The New Year is here.
It seems like yesterday we welcomed the new year. See how the days are flying past. I don’t know if I’m the only one who has noticed this.
You may had high hopes for 2016, made plans, set goals but if you have not put in place a system that helps you achieve these goals, I am sorry to say – you might just have taken a trip to fantasy land.
A goal without a plan is just a wish – Anonymous
I’d like to see 2016 as a baby that has been born. Before the birth of any child, there are expectations which heighten as the Expected Due Date (EDD) draws near. Same thing with the New Year. Almost everyone has some form of New Year resolution, bucket list or goals template that has the list of all that they hope to achieve or desire to be in 2016.
These tips will help you bring those dreams to reality.
1. Realize that 2016 is different from other years
If you entered 2016 the same way you did 2015, you have already made a big mistake.
Every would-be mother has always heard this – No child or pregnancy is the same. Whether it’s your first child or your fifth, you can’t have the same symptoms, cravings and experiences in the same degree.
It is the same for each year. Each year is peculiar and the earlier you plan your activities with these in mind, the better prepared you are towards getting your goals achieved.
Government policies, international events and world matters have a way of influencing finances. For instance, the price of crude oil at the beginning of 2015 is certainly not the same this January 2016. So, if you are in an economy that is likely to be impacted by crude oil prices, then that should be a key determining factor in your estimated budget and plans for the year.
What’s on the lips of everyone today is dollar price has gone up, dollar this, dollar that. Or is it the recent Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) directive that banned the use of Nigeria-issued Debit Cards internationally.
So many people have taken to social media to vent their frustrations and become Lawmakers. The question is, have you found an alternative to fund your business? It’s a different year. New strategies must be employed to achieve great results.
2. Walk the Talk
Everyone has big goals. But to really achieve them, you must be willing to put in the work to get it done. Statistics have shown that only about 8% of people who make New Year resolutions actually achieve them. The same thing with goals. It’s what you do after the goal setting that matters.
Don’t shy away from experiences that will stretch you. Don’t be afraid to get your hands and feet dirty.
Because you have little or no control over the events of the year, it’s safe to assume that a lot will happen and some will attempt to sway you from getting things done.
You should have a way to keep yourself in check, to remind yourself of your goals, why you set them in the first place, where you are now, and what changes you need to make in order to get back on track and hit the bull’s eye in the shortest possible time.
You need to outline the tools you would need to achieve the goals, whether it is a degree or certification, a skill to be learned, some mentoring to get or some money to be put aside and invested.
3. Nurture Your Dreams
As soon as a baby is born, the baby needs nourishment. In fact, some hospitals would advocate for the mother to put the baby to breast 15 minutes after delivery.
In the same way, your dreams need nourishment. If you just set your goals and go to sleep, there is no way it would see the light of day.
If you don’t feed your dreams, they will die a natural death.
How can you nurture your dreams?
- By keeping it constantly in view – This can be done using vision boards. A vision board is a tool used to help clarify, concentrate and maintain focus on definite life goals. With a vision board, there is no room for vagueness or ambiguity. It is clear.
- Mentoring/Coaching – You always hear the saying that successful people have coaches. Some may have more than one, for the different aspects of their lives and business. So, mentors help. Use one-on-one discussions to enhance your skills, knowledge and abilities. It could be physical or over the phone. It could be short-term or lifelong. They help you get to your desired goal in the shortest possible time. They are able to tell you what works best for you in the given circumstances. If you don’t have one till now, please get a coach/mentor.
- Support groups/Business Friends – These are people who are either on the same pursuit as you are, or who have done similar things. They are people who understand your vision and can cheer you on as you pursue your goals. You need to seek out these people. This is very crucial because if all those you converse with don’t understand your goal, or why you do what you do, it won’t be long before whatever fire you had is put off. So to keep the passion burning, to get honest feedback and motivation, you need people of like minds. If you know some other ways, please drop a line in the comments. Every information is key, you know.
4. Create the right environment for growth
Every mother knows the importance of babyproofing the house. You can feed a child properly but if you overlook the aspect of safety for the child, you would soon end up in the ER at the local clinic.
You must ensure that the environment is safe for the growth of your dreams. Now, I don’t mean you should begin to think of relocation. It’s the mind environment I’m referring to. What thoughts do you accommodate in your mind about yourself and your dreams?
If you already think in your mind that your dreams are not achievable, I’m sorry! You may not be able to achieve them.
If you look in the mirror, and all you see is a Failure, with that mind-set, even the best coaches or mentor would not be able to help you.
When you wake up each morning, you need to tell yourself strong words – “I believe in me, I am made for greatness, I am precious in God’s sight, I have an excellent spirit…” and so on.
