#30in30 Day 21: Goal Keeping

I’ve always had goals for myself. I think I made my first goal list when I was a young boy. Back then, the lofty achievements I had to meet were as arduous as getting straight A’s in school, finally beating the first Legend of Zelda, and getting better at drawing and basketball. Unfortunately, the grown up life sucks, and more serious goals had to be considered. Even as a kid, I understood that visualization was key. You have to write down your goals so that you know what you want to accomplish, but you also have to revisit them often so that you keep them in mind. One of the reasons that people fail with their New Year’s resolutions is that they make these lofty goals, go hard for about a month, then quit. The type of goals you make, and the consistency in which you follow-up on said goals, will determine your success.

Goals are nothing new around here, but I wanted to give you a peek into my goal setting process. At the beginning of the year, I don;t make resolutions. I set a few goals for myself and give them due dates. I check on them quarterly (want to make it weekly or daily but I’m being real in how much it has occurred). I periodically check them so that I know my progress and keep them in mind. I knew that my quarterly check/progress report was coming up, so I check it out the other day.

To my surprise (and joy), I’ve completed a good amount of goals I set for myself! Some goals, like getting a new job, I completed ahead of schedule (March 2012 vs May 2012). Some goals I reached but after my projected date. My fitness goals, which I’ve tracked here, I’m most proud. I wanted to hit them by May, but that’s when i started the BFFM challenge and got there by September. I have farther to go, and want to get even leaner and ripped, but hitting my original goals were achieved. I set goals financially too, paying off some bills while keeping my credit card under 1K and having it almost paid off.

I still have a few to go, which were ongoing goals, but I’m inspired to set new goals. There’s no reason to wait for January 1st to start new goals. You should always challenge yourself to be the best. Keeping goals to focus and achieve gives me purpose. It helps to drive me to succeed, and to always know where I stand with my personal progress. I am the dude with the million to-do lists, and I’m proud.

I hope you all achieve and exceed your goals. It’s never too late to focus!

One

Streetz