In our January question of the month, we asked about your attitude toward setting New Year’s resolutions, and the results show that a majority of you are motivated to make a positive change in 2014.
According to the poll, 28% of respondents said “2014 is my year! Nothing’s going to stand in my way!” Another 27% were slightly less “gung-ho,” but none the less focused on making a positive change in the new year and answered, “Resolutions are a great start, but I know I’ll need help staying focused.” Slightly more than 8% of respondents admitted that their resolutions would likely only stick for a few weeks.
Somewhat surprisingly, 31% of people who responded to the poll flat out said “New Year’s resolutions are pointless,” which for some people may be true. However, there is a lot to be said about the power of a well-written, strategically developed goal to make a positive change.
Goal Setting helps you focus
People generally don’t go around performing random tasks without any kind of agenda. From moving a business forward to simply staving off boredom, there’s always going to be some kind of motivation behind everything we do. The most important function of a well-thought-out goal is to act as a beacon leading the way to positive change and success. When you set well-defined, realistic, and attainable goals, you’re giving yourself a specific target to work toward, which makes it much easier to focus your energy and resources in the right direction.
Goal Setting helps you stay accountable
Whether they’re detailed through a series of spreadsheets, charts, and memos or declared with a giant handwritten banner hung across the breakroom wall, goals provide a means to maintaining accountability. One of the best tactics to hold yourself and your team accountable to a specific goal is to share it. By building a cheering section of co-workers and colleagues, you’re stacking the deck in your favor making staying on track that much easier.
Goal Setting gives you a reason to celebrate… and a reason to set another
There’s nothing quite like the feeling of accomplishment that comes with achieving a lofty goal. All the hard work and elbow grease has paid off and now the spoils of victory are yours. It’s an incredible feeling, and one that only helps provide the drive to set your next goal. In fact, even indulging in a few morale-boosting, mini-celebrations as you reach key milestones along the way to achieving your overall goal can be very beneficial to maintaining focus and accountability.
How do goals help drive positive change in your life? What mechanisms and tactics do you have in place to aid your goal setting process? Let us know in the comments section below.
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