How to turn your 2021 goals into a reality 

With 2021 just around the corner, it is the perfect time to start thinking about the goals that we would like to achieve for the upcoming year, and what we are going to do to ensure we successfully achieve these goals. Steve Jobs said; “The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.”
 

Goal-setting
Before we can achieve our goals, we first have to decide what exactly we would like to achieve. Have you ever made plans with a friend to meet them at a restaurant? How did you know at which restaurant to meet them and at what time? You had the specifics. Would you have been able to meet them at the right place at the right time if you didn’t have all the information? No. It is the same with goal-setting – if you don’t know the specifics, achieving your goals will not happen.

Here’s a question for you: When you have set a goal in the past, how have you behaved around the pursuing of the goal? For some people, they do not start until they feel everything is perfect. That is a recipe for failing to achieve what is possible. If you are asked to leave your house and drive to the restaurant as mentioned in the previous paragraph, would you wait until all the traffic lights are green before you leave your house? Your answer will most probably be “no, that would be insane”. The sad reality is that this is what happens often when you pursue your goals. The first step after you set your goals is telling your family member or friend about your goal, so that you create momentum. You will get the green lights along the way as well as the red lights and the detours, which are the obstacles you need to overcome.  

We tend to concentrate on what we need to add to our lives to achieve our goals. I believe this is only one truth, the other truth is about what you must let go of, which refers to our interferences.  

Performance = Potential fewer interferences
You improve your performance by reducing your interferences.  

Interferences can show up in the following ways:  

• The meaning I give to things that are not empowering me. The most recent example is the situation around COVID-19. The pandemic is a reality, the meaning you give it will either empower you or disempower you.  

• Decision making. Are you procrastinating on making decisions? Are you over–analysing the situation before making a decision and letting the opportunities slip through the cracks because you are not taking action?  
• Suppressed energy. Could be based on a low ambition that you are experiencing or you are perhaps allowing the external world to determine your level of energy.  
• Ignorance. You usually ignore certain success principles; such as having a plan in place, a learning plan, execution culture, etc. – because you want to do it your way and as a result, you rob yourself of an elevated quality of business and life.
  

Perhaps one of the above is your interference. Consider what it costs you and what is your level of readiness to confront it and make the change!

Unfortunately, there are no shortcuts. You won’t win a golf championship by only taking one club with you in your golf bag. What do the different golf clubs represent for you in pursuing your goals? Firstly, you have to start your game and you have to finish it. The secret of success is in completion.   

Take the following with you:  

• Simple action steps that can be executed consistently.  
• Manifest your realities, in the same way a golfer visualises their shot before taking the shot. Visualise your experiences towards pursuing your goal.   
• A learning spirit. When things don’t go to according to your plan, take your learnings and correct towards execution.  
• Ticking your progress by measuring the critical activities that will definitely take you closer to your goals.  
• Ask someone reliable to keep you accountable for your daily and weekly goals.  
• Celebrate your successes towards your goals. In the same way that the golfer celebrates their great shot with a positive gesture that confirms he or she is moving towards their goal, you do the same by confirming that you are winning and release further energy and excitement.
  

On your journey towards your goals, watch out for the enemies that often come in the form of limiting beliefs. You can compare it to when you are driving in a rainstorm. When you are switching on the wipers, do you focus on the road ahead or are you focusing on the wipers? When you are focusing on the wipers, you will have big trouble, but when you focus on the road ahead of you and ignore the wiper distractions, you will arrive safely at your destination. Similarly, FOCUS on the goal and be aware of the limiting belief and replace it with an empowering belief that will take you towards your goals. Good luck with setting and achieving your goals in 2021 – you’ve got this! 

Francois Lubbe, ActionCOACH Business Coach
francoislubbe.actioncoach.com | francoislubbe@actioncoach.com