It’s that time of year again. No, not THAT time of year. I mean it’s the time of year where you need to think about what you are going to achieve NEXT year. Have you done that before? Have you written down yearly goals? I’m not just talking about finances either. Finances are just one part of your life. If you don’t have balance in all areas of your life, then you won’t be able to be at peace in any area of your life.
Why do I recommend that you set written goals? Studies by Harvard and Yale have shown that the combined success of the 3% of those who have written goals was equal to the combined success of the other 97%! I’m not sure about you, but I would like to be a part of the 3%.
Get Started
So where do you start? First let’s take a look at what areas of your life you need to think about. There are seven basic areas of your life that you should keep in balance. Those areas are financial, physical, personal, family, spiritual, social, and career. Typically you will be focusing harder on one or two areas of your life at any one time, but don’t forget totally about the other areas of your life. For instance, perhaps you will be focusing on getting out of debt (financial) and losing weight (physical), but don’t do this at the expense of your family or your continuing your personal development in other ways.
Write at least a couple of long term goals for each area of your life down on paper with a deadline. These goals should be in the 3 year or longer timeframe. As you work on these goals each year, you will set shorter term goals that will lead up to your longer term goals.
Don’t Get Hung Up
Don’t get too hung up on the process and the details though. The most important thing is to just get started. If you only set one goal and you’ve never set one before, then you’re that much better off than you were. Here are a few other tips to get you on your way.
First of all, find yourself an accountability partner. Having someone you trust that will give you a kick in the pants when you need it will help you achieve your goals. Also, make sure you post your goals somewhere that you will see them regularly. Make sure you review your goals regularly and make adjustments as necessary. These are not written in stone, so don’t be afraid to make adjustments if things don’t turn out quite like you’ve planned.
Download This
If you would like a little more guidance on developing your goals, you can download this document. It has more details and guidelines to help you develop goals in each area of your life.
Good luck. Let me know how this works out for you, and here’s to your success!
P.S. – If you’d like some specific help on the financial part of your life, you can contact me for some one on one help, or you can join my upcoming Fire Up Your Finances class in January.