Prepare for a decade, plan for a year. Discover four steps to creating lasting goals.

17 Jan Prepare for a decade, plan for a year. Discover four steps to creating lasting goals.

The future has a way of showing up whether we ask for it or not, and it pays to be ready for it.” — Seth Godin

If your new year’s plan isn’t goal-based, challenging, and forward-looking, then permit me to state what’s obvious, you are limiting yourself, and invariably, you will be inadequately prepared for what’s ahead.

While we are on this issue, can you please forget about making resolutions and focus on goals. I understand how emotional we get with resolutions, but the research informs us about the high failure rate and confirms why goals are better guides for driving lasting change.

Well, since I gave up on resolutions a decade ago and committed to goals, I have found this process to be more fulfilling, definitive, and manageable.

Prepare for a decade, plan for a year

This is not a new concept; many organizations and nations typically have long-term goals. Here are some examples – 

1. Today, Microsoft announced an ambitious goal and a detailed plan to become carbon negative by 2030. Not only for their direct emissions but for their supply and value chains as well. We’re also committing that by 2050 we’ll remove from the environment all the carbon Microsoft has emitted either directly or for electricity consumption since the company was founded in 1975. Read more here: https://www.businessinsider.com/microsoft-climate-change-carbon-negative-plan-2020-1
2. China laid out a policy in 2017 that stated the following – “The government expects its companies and research facilities to be at the same level as leading countries like the United States by 2020. By 2030, China will “become the world’s premier artificial intelligence innovation center,” which in turn will “foster a new national leadership and establish the key fundamentals for great economic power.” Read more here: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/20/business/china-artificial-intelligence.html
3. In 2015, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, was adopted by all United Nations Member States which provided a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future. At its heart are the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are an urgent call for action by all countries – developed and developing – in a global partnership.” Read more here: https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/?

What’s my point?

Here’s the deal, so if planning for a decade is commonplace, why is your plan only for a year? I think dreams do not have to be boxed in, and I also perceive that this is the right time for us to ‘go long,’ cast our vision more extensive than the usual, take some risks, and explore the amazing possibilities of a new decade.

This happened to me during my review and planning session late last year, as I began to prepare for the new year. Planning for the year felt ‘safe,’ and I wanted to venture out a little bit and decided to focus on ‘moonshot’ goals for the decade and work backward to the new year, 2020.

It was somewhat scary but liberating as I allowed my mind to think bigger and bolder while asking the question, “how can I create a long-term, sustainable life that rewards me (my family/circle) spiritually, emotionally, intellectually, and financially?

I want to challenge you to consider the same, and here’s how I did it. I hope you will journey along with me. Here are the four steps to creating lasting goals.

Step 1: Identify

It is essential to know what type of goals you want. If you don’t know where you are going, how will you know when you get there? Start with the concept of three types of goals: short term goals, long term goals, and lifetime goals and attempt to answer these questions –

1. What is my purpose, and how do my goals fit into my mission?
2. What key insights and lessons did I learn or discover in 2019?
3. What goals did I accomplish, which habits helped me achieve them, and which habits must I continue or stop in the new year?
4. How closely aligned and coupled are my goals and habits?

Step 2: Write

Writing is an important component of goal setting that helps me confirm my intentions. When you write your goals, focus on making them smart (specific, measurable, actionable, realistic, and time-specific) 

As you write your goals, permit yourself to be audacious, go big and bold. I love this famous quote about scary goals, “If your goals don’t scare you,” then they are not big enough. Don’t forget that the key to writing goals down is to obtain clarity and alignment that propels passionate action.

Remember, once you read your goals, you should feel compelled to act.

Step 3: Align

Associate your goals with experiences. Set milestones/feedback sessions on a repeatable cadence monthly, quarterly, or bi-annually. Identify a few mentors and coaches that will hold you accountable.

Step 4: Execute

Identify who will hold you accountable. Pray over your plans, and get to it. An excellent way to keep yourself honest with the plan is to ask, “how can I be better every day?

Lastly, remember the endless possibilities of the new year and decade are ahead of you, and I am confident that this will be our best year yet.

To your unending success now and always,

Dr. Flo

Dr. Flo is a #Hybrid Leader, focused on developing current leaders, empowering future leaders, and amplifying hybrid leaders. An Organizational Effectiveness/Leadership Consultant & Executive Coach and the host of the Leadership Coach Podcast on Spotify & iTunes.

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