New Year - A Brand New Beginning!

Welcome to 2010! I feel so excited about this year because there is so much ahead of us to accomplish, and I'm looking forward to achieving them. You see, one thing is to set a goal to achieve and another thing is to set strategies to achieve them.Personally, I've a lot to achieve this year but it will only be a day dream if I do not set some strategic targets or tasks on how to achieve them. A lot of times we set New Year resolutions that are not resolute. As the saying goes, "many people look forward to the New Year for a new start on old habits".

To some people, a New Years resolution is something that goes in one Year and out the other. Let's be honest, how many times have we set our minds each New Year to achieve certain goals and you find yourself unable to achieve any of them? You discover that the resolution we make do not pass the first few weeks of the year, and then we forget our resolutions-back to our usual lifestyle that has always yielded the same old result that we don't want.

In this 2010 maiden edition of my article, I will be sharing with you the areas you need to set some goals and some strategic tasks you need to achieve them. The areas I will be sharing with you are only suggestions. I trust you already have some goals to achieve this year. Thus, mine should be an addition to yours. One of my many goals for this year was to become a "certified life coach" before the end of January 2010. You know what? That goal has been achieved. It didn't just happen for goal setting sake but by setting daily targets and tasks, and working towards it with dedication and determination, I achieved it right on time. You should understand that setting a goal is important but it's not the success itself. The strategies you put in place to achieve it is what matters. Thus, I will be laying more emphasis on how you can achieve your goals. Now, lets' begin by looking at some areas you can set your goals for this year:

1. Career Goals: Academically and career wise, where would you want to be?
2. Financial Goals: Do you want to be financially buoyant? What goals do you have?
3. Relationship Goals: Are you looking at engaging yourself in profitable relationships?
4. Job/Work Goals: What level or position do you want to attain in your workplace?
5. Personal Development Goals: What plans do you have to develop yourself mentally?
6. Spiritual Goals: Do you have plans in place to get closer to God?
7. Business Advancement Goals: As an entrepreneur, what goals do you have for your business?
8. Family Goals: How much time do you want to spend with your family this year?
9. Networking Goals: How many personal & business contacts do you want to build?
10. Health & Fitness Goals: What are your plans to keep in shape?

Before exploring some of the strategies you need to execute in achieving your goals, here are some questions I would like you to ask yourself:

i. Have you ever set a goal? If yes, is it "passive" or "active" goal?
ii. In what areas of your life do you set most of your goals? (Work, finance, family etc.)
iii. In the past, what processes or steps did you follow to achieve your goals?
iv. How do you track your goals?
v. What has hindered you from achieving your goals in the past?
vi. If you could do anything now, with the life you have ahead of you, what would it be?
vii. If you could change anything about your future (the way you see it now), what would it be?
viii. If you could do anything you wanted to do, starting now, what would it be?
ix. Now let's go to your present - and the goals you want to achieve now. What are the goals you want to achieve first this year?

I think you should pay close attention to the above questions, and answer them as honestly as possible. Right now, I would also like you to pay close attention to some of the strategies I'm about to share with you. One of the basic rules of setting and achieving goals is that goal-setting is a skill anyone can learn. For your goals to be achieved, you should note the following: Identify the goal you want to achieve, write it down (it doesn't make sense storing it in your brain); set the date for completion; list the obstacles to reaching the goal; write and date the action steps you would want to take to reaching the goal; prioritize your goals; review and track your progress on schedule; and finally, update any goal, date, or action step that isn't working. Remember, you can never achieve your goals when you lack clarity of what you want to achieve, and also not putting the above outlined strategies in place. I wish you all the best for this year.

By Elvis Ukpaka