It’s July already! 2012 seems to be racing by so I thought now would be a good time to revisit the blogs I posted in January about goal setting for the year.

If you’ve met some of your goals already, fantastic, this post will help you keep on track. If not, it’s time to sit down and refocus on achieving what you want in 2012.

Where to start? Steven Covey advocates starting with the end in mind but I want to turn that on its head and start with:

What have you achieved in 2012 so far?

• What successes have you had? They don’t have to be huge. Success as measured in terms of what you wanted to happen.
• Who helped contribute to your success? Keep them around and make sure they know they are valued!
• How well did you manage to play to your strengths, to do what you do best and retain inspiration for your business?

What are your goals for the next 6 months?

• How did you make your successes happen? If you want a repeat of the success, what can you do again this year to make it happen again?
• What didn’t happen that you tried to achieve? What do you need to do differently to make it a reality this year?
• What didn’t you make time to even try last year that you really want to go for this year? How are you going to make time for it now? How much of a priority is it?

Just by writing down your considered responses, it will start your creative juices flowing as to how to get on track – but remember five very important steps when writing your goals.

Write your goals in the positive

For example, ‘stop procrastinating over sales calls’ becomes, ‘make x number of sales calls per day’. The power of the written word cannot be overstated, and writing them in the positive gives your subconscious something to act upon. It needs to know what to do to move forward – not what not to do.

Write your goals in the present 

Visualise yourself fulfilling your goals just as athletes see themselves winning their race and standing on the podium. It builds your confidence that you are already doing it – it’s a done deal!

Make goals you can track

You will need to know how far you have travelled, and if you need to take a detour to reach your chosen destination. Remember if you want a different result, you will need to do something differently so make sure you monitor your progress to maintain control.

Step out of your comfort zone and step into your stretch zone.

Whilst making sure your goals are achievable, make sure you are maximising your potential to stimulate personal and business growth.

Review your written goals regularly and share them with those who will encourage and support your efforts. It will help you keep on track and make them happen.

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