3 Tips For Setting Powerful Goals… And Making Them Happen!

Will the year ahead be a successful one for you, or will your dreams elude you once again?

Will this be the year that success finally graces your doorstep, or will you end the year wishing again for better things?

There is no ‘right time’ to set goals… the only time is now.

Using proper goal-setting techniques can absolutely mean the difference between goals achieved and goals left unaccomplished.

Are you setting your goals in a way that is conducive to success – or to failure?

How can you be sure your journey to accomplishing your goals will be successful? How can you avoid goal failure?

One important aspect of achieving your annual goals is to be sure not to become too blinkered on your journey. Life happens and goals need to be modified to suit sometimes.

If you’re willing to be flexible and tweak your intentions along the way, the goal success rate increases exponentially.

For that reason, I’ve learned that it’s vital to simply go with the flow and modify your goals from time to time as you navigate through the year.

Now, that doesn’t mean changing the goal posts every time you feel defeated or discover another bright shiny object to distract yourself.

Updating your goals along the way simply means being open to new opportunities that present themselves but still lead towards your ultimate desired outcome.

The Goal Setting Process

What I have found that works best for me as it applies to determining which annual goals I’m interested in accomplishing, is to utilise those last two weeks surrounding the Christmas holiday to simply relax.

Don’t focus on goals or on the year ahead at this time; instead, utilise this time to clear your mind and use that holiday break as a time for refreshing and renewal for yourself.

As the year finishes (around October or November), I like to allocate some quality time to think quietly, without any pressure about what goals I’d like to accomplish in the year ahead.

I may jot down a few notes here and there, or create a simple outline detailing what I might like to achieve, however, I make sure the focus is casual and upbeat.

It’s important to find a balance here. Don’t expect your entire plan to be complete overnight, yet schedule enough time for creating and tweaking your goals so that you have a structure in place.

There are three main principles I follow when creating a plan to accomplish goals. I’ve found these principles to be most effective in terms of assisting me in achieving the goals I’ve set for the year.

1) Be Inspired

The first principle is that you should do your goal setting only when you feel inspired to do so. This may mean you need to create an environment to facilitate this.

Pressure to set goals and intentions can create a negative experience and interferes with your ability to be motivated and creative as you work to accomplish the goals you’ve set.

Instead, get inspired to achieve your goals by considering what you want to accomplish and why you want it.

Get very clear on your “why”, and use that “why” to inspire you to take daily, weekly and monthly action steps toward accomplishing your goals.

Use a goal book or dream board to establish your goals and monitor your progress as you work toward those goals. You can download mine and use it as a template here.

It’s important to use a book or a board that you will cherish and that you can develop an emotional connection with.

Include pictures, colours and other inspirational items when inserting content into your book or board that will create an inviting atmosphere as you use it.

Inspiration and emotion provide a powerful impact when designing and achieving your goals; use that truth to your advantage as you create your goal book and determine your goals for the upcoming year.

2) Goal Setting Is Not Enough… Create An Implementation Plan

The second principle I utilise to ensure goals are achieved is that of a solid implementation plan.

A goal that has the highest likelihood of being achieved is a goal that is partnered with a practical system to reach that goal.

• I use a plan that begins with stating my 12-month goal.
• From there, I work backwards and create actionable steps at 9-month, 6-month and 90, 60, 30 and 7-day intervals that will assist me in achieving the goal I’ve set.
• I record the goal along with the planned completion date, and couple that with the action steps that must be achieved to complete the goal.

By breaking your goal down into bite-sized chunks via the daily, weekly and monthly action plan you’ve set in place, you provide yourself with a greater opportunity to succeed.

Dividing your goal into smaller actionable steps ensures you minimise the chance of becoming overwhelmed by looking only at the seemingly large goal looming ahead.

Another important factor in goal setting success is to choose goals that are achievable, yet a bit outside of your reach.

The objective is to encourage yourself to move outside of your comfort zone and challenge yourself.

3) Be Accountable to Someone

The third principle in a successful goal-setting plan is to ensure accountability by teaming up with another party.

Having an accountability partner encourages you to overcome excuses when your motivation isn’t as intense as you wish it to be.

Weekly or daily check-ins with your accountability partner will assist you in keeping on track with your plan, as you won’t want to disappoint that person who has put time and effort into supporting you as you work toward your goals.

An accountability partner can be anybody: a friend, a colleague, a fellow property investor.

If you are a Property Resource Shop member, you can quickly find an accountability partner on our exclusive Facebook group. If the forum isn’t an option, ask a friend, loved one, or someone in your networking group (and may I suggest you consider joining?).

Having other people to be accountable to, as you work to reach your goals, will give you the added encouragement you need to stay on track with your action plan.

By following this goal-setting process, you set yourself up for business success that will help ensure you accomplish all that you dream of as a property investor. So download my goal-setting template and create your implementation plan. Ten months from now you’ll be happy that you did!