Another year is almost over! Hard to believe, every year seems to go by a little faster doesn’t it? As this year is coming to a close it’s a good time to take a minute to reflect. I know this time of year can be very busy with holiday festivities but taking a look back is always a good idea. So, how was it? Did you set goals at the beginning of the year? Did you accomplish them? Maybe you accomplished every goal you had set and hit it out of the park, nice job! But if you’re like most people, maybe you didn’t. Now is the time to reflect and analyze what went well, what could be improved upon, and what needs to be done to have an even better year next year! A major step in successfully completing your goals is to, well, set them; not only just set them but think about something that is realistic, specific and measurable. If you set goals under these circumstances you should know how well you did this past year. If you didn’t, this next year is the best time to start! If you’re like me setting goals might not come as such an easy task, here are some tips to help.
1. Think about what you want. This is the starting point, because if you don’t know what you want to accomplish then there isn’t really anything to work toward. Maybe you want to make more money investing, improve on talking to sellers, or just increase your number of transactions.
2. Be specific. Now that you have a general idea of the things you want to accomplish in the next year, it’s time to break each one down a little more. Try making your goal a SMART goal; Specific: Be very specific in what your goal is
Measureable: Create an exact metric or target. Is there a way you can measure if you accomplished your goal? This can be a specific dollar amount, an action, something that’s going to make it easy to see where you stand. Choose something concrete so you know exactly what you are working towards and if you have achieved it.
Attainable: Is your goal something that you can and will achieve? What actions are you going to take that will get you to your goal? Put your project plan here, and include the steps you’ll need to take to achieve your goal.
Realistic: Is it reasonable for you to take all of the actions you have outlined in the time you have allotted? If you take the actions in the timeframe you have set, will you achieve your goal?
Timely: Set a precise deadline to achieve the goal. We have been talking about yearly goals, but setting a few milestones along the way is best to know how you’re doing on achieving the overall goal. This way you’ll know if you’re on the right track or if you’ve fallen behind.
3. My last tip is up to you: believe. Believe in yourself and your ability to accomplish what you set your mind to do. Often we sell ourselves a little short, set easy goals because then you can’t fail right? But that’s not challenging you to improve, to be better, and to grow. So believe in yourself and your goals, and try.
This past year may not have been your best, but you have the choice to turn it around this coming year. Figure out what is important to you, what you want to accomplish and then… do it! Make this next year the most successful one yet!
