goals and neglect to identify the baby steps that are going to move us towards those goals. Just the other day I saw a (slightly scary) statistic that found that only 20% of people are able to stick to their New Year’s Resolutions.
So how do we become part of that elite 20%?
We can’t expect ourselves to do complete 360’s overnight just because we set a goal for it. When thinking about your long term goals, identify small, measurable, baby steps that will move you towards your larger goal. Over time, those baby steps add up!
An Example:
Long term goal- get a better job
Baby steps-Make 2 contacts in the field I want to work in by January 30th, Send 5 resumes out by January 15th, Follow up with all sent resumes within 1 week of sending them, Attend 3 conferences that will advance my professional value by September 2011.
As you can see, each of those baby steps would move you towards the long term goal of getting a better job, but the baby steps are more measurable and manageable.
Post a comment: What are the baby steps of your long term goal?
Be Healthy. Be Balanced.
-Alicia and Nikki