Do you set New Year’s Resolutions? I don’t although throughout the year I will adjust goals or set new goals if I desire.
I’ve never found value in setting new goals simply because the calendar year was about to change. It seems to me such an approach could naturally lead to failure because such a goal setting exercise is driven by an external driver, that is the start of a new calendar year, rather than an internal driver, such as the burning desire to learn a new skill or complete a long delayed project or task.
That said, many people do set New Year’s resolutions and if that works for someone then I think that’s great. While it doesn’t work for me personally, any process that is helpful in enabling an individual to make progress and feel good about them self is fine with me. So with that in mind I share this link to seven tips from Toastmasters International on successfully keeping resolutions. And I will add an 8th tip to this list.
My additional tip, an 8th tip, is to tell some people about your goals. You
can share with one person, or many people.
In my experience such sharing is helpful for several reasons;
1. Adds a Level of Commitment. When I have told someone what I was working
to accomplish, I felt more committed to making progress. If you’re reluctant to share a goal, then
perhaps you are not committed and willing to put in the necessary work. But such reluctance could also be a result of
not being sure of the amount of work and the next steps, of precisely what will
be involved. However to have a goal doesn’t mean that you need to have
everything figured out. This leads me to the next two reasons.
2. Clarifies Goals. We know that goals really
should be quite specific, and clarifying questions from someone or an audience
may enable better specificity. For example
some years ago I had a goal to write a book and during a presentation an
audience member simply asked when I wanted to be published. I hadn’t yet committed myself to a timeline
and the question made me think and answer with a reasonable and attainable target
date which I did ultimately reach.
3. Enables Supporters. When you share what you wish to accomplish, you might find people to help. Someone may directly engage, or connect you with somebody with similar ambitions. When I spoke about writing a book an audience member mentioned that she knew of someone who edits as a part time job, and that connection has been very valuable to me.
An ideal way to tell people about your goals is to speak about the goals as a member at a Toastmasters club, preferably in the form of a speech. A simple speech structure of what goals, why these goals, and next steps and/or progress should provide five to six minutes of solid material. Such a speech could be from a personal perspective or an organizational perspective. A Toastmasters club is filled with attentive, supportive listeners who become eager to receive and offer suggestions and feedback as part of the experiential learning environment.
It’s the time of year when many people set goals. Whether you’re driven by the change of
calendar, a desire to acquire new
skills, or complete some tasks I wish you success in achieving your goals.
