This Year Achieve Your Most Important Goal

It’s the New Year. Everyone is setting resolutions. My advice: don’t join them.

Instead set one goal. Since you’re picking one, make it important. And, when you set it, determine an appropriate reward for yourself for achieving the goal.

Now, identify what actions you need to take to make the goal happen. Your goal, for instance, is to improve board relationships. Your action: contact one board member every working day to thank them for one thing they’ve done to help your organization.

Alternatively, you might decide that in the New Year, you will listen better. Your action: at least once per day, stop forming an answer in your head as someone talks. Listen to all they say before considering a response.

And, so on. . .

Once you determine your goal and an action, place a tiny star in your calendar for each day you complete the action. Once per week, tally the results. Once per month, take five minutes to observe your progress. Tweak as necessary throughout the year and don’t forget to reward yourself.

Be disciplined and by next year, you will made huge progress on your important goal–which is more valuable than joining the crowd making or forgetting resolutions.