Achieve in 2011

Many of us realise that the start of a new year signals a time for reflection of the year that has past, as well as a time to re-evaluate our goals for the year ahead. However, few of us dedicate the time needed to really reflect on our achievements (or lack of them), nor do we think about the impact our accomplishments and failure to act have on our lives. Instead many of us make spur of the moment, flimsy goals of losing weight or eating better because we feel guilty about our indulgences over the festive season. We start the new year will all the best intentions of getting our act together in both work and home life, but before we know it, we're up to our armpits in work without any time left for family and friends, let alone the goals we had all the intentions of finally achieving. There we go again, drifting through the year without any direction or idea of whether we are on track to achieving what we want.

So do you know what you really want in life? Sure many of us have an idea of what we might like to achieve in the next year, but because of our fast-paced lives many of us forget about them until New Year's eve rolls around again. The good news is, this doesn't have to happen again this year, as there are a few changes you can make so that you really achieve what you want. For most of us, there are a couple of reasons why things aren't working out the way we might like it. Many of us keep our goals in our mind instead of writing them down, which means we can easily forget them when life gets in the way. However, the simple act of writing down your goals and revisiting them regularly throughout the year makes you more accountable and makes achieving your goals more likely. The other reason is, many of us don't set our goals properly.

Goals are usually set in a forward manner - we set our goals for the present year first, then we set our goals for the following year and then our goals for two years time. What happens with this forward thinking is we often overestimate what we can achieve in one year and underestimate what we can achieve in 10 years. A more constructive way to set your goals is to focus on the long-term goals first - that's what you want to achieve in 5-10 years time. Once you have these defined, you can break it down into three and one year goals. Your short-term goals over one or two years can then serve as a measure to keep you on track to achieving your long-term goals. This backward form of goal setting makes breaks large tasks into small, achievable steps and makes them less daunting. Don't believe me? Think back over the last 10 years and ask yourself if you had ever imagined that 10 years ago you would be in place you are today? Think about how far you could go in the next 10 years if you had a game plan.

To help you set your goals for the years to come and for 2011, spend some time reflecting on what you did and did not achieve in 2010? Why did this happen? What difference has this made to your life? What haven't you finished in 2010 that you need to carry over into 2011? Look at these questions for the following seven areas of your life: health, family/partner, leisure, finances, personal development, career and travel. Next, use this information to help you sent your long- and short-term goals in the areas of finances, property, family/partner, career, travel, possessions and community/charity. Remember to write your 5-10 year goals first, followed by your 3 year goals and then your 1 year goals. Write emotively and in the present tense e.g. "I feel elated and proud to have just completed my first ironman - it's October 2015".

Once you've pictured your life, make sure that you write your goals for 2011 and keep them in a place that you can visit regularly. Put the steps in place for you to achieve these goals and review your progress each month, so that you arrive at the end of 2011 with your short-term goals completed, as well as being well on the way to achieving your long-term goals. Now that's motivating!