These words set the tone for your day and there’s no end to what your mind can achieve when it has been set right. With all these running through your mind, you will see new opportunities where others see obstacles and that’s how you become a success story and people begin to ask you how you did it.
5. No Comparisons
This is bane of motherhood. It annoys me to no end. You hear things like, “ah, my son was able to hold his head at 7 weeks… oh, she had her first tooth at 3 months….” and they go on and on, just to satisfy themselves that they are probably better mothers.
As each child differs in reaching developmental milestones, so also our dreams, goals and aspirations differ.
As the year progresses, you will see others doing victory dances, celebrating milestones you only dream of and you may be tempted to compare yourself with them and get worried that you are not achieving as much.
That would be counter-productive.
You have to realise that your goals are unique to you. Besides, you don’t know what their journey is all about. For all you care, they could have been on that project for much longer and you didn’t know of it.
The time wasted in comparing your work with another’s can never be regained. “ – Ruth Zubairu
It’s one thing to celebrate the success of others and it’s another to compare yourself with them. The success of others shouldn’t impact negatively on your own work. Be diligent in putting your energy to use on your visions and dreams. Sooner or later, you will also be celebrated. Can I get an ‘Amen’?
Wrapping it up
It is clear that setting goals is just the beginning of what needs to be done in order to achieve maximum success this year.
When you realize that it’s a whole new year, with different policies and events, you will be able to nurture your dreams in such a way that they have the right environment to blossom and yield amazing results. Then, at the end of the year, you can celebrate with others without any feeling of envy or comparison because you had done your best and had even surpassed your dreams.
Wouldn’t we all like that?
Hello Ruth. Thanks for this! I’m happy I’m reading this post on a Monday morning as this serves as a constant reminder for me and reinforces my commitment to stick to my goals.
I agree with the principles you have put out here, especially walking the talk. I always ask people the purpose of talking/saying if you are not willing to take that step.
Hi Emeka,
Thanks for understanding the message of the post. Many do the talk, few walo the talk.
So glad to hear that you are committed to your goals.
Great success ahead and have a wonderful week.
Ruth
Hi Emeka,
Thanks for understanding the message of the post. Many do the talk, few walk the talk.
So glad to hear that you are committed to your goals.
Great success ahead and have a wonderful week.
Ruth
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Hey, Ruth,
It’s funny how one can be so involved on the internet one continues to miss what’s happening around him. That’s me there.
I never realised CBN made such a threat on Nigerian-issued debit cards. And for what reason and if it has been implemented, I don’t even know.
Truth is, I spend an awful amount of hours playing love games with my phone and laptop (my mobile offices) I’ve totally forgotten there’s a thing called “TV”.
Uuh me! *splits his head on a wall* *still alive. Die hard freak*.
My biggest takeaway comes from point three: Nurturing my dreams by constantly keeping it in view. That’s like visualising it, right? Brent Jones, in his post on goal setting, gave tremendous examples on how to do that.
I’m a sucker for making plans, writing out strategies on how to implement them, and then shoving that note somewhere, trusting my brain has the recollecting speed of a supercomputer.
Of course I soon forget and start to work my mind around other plans.
Yes, you’re right about speaking into your own life when you wake up every morning. I believe good self-talk will imbue you with capacities you never thought were there. For me, I noticed a huge change in the way I see myself and my work the instant I changed my self-talk.
A big “Amen” for that fifth point. Trust me, unless one truly understands the point you elaborated here, it would be difficult not to compare himself to those bigwigs. I’ve been there, done that, and found it’s a stupidish walk away from the life God has called you to live.
Going preachy for a moment, I strongly believe we all have something we have to offer, as a blogger friend mentioned earlier today. God wants us to appreciate our uniqueness as He does. That way, we can be sure we would excel and actualise our desired goals.
In fact, great goals are hardly achieved when a person lives in that world of comparison.
Okay, Ruth, if you read my bio on Sherman’s blog, you probably noticed I mentioned I’m a nerdy chatterbox. See, I have gone and do that here again. Don’t fault me just yet. It’s just, well, my uniqueness.
Good post here. It deserves the Social share that’s coming to it shortly.
Yusuff Busayo
Hello Yusuff,
Thanks for stopping over. This is a mini post in itself. Haahaahaha.
Loved it btw.
It all starts with you and before long you would be the “bigwig” people would compare themselves to.
Did i hear an amen?
Cheers and have a great week.
Hi Ruth
Your points are spot on. The best things about creating goals is when you achieve them. You have listed awesome tips to stick to goals.
I like the point of not comparing. It kills the motivation and drive of achieving a goal. Thanks for sharing. Take Care.
Hi Ikechi,
Thanks for stopping by.
What good are the goals if we don’t achieve them?
If attention is not paid to the how, then the goals would just be mere wisps of dreams.
