Tips for setting SMART powerful bold goals and crushing them

Best Year Yet: Prep, Plan, Set & Crush Goals! Tips for setting SMART powerful bold goals and crushing them in the New Year! 

2020 is almost gone, whoa, can you believe it!?!?

I know many people are counting down the days to say goodbye to this extremely challenging year, but honestly, with being in lockdown for almost 10 months, I can’t believe how fast the year flew by, like whaaat!? 

Now’s the time when most of us start looking at the new year and planning our short and long-term goals. Have you given thought to what you want to accomplish next year? If not, I highly recommend that you do! 

P.S. Do NOT make resolutions but set SMART goals

If you know me, you know all too well that I’ve already begun to prepare my goals for next year, and let me tell you, they are BIG! Go big or go home right? Goal setting is one of my favorite things so I’ve put together this blog post to support YOU in setting your goals and crushing them. 

Preparing is the first step you need to take toward achieving your goals. By taking the time to put together an actionable plan, it gets you one step closer to achieving what your heart desires and living your purpose. 

You’re probably thinking, that’s great and all but how am I supposed to prepare for this? Don’t I just set a goal and go for it? 

The answer is NOPE! 

By being prepared beforehand it increases the odds you’ll actually reach your goal! 

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Tips to prepare and plan for a productive & successful year?

Ready to get prepared? Here’s everything you need to know! 

But first, take some time to reflect on what your 2020 was like – the good, the bad, and the ugly. 

1. Know what your hard NO’s are, BOUNDARIES!

To be productive in 2021 you need to be extremely clear on what you are not willing to do. Consider activities and projects that don’t fit your goals, or that you’ve found you don’t enjoy and scrap what doesn’t fit. If you find that there are some items on your list that you’re on the fence about, create a NOT now list too. That way you can refer back to it if you find you have the time and desire to. 

2. Commit to becoming a planner

I thrive on planning but I understand that this is a tough one for many people. In order to reach your goals, you need to make a plan and stick to it. For goals to become more than dreams, they need an actionable plan with due dates (more on that later!) that you’ll need to focus on. If you’re not used to planning out your steps this can be a bit of a tough shift. To make it easier, outline your to do’s as clear and straightforward as possible. And simply commit. It takes time to make a shift to a new way of doing things so don’t beat yourself up if you’re not perfect at this to start. 

3. Learn to ask for help

It is so incredibly difficult to ask for help for many people (I used to be one of them too, not anymore!). Look at your personal and professional life. Where were you feeling added pressure in 2020? Maybe it’s with your grocery shopping or your house cleaning, or maybe you’re feeling overstretched by new work responsibilities. Whatever it is that is weighing heavily on you, arrange to get help with it or at least set a meeting to discuss the options. You don’t need to spend all of 2021 feeling the same way as you did in 2020 when there are options available to support you. 

4. Finish up incomplete to do’s

If you have items on your list from 2020 that never got completed, finish them up before the end of the year if you can. When you go into 2021 you will be able to clearly focus on the goals you have set for yourself if there isn’t something holding you back from 2020 that remains incomplete. If you can’t, then let them go. For real though, file them away and cut yourself some slack. Chances are if they never got done it’s either because 1) you were over-scheduled. 2) or it wasn’t important to begin with. 

5. Know your limits and stick to them

No one can do everything, be everything, and have everything, and putting that pressure on yourself will derail your goals. Learn what your limitations are and be sure that you account for them in your personal or business goals. It can be hard to create boundaries but you need to for your own mental health, wellbeing, and for the sake of your goals and the life you want to create. You don’t have to do it all! 

Once you’ve spent time getting prepared, next focus on creating your goals. The more thought and effort you put in as you create your goals, and the more clear you are about them, the higher the chances of you achieving those goals.

12 SIMPLE RULES AKA TIPS TO FOLLOW TO CREATE GOALD & LEAD YOU TO SUCCESS

With each passing year, my goal-setting process becomes a little more detailed (and a little more elaborate) which is what helps keep me on track and in turn makes me hit ‘em goals out of the park, and then some! 

But if you are just getting started, I do not want to overwhelm you, so when creating your goals follow these 12 simple rules to lead you to success —

1. Create your vision for 2021

When you look into the future, what do you want your year to look like? By taking some time to sit down and visualize how life will look, and how do you want to feel at the end of the year, it will create a clear picture in your mind making it easier to set goals and stick to them. True ultimate motivation is when you have a vision that can show you what life looks like in the future. Take it a step further and create your vision board. 

2. Think about your why

When we set goals for ourselves there is ALWAYS a reason behind it. When you’re creating your goals for 2021 take some time to sit down and determine why you want to achieve what you’re working towards. Your why could have to do with personal development, professional development, or even your family. By including your why in your goal planning, it can help you stay on track when things become challenging or if you need a quick reminder to stay motivated. 

