December is the time when people traditionally contemplate making New Year’s Resolutions. I have some thoughts on that.
First, don’t make New Year’s Resolutions; make New Year’s Goals. I’m being a stickler here, but resolutions have become a topic associated with joking and failure. Goals are items we still take seriously.
Second, fewer is better—not ideal, but better. I mean here that the more goals people make, the less they concentrate on fulfilling them. Their attention becomes too divided. An individual is better off making one goal and accomplishing it than twenty goals and realizing none.
Third, balance idealism with reality. A person might want to lose 100 pounds in 2024, but 33 pounds might be the most realistic weight to lose and keep off. Then, the 2025 aspiration can be addressed at the end of 2024.
Fourth, break down primary goals into realistic sub-goals that give you the best shot at fulfilling your primary goal. Take sales for example. You can establish a goal to sell forty widgets in 2024, but how will you meet that target? A technique that might work for you is cold calling 100 prospects each week. In many sales fields, a person who cold calls 100 people will find three willing to meet and hear more about the product. Of those three, one will buy.
In this case, that purchase would be a widget. Do this, and you will sell roughly four widgets each month, which adds up to forty-eight for the year. Congratulations! You reached your target.
Fifth, consider changing how you meet your goal to bring variety into your life and reduce the chance of boring yourself to falling short of your desired result. Returning to sales, perhaps in 2025, you want to sell fifty widgets a month. You decide to change your retail strategy. Instead of focusing on cold calls, you increase your marketing presence, emphasizing social media. It is still sales, just a different technique. And if you accomplish your goal, you’ve inserted another helpful tool into your sales tool chest.
I hope you will consider setting goals for 2024.
May you enjoy great success in your pursuits.