Focusing on Goals, Not Fears

Happy New Year to all you rut-busters!

Are you having a hard time revving up the old excitement engine? If so, you’re not alone.

For so many people, 2008 was the year of fear, as the economic downturn hit one industry after another. We weren’t just forgoing luxuries but cutting back on necessities. Many of us worried about making our house payment, paying utility bills or even just feeding our families.

And while politicians promise that change is coming, we aren’t sure if it will come fast enough or be broad enough to help us get back on stable ground.

I wish I had a crystal ball, so I could tell you what the future holds. But I don’t. But what I can tell (from past experience) is that worrying about what might happen achieves nothing but an increase to your stress level.

When you find yourself whirling out of control on the fear spinning wheel, take 30 minutes for worst-case scenario thinking. Go one step further: write down everything that you imagine is going to happen. Itemize your fears. Get them down on paper and out of your head.

Now, look at the first one and imagine it happened. What will you do next? Come up with a way to handle it, write it down and move on to the next one. With any luck at all, you won’t need most or any of these solutions but it’s good to know that you have them ready to implement.

Then shift from crisis planning to goal-setting. What do you want to accomplish in 2009? What dreams do you want to turn into reality? What objectives do you want to achieve? Take another 30 minutes and list every one of them—big and small, major or minor, personal or professional.

Finally, boost your morale by making a third list—your list of past successes. Why does this matter? When you remind yourself what you accomplished or overcame in the past, you are strengthening your belief in your ability to succeed in the future.

And if you are having trouble setting some goals, ask yourself these three key questions:

• What do I want to change about my life—or myself—and why do I want these changes? It’s always better to have a reward-based reason, rather than fear-based one, when it comes to making changes. For example, if your goal is stop smoking, do it so you can breathe better, not so you won’t get cancer. If you want to stop spending money foolishly, do it so you have money for what really matters, not so you don’t end up in bankruptcy court. Motivation matters—and the more positive the reward, the more likely you’ll stick to it.

• What goals have I set year after year—and what has stopped me from achieving them? Many of you don’t need to write out brand-new New Year’s resolutions—all you have to do is change the date from last year to this year. There is a reason why the same goals end up on your list year after year. Your job is to figure out why. Is it due to a lack of commitment on your part? Have you failed to define the goal clearly? Or does the goal no longer fit the person you are—or the person you want to become? Once you know where the problem is, you can take steps to correct it.
  

• What can I do to keep my forward momentum strong—even when the going gets tough and the roadblocks are mountain-size? You need to develop a workable strategy for overcoming the stumbling blocks that keep you from meeting your goal. While you’re at it, get some back-up in the form of a Change Team: people who will encourage, advise and, if necessary, push you!

Happy New Year!