3. Set goals that motivate you

Motivation is a factor in everything we do. It’s no secret that if we are motivated and inspired to do anything, we get it done faster, and better. This applies to goal setting too! When considering what you want to achieve in 2021, listen to your gut instinct. What lights you up? What makes you excited to get to work on? Whatever it is that ignites your soul should be the basis for your goals. You want to spend 2021 jumping out of bed in the morning excited about working toward them! 

4. Set SMART goals

This acronym holds more power than many people give it.

Specific: Create goals that are clear. This is not a time to be vague. Outline exactly what you want to accomplish, with even the slightest details included.

Measurable: Include measurable items in your goal. This can include dates, dollar amounts, numbers of products sold, or anything else that is clearly measurable. When you include these specifics, it makes it more likely that you will achieve your goals because you can see the progress you’re making, clearly.

Attainable: Now, of course, we want to shoot for the moon, but don’t set your sights on something that is in no way possible to achieve. Failure is not encouraging or helpful when working toward your goals. You need to find a happy medium between making goals that are too easy and ones that are unrealistic.

Relevant: Be sure you are creating goals that are relevant to your life or career and where you want to be so that you’re not wasting time. Spending your time reaching a goal that no longer serves you eats away at the precious time you could have used to move forward toward that life you’ve been dreaming of.

Time-bound: All goals must have a specific deadline and should be broken down into tasks that lead up to that goal with a deadline for those specific tasks. (See below for more details on this one!) 

5. Put it in writing

I can’t stress how crucial this is! By writing down your goals it makes them real. Focus on “I Will” statements to shift your mindset from wanting something to happen to make it happen. 

6. Create a plan of action

Many people skip or miss this step when they set goals. When we get focused on the big picture we tend to forget that it takes small steps to get there. Break your goals down into small tasks that work toward achieving that goal. Writing out these individual steps with deadlines will help keep you on track, especially if your goal is a long term one. 

7. Stick to it

Remind yourself that goal setting isn’t a one-off task. As you reach goals or what you want to achieve changes, you need to continually update your goals. Add reminders to your schedule and plan certain times to have goal-setting sessions throughout the year. 

8. Create a system for accountability

We all fall off the wagon in the motivation department from time to time. By sharing your goals with others you create a system of accountability. On your journey toward reaching your goals, there are going to be challenging times and times when you want to give up. If you’ve created a system of accountability, you are more likely to stay on track.  When there is someone else rooting for you, it can really help push you through.

9. Acknowledge every step on your journey

Working toward goals is tough! It really truly is at times. When you achieve certain steps on your way to achieving your goal, it’s no small feat to check any one of your to-do’s off your list. Take time to acknowledge that each task you finish gets you one step closer to your final reward – achieving your goal! Pat yourself on the back, friend!

10. Create a reward system

When working toward your goals, establishing a reward system can be a great way to keep yourself on track and motivated. Rewards can truly be anything you enjoy from a spa day to splurging on an activity you enjoy or a new article of clothing. Stick to those goals, and reward yourself for going for it! 

11. Check in with yourself

To have that productive 2021 you have planned for, set time aside to get honest with yourself about where you are and what you need to do. If you’re not on track, give yourself a reminder and if you are, pat yourself on the back. Be sure to set time monthly and/or quarterly to evaluate your progress, goals, and to-do’s to get you there!

12. Rinse and repeat

As your goals change (which it will) any time in the year, go through these steps as you update them so you aren’t waiting until another New Year to get clear on those goals and then worry about how to crush them? 

Okay so you’ve done the work to prepare and set your goals and may be wondering, how the hell do I execute them and get this done? 

Friend, I’m here to tell you that you’ve already done the hard part! You’ve prepared for your goals and created the ideal environment to achieve success. You’ve also created your goals and broken them down into bite-sized pieces of actionable to-do’s that you can get cracking on. 

All that’s left is for you to sit down and get to work. Map out those bite-sized pieces in your calendar or task management system (I am all about Trello) and get going. As you check things off your list you WILL begin to feel like the powerhouse you are! And when things get tough (and they no doubt will from time to time!) remind yourself of the bigger picture and why you’re doing what you’re doing. 

Goes without saying, feel free to reach out to me if you need help either with setting clear goals and/or help with accomplishing those goals, I got your back! My life coaching clients are knocking the ball out of the park with their goals #nojoke 

Get shit done in 2021 and be unapologetically YOU! As I always say, make the New Year your best dang year yet! 

“A goal without a plan is just a wish.”

Namaste,

Kusum