Some say they prefer to set goals instead of resolutions. My mind wants to digress and explore that distinction but for now I desist. The intention is the same – to achieve a target outcome during the year to come. For some, it may be doing something in pursuit of a lifelong purpose. For others, fuller engagement in life and getting ahead in the game of life may be the challenge. Whatever it may be, having something to work for or toward is a good thing. It gives meaning to our everyday activities and endeavours.

Personally, I like setting a theme for the year e.g. “I will become more effective in my role as a coach” and then, I set mini-goals. Each mini-goal would go through the SMART goal processor e.g. “by the end of 2010, I will accumulate 18 more continuing education units to qualify for professional upgrade, through completing the AABB course and attending the two XPY seminars in April and in June”.

Here are some strategies that work for me and might work for you too:

Be specific about the outcome ie how you will know when you have succeeded. Be realistic and manage your own expectations. You can always revise goals upwards as you accomplish them. Set a timeframe within which you will gauge your level of achievement.

Gear yourself for success. Announce your intentions. Write it down and tell others about your intentions. Place strategic reminders and motivators – a mobile phone alert, a quotation, a pop-up note, etc. Enlist support from your colleagues, family, friends and coach. Find out what resources you need and how to engage them. Take charge and make things happen. Mahatma Gandhi advised us to ‘be the change we want to see’.

Think ‘possible’. Have a positive ‘can do’ mindset. Watch your language. Instead of saying ‘if’ or ‘maybe’, say ‘when’. Start a response with ‘and’ instead of ‘but’. Pay attention to the number of negatives (‘not’) in your conversations with self and others. Self-talk is powerful. You are talking to yourself when you think. So do think in a positive mode. Henry Ford said that we are always right – when we think we can do something, we can and will and when we think we cannot, we will not and therefore cannot.

Focus on what you want rather than how you might fail. Tame the inner negative beast. Move forward with intention. Forget about what went wrong the last time, you have already paid the dues. Beware the complacency that comes with past successes – doing things the same way gets the same results. Ignore your detractors and the naysayers – nothing is impossible except in the mind.

Acknowledge, appreciate and celebrate progress. We tend to repeat what gets noticed and recognised. Give yourself a pat on the back. Tell your friends about it. Share it on Facebook or Twitter. Be a little thick-skinned and ask for feedback. When you slip up, get back on track and keep moving forward, one step at a time. That’s how we learned to walk!

Manage your energy. It is often not how much time you invest in doing something that determines the outcome but the kind of energy you put into it. Energy, like Time, is a limited resource. However, unlike Time which marches unrelentingly on and never returns, our energy levels are renewable and replenishable. Do you have the requisite energy to accomplish your goal – emotionally, physically and mentally? Find ways to conserve and replenish energy effectively. Start with healthy living – enough sleep, a balanced diet, and regular exercise. A healthy body is a great boost towards a healthy mind.

Finally, it will be far more rewarding and exciting for you to do more of what you do best, leveraging on your strengths instead of striving to improve in areas of weakness. It creates more flow experience, more positive experiences and is so much more enjoyable.

Internalise these ABCs of goal achievement;
· Self Agency: believe you have the capacity to exercise control over the nature and quality of your life
· Self Belief: believe who you are is enough for the challenge before you
· Self Confidence: believe in yourself and your own abilities
· Self Determination: make your own decision to act, without influence/interference from others
· Self Efficacy: believe that you can.

Have a purposeful year and may you find meaning in all that you do!