Each January millions of people take a moment to decide on their resolutions for the New Year. Over a cup of coffee they spend a few minutes jotting down some resolutions. They probably have the same four or five items written down each year: lose weight, save money, get fit, reduce stress, etc. And then they do… NOTHING. Perhaps January is a strong month – they hit the gym, eat better, quit smoking, etc. – but by mid-February their resolve has atrophied. They’re back to square one.

You really shouldn’t set resolutions. How many people do you know who have actually stuck to their resolutions 12 months later?

Set GOALS instead.

Goal setting (or even promise setting) puts you in a different frame of mind. When you think ‘goal setting’ you’re in planning and execution mode. Resolutions, in contrast, tend to be statements with no real thought given to how they’re going to become reality.

Goal setting is different because it involves quantifiable results and a timetable to achieve them by. For example, a person’s resolution might be to get their finances in order. If they had outlined a goal, though, they would have clear numbers to aim for and a realistic schedule to reach them by.

With resolutions there is no time frame. By the time June rolls around you probably can’t even recall your resolution list. In contrast, goal setting takes all 12 months in to account. You can even break large goals into smaller goals to be tackled on a month-by-month basis to help you stay on track.

There is also more flexibility with goal setting – it allows for setbacks and comebacks. When you have you a long-term goal in mind, you anticipate that you’ll hit rough patches. When an obstacle is encountered on the way to your goal, it is dealt with as a hurdle to overcome. With a resolution, when you hit a complication, there is a tendency to abandon the resolution and think “well, there is always next year.”

Take smoking, for instance. Someone may hit a stressful period and have a few cigarettes. Now they have it in their mind that they have broken their resolution, so they continue to smoke for the rest of the year. If they had just kept their end goal in mind, recognized their slip-up for what it was – a minor setback – and continued on with their non-smoking goal, they would have not smoked pack after pack of cigarettes for the remainder of the year.

If you want 2009 to blow you away, you need to plan for it and set concrete goals. Treat planning for 2009 as a serious (yet fun!) project. Really put some effort into mapping out your goals for the year.

10 Tips Inspired By Gary Ryan Blair – The GoalsGuy – To Help You Set and Achieve Your Goals in 2009

1. Be Decisive — What is it that you want to achieve this year? You need to decide what you want, why you want it, and how you’re going to achieve it. It’s up to you. No one else can, will or should do that for you.
2. Stay Focused — Your ability to sustain your focus from the beginning to the end determines the timing and conditions of your outcomes. Review your goals regularly to keep on target.
3. Welcome Failure — Remember: resolutions don’t allow for failure, but goals do. Failure happens. It’s an inevitable part of life, but think of it as a temporary condition on the path towards your end goal. The important part is how you’re going to learn and grow from setbacks.
4. Write Down Your Goals — You must write your goals down somewhere or else you’ll forget. If you’ve gone through a thoughtful goal setting process chances are you have significant notes on strategies, timelines, sub-goals, etc. You need to get this information into a format, whether a tidy written document or chart, which you can easily review.
5. Plan Thoroughly — For each goal, you need a plan. You need to map out the who, why, where, when, what and how of your goal. And then you need to put it into actionable steps on a realistic timeline. This will get you executing against your goals much faster.
6. Get Others Involved — Nobody gets through life on their own. Establish your own Personal Board of Directors, people whose knowledge, wisdom and character you respect, to help you reach your goals. You can even make yearly goal setting a group activity with your family or friends. Have a goal setting day where everyone individually maps out their goals for the year. Share your goals with each other and commit to meeting each month to review one another’s goals to keep each other on track and offer support.
7. Take Purposeful Action — Goals aren’t going to achieve themselves on their own. You need to work on them continuously and that means taking action. Don’t save executing on your goals until the final quarter of 2009. Make sure you’re taking many small, purposeful steps towards your goal throughout the year. Every small step should feel positive and build your confidence, because you’re that much closer to your goal. And remember: success is not a spectator sport – achievement demands action.
8. Enjoy the Journey — Attaining a goal is amazing (downright incredible, actually), but the journey must be enjoyed and respected as well. Make sure you take time during your journey from point A to B point to reflect on what you’ve learned as well as the process.
9. Reward Yourself — When you reach your goal or sub-goal take some time to celebrate and pat yourself on the back. Many highly ambitious, accomplished individuals fail to do this. They simply shrug their shoulders and say “what’s next.” Ensure you do something fun and special to symbolize reaching your goal. And make sure you also celebrate smaller milestones along the way. This will help to keep you motivated. You deserve it!
10. Review Your Goals — The shelf life of all plans is limited. Review your goals and action plan frequently and closely. Chances are you might need to do some tweaking here and there as circumstances change. That’s OK. Change is the one thing in life that is constant. It’s about holding the big picture in mind and making creative adjustments to help get you to your end goal.