Plan your 2013

As president and C.E.O. of You Inc. you get to control your destiny. You make the decisions that will help you to succeed or fail. For 2013 you alone have the power and authority to make your best year unfold before your eyes.

Several years ago, I sat with my wife setting our New Years resolutions. “This is the year we get out of debt”, “This is the year, I get in shape”, were at the top of the list. after about the fourth month into the new year we’d noticed that we had not even begun to tackle any of the resolutions that we had set. We made up our minds at that point that every new year will not make resolutions, we will set Goals!

How do you set a Goal?

We like to follow a simple strategy to setting our goals.

1. Make it trackable.

By taking account of where you are now and where you want to be. you can easily track how close you are to achieving your goals. For example. If you have a financial goal of having $10K in savings. take a look at your back account and see how much you have in savings as of today. Now you have a starting point. at the end of the year, you will be able to look back and see how far you have come.

2. Make It realistic

I am a huge fan of dreaming big. But when it comes to setting goals, Be realistic about what you can and cannot do. This makes it easier for you to carry out the goal, and not like you are setting yourself up for failure. This also covers making sure the goals you set are achievable. Where do you see yourself by December 2014? What is it going to take for you to get there?

3. Have a deadline

Studies have shown that when you have a deadline looming that you tend to get things done. Have you ever seen a bride that is trying to fit into a certain size dress by her wedding date? She does everything she needs to do to make that goal happen by her deadline. Have the same mentality toward setting goals. For example; I want to lose 5 pounds in the next 8 weeks.

4. Make it Specific

If you don’t know exactly what you want, how are you ever going to make it happen. My wife would ask me, early in our marriage, “What do you want for dinner?” A very specific question. My reply to her would always be “food”. Today, I am surprised that I was never served slice a bread with butter. The point is, be specific, know what it is you want. In terms of goal setting; I want to learn how to make 3 easy to cook meals over the next week, was my goal for a while.

5.Write them down

What good is setting goals if you are not going to remember them later. Write down all of your goals and keep them where you can find it later. When you come back to check on your progress you can remember exactly what your goals are. You will also know exactly how close you are to achieving them. Writing them down also serves as a checklist for when you have completed your goal.

As you get ready to bring in the 2013 Keep this in mind and plan your best year ever. Create SMART, Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Trackable,  goals. As you complete the tasks to reach your goals use your checklist to see how far you’ve come. Then by your deadline look back and see the best year you’ve ever had.

This year will be my most prosperous year.  I’ve set my Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Trackable goals, which all culminate to being the best year I’ve ever had.  My number 1 goal for this year is to: Connect on a deeper level with my wife and kids on a weekly, to be the best father and husband that they deserve.

What does 2013 look like for you? What is your number 1 goal?