As you know, most goals, especially after the New Year, are foregone conclusions. Just go into any gym or health club the first week and it's packed. In fact, gym memberships are at an all time high for the year. Go into that same gym a couple of weeks later and you'll see a big difference as goals and New Year's resolutions fade. The same goes for diets, time you plan on spending with your kids, relationships you're looking to improve (or end), and some other very good intentions.
Depressing, huh?
In order for goals to be accomplished, they must be focused on the right things, for the right reasons, and be part of your every day. If they're not, you won't achieve them. Simple as that.
Here are some guidelines to follow when establishing (and ultimately accomplishing) your goals.
Be SMART.
Your goals must be SMART, which is an acronym for Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Realistic, and Timed. Specific enough to be understandable, measurable enough to be tracked, actionable enough to prompt activity, realistic enough to be achievable — but just barely — and timed enough to have a start date, end date, or both.
Be accountable.
How will you hold yourself accountable? Sales people and certainly financial advisors struggle with accountability. At times, we all do! Share your goals with your sales manager or other advisors. In fact, have another advisor (or other accountability partner) hold you true to your goals and you can do the same for them. What gets measured gets done!
Be a writer.
As in write them down! Do this the old fashioned way — grab a pen, pencil, or Sharpie and write your goals down. On a whiteboard perhaps! There have been studies that suggest that actually writing your goals down (pen to paper) make you five times more likely to recall and act upon the information. There's something about the touch and feel of your goals that make them come to life.
Be visual.
