Happy New Year! Was 2013 a great year for you? Maybe not so much. Either way, are you ready to make 2014 your best year ever?
As my good friend used to tell his four-year-old son, “It’s good to want.” Wanting doesn’t necessarily make something happen though, especially when that something involves ice cream before dinner! So here are three simple steps for not just wanting or hoping or even thinking that maybe this could be your best year ever. Instead, we’re actually going to declare it and then make it your best year ever.
- Determine where you’ll be in January 2015 – Yes, that’s right! One of the keys to your success this year is defining exactly what you will accomplish (i.e., where you’ll be) by year-end. You have to know where you are going in order to get there. Otherwise, you are leaving your life and the results you produce this year up to dumb luck and circumstance rather than an intentional plan. For most, I would recommend no more than three to five strategic objectives spread across organizational performance areas like Customers, Employees, Operations, etc.
- Establish your 30-60-90 day micro goals – If we consider the one-year goals you establish for January 2015 to be “macro goals”, then your next step is to establish the “micro goals” that will get you there. Think of these as the first few kilometers in a 5K race. You can’t cross the finish line without completing your first kilometer, or second, or third, or fourth. Micro goals are the shorter-term targets that will keep you on track to the finish line. They also help make it feel like a much shorter race and minimize the distractions and personal fatigue that might come up for you along the way.
- Conduct a quick Start-Stop-Continue assessment of what you need to do differently in the year ahead – With your goals in place, you now need to determine which of your past behaviors and actions from 2013 will serve you well in 2014 and CONTINUE these to achieve your goals. What new behaviors or actions might be needed given where you are now and where you are going in the year ahead? START these to achieve your goals. Finally, what do you need to STOP doing immediately given your strategic direction for 2014?
Having 2014 be your best year ever is well within your control and very much within reason. You just have to follow these three simple steps to declare it and then make it happen. Sure, there will be others involved in your business and broader life this year who will contribute and can support you in this effort. It all starts with your envisioning it and declaring it though for them to be clear about where you are going and what role they may play to help get you there.
And don’t let this powerful visioning activity become just another New Year’s resolution to go by the way side next week or even next month. Achieving your goals will require ongoing commitment and dedication once this foundation is set.
