The problem begins at the very beginning. In January, to be precise. We all set resolutions for the new year, hoping against hope to keep going with them. However, all it takes is a month or two for us to forget all about them or just give up in sheer desperation. In Lewis Carroll’s Alice In Wonderland, the inhabitants of the eponymous land must keep moving in order to stay in the same place. Sounds eerily like the story of our lives, doesn’t it?
“If you can’t do great things, do small things in a great way.” Napoleon Hill
If someone could write a book with the title ‘Think and Grow Rich’ in the late 1930s, their advice is probably sound enough to follow, isn’t it? So take Napoleon Hill’s advice and make 2018 the year in which you achieve all of your goals.
But, we’re getting ahead of ourselves here. Getting back to Alice…
Luckily, Lewis Carroll also provides answers-
“And if you wish to go anywhere you must run twice as fast as that.”
Setting resolutions and failing at them is common because we often set ourselves up to fail. We do not realize that in order to maintain the status quo of the past year, we still need to work at it; to truly make a change involves getting out of the comfort zone.
Goals Are Just A Few Steps Away
This is where goals come in. They are defined, measurable, usually have a timeline attached to them, and most importantly, can be broken down into small chunks that you can achieve by ‘running twice as fast’ or in other words, getting out of your comfort zone just a little bit.
At RainKraft, we have dedicated January to the hows, whys, and whats of goals, both for individuals and organizations. If you’re prepared to turn your resolutions into goals, the rest of this article will help you prepare yourself for the journey ahead. Without further ado, let’s move on to the first few steps.
If you already have a list of resolutions in mind, make a note of them. Written cues are often easier to remember and recall.
On a sheet of paper, write down five title categories- Personal, Relationships, Finances, Spirituality, and Professional. These are the broad categories in which we always crave for something, or find scope for improvement. Feel free to go with what works for you.
Under each section, list out what you have already been doing to maintain a routine. For example, some people meditate each day, or reduce screen time after hours, or keep the weekend completely free to be with kids. Write down everything you do- cooking, housekeeping, taking the train to think- all count.
On the adjacent page, under each title, make a list of one thing you would like to do to improve. Your written goals from step 1 come into the picture here. Losing weight, working out, Yoga, veganism, screen-free time with kids, a date with a spouse- your imagination is the only limit. If you are willing to learn something new this year, decide whether it serves a professional purpose or a personal need and categorize accordingly.
You now have the blueprint for what your year does look like. We will discuss how to make it happen in part two of the series. There’s one last thing left to do here.
Take a moment to prioritize your goals. Sort them in order of the ones that you want to accomplish for sure, and ones that you are not very particular about at this point. How you plan for your goals depends immensely on your priorities.
However, don’t use this process as an excuse to ignore those aspects of your life that are going well. Every aspect requires some amount of effort- if you don’t want to do something you, you still need to continue doing the good things you already are. What is one goal that you absolutely want to be accomplished this year?
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