As 2020 is coming to an end, it’s time to train your telescope on the future. How can you #thinkbig, #daretolearn, and #takeaction to make the most of 2021? No matter how next year turns out, you will achieve more and have a greater sense of direction if you create your personal vision for how your ideal 2021 is going to look.
What great thing would you attempt if you knew you could not fail?
Robert H. Schuller
5 Steps for Reaching Your Goals
Step 1 – Define the Goals You Want to Reach
If you want to create an epic 2021, you need to start with defining your goals. Don’t hesitate to think big. Whether you reach it or not is not that crucial. It is the learning and the growth that happens along the way that really matters. So ask yourself: How does the ideal 2021 look? What will you have achieved in a year’s time?
Tip: Put your goals up somewhere where you’ll see them as a daily reminder. You can hang them on your wall or put them as your desktop background on your computer. Seeing your target will make it easier for you to hit it.
Step 2 – Make an Action Plan for Your Goals
The next thing you want to do is to make an action plan of how you are going to reach those goals. Think in terms of daily habits, weekly duties, and monthly milestones, and write them down in your calendar and in your To-Dos.
Tip: Don’t beat yourself up if you don’t manage to follow your action plan minutely. Instead, celebrate it when you do.
Step 3 – Find an Accountability Partner
Once you have an action plan, the next step is to share your goals, for example with your friends or fellow pirates. Your commitment is going to be stronger if other people also know about your dreams, and perhaps they can even offer support along the way.
Tip: If you’re really ambitious, you can even create an accountability group where everyone shares their goals and updates each other on his/her progress on a regular basis, for example in biweekly meetings.
Step 4 – Get Started & Don’t Give Up!
You are not going to reach any goals if you don’t actually do anything. To keep up your motivation, find ways to track your progress and celebrate the milestones you hit and the progress you make.
Tip: Think of it as a reward for reaching the next level. What could be treats you could unlock after reaching a milestone? Perhaps buying yourself a present, taking yourself out for a fun activity, or allowing yourself to enjoy a guilty pleasure.
Step 5 – Reflect on Your Progress on a Regular Basis
If you have set yourself a huge goal, it might seem impossible to reach it and as if you’re not making any headway at all. So once in a while look back at where you were three months ago and where you are now. It will help keep you motivated.
Tip: Every 2-3 months, ask yourself: What have I learned? What new skills have I acquired? What challenges have I gone through? You will see that you’re making more progress than you might think.
Make 2021 Your Best Year Ever
Progress and personal growth are ensured if you follow those steps. Many of us come up with great new year’s resolutions, but few of us actually see them through. We’re motivated the first couple of weeks, but then we fall back into our past habits and routines. By planning ahead in terms of weekly and monthly milestones and rewards, you will have a higher chance of staying on track. And by having a bi-monthly feedback loop you’ll be more likely to stay motivated.
When one door of happiness closes, another opens, but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one that has been opened for us. – Helen Keller
2021 can be your year if you put in the effort. So what are you waiting for, Pirate?
The time has come to #thinkbig, #daretolearn, and #takeaction!
