Have you made your New Year’s resolutions?

Have you broken them already? I hope not, but sadly a few days are about all the time many people need to break them.

Consider setting goals this year instead of resolutions. The good thing about goals is that you can set them anytime! Even if you are reading this on April 1 or October 15, it’s never too late to sit down and decide where you want to go in your life.

A goal is a spot to focus on so that you can improve something about your life. Successful people run their days by using goals. And you can too!

Here are some quick guidelines for goal setting found at MindTools.com and my thoughts on them:

Positive Statement

While a resolution often includes things you will stop, a goal is always something you will do.

Be Precise

A resolution tends to be broad, a general change of attitude, etc. A goal is specific and can be large or small, but a large goal should have smaller detailed goals that are steps to reaching it.

Set Priorities

It’s good to have multiple goals, but if they compete against each other for your time and energy, or if completing 2 or more at the same time is impossible, then you must decide which are more important and plan how to handle this.

Write Them Down

Some of us think up our goals while showering or exercising…basically anytime our mind is relaxed. But these goal ideas can just as quickly vanish under the pressure of everyday life. Keep a small notebook and pen handy; scribble them down as soon as you can. Gather these together and create a formal plan when you have a few spare hours.

Small and Achievable

You can have big goals, like a 2-week vacation in the Caribbean. But chances are you won’t be able to just meet that goal in one step. So break your big goals into smaller goals. Break those goals into even smaller goals until you have daily goals that you can reach every day.

Realistic

Make sure your goals are actually doable. If you have income of $100,000 a year, then buying a $5 Million house and vacating in Paris for 3 months are probably out of reach. On the flip side, don’t make your goals too small. If you have earned that $100,000 every year for the last 10 years, don’t make a goal to earn $100,000. Unless you have recently lost your job this goal is too small. How about boosting your yearly income another $10,000? Or boosting it an extra $100 per week. These are achievable goals with a little bit of extra effort.

Happy New Year!

---

Looking for a home in Edina, Minnesota? Contact me, Kim Melin, today.

Check out my website for help in buying a home in the Minneapolis area.