How to Score...Goals

My New Years resolutions:

1. Stop Making Lists

B. Be more consistent

7. Learn to Count

Despite most of them falling into a black hole by January 15, New Years resolutions are never, ever a bad thing. What's puzzling is the odd trend of waiting until the new year to actually set a goal. Not a lot of people know this, so please keep it a secret: You can set a goal and act upon it at ANY time during the year.

Shhhhhhhhhh. I know. Crazy, right? Don't tell anyone.

Before I can tell you how to achieve every thing you want, let's first examine why most New Years resolutions are dead by February and why most goals never get off the ground. Goals die because:

1. We record the goal in our heads only.

An idea pops into our head...and, Oh it's a brilliant one! Sadly, we just keep it there. It remains a hovering thought with no tender, loving care. Write goals down. Keep them in the forefront of your plans and revisit them often.

2. We create the vision and forget the plan.

I want a new job making $10k more than what I am making now.  That's a solid goal, but what are the steps you're going to take to make it happen? What resources can help you along the way? Answer these questions as part of your plan of action.

3. We have no timetables or milestones.

What good is a goal if you don't have a date for desired completion? When a particular task has a deadline, we tend to pay more attention to it. Milestones can be useful for breaking a large task into smaller ones. If you want to do 100 push-ups by June, why not aim for 40 by March and then 80 by May?

4. Celebrate your victories.

If you're not celebrating and rewarding yourself for your wins in life,  then you're doing it wrong. A tangible reward can only serve as motivation for completing a task. The size of the reward can even match the size of the goal...from taking yourself to get a Dairy Queen Blizzard to taking that 7-day cruise you've always wanted.


If you think a more structured system would help you, or you just like acronyms, try the S.M.A.R.T. Goal approach.

Specific- Be precise so you can evaluate your success.

Measurable- The who, what, and where of your goal.

Achievable- They have to be reasonable for you to reach.

Realistic- Do you have the ability and commitment to reach them?

Time Bound- A timeline will finalize your goal’s structure.

Need a place to start? Choose 2 short-term (1-3 months) goals and 1 long-term (4-12 months) goal and then create your plans. Document your milestones and your desired celebrations, and then track them to completion. [This process is acceptable from January through December.]

I want to see you score...Goals. Happy Goal Setting,

Coach Jake

P.S. Ask me how MaximalMe.com Life Coaching Programs hold us both accountable to your goals and dreams. Request a goal tracking template from jake@MaximalMe.com.