Not comparing is also one of my favorites. i try to distance myself from those thoughts. I can’t be busy on my field and also be noticing how green that of my neighbour is.
something would have to give.
Thanks so much for lending your voice.
Do have a great week.
Hi Ruth,
Thank you for sharing your wisdom. Goals are great, but like caring for children it’s a lot of work, time and effort.
And goals don’t always love us back – not until they’ve matured and can stare us in the face and say “Congratulations! You did it!”
May your 2016 turn out exactly as you wish!
Warmly,
Quinn
Hi Quinn,
Thanks so much for your insight. You really get the analogy.
And for the love, You are so right. It only comes when they’ve matured and can give us the life we dream of having. And we can look back and say, we made it.
I hope you also have a great 2016. Cos mine is already awesome!
Cheers.
Ruth
Hey Ruth
What a great post. Our dreams can be turned into goals only by action. If we want to nurture a baby to become a wonderful child and adult we have to invest time and energy into them. The same is with our goals.
All your points so valid. Each year is different. I agree. This year I found that I was not making grand statements about change and what I wanted to achieve, I just marched through the new year, knowing what I was doing in 2015 was working towards my dream one small step at a time. Outside of stretching myself a little further the same routine was going to be used in the new year.
A dream and goal only stay alive as long as you are working towards them. If we dont keep them in focus we can get busy with other stuffs. Losing our footing. But its easy to remain in the moment when you enjoy the challenges and what you do. Thats what I have found different. Working on a dream you enjoy is a lot easier than trying to reach success with goals that are meaningless. So finding what sets you a light, well that was my challenge.
Oh the point about comparison. This should be shouted from the roof tops. Do not compare. We become blinded doing this. You can’t learn or observe someone in a positive light when you are comparing. Be happy for someone elses success. Dont begrudge it. When you have been working hard and someone makes it you know they too have been working hard. Thanks for a wonderful post Ruth, thoroughly enjoyed it.
Rachel.
Hi Rachel,
Thanks for coming over. You are so right. Our dreams can only grow to the extent that we nurture them.
Having a coach/accountability partner helps keeps one focused on those goals otherwise its easy to get sidetracked.
And yes, i so agree with you. Working on a dream you love and are passionate about is very crucial. To be able to handle the tough days, you need to have a drive that comes from within. In finding that, sorry to say, there’s no magic wand.
Sometimes you have to go through a series of other things before you finally “zoom” in on that thing that lights up your entire being.
So glad you found it super helpful.
Have a great rest of the day.
Ruth
Hi Ruth,
I like how you harped on entering the New Year with the right attitude. That analogy about pregnancies not being the same was fantastic. When it comes to attitude, most people pour new wine into old wine skins. And they lose both the wine skin and the wine (which amounts to not achieving your goals).
In this case, the new wine is the New Year while the old wine skins is the attitude that didn’t serve us well in the year gone by. When we make the ‘unprofitable alliance’ between new wine and old wine skins, we end up not achieving our goals.
At least, that proves the truth in this quote:
“Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” – Albert Einstein
We all know it, but we keep going round in circles. This year, I urge everybody reading this to cultivate a positive attitude. The attitude of a winner. The attitude of a champion.
What then is the attitude of a champion? Find the answer is in the quote below:
“When faced with a mountain, I will not quit. I will keep on striving until I climb over, find a pass through, tunnel underneath, or simply stay and turn the mountain into a gold mine, with God’s help” – Robert H. Schuller
When it comes to comparing, I’d say we should just face our journey, knowing fully that it is unique to us and our DNA. Compare not; achieve more!
Hello Iyabo,
So sorry i didn’t see this till now.
I loved the analogy about the old wineskin and the new wine. It just won’t work. And you would end up losing the new wine. and in this case, the new year.
Insane, right? Doing the same thing and expecting different result. Some will add prayers, lol.
Thanks for your thoughts.
have a great week ahead.
Ruth
Ruth,
Great article you have here. I like the part about entering the New Year with a new attitude. Most people enter a New Year with the same attitude that made them fail in the year gone by.
And we all know what Albert Einstein calls that:
“Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”
For us to get good results this year, we ought to pour new wine into a new wine skin. But, we don’t often do that. You find people pouring new wine into old wine skins. So, what happens, they lose both the wine and the skin. And that simply means, they do not achieve their goals.
But, when we have a new attitude, we’re able to surmount our challenges and become who we truly want to be. And what attitude do we need to do that?
The attitude of a winner. And what does that entail?
Robert H. Schuller puts it succinctly in this quote:
“When faced with a mountain, I will not quit. I will keep on striving until I climb over, find a pass through, tunnel underneath, or simply stay and turn the mountain into a gold mine, with God’s help.”
When it comes to comparison, I’ll say compare less; achieve more!
Good Read… rhythmic flow. I even felt a little euphoria while reading it! Keep it up!