At the time of writing this, there are 11 days left in 2022!  11!!  I feel like we were just in flip-flops here in Chicago, and now we’re looking at the end of the year and preparing for blizzard-like conditions this week!

With the end of the year near, you may be thinking about making some New Year’s resolutions.

Hold that thought! 

On average, only 9-12% of people keep their New Year’s Resolutions.  That’s a failure rate of 88-91%. Furthermore, web pages and ads are full of “New Year, New You!” and to that, I call BS.   I don’t need a new year to make a new me because a) the current me is pretty awesome, and b) if I want to set some goals, I don’t need a new year to do so.  I can do that in the middle of March if I wanted to. 

Okay, rant over!

However, If you WANT to set goals (not resolutions), there are a couple of steps to ensure you’re successful.

 1)    Do a year in review.  Look back at journals, notes, photos, calendars, and anything else you can get your hands on that will remind you of the highs and lows of the past year.  The goal is to help you recognize what worked and what was wonderful, as well as areas where you would like to make improvements.  You might also look at time stealers.  In other words, what are things you should eliminate—or at least reduce?

2)    Determine your start/stop/continues.  Now that you know how the prior year went, you can look forward to the new one.  What would you like to take forward with you into the new year?  What do you want to start, stop or continue doing? 

3)    Set SMART goals.  Make sure any goals you set are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-bound. 

4)    Have a way to track your progress. Grab a notebook or planner.  The Emerging Confidence Goal Planner and Journal™ is available on Amazon, or you can grab a blank notebook anywhere.  Track your progress every day.  Journal what you did to track toward success and what you could do differently. 

5)    Reward yourself.  Each small step you make towards reaching your goal should be recognized!

These five steps will have you in that 9-12% range before you know it. 

Want to learn more? Join me for the FREE 3-day Rock Your Goals Workshop happening January 10-12th at 10 AM Central. Register here.

And Happy New Year!