Sticking to your 2014 goals

03 Jan

Last month I blogged and made a short video about goal planning for 2014. I set out the case as to why the most successful people in the world create clear, structured, precise objectives, and offered some practical tips on how we can all do this.

Setting big life goals is essential for success. But, of course, sticking to them is equally as vital.

Statistically, half way through January is when most people start to flounder a little with the pursuit of their established New Year goals. So, how can we avoid ever getting to that point?

Get obsessed. Your goals should obsess you; you should be thinking about how you can move towards them all day, every day; they should be the first thing you think about when you wake up and the last thing you think about before you go to bed. If you’re not compelled by them to that degree, your ‘goals list’ is merely a ‘wish list’, which is nowhere near as powerful. Think andstrategies continually on making goal progress. As it becomes mentally all-consuming this, in my opinion, is the best way to reach the ‘Point of No Return’ (PNR). Obviously, PNR is a technical term in air navigation that refers to the point at which,usually due to fuel limitations, a plane is no longer able to return to the destination from which it took off, but you get the metaphor!

Get emotional. If you give your goals an emotional reason to achieve them, you are significantly more likely to stick to them. For example, if your goal is to double your income this year, next to that goal write down specific emotional benefits, such as being able to put your children in the best school in order to give them the absolute best possible start in life in this increasingly competitive and globalized world. When you’re utterly emotionally invested in something you’re more focused and more determined when any challenges come your way

Get reviewing. As wealth management professionals we understand the importance of monitoring clients’ long-term financial objectives to ensure they are still on-target. But this philosophy is just as crucial when it comes to our own goals. Stuff happens, we meet new people, we go to events and different places, circumstances changeand develop, and as such we need to consistently review our progress towards goals to make sure we’re going to hit them in the most effective, positive way and in the shortest time possible. The question should be: Am I taking full advantage of every opportunity right now?

Setting and then persisting with defined goals is the way to true success and really feeling alive. Here’s to your best 2014

Nigel Green deVere Group